The Confidence Effect

Every Woman's Guide to the Attitude That Attracts Success

AMACOM, 2016

15 min read

10 take-aways

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Achieving success requires both competence and confidence. Just one or the other won’t do.

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Many talented women don’t receive the promotions or raises they deserve because they’re competent but not confident. Consultant Grace Killelea shows businesswomen how to increase their confidence with the “4 R’s of Success”: “Relationships, Reputation, Results and Resilience.” Killelea discusses how to expand your network, learn to delegate, dress for career growth, manage your brand, use data to support your decisions and bounce back from adversity. Anyone who isn’t sure what to do next in order to advance can learn from Killelea’s experiences. She speaks from a position of relatable vulnerability and offers abundant lists, examples, anecdotal profiles and chapter takeaways. getAbstract recommends her encouraging advice to working women – and, in some instances, to working men as well.

Summary

“Moving from Competence to Confidence”

Many women are competent but lack confidence. Both are critical elements of success; competence alone isn’t enough. Yes, you must know what you’re doing and how to delegate and lead, but you also must be proud of your work and of yourself. You need both competence and confidence, yet women in the workforce often disconnect them. For instance, women unwittingly undermine themselves when they attribute their good performance to chance. If people praise you, thank them, and don’t say, “Oh, no, I just got lucky.”

To combine confidence and competence, learn and practice the “4 R’s of Success”:

1. “Relationships”

Effective networking can boost your confidence and your career options, and nurturing strong relationships can help you build your personal “brand.” Establish mutually beneficial “power relationships” with team members who challenge you, managers who push you, peers who support and encourage you, and anyone you trust to be honest with you.

Author Grace Killelea, who was born in Italy and came to the US with her family when she was four, learned about networking from her Italian mother. Grace...

About the Author

Grace Killelea is the CEO and founder of The GKC Group, a leadership development firm. GKC’s Half The Sky Leadership Institute helps women leaders advance and thrive, while its new Quattro program offers a coed leadership platform.

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N. T. 3 years ago

Good.
T. F. 3 years ago

nice course
M. W. 7 years ago

Achieving success requires both competence and confidence. Just one or the other won’t do.

Grace Killelea