Why can't a woman be more like a man?

Hang on, I'm not advocating that we (women) should all try to be more like them (men), but there are definitely some things we could learn from them.




Confidence is one of them. This article yesterday was interesting in provoking us to think about why we don't push ourselves forward. Some argue that women are generally paid less than men because they don't ask for pay rises. We don't apply for senior management roles because we think we're not good enough.

I write award submissions and often hear that "I won't win. It's just for the experience." That's from women. Men almost never use language that puts themselves down. It's not in their vocabulary. While self-deprecation can be endearing, it doesn't win you awards.

What do you have to lose by pretending to be more confident? You're unlikely to reach the scales of arrogance where it's a problem. If you do, I promise to tell you.

I used to teach clarinet to a very talented young woman. Each time I asked her to play, she'd start with "This isn't very good" before playing. That was her first lesson taken care of. She stopped saying it and eventually passed her Grade 8 exam with distinction. Getting her to pretend to be more confident made her play better. Fact.

What would you do if you had the confidence? How about doing it anyway and seeing if it gives you confidence.