Connecting competence with confidence.

• Author: Killelea, Grace
• Position: Business & Finance - Essay

"When I walked into a room, I always waiting for building Security to come and haul me Away--fee ling like a fraud, Sure I would be found out ..."

IN BUSINESS, there is an ugly yet undeniable truth: every single day, talented, hardworking, and deserving women are passed over for promotions. While it is easy to blame a corporate culture that favors men, there is a different personal accountability-driven culprit: a shockingly prevalent and grievous disparity in confidence. While men are prone to overestimate their abilities, all too often women sell themselves short and needlessly languish in marginalized careers.

Realizing a high level of achievement requires women to speak out, take risks, and assume leadership positions with perceptible self-assurance, but too many otherwise qualified females are not living up to their full potential. This is an astonishingly widespread phenomenon resulting in egregious opportunity loss for the individual, the organization, and, ultimately, the U.S. economy at large. Aspiring women must become more inherently confident with the kind of authenticity that will get them noticed and take their careers to new heights.

Remember, success and happiness are not just for the world's richest, luckiest, thinnest, or smartest women. We can be successful and happy even when we are not given every opportunity or advantage. It is possible to create a life, career, and business that you love--despite significant challenges.

Along the way, I have found that the negative voices in my head are lying and, that by connecting my internal knowledge to my external energy--or, simply put, my competence to my confidence--I could achieve success and happiness. For many years I was the woman who believed just working hard was "enough." I was the classic "good girl" who said yes to everything I was asked to do at work, yet never looked to get anything in return. I was the woman who spent too many years listening to the negative voices inside my head and the ones forced upon me by society.

When I walked into a room, I always was waiting for building security to come and haul me away--feeling like a fraud, sure I would be found out--and yet that never happened. If you or someone you know is struggling with workplace brand, consider these tips for showing up strong:

Put together a package that is right for the environment. While one corporate culture may, in fact, covet the smart, sophisticated look, another (say at an advertising...