Traditional definitions equating confidence with a showy bravado that ’takes no prisoners’ are outdated – think about it; in the UK and USA, the white, middle class, extrovert leaders we have embody “confidence” – it’s a BIG PART of why they got elected and their underlying belief that “they always know best” is why our countries were slow to react to Covid. BUT – the fight has actually depended on our hospital workers, transport workers, delivery drivers, teachers and carers. Yet these competent people are routinely underpaid, mirroring the way competence has been undervalued to date. Think about Black Lives Matter. Until now, funding in many non-white communities in the USA and elsewhere has focussed on ensuring a large police presence rather than combatting systemic problems that undermine trust in the certainty they will get ahead through education and the like: This is the VERY foundation upon which confidence is based. People of color know confidence is confused with anger.
Dr Suzanne Doyle-Morris, is the author of ‘The Con Job: Getting Ahead for Competence in a World Obsessed with Confidence’. She is completely focused on helping professional women get the roles they want and the recognition they deserve. She has helped women move into senior roles at 50 organisations in the UK, Europe and the US – namely in STEM, legal and financial services. Her PhD from the University of Cambridge looked at the experiences of women in male-dominated fields. Over the last 25 years, Doyle-Morris has helped organisations improve their gender balance, particularly at a senior level. In that time, she has also written two books – ‘Beyond the Boys’ Club: Achieving Career Success as a Woman Working in a Male-Dominated Field’ and ‘Female Breadwinners: How They Make Relationships Work and Why they are the Future of the Modern Workplace’ all available on Amazon. She shares the best tips from the stellar careers of her clients on her YouTube channel. Drop In for The Con Job!
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