--- title: Confidence...Decoded! description: Use The Missing 33% to close the leadership gender gap, strengthen leadership development and career development for women. image: https://www.leadingnow.biz/hubfs/social-suggested-images/Confidence_Excerpt_for_Blog_FINAL.png --- [![LN-Logo-2021](https://www.leadingnow.biz/hs-fs/hubfs/ADMIN%20-%20All%20Brands/LN/LN-Logo-2021.png?width=147&height=80&name=LN-Logo-2021.png "LN-Logo-2021")](https://www.leadingnow.biz/) # Confidence...Decoded! 2 min read | [Susan Colantuono](https://www.leadingnow.biz/blog/author/susan-colantuono) - Share: - [Facebook ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://www.leadingnow.biz/blog/confidence...decoded?utm_medium=social&utm_source=) - [LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?url=https://www.leadingnow.biz/blog/confidence...decoded?utm_medium=social&utm_source=&title=Confidence...Decoded%21) - [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https://www.leadingnow.biz/blog/confidence...decoded?utm_medium=social&utm_source=&url=https://www.leadingnow.biz/blog/confidence...decoded?utm_medium=social&utm_source=&source=tweetbutton&text=Confidence...Decoded%21) - [Email ](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://www.leadingnow.biz/blog/confidence...decoded?utm_medium=social&utm_source=%20&body=Check%20out%20https://www.leadingnow.biz/blog/confidence...decoded?utm_medium=social&utm_source=) ![Confidence_Excerpt_for_Blog_FINAL](https://www.leadingnow.biz/hs-fs/hubfs/social-suggested-images/Confidence_Excerpt_for_Blog_FINAL.png?width=733&name=Confidence_Excerpt_for_Blog_FINAL.png) We recently asked our cracker-jack researcher Lara Feghaly to decode the 10 most substantive articles on confidence that she could find. And to do the same with the book *The Confi**dence C**ode*. What she discovered is startling and crucial for women's career advancement. And we've turned it into an [infographic](https://www.leadingnow.biz/request-confidence-infographic) for you. [![New Call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/292089/3d5912a7-3d50-4143-b783-ef2fbe7cf278.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/292089/3d5912a7-3d50-4143-b783-ef2fbe7cf278) While useful to varying degrees, conventional advice is insufficient. With its over-emphasis on dressing, looking and feeling the part and lack of emphasis on knowing what you're talking about, conventional advice can even set women up for disaster. In a recent [interview](http://thelegacyproject.co.za/606-susan-colantuono-ceo-of-leading-women/) by The Legacy Project I said, "*Success doesn’t rest on your strengths alone, but on the studied application of your strengths in a specific context."* I could have said the same about confidence. When a woman's "specific context" is business, all the designer clothes, assertive language, insights into weaknesses, practice at making herself big, faking it 'til she makes it, breathing exercises, and acknowledgment of her fears, while possibly helpful, won't assure her confidence. Her confidence to speak up will be proportional to how able she is to make a "business savvy" contribution to the situation at hand. Her confidence to take on a new challenge will be proportional to how well she understands how the new position/project is expected to move the business forward. In other words, she needs to close The Missing 33%®! ![(R) Missing 33_-type treatment-Horiz](https://www.leadingnow.biz/hs-fs/hubfs/ADMIN%20-%20All%20Brands/Missing%2033/Missing%2033%20(R)/(R)%20Missing%2033_-type%20treatment-Horiz.png?width=320&height=39&name=(R)%20Missing%2033_-type%20treatment-Horiz.png) Without an understanding of the relationship between [The Missing 33%®](https://www.leadingnow.biz/missing_33_2014_research_-1) and confidence, women in your organization will definitely hit a glass ceiling. Help them - especially your emerging leaders and your millennials - decode confidence and break through to higher levels of management.   [![Contact Us to Learn More](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/292089/0327c2e2-dd70-4337-bf7b-b2d9af6fa23d.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/292089/0327c2e2-dd70-4337-bf7b-b2d9af6fa23d)     [Talent Development](https://www.leadingnow.biz/blog/topic/talent-development) [The Missing 33%®](https://www.leadingnow.biz/blog/topic/the-missing-33) [Career](https://www.leadingnow.biz/blog/topic/career) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. ### Subscribe #### Interested in seeing the latest insights on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion?   Stay up to date by subscribing to our blog. 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