Several years ago while coaching managers and leaders at mid- to high-levels, I noticed some common negative patterns and themes emerging in terms of what people were dealing with in their roles and organizations, regardless of the level role they held, or industry and field.
I decided to pull back the lens and conduct qualitative and quantitative research to identify the factors contributing to what seems to be a widespread experience of professional dissatisfaction – with their work, employers and their own ability to make a positive impact and effectively manage their life outside of work with the demands of their jobs.
Many of these challenges also reveal a lack of confidence in one’s self-authority (including imposter syndrome, which impacts a staggering 75% of executive women today) as well as other career impediments — in communication, building influential networks, asking for what people want and deserve, dealing effectively with mistreatment, and overall, believing firmly in their talents, capabilities and strengths.
In the research, I aimed to answer this question:
“What is missing from the lives and careers of professionals today who feel they can’t experience the success, reward, fulfillment and impact they want and deserve?
The answer that emerged from the research was this:
There are two key ingredients that professionals are in greater need of to reach their highest and most rewarding potential – and a stronger influence over their own life and careers. And those ingredients are bravery and power.
I view bravery in this context as the courage to examine what isn’t working in our lives, to take full accountability for what we can change, and to walk through the fear, confusion and doubt to take proactive steps to make the necessary changes. And I define power as the ability to act on one’s own behalf—and advocating for others in an effective way–becoming a true author in one’s life and having the ability to speak, ask, connect, challenge and serve with greater confidence, strength and impact.
What has emerged from my research over the past years are 7 specific “power and confidence gaps” professionals face that are preventing them from thriving and achieving the success and reward they want. These power gaps are remarkably common among professionals of all walks, geographic locations, education levels, industries, fields and roles. And these gaps are prevalent among people in entrepreneurial life, as well as corporate professionals, consultants, private practitioners and other types of work.
When we experience these power and confidence gaps, our ability to achieve the outcomes we want and build healthy, beneficial relationships and support, is compromised. And we’re unable to be of service in ways we long to.
The 7 damaging power and confidence gaps impacting a majority of professionals today are:
#1: Not recognizing (and believing in) your special talents, abilities and accomplishments
#2: Communicating from fear not strength
#3: Reluctance to ask for what you want and deserve
#4: Isolating from influential support
#5: Acquiescing instead of saying “STOP!” to mistreatment and unfair behavior
#6: Losing sight of the thrilling dream you had for your life and career
#7: Allowing past pain and challenge to continue to define you
The prevalence of these gaps
To quantitatively measure the prevalence of these gaps, I conducted a survey and the results echoed the qualitative findings:
98% of women respondents and 90% of men indicated they were facing at least one of the 7 power gaps, and over 75% were experiencing 3 or more gaps at the same time.
The truth is, if you have more than one or two of these gaps, it’s very difficult to thrive in our professional lives. We can make good money or rise to high levels, but we won’t internally thrive or feel safe and satisfied in our work. In the vast majority of cases, power gaps don’t just emerge from one event or situation. They are shaped over time by what we’ve experienced in childhood, and also from how we’ve been “trained” or socially conditioned to think, feel and communicate, and how we see ourselves. This shaping – from society, families, work experiences, social media and more – can impact the trajectory of our personal and professional lives in important ways.
How can professionals strengthen themselves today, to address what isn’t working? And how can leaders and managers support that growth process?
We build happier, more productive careers and lives through consistent, committed and intentional brave action that leads us to becoming agents of change in our lives. It takes courage and strength to embrace new, confidence-building opportunities—to see ourselves as we really are, and to speak, ask, connect, serve and heal courageously so we can achieve and create what we long to.
A first step is to understand which gaps you may be facing and take one step to address the gap that is impacting you the most. Many folks find it helpful to start with what is draining their confidence the most – including how to reset and shift your view of past “failures.” Another key step is to finally recognize the true talents and abilities you have, and start leveraging them more confidently.
But leaders and managers who wish to encourage the fullest capabilities and positive engagement of their workforce need to understand these gaps as well. And they need to offer new, effective workplace solutions to help employees and managers thrive and reach their most rewarding potential.
Below are strategies leaders can employ to help professionals close these gaps:
Help your employees recognize and leverage their special talents, abilities and accomplishments
Teach all your managers and those who lead others to incorporate new ways of recognizing and celebrating employees for their special talents and contributions. Point out these special contributions both privately and publicly on a regular basis, and give others a chance to recognize each individual for what they uniquely contribute.
Foster strong, confident and assertive communication in all employees
Build a culture of trust and growth where all employees can communicate from strength not fear and encourage employees to speak up authentically and openly about their opinions and ideas. Don’t allow managers to squash people down who bravely challenge the status quo or who represent change and innovation. Build a strong, open organization that supports strength and honesty in its people.
Create a built-in structural process that encourages employees to ask for what they want and deserve
Provide employees numerous opportunities throughout each year to explore with their managers what they want to do and create in their careers. Help them find avenues to ask for, and achieve, new growth in ways that will expand their contributions and skills. Help them understand and measure the value they offer to the organization and compensate them well and fairly for that value.
Forge avenues for influential mentorship and sponsorship support
Build a mentoring community within your organization (see MentorCloud.com and other mentoring platforms) and provide new opportunities for professionals to obtain influential guidance, support and help outside the organization.
Track, address and eliminate all forms of mistreatment in your workforce
As a leader you’re in a critical position to stand up and put a stop to all forms of mistreatment in its tracks—among all employees (yes, even your “top” performers and sales generators). This includes putting into place processes that identify gender bias and discrimination, pay inequity, sexual harassment, narcissistic behavior, toxic communication, emotional abuse, and other forms of mistreatment. Remove perpetrators of abuse from the organization without exception. Role model and enforce a no-tolerance policy and don’t waffle on this. Build avenues of communication and support for people who feel they are being mistreated.
Help employees connect to their thrilling career visions
Give employees important opportunities to identify and reconnect to their biggest career dreams, and explore new pathways for them to achieve those dreams right in your organization if possible. Engagement will soar when you do.
Be a positive, uplifting force – Manage with forthrightness, transparency, bravery, and compassion
For all the people you lead and manage, be their staunchest supporter and sponsor, and help them see what they’re capable of at the highest level. Facilitate their ability to recognize their unique strengths and talents but also where they are engaging in behaviors that might be getting in the way of their thriving and succeeding at the highest level.
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Where to start
The strongest bravery-boosting step one can take as a leader or manager is to understand the 7 power and confidence gaps and recognize those that generate the most internal pain, confusion, fear or shame. Then, begin to take small, doable micro steps every week that address the gap bravely, so that it’s no longer hidden, frightening, or ignored.
And as a leader, it’s essential to understand these gaps exist widely among your teams and build a new type of work culture that allows employees to address their power and confidence gaps openly, affording them opportunities to see themselves in a more positive light, with new eyes.
Facilitate exciting growth opportunities where employees can speak, ask, connect, challenge, serve and heal more bravely and powerfully than ever before.
And most importantly, end mistreatment and unfair behavior wherever and however it appears in your organization today.
Kathy Caprino is a career and leadership coach, author of The Most Powerful You, and trainer helping professionals build their most rewarding careers.
