Business Book Review: The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman

Kay and Shipman help crack the code for the mysteries of confidence. The illusive trait that’s even more important than your competence.

My Rating: ★★★

Length: 270 pages

Publisher: Harper Collins

Released: 2014

Key takeaway for personal branding

Katty Kay and Claire Shipman's journalistic skills are put to work in The Confidence Code.

This New York Times best-seller documents their mission to crack the secrets of confidence. They hypothesise it lies at the heart of why men still pre-dominate women in the corporate world.

Unnerving for some, they posit that confidence is more important than competence.

While several themes reflect the core principles of personal branding, one stands out.

The authors ask that if you only take away one message from this book let it be:

When in doubt, act.

The theme of taking action underpins the entire text.  Like personal branding, it calls for a sense of personal agency. To leave your comfort zone to act in the face of fear. To develop an appreciation of risk, despite the possibility of failure. And to pick yourself back up after every setback.

Perhaps you fear reaching a seemingly impenetrable glass ceiling. Or perhaps you already have? Instead of just shouting about the problems women face, do something to push yourself. Practise mastery of new opportunities.

Borrowing from the tech world, you’re encouraged to ‘fail fast’. Before aiming for perfectionism, as women are so often inclined, just get started.  Find what doesn’t work quickly, so you can find what does. Then, focus on exploring more of that.

The duo propose that, from childhood, females are rewarded for sticking to the rules. But success in life belongs to those with a slight rebellious streak.

Favourite Quotes

Our genetic blueprints aren’t wildly different when it comes to confidence. But there is a particular crisis for women.

Perhaps most striking of all, we found that success correlates more closely with confidence than it does with competence.

Winston Churchill put the difference memorably: “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

Perfectionism keeps us from action.

Gaining confidence means getting outside your comfort zone, experiencing setbacks, and, with determination, picking yourself up.

Risk keeps you on life’s edge. It keeps you growing, improving, and gaining confidence. By contrast, living in a zone where you’re assured of the outcome can turn flat and dreary quickly. Action separates the timid from the bold.

The people who succeed aren’t always naturals. They are doers.

The extensive research for The Confidence Code is evidenced by wide-ranging sources. The book details conversations across industries and cultures. References come from business to the military, and sport to parenting., plus much more. Few stones are left unturned in the duo’s bid to discover the confidence code for women.

If you’re a young adult, a working woman or a mother, The Confidence Code shares learnings all women should know.

The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman: Available on Amazon.