There are two types of women: those that never have a self-doubt creep into their heads, and then the rest of us.

Self-Doubt Belief Systems Building Self-Esteem Cognitive Restructuring Confidence Quotes

What is Self-Esteem

Self-esteem is a woman's sense of her value and worth. How do you value yourself? How do you appreciate your assets? Do you even recognize your assets? How often is your self-talk about what you do or do not deserve?

Various factors affect one's measure of self-esteem, including socioeconomic status and cultural background. For the context of women leaders,  high self-esteem is greatly influenced by the culture of the working environment and how women are viewed in holding positions of influence.

Building self-esteem as a female leader involves understanding and accepting some variables in the workplace such as how others view female leaders and how willing a company is to change the culture toward women.

For that reason, women should keep in mind that a positive self-image must come from self-management and a solid value system rather than falling prey to criticism and unchangeable values of others.

Positive Self-Image

We become who we think we are.

Listen to the difference between these two phrases:

    "Those people will never agree to any of my ideas!"
and
    "I have terrific ideas and I am finding a way to get people to accept them."

Our leadership story is not so much what happens to us as what we make of what happens to us. Your outlook is everything - whether it be sunny or cloudy. A slight spin toward seeing yourself in a more positive light helps the mind create those possibilities and helps you grow in a desired, intentional direction.

So it's no wonder that when we have a faulty self-image, we begin to behave as if we are flawed. When we change that around to a positive self-image, our internal reaction to ourself changes. We can create what we want to be. Try improving self esteem.

Defining the Positive Self-Image

Most of us remember nearly every compliment we have been given. After all, it is not often we get to hear feedback from someone as to what we look like to the rest of the world.

Keeping a positive self-image is especially important for women in leadership because we are still the minority at the leadership levels. Being a woman in a male-dominated workplace often means you are more likely to be criticized when you show a flaw, or seen as out-of-place if you give off any lack of confidence.

For improving self esteem, use two key techniques:

1) Utilize anchoring as a way to build self-esteem through remembering what you have done well. See the page on cognitive restructuring to get started.

2) Collect occasional feedback from others as to how they think you are doing.  Be prepared to also get some criticism and position yourself to handle it.  Until you feel you are ready to get a wide array of feedback, lean your questions toward a positive note, such as "What am I doing that works well for you?" or "Help me leverage my assets in this job - what do you see my strengths as?"

Truly amazing and it must have been good Karma ... in a recent cycling event, I checked in late and I was given this tag number! I look at this picture when I need a boost  ;)

Building Self-Confidence

How to get confidence - it becomes an uphill battle to pull yourself up by the bootstraps when your self-image is in the pits. Many professionals, myself included, agree that doing something helps your future look more inviting. Action is better than mulling around with no direction at all.

Gain some momentum toward building self-confidence through feedback exercises, setting short term goals, and exercising your body. Physical well-being is a direct link to improving self-esteem.

Self-Doubt

Self doubt is naturally triggered when trying anything new. The response is not so rare, yet it feels unnatural.

But a little discomfort is a great sign. After all, pain leads to growth. And that's a good thing. A woman wanting to become a better leader must get comfortable with being uncomfortable.    More about self-doubt

Belief Systems

Truly ... at the core of all of the above is your belief system. What do you truly think about a woman in the workplace? What do you think about doing the right thing? What do you believe about how programmable your belief system is? What do you believe you deserve?  Is it nature vs nurture?

We all have belief systems deeply rooted from a variety of sources. These systems send us programmed messages, often called subliminal tapes. They fall into two distinct categories: limiting beliefs and empowering beliefs. Want to know more about belief systems and changing yours? Go