Confidence is Crucial - Maryann Bruce
I believe that it is crucial to inspire young women and teach them that they can achieve their dreams. Often, women do not live up to their highest potential due to a lack of confidence and fear of failure. Some women doubt their abilities, their experience, or themselves in general. Through education and mentorship, we can help women rid their self-doubt and appreciate failure as important learning experiences. To help build strong female leaders, we must give women the confidence to reach their full potential.
In my interview with ABC to CEO I discussed in detail how I became a CEO. Every time I advanced in my career, I gained confidence and a determination to strive for even more.
The higher up I advanced up the corporate ladder, the more I thought about the next levels in my career. Once I became senior vice president, that’s when it truly dawned on me and my aspirations started to evolve that maybe I really had the capabilities and potential to be a president or a CEO.
So, I did two things that I believe ultimately put me into a position to achieve that:
First, I made sure I had a couple of mentors who would be there to answer my questions and offer advice and guidance throughout my leadership journey. People who could chat with me about issues I was struggling with and offer different perspectives.
Second, I hired an executive coach. I chose a coach who I knew would help me reveal my blind spots, help me effectively manage conflict better, and could also let me see things from a bigger picture, a broader horizon.
These advisers helped give me the confidence and the belief that my dream of becoming a CEO, was not only realistic, but achievable, which I ultimately accomplished.
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About Maryann: Experienced Corporate Director Maryann Bruce is passionate about creating more diverse and inclusive boards. She vehemently believes that having a diverse and inclusive board helps reduce risk, challenges group think, drives profits, and sets an excellent example for the rest of the company.
