Recently, one of my coaches talked about how confidence and humility are the two main keys to success.

And that got me thinking because that balance between confidence and humility can be tricky, especially for women.

We’re told to be confident and own our accomplishments but we all know women who do that and then they’re called arrogant or cocky.

And we know that part of being humble is about listening and being open to learning and feedback.

But we can’t only stay in the role of a learner if we want to be seen as a leader.

So how do we get this balance right between confidence and humility?

Badass women master this balance by doing two key things.

First, we get truly confident about our gifts and self-aware about our limitations. And we need to be ok with both of these. I’ve found that it’s when we’re insecure or feel backed into a corner that we start to show up in ways where we don’t present our best self.

And a lot of times that is where confidence can veer into arrogance or being obnoxious or defensive.

Second, it helps to have a learning mindset and be open to continuous improvement. We need to seek out people we can learn from.

And we need to be ok with “failure”; it’s part of learning.

When these things happen, it’s easier to show up confidently and authentically and still demonstrate humility.

So that’s my take.

What are your thoughts on the role of confidence and humility? How do they play into your success? And how do you balance the two?

Send me a message and let me know – I’d love to hear from you!

Originally published at www.mosaicgrowth.com

Author(s)

  • Elena Lipson

    Principal and Founder, Mosaic Growth Partners

    My 20 years of consulting and coaching experience has afforded me an inside look at how different organizations operate and what it takes to succeed. I spent the majority of my career as a healthcare strategy and change management consultant, serving federal, commercial and non-profit clients and mentoring emerging companies. I've had the privilege of working with hundreds of companies in the digital health and life sciences industry, supporting projects on consumer and patient engagement; telehealth; health and wellness; caregiving and independent living; and innovations in gene therapy, medical devices, rare disease drug development and AI-driven digital therapeutics and diagnostics. In 2015, I founded Mosaic Growth Partners, a consulting and coaching firm based in Washington, D.C., to help my clients develop new solutions for growth. I support clients in the digital health and life sciences industry with strategic and operational planning, commercializing new products and services, and workshop facilitation. I also coach professional women to take control of their careers and build professional lives that are congruent with their personal aspirations and natural talents. For professional women, I offer digital, group and 1:1 executive coaching programs. Prior to founding Mosaic Growth Partners, I led AARP Services' business development efforts in health and caregiving. At AARP, I was responsible for securing strategic partnerships, developing new business models and serving as an innovation champion. In this role, I built deep market knowledge and a strong industry network by working with hundreds of emerging and established companies. I also spent nearly 10 years as a management consultant, primarily with Deloitte Consulting, where I led strategy, human capital and technology engagements for federal health clients and the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. I also led sales and capture strategy, teaming, strategic business development and client excellence for the Department of Defense Military Health System account. I'm a Project Management Professional and a certified Agile Scrum Master. I graduated with a Master of Public Policy from American University and a B.A. in Political Science with High Honors from the University of Michigan.