Collaborative Confidence

As someone who loves a great self-help business book and who has read quite a lot of them over the years, I was excited to receive a copy of Collaborative Confidence by Dr. Heather Backstrom. Collaborative Confidence was written for women and emphasizes how women leaders can boost themselves forward in the workplace. The information in this book is straightforward and concise. Backstrom delivers a three-part method to help women get unstuck in their current profession and possibly even find a new position or profession that suits them and their strengths better.

The three sections in this book are Activate, Amplify, and Accelerate. Each section builds upon the one before it and it is easy to see how all three parts fit together to better oneself and one’s environment. As a female entrepreneur, I found the tips and anecdotal stories to be very helpful in all three sections of the book.

Activate emphasizes the importance of becoming self-aware. Backstrom explains that “people generally believe they are more self-aware than they are.” I really liked how she described the two sides of self-awareness: internal self-awareness which is what you perceive about yourself, and external self-awareness which is what others perceive about you. Seeing yourself from your own viewpoint and from the viewpoint of others may look like two completely different things. Being able to get direct and indirect feedback from others as well as assessing how you are feeling are two great ways to become more self-aware. My favorite part of the book was the breathing exercises Backstrom included. I tried each one and found them very calming with an element of heightened senses as my mind was able to relax and just focus on what I was feeling. I also really liked the exercises on paying attention to touch and creating different personas within oneself and identifying the different characteristics of those personas. I felt that both myself and others would really benefit from these exercises.

Amplify helps to elevate others around you. Once you have the ability to be self-aware, start to share the wealth by lifting up others around you. Praise and repeat an idea a coworker has that you feel is great. Living in a world of abundance instead of scarcity can help everyone grow. Your positive energy in a room will give light to others and be contagious.

Accelerate is about creating organizations that emphasize women’s leadership roles and creating a workplace balance. At many companies, women are still being paid less than their male counterparts. By bringing awareness to this and helping women thrive, we are opening new doors for women everywhere.

This book is a must-read for women who have found themselves struggling with confidence at any time in their lives. Brilliantly written with stories about some of the most amazing women leaders around the world, Collaborative Confidence is the next step in creating more inclusive workspaces.