What does a Confident Business Woman look like to You?

Today I tweeted the following, "Confident business women recognize someone else's great idea, compliments on that idea, and then humbly asks for permission to use it!". Within minutes, I got the following reply, "I guess. But it would be better to come [u]p with our own.."

On the surface, I completely agree with what the person is saying - plain and simple, it's better to have your own great ideas. But the reality is that we just can't always do it! You can spend countless numbers of hours brainstorming on something and trying to figure something out and never get from point A to point B. That's why we have terms such as writer's block. It happens to all of us - we get stuck and need a little nudging in the right direction. I was stumped on what to blog about and low and behold as a result of the dialogue between me and the other person on twitter, I'm sitting here now typing away.

The point I'm making boils down to this: there are those instances when you've admired something someone else has done and their creativity led to a "Hello Duh?!" moment and/or prevented you from having to reinvent the wheel. What's the politically correct thing to do in this case? Ask for permission to use their template, framework, suggestion or whatever it is - don't use their idea and not give them their props. I've witnessed this on a number of occasions and must admit that I've been a victim myself. Sitting down in a meeting or during a presentation and the presenter (aka - your so called boss!) is highlighting all of your "bullets" and she is taking all the glory. Not a good best practice and certainly not a characteristic of a confident leader.

Confident women are completely comfortable with who they are and what they have to offer. They don't need to downplay others to make themselves look good or feel validated. A confident woman can pay another woman a compliment and not expect one in return. They are content with who they are, both inside and out, and aren't afraid to let it be known. If you're a confident woman, leave a comment and celebrate yourself. Invite your confident friends to do the same.

Photo credit: Chris Nuzzaco