Why Confidence Often Trumps Competence at Work

According to a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, people who appear to be natural leaders tend to rise to the top. Professor Gavin Kilduff of New York University and Adam Galinsky, a psychologist and professor at Columbia Business School, proposed that people who feel energetic and confident will appear more competent and consequently obtain higher status. In a series of tests with students, Kilduff and Galinsky's thesis was confirmed. Subjects who participated in a "promotion-focused" activity and a writing exercise designed to increase their confidence ended up achieving higher group status.

This effect proved to be long-lasting. read more...