Have you ever looked at a job you really wanted, but held back from applying because you didn’t think you were ready or capable? We have worked with a lot of people lately who are in the same boat, and one statistic they keep quoting back to me is that “men apply for jobs when they meet 60% of the requirements, while women wait until they meet nearly 100%.” So let’s unplug from gender stereotypes and confirmation bias, because underneath lies a more useful leadership trait, one that can help both aspiring senior leaders and the organisations appointing them.
LEARN something.
The famous 60% vs 100% claim originated from an internal Hewlett-Packard note and later became one of the most quoted statistics in leadership and recruitment circles, helped along by a compelling Harvard Business Review article. The trouble is, the evidence is nowhere near as clear-cut as most people think. Many people, including coaches selling their services, have framed it as a confidence issue: men are more confident (or overconfident), women are less confident (or overcautious), and that’s the reason. It’s a simple explanation, but not a particularly convincing or useful one. Adjacent studies into leadership suggest the pattern may exist, but for different reasons. A more nuanced insight is that some people look at a list of job requirements as hard must-haves, and so only apply based on qualifications and previous experience. Others look at those requirements as a wishlist and apply based on possibility. Some people see a list of requirements and ask, “Can I do all of this today?” Others ask, “Can I learn what I don’t know?” The difference between those two questions might explain far more than who applies for a job.
That lens changes how we think about talent, promotions, and leadership appointments. The higher the appointment, the less likely it is that you, or anyone, has already done every aspect of the role in question. At some point, leadership appointments stop being about proven ability and start becoming about learning ability. That’s not an argument for overplaying confidence, throwing caution to the wind, or applying for jobs without looking at the requirements. Neither behaviour is inherently better. Confidence can help you step into uncertainty, but it can also create blind spots. Caution can improve judgement, but it can also cause you to hold back. The real question is not whether you can do the job, but how quickly you can learn the job. Your confidence should come from your ability to learn, not just from what you can already do. Because the goal is not to know everything. The goal is to learn faster than the challenge grows.
REFLECT on an idea.
“The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways.” (Robert Greene)
The further you progress in leadership, the less likely it is that your next challenge will match your previous experience. And even if you’ve done something similar before, the same approach may not work this time. The context is different, the environment is different, and the people around you are different.
SMILE a little.
Ideal applicant: You are a proven executive with at least 15 years of experience leading AI integration, hybrid work, digital transformation, customer-centric redesign, and building future-ready workforce cultures to deliver measurable growth in uncertain economic conditions. Must have a demonstrated track record in technologies that haven’t been invented yet.
DO IT to get results.
Think about a job, role, project, promotion, or opportunity you’ve been hesitating to pursue. Then ask yourself two questions: “What specifically am I missing?” and “Is that something I am capable of learning?” That’s exactly what I do when working with leaders who are often in this limbo. The answer is not a gap analysis. It’s the right framing. Frame the situation as a judgement, and you will be scared of failing. Frame it as a problem, and you will focus on the gaps. Frame it as a learning opportunity, and you will start looking for ways to grow into it.
