- IMD Business School  - IMD Business School  - IMD Business School

The confidence myth: What really holds women back

Live webinar
When
19 February 2026
Time
12pm CET (45 mins)
Where
Online
Open to

Public

Join us for an engaging conversation and Q&A

Women are often told they need more confidence to succeed. But what if that advice is fundamentally flawed?

In this webinar, IMD’s Ginka Toegel challenges the deeply ingrained assumption that women lack confidence – and shows why focusing on “fixing” women can be both misleading and counterproductive.
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Join IMD expert and author Ginka Toegel

Drawing on three decades of global teaching and leadership research, alongside her background in psychotherapy and insights from her book The Confidence Myth, Toegel explains why women are frequently rated as highly – or more – effective leaders than men yet still face persistent doubts about how their contributions are valued.

Why this matters now

The session will discuss common self-defeating behaviors, the impostor phenomenon, and the double standards around emotional expression at work. 

What you will get from the session

Identify and manage behaviors

Look out for self-defeating behaviors and learn how to manage confidence traps.

Challenge narratives

Challenge the “confidence fix” narrative and recognize systemic biases.

Authentic leadership

Apply practical tools to help leverage your strengths and authenticity.

 

 

About the I by IMD webinar series:

In our webinar series, we feature insights from IMD’s leading faculty and partners on critical contemporary challenges impacting today’s global business leaders.

We look forward to your participation.

Register for this event

After submitting your registration, you will receive a confirmation email with the details of your online event. Reminders will be sent to you before the event.

We look forward to meeting you online.