There is a world of difference between the personality traits and behaviors it takes to be chosen as a leader and the traits and skills you need to be able to lead effectively.

Women’s self-reports of confidence had no correlation with how others saw their confidence.

Finally, good leadership requires psychological capital, that is, how individuals will lead and whether they will make use of their capabilities.

Self-awareness, the cornerstone of leadership development, has been valued for thousands of years. The entrance to the temple of Apollo in Delphi was inscribed know thyself. Socrates argued that the essence of his wisdom was to accept his ignorance. Given that people are generally unaware of their limitations, which are exacerbated when they become leaders, leadership development interventions should focus on boosting leaders’ self-awareness. Research suggests that greater self-awareness is a defining feature of high-performing leaders.Accordingly, because good coaching enhances the person’s self-awareness, coaching is often described as systematic feedback.

But even more critically, we must put in place much bigger obstacles for the disproportionate glut of incompetent men who are so adept at becoming leaders, to everyone’s peril.