The scrappy culture of nonprofits shaped my worldview not only at work, but in life. Now, as my own boss, I am trying to shift my habits and model what it looks like to operate beyond the bare minimum. I don't want to be scrappy. I want to have resources that match the challenges our business is taking on, and I think you, as my clients, want that, too.

We hear from clients all the time who are teetering on the edge of a choice, wanting to take the “right” path (whatever that means!) and worried about potential regrets down the road. Today, we’re hearing from Penney Leadership Coach Jessica Crowley on what it means to make a career decision with confidence.

I'm psyching myself up to attend my first in-person conference in three years. Conferences are nerve-racking. Networking, especially now, is intimidating. ​Will I remember how to talk to people? Are we going to shake hands? What do I say about myself? Couldn't I just stand in a corner and scroll Instagram instead?

While I'm preparing to walk by myself into a room full of people I've never met before, I've had a weird and wonderful realization: Some of the most meaningful and treasured relationships in my life came about as a result of...attending a professional conference?!

So today, I wanted to share six simple ways for how you, too, can make meaningful connections at a conference.

I heard somewhere that there is an equation for confidence:

Confidence = Time + Experience

Like Whyte's piece of paper metaphor, there is no shortcut or blast to get there—instead, it's about steadily building the work, one piece of paper at a time, until one day you look and it's a solid stack with heft and weight.
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I can point to it now and say: I've built a track record with my audience, but I've also built a track record with myself.
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Here's what I've realized about professional confidence:
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​1) There is an element missing from the equation.
​I propose a change:

Confidence = (Time + Experience) + Permission