Making the move from middle management to the executive suite requires a healthy dose of confidence. Executives have to make critical, wide-reaching decisions, often with limited information and time—then persuade others to execute those decisions. Self-assurance is a must.

Yet gaining confidence can be a struggle. The "Impostor Syndrome" is real: researchers at Georgia State University found that 33% of the high-achieving adults they interviewed did not feel they deserved their success. The Imposter Syndrome meant that sufferers opted out of important career opportunities, to their financial and personal detriment.

Women in particular struggle with confidence. They often are less adept at moving forward after setbacks, reading temporary failures as permanent deficiencies, and they often have smaller professional social safety nets than men.

The good news is that confidence can be learned, like any career skill. Here are 10 steps that can have you operating from a place of power:

1) When in doubt, act. It's the difference between running and stagnant water. When you're stagnant, doubt and insecurities breed like mosquitoes. Dale Carnegie wrote that "inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage." Fear of failure can paralyze us, as we almost always overestimate the consequences. Build your confidence instead by taking action, often.