Book excerpt: Smart communication strategies to help professional women break into the C-suite—and thrive when they arrive! With only 5.8% of CEO positions in the S&P 500 held by women, it’s clear that there are more women who deserve a seat at the table than actually have one. In No Explanation Required!, Carol Sankar gives you the strategies you need to create the success you deserve―today. As founder of the global leadership firm, The Confidence Factor for Women, her goal is to ensure you deliver decisions and other communications with confidence―no “explanations” required! Loaded with real-life examples and backed by proprietary research, No Explanation Required! coaches you on how to speak up for yourself, stop debating your decisions, and eliminate “limiting” language. In example after example, it becomes clear how these too-frequent expressions (“I’m sorry,” “Excuse me,” “I’ll get back to you”) can strip you of your authority and credibility. Instead, you’ll discover positive, practical ways to assert your confidence and master communication at work, with chapters that include “The Self Promotion Gap,” “Perception and Performance,” “What’s Like Got to Do with It?,” and “The 8-Minute Rule”—how to create 8-minute micro conversations and connections. Every chapter offers key takeaways you’ll want to put into effect immediately—and keep in mind always. With the tactics in No Explanation Required! mastered, you’ll be better equipped to stop explaining and start negotiating―for gender parity, better compensation, opportunities, and so much more.