Women Taking the Lead
There has been a dramatic shift in the last decade in terms of women claiming leadership roles across industries. Women are defying gender inequality. Women are taking the lead in decision-making processes. Although it is great to see women leadership challenging gender stereotypes, it is still a Sisyphean task. Women in leadership still encounter a lot more scrutiny as compared to their male counterparts.
This article is for women aspiring to advance in the workplace and navigating the leadership journey.
Courage is a necessity
In the absence of courage, people feel anxious and nervous. Brené Brown, an American research professor and author, defines courage as the ability to show up even when you can not control the outcome.
Courage is the willingness to face fear, pain, and uncertainty. In general, women leadership requires self-discipline and a sense of responsibility; it calls for one to be brave when facing challenges. Courage is necessary for women in leadership positions because self-doubt is not an option. Women leaders who are courageous can not only confront the unpleasantries but also empower themselves to muster their mettle to face their fears.
Self-reflection
It is tempting to continue through life and not spend time on self-reflection. Taking time out will help keep things in perspective and enable you to make better decisions overall. How could you ever hope to be an effective leader if you cannot be honest? Therefore, women leaders must be aware of their strengths and weaknesses to equip themselves to face the challenges properly.
Perpetual growth
Growth is a positive process of personality and leadership development. Growth slows down when women leadership is focused on negative external factors like other people’s opinions about empowered women. However, when women focus on positive external factors, such as completed projects and the overall impact they are creating, it can help their leadership skills to grow.
Growth isn’t always easy to measure because of distractions and gender-based inequalities. But, if you reflect on your professional life and what has changed over time as a result of your choices and actions, it becomes easier.
Be authentic
Leadership heavily depends on authenticity. Although there are biases against women leadership, women leaders must display assertiveness and genuineness. If you are anything less than authentic, no one will follow you. There is no way your colleagues will believe in your vision or trust what you say if they don’t know whom they’re following.
In essence, both men and women navigating leadership need to be honest and transparent, so people follow them confidently. Be vulnerable with them so that they can feel safe being vulnerable around you. If someone needs help, offer it without hesitation and go above and beyond expectations—you never know when someone will be able to return the favor someday!
Embrace the leadership traits
Here are some leadership qualities to embody:
Be a leader. Exceptional leaders set the direction of their team and hold themselves accountable for their team’s actions. They don’t let excuses get in the way of getting things done, which is something we can all learn from.
Be a role model. Good leaders inspire individuals, not just connecting with them and those who come in contact with them.
Be humble. You don’t want to brag about yourself or your accomplishments, but if someone asks how things went with that big project at work, be open and honest about it—you’re sure to impress with your positive attitude!
Be a team player
To be a female leader requires seeing beyond yourself and other people’s perspectives. It shows that you have what it takes to make great decisions no matter what challenges come up along the way, which means better results overall. Build resilience, confidence, empathy, elevate others, motivate through transformation, and know your limitations.
Resilience and confidence are two essential factors, especially for women in leadership, to cultivate empathy for others. Be aware that sometimes some things will not work when navigating women’s leadership journey because many around you are still new to embracing the idea that women can also be incredible leaders in the business space. While working amongst all kinds of people, you will have to challenge this mindset with your commitment to work and achieving results.
Be yourself, and don’t give up!
Be yourself. You are amazing just the way you are, so don’t change for anybody else. If you’re unhappy with your job or career path, take steps to change it. Don’t be afraid of success—you can have much of it if you put in the work and believe in yourself.
Know your limitations. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses that they should know about to make informed decisions. This would allow them to make informed decisions on achieving their goals.
Be patient. Leadership takes time to grow. When you continue to do things consistently and effectively, everything will fall into place (or at least get better). Women leadership is not easy, but it is rewarding when you are true to yourself and can see your leadership’s impact on others. Above all things, remember that being a good leader takes time and effort. Success does not always fall into place. You must know what you want and be willing to work for it. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Good leadership consists of showing ordinary people how to do the work of superior people.”
Also Read: Solving The Gender Pay Gap Through A Decentralized Talent Economy