Question 1
Nathalie Gregg:
We must realize that men have been in the workplace considerably longer than women. This mindset and behavior is directly linked to sex segregated play. Young girls play with dolls, usually in isolation and young boys play football and other team related sports. Fast forward into the marketplace and we are expected to lead and participate in teams, while our earlier socialization can give us a disadvantage.
The advice I would give women in this situation is to focus on your brand and leadership style. Become crystal clear on your value, voice, and visibility. And last but not least, create a strong network of mentors, sponsors, and allies.
- Take a leadership assessment such as Myers-Briggs, DiSC, Strengths Assessment, or the Fascinate Advantage
· Make a list of your top three tasks that you enjoy the most. Is it speaking, creating content, researching trends, data mining, etc.
· Make a working plan from the assessment and your top three skills that include your goals and a timeline.
· Decide what areas you would like to strengthen or expand.
· Work with a mentor or coach who is very savvy in those areas and develop a mutual plan for execution. They are extremely helpful in accelerating your growth and mitigating the challenges of being a female leader. They create a safe environment to have courageous discussions around aggression and assertiveness so that you are confident and prepared when the challenges arise.
· Evaluate your plan often!
· Ask for continuous feedback!
I have come across this numerous times in my 20-year career at a large high-tech company. Either you’re being too aggressive or you’re being too meek. For women especially, it feels like a no win battle no matter what you do, it’s never good enough. My advice to anyone looking to grow into leadership is to be your authentic self. I often coach leaders around the 4 C’s of leadership: Consciousness, Consistency, Commitment & Curiosity & how to bring these skills into their authentic leadership style which drives results, builds deeper connections with their staff and stretches them to look at things in a new way.
I think there’s a misconception that assertiveness is a “bad” thing and can tarnish your reputation. I challenge that assumption because when we are standing in our truth, conscious, consistent, committed, and curious; we can be a powerful force. If you find yourself running up against feedback that you’re too assertive, I suggest you use that as an opportunity to get curious with yourself.
- "Can I control how someone else feels?"
- "Are my actions genuine and authentic?"
- "How can I approach this person/situation, so that the outcome is different?"
Really getting curious with yourself is a great way to understand if the feedback you are receiving is a result of someone’s perception of you, or if it is something you are doing that might require some minor tweaks? Developing
FEMALE LEADERSHIP - FEATURE