Five ways to empower yourself as a woman in business

Over the past year I have interviewed and coached over 50 women who occupy senior leadership positions. These women have diverse experiences but one phrase recurs almost weekly. Almost all of these women have shared the line: “often I am the only woman in the room”. When  it comes to gender balance – or lack thereof – in senior leadership and in the boardroom, we know this is often still the case and this lack of gender diversity is impacting organisational performance and women’s sense of themselves as senior leaders.

1 Own your story

When an impressive keynote speaker arrives on stage to rapturous applause, it is usually following an impressive introduction by someone else. You can use this tool to empower yourself by communicating your own leadership story clearly with your colleagues and peers.

By getting clear on how you want to be introduced and described (think of what you want to be known for, the value you bring to situations and teams, etc), you can start to act in a way that supports that story and you can start to communicate it with others. This is especially important after a recent promotion or change in leadership. By communicating your own story clearly, you create a positive ripple effect onto how others will speak about you, supporting your professional reputation.

2 Take up your space

Leading with authenticity, as opposed to adopting a persona that is based on other people’s expectations, can be an important element of sustainable leadership as well as accelerating a woman’s impact in an organisation. 

In my experience hearing the stories of female leaders, those who described themselves as living “divided” lives whereby they act in a certain way in work that is not aligned with their personalities or beliefs often also express a fatigue caused by this lack of congruence. The dissonance can be a significant energy drain for female executives, and may be a factor in why some women opt out of the leadership track. In contrast, those who describe leading in a way that is aligned with their sense of purpose report feeling a strength that supports their leadership style.

To find this sense of authenticity or congruence, take time to self-reflect on your strengths and weaknesses as well as your underlying motivations and sense of purpose. When we check-in with ourselves periodically, women get a better appreciation of the factors that have brought them to their current situation, while also helping them decide how they want to shape their leadership in the future. Questions we can ask ourselves are: What is the greatest impact I want to have going forward? How can I use my unique capabilities in ways that others may not?

Self-reflection also enables women to discover or re-engage with their sense of purpose, which becomes a powerful motivator of self and helps leaders inspire others.

3 Don’t accidentally give in to gender stereotypes

Who is going to take notes at the meeting? Who is going to onboard the new hire? Who is going to clean up that slide deck? When it comes to the corporate world these tasks are critical but rarely contribute to career advancement and they are most often completed by female employees. In their book The No Club: Putting a Stop to Women’s Dead-End Work, Linda Babcock, Brenda Peyser, Lise Vesterlund, and Laurie Weingart explore the concept of non-promotable tasks, or NPTs, and they share their findings that by saying yes to these tasks, women take on an additional 200 hours of work each year. The book explores how we all expect women to say yes to NPTs and therefore we ask them first. If you have time to read the book, I highly recommend it. Even if you don’t, it’s time to raise your awareness of what you say “yes” to and if you step into the “breach” in work when it comes to tasks that could be delegated.

4 Back Yourself

Back yourself. These are two words often shared by well-known and much-admired businesswomen when asked to share their best career advice to others. They sound simple and self-explanatory, yet acting on them remains elusive for so many. Today is the day to take one action to back yourself. Look around and see how you can do that. Perhaps it’s by entering the IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards, which are open for nominations until March 6th. Why not put your hat in the ring? When we asked all of last year’s winners for their advice to others it was resounding. “Just do it”. 

When asked about backing yourself, creative director and advocate Amanda Adé, who was the IMAGE PwC Diversity and Inclusion Businesswoman of the Year winner 2023 says, “You’re selling yourself short if you don’t take the leap”. 

Winner of the Family Business category in 2023, Aisling Ryan, of Ryans Cleaning, agrees. “Coming from such a male dominated industry, it is especially important. I never thought I would win but it means so much. Just do it!”

Nominate yourself today for thus year’s IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards!

5 Support network 

If you are the “only” woman (or one of few women) in the room, make sure you consciously create your own network outside of work.  Women go through many of the same things in all spaces, but when we aren’t together, it can be hard to remember that. Getting these reminders and an acknowledgement of what we might be dealing with has an incredibly powerful impact, soothing the nervous system and enabling easier access to new perspectives.

As the coach who leads the  IMAGE Business Club Group Coaching Circles, this connection with other women is one of the most transformative experiences I witness in members – they bring the voices of the inspiring women around them into whatever room they might be facing.

And if you have your support network set up, don’t forget to provide that support for others too!

Nominations are now open for 2024

Nominations for the the 2024 IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards are now open. All you need to do is visit the Nominations Page to download your Nomination Form and start your application!

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