[PDJ : Part 3 in a Series]
To Women Everywhere: We must advocate for ourselves By Bhavana Bartholf, Chief Digital & Transformation Officer for Microsoft Commercial Solution Areas (Global)
A
s we all continue to adjust to life with the pandemic, 2022 is off to an interesting start. I hope you have taken the time to reflect and recognize the importance of mental health and your personal well-being. In addition, I hope you have made the space to take the time to recognize what is a priority for you. I’m grateful to be back for this edition of the Profiles in Diversity Journal to share part 3 of my Advocate for Yourself series. Let’s start with the question: WHAT continues to hold us back from asking for what we want? Decades of research show that women continue to struggle with having the confidence to go after what they want and speak up for themselves. In fact, research shows that by age 14 women lose confidence in the power of their voice. I’ve spent nearly a quarter century in corporate America, and through my conversations with women at various stages of their journey, I have learned that their struggle with self-advocacy is
16
2022 First Quarter
centered around guilt in prioritizing themselves, fundamental anxiety, and/or fear of the unknown. How is this possible with so many highly educated and intrinsically talented women everywhere? We must make progress. And progress starts with laying the foundation to teach women how they can work through building their confidence and courage to advocate for themselves, so they are inspired to dream—and dream BIG. So HOW do we get there? It starts with taking the foundational steps that will give you the resources you need to feel confident, so you can ask for what you want. Based on decades of experience gained during my own journey, as well as conversations with other women at various stages of their careers, I would like to offer the 5 Steps for How to Advocate for Yourself: 1. Believe in yourself 2. Be proud of your journey 3. Know that you always have a choice
4. Be brave and ask for what matters 5. Find your pack As I lay this out, I know it may seem pretty straightforward, but advocating for yourself can be easier said than done. In this article, I am going to unpack the first three steps. So let’s dig in….
Step 1–Believe in yourself “You can’t BE what you can’t SEE.” I love this quote and it is so foundational to helping us recognize our potential and ability to dream. And it starts with YOU. Have you stopped to notice that women got everyone through the pandemic, and it still lingers on? We have stepped up as mothers, homemakers, workers, bosses, teachers, nurses, caretakers, and more. As Melinda Gates shared recently that women are the world’s fallback plan—and … that the whole economy relies on the unpaid labor of women.
www.diversityjournal.com
