Steps Women Can Take to Be Strong Leaders

Key Steps Women Can Take to Be Strong Leaders

BY MARCI MARTIN

Special to the Business Journal

Female leaders are slowly but surely closing the gender gap. Follow these tips to carve out your path.

Gender equality in the workplace has made strides, but women in leadership roles still encounter more scrutiny than their male counterparts.

If a position resonates with their capabilities and experience, women should throw their hats in the ring even if they don’t meet the job criteria 100%.

Women should embrace their natural leadership styles to bring about positive workplace culture shifts.

In the past, many women have struggled to find acceptance in the workplace because of societal expectations and stereotypes. However, women have made enormous strides in several formerly male-dominated industries and are excelling in leadership roles.

While gender equality has made notable strides, female entrepreneurs still face challenges. Women in leadership roles often encounter more scrutiny, and are judged more harshly, than their male counterparts. In fact, women leaders often say they must work twice as hard to earn the same respect as men.

Why Women Leaders Should Leave Their Comfort Zones

A commonly cited Hewlett-Packard study on internal hiring practices found that men often apply for a job when they meet 60% of the qualifications, but women apply only if they meet 100% of them.

This finding implies that women subconsciously believe that if they don’t meet the job criteria exactly, they’re not suitable for the position and they won’t be considered. Because of this selfdoubt, they don’t throw their hat into the ring.

Changing this belief takes conscious effort. If a position resonates with their capabilities and experience, women should focus on the mindset that they’re overcome fear is to acknowledge that fear is there but to do the thing that scares you anyway. If you’re too rigid, you could miss one of those serendipitous “aha” moments that could inspire a creative solution or force a different approach.

Don’t miss out on opportunities that

come your way Angie Hicks, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Angi (formerly Angie’s List), had to face her fears when she was approached about starting the now-national customer review service as an introverted college graduate.

“My biggest challenge was combating the fact that I was really shy and quiet,” Hicks said at the inaugural American Express CEO BootCamp.

entirely capable of doing the work and then prove their merit during the interview process.

Here’s what some experts have to say about the importance of women aiming high.

Women are socialized to be perfect

Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, said that while girls are taught to play it safe, smile pretty and get all As, boys are taught to play rough and swing high.

“In other words, we’re raising our girls to be perfect, and we’re raising our boys to be brave,” she said, Even when women are ambitious, the socialization of perfection often leads them to risk aversion, Saujani said.

Recognize the fear, and do the hard

thing anyway Devoreaux Walton, owner of Distinct Personal Branding, believes success is found outside our comfort zone but is often hindered by the fear of the unknown.

“Every successful entrepreneur and business leader did what they were afraid to do instead of just letting the fear rule in their personal and professional lives,” she said.

According to Walton, the best way to

DID YOU KNOW?

The human resources, education, social services, healthcare and hospitality industries have the highest rates of women in leadership positions.