I took part in a workshop this week that really opened my eyes to the lack of gender diversity in corporate leadership today. Though women make up over half of entry level jobs, they only account for ~15% of C-suite executives. 15%!! This makes no sense given studies have shown that companies with more women in the C-suite are more profitable. What happens to all of those women as they climb up the corporate ladder? Well, many of them choose not to for personal reasons, but there are plenty of women out there who want to move up and just aren’t given the opportunity. Many companies are striving to address this issue, but as women, there are ways we can “stretch” out of our comfort zones and take ownership of our careers.
If you think you deserve something, ask for it
Men are not afraid to negotiate salaries or ask for promotions, so why should we be as women? If you feel like you aren’t getting what you deserve (whether it be time-off, a promotion, benefits, etc) speak up and communicate what it is that you want. It shows that you are confident in yourself & your abilities, and conveying that you believe in yourself will actually make others believe in you as well. The worst thing that could happen is that your manager says they don’t think you’re ready for that promotion, and will provide feedback on what to work on to get to that next step. It’s a win/win.
Don’t let your career path just “fall into place”, actively steer it in the direction you want to go
I’m totally guilty of this myself – just waiting around, hoping that my work will pay off and people will notice. Having the “eventually, I’ll get promoted” mentality isn’t going to get you anywhere fast. You shouldn’t be reactive when it comes to your career. Take initiative, ask for feedback on what you need to do to make progress, and schedule time with your manager every few months to have candid conversations about your future. Look at job descriptions for roles that you’re interested in, and identify skills to build on so that you can be a rockstar candidate when you’re ready to make a move.
You’re remarkable, and it’s okay to brag about it
Obviously not in an in-your-face, obnoxious kind of way…but definitely be sure to showcase your awesome work and brag a little when the time is right. If you’re asking for a promotion or a salary bump, come into that conversation prepared to discuss some killer projects you’ve worked on to support your case. The important thing to always remember is to be self-aware and realistic. You don’t want to toot your own horn if you’re nowhere near ready – be honest with yourself & your performance.
If you’re ever lacking in the confidence department, practice a power pose for 2 minutes
I highly recommend watching this Ted Talk by Amy Cuddy where she discusses how your body language shapes who you are. Amy reveals that power poses have shown to increase testosterone & cortisol levels in your brain – it actually works, people! Here are some power poses to practice:
- The Wonder Woman: Push out your chest, put your hands on your hips, and stand with feet hip-width apart
- The Perfomer: Plant your feet wide and stretch your arms overhead in a V shape
- The CEO: Rest your arm on the back of your chair, keep your knees apart, and lean back
Stop using words that undermine your intelligence
As women, we tend to use filler words to undermine ourselves (awesome article from Marie Claire goes into this in more detail). Words like “actually”, “maybe”, “I think”, “just”, “like”, “actually”, “basically” all make you sound less authoritative, so try to limit using them. There is a Chrome Extension for Gmail that highlights these words as you write emails so you can delete them (you’re welcome). Also, we really need to stop saying “sorry” when we’re not sorry at all and/or don’t need to apologize. I do this ALL of the time – someone (a male, interestingly enough) called me out on it last week. I apologized as he held a door open for me – when all I should have said was “thank you” – and he flat out replied “Why are you sorry? You didn’t do anything wrong.” Noted.
“A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.”
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