As a woman leader, the tools you need to navigate your career and build your leadership skills may look slightly different than those for men.
It’s especially important for women leaders to:
- Seek out mentors and advocates. Successful women are shown to have had help from above. Build relationships and find a mentor to help you navigate your organization, provide feedback and open doors.
- Take risks, accept challenges. Being able to adapt to new roles and new circumstances shows your versatility as a leader. Research shows that women who have stayed in one area of expertise too long or who have too-narrow a functional orientation are not viewed as promotable, so be willing to change jobs and take on special projects to gain experience.
- Be decisive, demand results. Successful women leaders make it clear that they expect results. They also need to be decisive and willing to take an unpopular stance.
- Be confident. Projecting an effective leadership image requires confidence. Don’t undermine good results with a weak or too-modest self-image.
Do you feel that the tools you need to help you grow as a woman leader are different than that of your male colleagues? If so, why is that?
