In the second part of this two-part blog series I am looking at more reasons as to why women are often held back at work, in their careers and their jobs.
A number of women I have come across in my teaching career, for example, fall into the perfection trap. Focusing too much on everything being perfect. The majority of women wait until they are settled in a new job and have proven their level of competence and success before they entire when the higher ranking positions come available. Linked to this is the notion that we should be pleasing everyone. Pleasing everyone around you can rob you of authority as well as distract you from your true purpose. It can rob you of precious time and often spread you too thinly and diminish the talent you have.
Women need to develop their direct and “I know what I’m talking about” approach rather than apologising for taking up someone’s time, or saying that what they have may not be important. Do not minimise yourself verbally or physically. Say what you mean and say it with conviction with direct clear and open communication and body language.
I’ve heard feedback that states that women are often too emotional and use too many words in their approach to their careers and jobs. It is always best to hold back emotions which can be detrimental to advancement and look like you are unable to focus or keep your head in stressful or unpredictable situations.
Once a mistake or error has been committed research shows that women dwell on their mistakes for longer than men do, often blaming themselves. This is neither healthy nor helpful and can eat away at self-confidence and productivity.
Time means money as they say and all too often women meander and don’t get to the bottom line quickly. It is important to get to the point as quickly as possible; laser focus is key to so many organisations’ success and filtering distractions should be an everyday natural response.
What have your own experiences been? Have you ever found yourself in a situation you know would have been handled differently by a man? Have you modified your behaviour as a result of missing out on a promotion or are you wired up the way you are believing you cannot change? I’d love to hear your stories.
Elisa x