For women leaders of today, success is often more than breaking barriers and achieving professional goals. It´s about striving for a balance, managing personal resilience and managing the juggle of being spread thinly across personal and professional demands.

One of the aspects I love the most about my job as an executive coach is helping many female executives to understand more about themselves and therefore show up as more impactful and effective authentic leaders.

As International Womens Day 2024 approaches, it serves as a poignant reminder of the strides women have made in leadership roles across industries worldwide. I am lucky in that I get to work with some of the smartest, sharpest, inspiring, strong females and change agents you could ever hope to work with. And yet, women leaders often set their own hurdles which can hinder their own ability to fully embrace their roles and make the desired impact.

I would love to share 7 pivotal perspectives – areas that women may overlook, underestimate or perceive as obstacles – which can offer valuable insights to empower women to show up authentically making a profound impact in their spheres of influence.

From my coaching practise, whether coaching senior women on a 1:1; or working with organisations on global female leadership programmes, here are my insights on how women can give themselves the best chance of being successful and content.

1. Believe in yourself, and all that you have to bring

One of the steps towards inclusion is for women to believe even more in their worth and capabilities, and that every one has a right to be at the table. You matter. We need to break our own biases. We all have biases about ourselves – pre-existing ideas about who we are and what we are capable of – that can impact how we show up. What I see time and time again are strong female leaders telling themselves a story about their abilities, competencies and achievements that is not always so accurate. The self critical inner narrative can undermine your accomplishments. It is important to honour your successes before you decide to improve yourself even further. When was the last time you did a bragging sheet of all the great things you have done? When was the last time you truly listened to and absorbed the positive feedback you received from colleagues?

2. Speak Up

Your ideas count. They always count. I notice that sometimes there may be a dynamic going on that prevents us from truly expressing our own ideas. That itself can be an interesting observation to unpick further for yourself. What might be triggering you to hold back? By you holding back, what is not being surfaced to those around you? Recognise that your input may not just be the contribution of ideas, but also playing back what you are noticing, the patterns in the conversation, who is not being included, and perhaps even summarising the core theme and the question that needs to be addressed. The work of David Kantor refers to the 4 player model, i.e. the 4 roles that need to be filled in a room/meeting/team… the mover, the follower, the opposer and the (positive) bystander.

3. Reframe your own limiting assumptions to liberating alternatives

I am inspired by the work of Nancy Kline and the Thinking Environment in my approach and way of working and all that I do. It is so often the case that we hold ourselves back, both in our own thinking and how we show up because we believe a whole load of assumptions which may not actually prove to be true. It may be time to look at what you might be assuming. Perhaps it is time to eliminate assumptions around the notion of gender or hierarchy superiority, or any role based mindset. Reflect on the questions… what are you assuming that is stopping you? And then give yourself time to seed some liberating alternatives by asking yourself “what can I credibly assume instead?” And if you knew that this liberating alternative might be true, how would you go about doing things differently?” 

4. Invest in yourself

In today’s fast paced business world, women often find themselves dedicating immense energy to their professional endeavours, sometimes at the expense of their own well-being. By intentionally allocating time for self-care, whether it is through mindfulness practices, regular exercise, or simply taking moments to recharge, women can enhance their overall resilience, productivity and effectiveness as leaders. Recognising that self-care is not a luxury but a strategic investment in one´s own capacity, we can foster a culture of inclusion and sustainable success that empowers women to thrive.

5. Focus on your Mentorship, guidance and sponsorship

It is proven that women tend to deprioritise self marketing and networking, at the expense of project delivery, results and promoting their own teams. By building a strong network of mentors, advocates, sponsors and strategic influencers, we can all get further insights from others, and get help to overcome challenges quicker. Building a stronger supportive network opens doors, makes things easier, and creates a sense of belonging. Beyond offering valuable insights and direction, mentors serve as trusted allies who provide a safe space for women to voice their concerns, confront their inner critic and cultivate self confidence. By actively seeking out mentors who offer both support and constructive feedback women can navigate the complexities of their career paths with greater clarity and resilience. Perhaps some women have enough mentors, but it is sponsors that are missing.  These are influential advocates who not only provide guidance, but also actively endorse and promote women within decision-making circles. By securing sponsorship from individuals with influence and visibility, women gain access to opportunities, resources and networks that can accelerate their career advancement. Emphasising the importance of cultivating both mentorship and sponsorship relationships, women can leverage these invaluable connections to navigate their career paths and achieve their professional goals.

6. Cherish those relationships that are important to you

Be even more intentional with the people that you surround yourself with. Give them 100% of your attention when you are with them. Be interested and interesting.  Truly appreciate those around you – by valuing them for a quality they have. These trusted relationships also give you a safe zone to share those moments of self-doubt. This safe zone helps you keep your professional game face on in difficult moments without letting those difficult moments define you.

7. Ask for help and show vulnerability

The focus for many of us women (in and out of the workplace) is to do it all without asking for support or sharing the challenges we might be facing. It is important to learn how and when to reach out for help and to relinquish the pressure to handle everything alone or achieve perfection. Women often feel compelled to shoulder immense burdens and uphold unrealistically high standards, fearing that seeking assistance or admitting imperfection may signal weakness. However, embracing vulnerability and acknowledging that it is ok to ask for help or make mistakes can be transformative. By fostering a culture of collaboration, support, and acceptance of imperfection, women can create inclusive environments where authenticity thrives, resilience is nurtured, and collective success is celebrated.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day 2024, we should remember that inspiring inclusion requires proactive efforts from us all to uplift ourselves and to support each other. Each of our individual journeys adds to the collective progress and personal fulfilment and resilience of women.

If you feel you could benefit from exploring some of these areas, I would be delighted to exchange thoughts. Please get in touch at [email protected].