I would consider myself a strong woman, an independent woman and a woman who cheers when other women succeed. But this isn’t something that happened overnight. I believe the strength of a woman comes from the tribe of women she surrounds herself with.
I will never understand why women watch another succeed and see it as a threat or something negative. We, as women, need other women in our lives to lift us up, show encouragement, give advice and remind each other how much of a badass we all are. Often times the world won’t do it for us. We may be overshadowed, treated as less than, stereotyped and not seen as strong because it’s shown in a more gentle way. To have our voices heard, we must have others on our side that see strength and power in what we bring to the table.
I recently went to a talk at my job by Elizabeth Griffith, director of engineering for Faurecia Interior Systems. She was talking about the importance of diversity in every team. But at the end of her talk she spoke directly on the topic of being a career women. Her direct words were "Women, stop overthinking things. Stop thinking you aren’t good enough." Repeat that. Every woman has something to bring to the table, and I believe it is our job as women to remind each of that every day.
I am lucky enough to be surrounded by so many strong, courageous, risk-taking, generous, take-charge, gentle, kind and born-to-be-leaders, women. I look to a group of women every day to get advice on work questions, how to do something better, how to be better, how to react in a way that is appropriate and respectful and how to show my strength. I had a group of women that surrounded me on my wedding day to pray with me and encourage me. I am honored to know and have some sort of a relationship with women who are CEOs or presidents of organizations or in leadership positions to learn from. I have a group of women who I know I can always talk life with and laugh with when it’s needed over a glass of wine. Still today, women need each other.
I am thankful to have a male boss who gets it. He actually leads a team of mostly women and he sees their worth and knows they have a voice. But it’s not always like that. Women may be seen as "sassy" where men are seen as "taking charge." It happens all the time. Andrea Houston, Award-Winning CEO at Artitudes Design, recently wrote an article title "Leading Like a Woman." In it she quotes some startling data.
"Women are underrepresented in leadership roles. According to Harvard Business Review, only 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women, and just over 5% of executives in Fortune 500 companies are women. The Women Presidents’ Organization, or WPO, reports that only 3% of women-owned businesses gross over a million dollars a year, worldwide."It’s time we start realizing the power of women in leadership. That starts with us, the successful, powerful, authentic, intelligent, wise and courageous women. We need to start leading by example, seeing our own worth and the worth of other women. Listen to each other’s ideas. Help each other grow and be successful. Remind each other why they can make a difference wherever they are in life.
I highly recommend reading the rest of "Leading Like a Woman." She writes, "Successful leaders are the power and intellect behind their organizations. Successful women leaders don’t rely on favors; they earn respect and truly believe they can influence their own advancement by serving others."
Find your tribe. Find women mentors. Find those women who can lift each other up and remind each other why women are needed to lead, to serve, to create, to advise and to be who they were created to be.
