Key Takeaways:
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Women and Success Aren’t Defined by Hard Work Alone: The myth that women must work harder than men to prove themselves often leads to burnout.
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Mistakes Are Part of Growth: Believing that women can’t make mistakes while proving their value stifles innovation and personal development.
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Humor Enhances Leadership: The notion that women must be serious to be taken seriously overlooks the power of humor in building connections and fostering creativity.
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Leadership Is Not Gender-Specific: The idea that feminine traits make women better leaders or that they lack the “killer instinct” is outdated; effective leadership transcends gender.
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Authenticity Is Empowering: Embracing one’s true self, without conforming to stereotypes, leads to greater success and fulfillment.
One of the greatest surprises and frustration I found when I did my doctoral research on today’s women in the workplace was how long it takes for research and literature to catch up with societal trends. In particular, in 2005 I found little had been written about the emerging numbers of strong, smart, goal-driven women in the workplace. As a result, many women felt, and still feel, misunderstood and mismanaged. Today, more speakers, articles and books give smart, strong, goal-driven women solid encouragement and useful tools. Yet I still find lingering myths about women and success that affect both their opportunities and their sense of well-being. Here are five of those myths. Some of these myths may still reflect reality in your workplace. Some are based on fading assumptions. You need to question if they are true for you today so you are free to make healthier choices for yourself.
1. Women need to work harder than men to prove themselves.
In a recent survey of working adults conducted by Accenture, 68 percent of the women thought it took hard work and long hours to advance in a company. Almost all of my female href=”http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/coaching”>executive coaching clients tell me they need to work harder than men. The result leaves them feeling burned out and resentful for the lack of appreciation for their efforts.
When I interview their bosses (male and female) and their colleagues, they all wish my clients would lighten up. No one has ever suggested my clients should work harder.There is a danger that if you work twice as hard as everyone else, you set up the expectation you will work twice as hard forever. Also, if you are working later than everyone else, does it appear that you have to work harder to keep up? Although this myth may be a truth in some workplaces, be careful you are not making these statements up because someone told you this when you first started your career. Your good results speak for themselves.
2. Women can’t make mistakes while continually proving their value to the organization.
3. Women can’t joke around or they won’t be taken seriously.
4. Feminine traits make women better leaders (or the reverse-women lack the killer-instinct and masculine skills to survive in top positions).
5. Women don’t support each other in the workplace.
Guide to Women in Leadership
Organizations with women in their executive suites regularly out-perform others. Yet rising female executives (and their mentors) are frustrated at how hard it is to break through the glass ceiling. In this extensive guide, Executive Coach Dana Theus shares her tried and true strategies to help women excel into higher levels of leadership and achieve their executive potential.
