If women have such excellent leadership abilities, then why aren’t more women in leadership positions? This is because the unique challenges of women in leadership are not always easy to overcome. Here are the 5 essential factors that women need to succeed as leaders.
1. Self-Esteem
This is simple enough to understand. In a world where women are encouraged to follow feminine pursuits and treated as less capable than men, lack of self-esteem is almost an epidemic in women.
“Women systematically underestimate their own abilities,” says Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg in her TED Talk. “Men attribute their success to themselves while women attribute it to other factors.”
Even high-achieving women lack self-esteem in one or more areas of their lives. Click To TweetThe lack of belief in oneself causes us to self-sabotage at crucial points in our lives, resulting in lost opportunities, abandoned plans and underachievement.
2. Self-Worth
Self-worth is the belief that you deserve the best that life has to offer. Many cultures teach women that it is virtuous to be self-sacrificing and give up our own needs to support the needs of our spouses and children.
Our lack of self-worth shows up in many ways – in how we abuse our bodies, allow our needs to be undermined and ultimately, in giving up the choice of having the career or business of our dreams.
3. Assertiveness
A woman’s lack of assertiveness comes from being brought up to be “nice” and “non-argumentative.” We teach our daughters that it is inappropriate to speak their minds or ask for what they need.
“Women do not negotiate for themselves in the workforce,” says Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg. This makes it hard for women to ask for a raise or a promotion when she starts a career, and makes her reluctant to ask for bigger fees or charge higher prices in her business.
4. Mentors
No one can grow in business or a career without having mentors or role models. The “old boys club” ensures that men get the mentorship they need in and out of the boardroom.
For women, however, the lack of strong female role models and women in leadership positions makes it much harder for them to get the guidance, coaching and mentorship they need within the organization.
5. Support
Although women are earning high salaries, many of them are still expected to manage the roles of wife, mother, cook and maid when they get home. Few spouses or families are supportive of their need to work long hours or travel on business.
“Women do three times the amount of childcare than men. As a society, we put more pressure on our boys to succeed than our girls,” says Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg.
The lack of support at home results in many women giving up their aspirations to grow in their careers, forcing them to underachieve and pass on promotions and raises.
© Priya Florence Shah
This article is an excerpt from the ebook “Women In Leadership: Feminine Leadership Traits That Will Help You Shine In A New World” available on Amazon Kindle. Download it and learn which feminine traits will give you an advantage in your career and business in a new world.
