Build a powerful professional identity ladies!

We see many high-achieving women day to day, be it at work or in industry news. High-level executives taking charge of global corporations, innovators who are changing the world, young professionals climbing the corporate ladder, politicians as well as activists, and of course, successful business women.

At a time when gender equality is more and more being embraced in work environments and by society as a whole, an increasing number of women are making strides all over the world, in various fields and industries. Female managers, CEOs, company presidents, high-level executives and business owners are not peculiar instances anymore. Yet, we find that for most cases, women need to work harder than their male counterparts to get to where they are, even with the same level of qualifications.

Women are still considered inferior to men

Unfortunately, double standards still exist and seem to be ingrained in most corporations. Men and women are still held up to different standards when it comes to measuring ability and performance. Men are usually seen as great leaders due to traits that are more visible in them, like being strong-willed and decisive. Meanwhile, women usually need to show better results at work and show stronger numbers to prove that they are equally qualified, if not better. Sometimes, she is even expected to act like a man to not be perceived as inferior.

Don't lose the feminine identity

There is a popular statement about how hard it is to be a woman, that goes: A woman needs to think like a man, act like a lady, look like a young girl, and work like a horse. Some may find this amusing, but not many can refute how close it is to the truth.

In a male-dominated organisation, the ambitious woman will have to go above and beyond to prove how capable she is. Usually, these women will adapt to the culture and acquire what is seen as “male” traits - becoming more assertive, outspoken and result-oriented, which are all good, but because it is coming from a woman, she risks being seen as too aggressive or too bossy, and may have unpleasant names being hurled at her behind her back.

Female leaders must exert more effort

In a more traditional office setting, more often than not the opinions of a woman are sometimes not as highly-regarded than a man’s. Even as a leader, women are sometimes still judged as being the inferior gender and may face difficulties in asserting their power as the boss. They have to put in greater effort in order to be taken more seriously.

The situation for women at the workplace has vastly improved compared to even a few decades ago, but there are still many obstacles to overcome for the female professional. Not only does she have to be highly-skillful and experienced in her field, but she also has to compete with men on a social level in order to gain the trust and respect of her male colleagues, superiors and even subordinates.

This can take a toll on anyone, both physically and mentally, and could lead to decreased motivation to climb further up the career ladder, thus potentially leading to a decline in productivity, affecting not only a woman’s professional life, but personally as well due to overall dissatisfaction with where she is in life.

There is hope though, as today we can see many examples of women who had to overcome the challenges such as those stated above and succeeded, like Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg and former Westpac CEO, Gail Kelly.

“If you have chips on your shoulders you will never get there. The women in this room (senior Westpac executives) are no-nonsense, pragmatic women - women who deliver, who go about their jobs in a pragmatic, no-nonsense way. That is the way you are going to get success.” - Gail Kelly

So if a woman really wants to succeed she has to believe that her gender and professional identities are compatible and will prove to be more successful in negotiations and other professional pursuits compared to women who are unable to integrate their multiple identities. This is why we have customised the career program for ambitious women!

Market your professional identity as a corporate brand

Whatever your role at your workplace or stage of career you are on, how you present yourself at work will play a big role in ensuring that you are noticed for the right reasons, primarily your skills and abilities. LinkMotility has been providing personal branding sessions for women across various levels and in various industries and the feedback and results have been very good.

We guarantee that upon completion of the career program you will leave feeling inspired and ready to take the next step using your sharpened professional identity, purpose and brand and adapt it into both your personal and work life.

For more information:

+ 60 03 2712 6798 - [email protected] - LinkMotility.com