Do Women Need to Man up to Get to the Top?

Ladies we need to man up was the opening phrase of the Management Today Bulletin back in October. It featured an article where Moya Greene, CEO of Royal Mail is quoted as saying that women must be more courageous and go for jobs they’re afraid of. 

Whilst I don’t particularly like the phrase ‘women need to man up’, I do very much agree that more women could be braver in their careers and businesses.

Working with many women over the years and helping them to achieve success in their careers and businesses, the biggest factor that I find keeping women from taking risks and being bold is fear. Fear of failure and fear of rejection being the main reasons underpinning what holds them back.

Is fear of the unknown holding you back?

We like to be in control of our circumstances and when we need to take a step in to the unknown (e.g. taking a bold step in your career or business), because we don’t know how things will work out, it can leave us fretting and worrying about failing. We think we won’t survive. Many of us tend to focus on things not working out, rather than it being a success.

We imagine the worst possible outcome happening. We just can’t help it. But what are the chances of the worst possible outcome actually happening? And if it did happen, what could you do? 

We are incredibly resourceful and we can adapt to the most adverse situations and make something new from those circumstances. You’ve done it before and you can do it again.

Do you fear rejection?

We want to fit in, we want to belong and many of us seek external validation that we are good enough and that we do belong. If we don’t get that approval, we feel rejected, believing that we are not good enough. But who do you really need approval from anyway?

If you want to create maximum impact in your career or business but are playing it safe because you fear being bold and taking risks, the following 5 strategies will help you develop the courage to be bold and take on new challenges.

1. Get clear about what you want and what you need to do

Where do you want to get to in your career or business? What are you striving to achieve? Create your vision of where you want to get to and your reason why you want it. What does it mean to you? What will it give you? Why is this important to you?

Having created the vision of what you want, what needs to happen to make the vision a reality? Break things down so that you are clear about what it is that you need to do to achieve it. Do you need to gain technical knowledge or skills? Do you need to get connected with the right people? Do you need to gain practical experience? Or do you need to develop the right mindset and get out of your own way?

Once you have broken it down, identify how you can develop yourself in the way that is required and the level of support you need to bring you up to speed.

2. Learn from those who’ve walked the path before you

Who do you know that has already achieved what you want to achieve? Research their journey and learn from them. Get to know them and ask them to mentor you.

Whilst you may find some women not willing to share their experience with you, there will be many women who will be happy to spare a few moments of their time and give you a few pointers in the right direction. And while someone is helping you to navigate your way through your path, pay it forward and help someone who is not as ahead in their journey as you by doing the same for them.

I often make the time to have a chat with women who are starting out on their journey and help point them in the right direction and have had many women do the same for me.

3. Get someone to challenge you and hold you accountable

In August 2012, a few months after starting my business, I felt like giving up, getting a job and going back to being an employee because I wasn’t getting the results I had expected. But something happened that was pivotal to my turning things around, taking my business to another level and 2 1/2 years later being named as one of Britain's Top 50 Business Advisers by Enterprise Nation for the work that I do with women who are starting their own businesses.

That thing was getting myself a good coach (yes, coaches do need coaches too). My coach helped me to see that I was playing it safe and not being bold enough in my business. I hadn't seen that for myself. I thought I was actually quite bold.  I had given up a 28 year career to start my own business after all. 

My coach challenged my thinking and my assumptions in ways that I couldn't because I simply couldn't see them for myself. It was the same thing in my career when I progressed from a middle manager to a senior manager, that impartiality of someone else to challenge my thinking was pivotal in me securing the promotion.

I am so glad that I didn't give up on my business because over the past 4 years I have helped thousands of women across the globe transform their careers and businesses, and to be uber confident with it.

Having someone impartial to challenge you, stretch your thinking, encourage you, support you and hold you accountable can do amazing things in helping you to get the results that you want.

4. Find a group of like minded people

Who can you hang out with that is achieving at the level you aspire to? If you don’t know anyone, get to know some. You can do this through networking and joining groups of likeminded people. I’m not saying to ditch your friends that you’ve had for years, what I am saying is, develop a diverse range of friends. Those that share the same aspirations as you, those who are further ahead than you, as well as having those trusted, long-time friends who you kick back with.

When I started my business, none of my friends or immediate family had businesses so what I did was grow a diverse network. I now have a good solid network which includes those who have businesses and have similar aspirations, as well as those who have more experience and are further along in their entrepreneurial journey than me. But I also still have those loyal friendships of 30 years plus.

A great place to start building your diverse network is my free group for high achieving introverted women where you can join a community of 2500+ amazing women.

5. Step out your comfort zone

If you want to make changes, if you want to take your career or business to the next level, it requires stepping out of your comfort zone. This can be scary, it can be overwhelming and the thought of doing so can cause you to procrastinate.

However, if you don’t take that step, where will you be a year or two down the line and how will you feel?

Rather than taking a big gigantic leap and putting a lot of pressure on yourself, causing you stress, take small steps. Take action that stretches you and that feels slightly uncomfortable.  Do this consistently and watch your confidence levels soar.

So, whilst I may not like the phrase ‘women need to man up’, I do agree that more women need to be bold and courageous in their careers and businesses if they are going to take things to another level and achieve the results that they want.

If you want to take your career or business to another level and want someone to challenge you, encourage you, support you and hold you accountable, whilst helping you to be bold and courageous and to get clear about what you want and what you need to do, join my 90 Day Goal Intensive starting 4 January 2017. AND I will make sure that you take focused, consistent action so that you get results. Places are limited and there are only a few places left. Find out how to join the programme here.

What gets in the way of you being bold in your career or business? Or have you taken bold action to get to where you are and if so, what action did you take?  I would love to hear your experience so please share below.

#HighAchievingWomen #Introverts #CareerDevelopment #WomenLeaders #WomenInBusiness #Confidence

ABOUT ME:

I am The Coach for High Achieving Introverted Women, a Writer, Speaker, UK top 50 Business Adviser and the founder of Abounding Solutions. I help introverted women to be authentic, bold, confident leaders and excel in their careers and businesses.

I also help organisations develop the talent pipeline of female employees so that more women make it to senior management roles.

I write here on LinkedIn, on my website and on Huffington Post on subjects to help women achieve optimal potential in their careers and businesses.

Are you a high achieving introverted woman? A woman striving to be the best that you can be. A woman who wants to be a sphere of influence and be an authentic, bold, confident leader, excelling in your career or business. Do you want to make a difference and a positive impact in your respective field or community? Do you want to do this AND be true to who you are, whilst living a meaningful, purposeful, balanced life? If this is you and you're not part of the community, come on over and join the conversation here