Improve Your Work Culture Dramatically By Expanding Employees' Confidence, Contribution and Impact

Part of Kathy Caprino's series "Supporting Today's Workforce"

Several years ago, in my career and leadership coaching work and courses, I began to notice some very common, repetitive patterns emerging in terms of what professional women were dealing with in their careers and jobs that were blocking them from the success, reward and impact they were longing for. I decided to pull the lens back to identify what’s at the heart of this widespread experience of career unhappiness and deep challenge. I wanted to get to the bottom of why professional women globally are experiencing the same types of crushing problems and disappointments and are struggling so hard to understand why or what to do about it. And I wanted to understand how women’s challenges were significantly different from men’s in the workplace, and the reasons behind those differences.

In looking at the data that emerged from thousands of interviews, conversations, trainings and client sessions over the past decade, I sought to address this core question:

“What is missing from the lives of thousands of professional women I’ve worked with who feel they can’t experience the joy, success, reward and impact they deserve and want, and what are they receiving through coaching that addresses these challenges?

The answer that emerged from the research was this: There are two key ingredients that professional women need more of today to reach their highest potential, and those are bravery and power. And my research shows that men need more of it too. But these gaps are negatively impacting women in core ways that keep them from rising to their highest potential and achieving the leadership levels, growth and impact they want and deserve.

I define bravery as the courage to examine what isn’t working in our lives, to take full accountability for what we can change, and to walk through the fear, confusion and doubt to take proactive steps and make the critical changes necessary.

And power, in my view, is the ability to act on one’s own behalf and advocating for others in an effective way–becoming a true author in one’s life and having the ability to speak, ask, connect, challenge and serve with greater confidence, strength and impact.

The 7 Most Damaging Power Gaps

What also emerged from the research are 7 specific career-thwarting "power gaps” that prevent professionals from advancing, thriving and achieving the highest levels or reward, impact and success. These power gaps are remarkably common among women and men of all walks, education levels, industries, fields and roles. And these gaps are prevalent among those in entrepreneurial life, as well as corporate professionals, consultants, private practitioners and other types of work.

Engaging in intentional, specific power-gap-closing efforts helps professionals become braver and more confident and self-assured, allowing them to approach their challenges with greater power and influence, which transforms their lives in the process.

Turns out, leaders can be extremely instrumental in shifting their work cultures to support professionals to both recognize the power gaps they are facing and take the right steps to overcome them.

These 7 most damaging power gaps are:

#1: Not recognizing your special talents, abilities and accomplishments

#2: Communicating from fear, not strength

#3: Reluctance to ask for what you deserve

#4: Isolating from influential support

#5: Acquiescing instead of saying “STOP!” to mistreatment

#6: Losing sight of your thrilling dream

#7: Allowing past trauma to shape and define you

How prevalent are these gaps?

To quantitatively measure the prevalence of these gaps, I conducted a survey in 2019-2020 and the results echoed the qualitative findings:

98% of female respondents and 90% of the male respondents indicated they were facing at least one of the 7 power gaps, and over 75% were experiencing 3 gaps at the same time. The average number of gaps both men and women are experiencing is 4.

In the vast majority of cases, power gaps don’t just emerge from one event or situation. They are shaped over time by what we’ve experienced in childhood, in our families and beyond. And these gaps are influenced by how we've been societally encouraged, pressured and trained to think, feel and communicate, and how we perceive ourselves. This shaping – from society, families, work experiences, social media and more – can impact the trajectory of our personal and professional lives in important ways.

What happens when professionals “find brave” and begin closing their power gaps?

They experience power-enhancing transformational change that includes:

• Engaging in work that is personally meaningful, fulfilling and impactful
• Achieving the respect, appreciation, advancement, compensation and influence they deserve
• Effectively addressing mistreatment, inequality and discrimination in the workplace
• Building heart-connected relationships that are healthy, mutually beneficial and enriching
• Negotiating and advocating powerfully for themselves and others
• Serving as positive role models, mentors and sponsors for others
• Communicating and connecting in ways that enliven and uplift their colleagues, team members and employees
• Contributing at the highest levels in their work, careers and organizations

To address these 7 crippling power gaps, leaders and managers and others who shape work cultures today need to engage in these critical strategies:

Help employees celebrate their special talents, abilities and accomplishments

Teach all your managers and those who lead others to incorporate new ways of recognizing and celebrating employees for their special talents and contributions. Point out these special contributions both privately and publicly and give others a chance to recognize each individual for what they uniquely contribute. Help people find new ways — in their roles or outside of those roles — to leverage their special talents and contribute more widely to the organization's success.

Teach and foster strong, positive and assertive communication in all

Build a culture of trust and growth where both men and women can communicate from strength not fear and encourage employees to speak up authentically and openly about their opinions and ideas. Don’t allow managers to squash down people who challenge the status quo bravely or who represent change and innovation. Build a strong, open organization that supports strength and honesty in its people.

Create a structural process that allows employees to ask for what they want and deserve

Provide employees numerous opportunities throughout each year to explore with their managers what they want to do and create in their careers. Help them find avenues to ask for, and achieve, new growth in new ways that will expand their value and their skills. Help them understand and measure the value they offer to the organization and compensate them well and fairly for that value.

Forge new avenues for influential mentorship and sponsorship support

Build a mentoring community within your organization (see MentorCloud.com and other mentoring platforms) and provide new opportunities for professionals to obtain influential guidance, support and help outside the organization. Encourage and teach them how to leverage their personal brand on LinkedIn and other social media platforms.

Stand up bravely and say “STOP!” to all forms of mistreatment

As a leader you’re in a position to stand up and put a stop to all forms of mistreatment in its tracks. This includes gender bias and discrimination, pay inequity, sexual harassment, narcissistic behavior, toxic communication, emotional abuse, and other forms of mistreatment. Remove perpetrators of abuse from the organization. Role model and enforce a no-tolerance policy and don’t waffle on this. Build avenues of communication and support for people who feel they are being mistreated.

Help employees connect to their thrilling dreams for the future

Give employees important new opportunities to identify and reconnect to their biggest career dreams, and explore new pathways for them to achieve those dreams right there in your organization. Engagement will soar when you do.

Be a healing, growth-oriented force and manage with forthrightness, transparency and compassion

As a former therapist and now in the executive coaching work I do now, I've been absolutely floored by the degree to which people's past (and the pain, challenge and trauma they have faced in the working world and in the years before working) is having a direct impact on all they do in their professional lives.

The past often shapes us in ways we often cannot recognize ourselves, but others can. For all the people you lead and manage, be their staunchest supporter and sponsor, and help them see what they’re capable of at the highest level. Facilitate their ability to see their amazing strengths and talents but also where they are engaging in behaviors that are in the way of thriving and succeeding at the highest level.

* * * * * *

In the end, as a leader and manager, it’s essential to understand these gaps and build a new type of work culture that allows employees and contributors to address their power gaps openly, affording them new opportunities to see themselves in a more positive light, with new eyes. In your leadership and management approach, facilitate exciting growth opportunities where employees can engage in the 7 brave pathways: Brave Sight, Brave Speak, Brave Ask, Brave Connection, Brave Challenge, Brave Service and Brave Healing.

In this way, you are helping all those that you lead and connect with to become the highest and best version of themselves, achieving the success and impact they long for, at work and beyond.

Kathy Caprino is an international career and executive coach, speaker, trainer and the author of the new book The Most Powerful You: 7 Bravery-Boosting Paths to Career Bliss (available now in the US and beyond, and on January 7th in the UK). She helps professionals and leaders build more confidence, impact and power in their work and careers through her Career & Leadership Breakthrough programs, her course The Amazing Career Project and Finding Brave podcast.