An inspired early career woman

I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Quest NexGen Women Leaders Program in NYC (#Her_Quest). I think many of us are familiar with the statistics: women are not even half of the U.S. labor force (44%); there are less women leaders than men (only 6% are c-suite leaders); women advance slower in their careers and don't get the same promotional opportunities; etc. But, what I loved about this event is that its goal is to help early career women build a foundation for the appropriate skills and *mindset* for career advancement. 

"Success is knowing who you are and leading authentically." 

It's true that women may display skills that are different than men, and some of these skills aren't necessarily associated with traditional definitions of leadership (known as "agenic" - aggressive, authoritative, ambitious, dominant, self-confident, etc.). Instead, women tend to display "communal" skills like being compassionate, friendly, helpful, kind, collaborative, etc. It's also (unfortunately) true that women leaders need to navigate both feminist qualities and masculine definitions of leadership, but one thing I took away from this event is that you can successfully lead as your authentic self. "Soft skills," like empathy, compassion, and collaboration, are skills that are invaluable in the 21st century and we -- women-- need to embrace these skills as confidently as leaders. 

 We construct the brand that we have. How we talk about ourselves and our work matters. 

We need to not only advocate for ourselves, but we need to work hard, outperform to prove our worth, and talk about our work in such a way that encourages others to advocate for us, too (mentors & sponsors). How can we be our best selves? Research shows that women ask for candid feedback as much as men, but are less likely to receive it. So, we need to press for constructive feedback beyond vague praise (things like "you're a pleasure to work with").

Instead of asking: "How'd I do?" Say: "I would love your feedback on how I can do better. Is there anything I did that you would have done differently?"

 "Never, ever, ever stop learning." 

We need to turn learning into productive actions in our personal and work lives. We need to find jobs where we feel passionate and fulfilled. We need to jump at opportunities and believe in our abilities to succeed. We need to stay curious to stay relevant. And, as many of the speakers reminded us, when we do get to that position of leadership, we need to be proactive about paying it forward to the women who are where we were.