Lead Like a Boss Lady: A Guide to Refining Your Leadership Skills in 2023

Leadership is a critical skill for success in any profession, and women have traditionally faced unique challenges in developing and advancing their leadership abilities. However, as society continues to evolve and become more inclusive, women are increasingly being recognized for their leadership potential and are taking on more prominent roles in business, government, and other organizations. This is refreshing to see, sure. But we still have an uphill road ahead of us when it comes to full equality. Let's explore some top tips to grow your leadership skills even further in 2023.

Building a Strong Personal Brand

One of the most important steps that we can do to refine our leadership skills is to build a strong personal brand. A personal brand is a unique combination of skills, values, and experiences that distinguish an individual from others in their field. A strong personal brand can help us establish credibility and gain visibility in our industry, which can be essential for advancing our careers.

To build a strong personal brand, we can focus on areas that further develop their technical skills and find ways to build a reputation for excellence in our field. This may include things like:

• Creating a professional website (Wix, Squarespace, Wordpress)
• Building a strong social media presence (Use things like Canva to create your own brand)
• Being active in industry groups and networking events. Join your local AMA chapter if you're in marketing, or even find a cause-related non-profit to become a voice for. Personally, I'm a huge fan of Empowered Network (formerly Empower Her Network) .

Developing Effective Communication Strategies

Effective communication is a critical skill for leaders, and many women may face unique challenges when it comes to being heard and taken seriously in professional settings (yes, I said it, and even though it's 2023, it's still true). Personally speaking, I've invested in many things to refine my communication skills. This includes; finding chances to speak publicly when I can (yep - bite the bullet), reading about leadership, empathy, psychology, and sociology, and truly learning to master the art of communication in a professional setting. If I had to pick a few books that changed the way I think about workplace communication, these would be the top examples that come to mind:

• Fierce Conversations
• How to Win Friends and Influence People
• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (okay, this one isn't a business book, but just trust me)
• Who Moved My Cheese (an old classic...)

In addition to building confidence in your communication, we can also focus on mastering the art of persuasion. This includes understanding the psychology of persuasion, learning how to construct effective arguments, and developing the ability to read and respond to nonverbal cues (reading the room has become one of my BEST assets). My top two tips here:

• Enroll in this MasterClass by Chris Voss on Negotiation. He's a former FBI lead hostage negotiator who teaches you communication skills and strategies to help you get more of what you want every day.
• Learn to play poker. Seriously. I never played poker growing up, but learned over the last 10 years and the amount of crossover between reading people in poker and business is shocking. Learn whether or not someone at work plays their hand close to their chest and why, learn what they may really mean when they say something out loud or act a certain way, and most importantly, learn patience. Learn to sit back and observe what's around you before reacting.

Navigating the Challenges of Leadership

While the opportunities for women to refine their leadership skills have increased over time, many challenges still exist. Today, we still face bias, discrimination, and harassment in the workplace, and in some scenarios may be held to different standards than our male counterparts. I'm thankful to work for a company currently that puts an emphasis on DEI and has a true internal network of support for women. It hasn't always been that way, and they're not easy to find, but they're out there.

Cheers to 2023, ladies. Let's do this!