Climbing the Corporate Ladder in Heels … a Fair Race?
As our firm, and the Collective Business Market as a whole, looks to support Women climb that mountain in the workplace, we asked our business coaches what is the one common theme or question they hear when working with women in business, or any other minority for that matter, (yes, women are still considered a minority in north American business).
““How do I get the men I work with to me seriously?””
In some cases, these Women are C-Suite Executives & in other cases, University Graduates in entry level jobs.
Coaching varies enormously on, not only the position, but the industry in which these clients work in. While it may not be perceived as fair, what a seasoned and established executive can pull off for work attire for example just wouldn’t fly with a junior woman trying to earn respect for her skill sets and accomplishments.
All coaching is fully customized for our clients, but in the interim, here are some simple tips you can put into place today.
1) Make sure your desk chair is set higher than the guest seat on the other side of your desk so that you are positioned higher and appear more confident and assertive.
2) If you are younger: get a pair of glasses with non-prescription lenses (does it sound dumb, yes. Does it also work, yes.), long hair – pull it back, no flashy jewelry, wear a watch & if you have a high-pitched voice, vocal fry or tend to use “um” or “like” hire a vocal coach.
3) Remove the word “sorry” from your vocabulary – at least your day-to-day language. Women are far more likely to apologize or comprise than men. This can certainly be advantageous in certain situations, but for the day to day interactions of business, try to remove this go to with other phrases such as “thanks for that feedback” , “let me give that some further thought”, great collaborating with you” and so on …
4) Make everyday interactions the priority over periodically scheduled reviews: Bain research found everyday moments of truth are more critical to an individual’s long-term career path than career discussions or performance reviews. That’s particularly true for midcareer women, who are 20 per cent more likely to feel uninspired by their work.
5) Support the whole person – not just the worker: Women usually face more challenging work and home dynamics that make it harder to juggle heavy work volumes and work-related stress. “Broaden your professional development conversations. Have open and honest discussions not only about professional priorities but how they fit with one’s personal priorities. Develop a plan for advancement that ensures women can meet both professional and personal goals,” they say. Tackle cultural norms and bias, ensuring women can pursue their career goals while doing what is important to them outside of work.
6) Confidence. When Women CEOs of both Private and Public companies where polled and asked, “what was the number one key to their success”, they said CONFIDENCE. Confidence shows up different for each person. For some confidence in how you present yourself (circle back to our second point and highlight that sucker!) ... confidence in your decisions, confidence in how you present at a meeting, confidence in how you raise your hand and call someone out, confidence in your gut and what you’re doing. You really must be sure of yourself and communicate that to everyone around you. And that will go so far in achieving what you want.
Ascending to corporate heights is a long climb. It takes aspiration, confidence and committed mountain guides to persevere. Women are ready to make the trek. Companies that encourage managers to help women actively navigate the path to the top will be more successful at making the most of the talent across their entire work force.
Again, what works for a woman in sales will not work for a woman in project management or engineering. If you want to learn more or have any comments or questions get in touch at hello@smithcoconsulting.ca
Stay tuned for our next weekly blog on how Organizations can better support Women in their journey through business.
Take care of yourself & each other,
Carly Smith, CEO & Principal Consultant
