Latest / RiseUp - Live Joy Your Way / Encouraging and Elevating Women in Leadership Roles

Transcript

Encouraging and Elevating Women in Leadership Roles · RiseUp - Live Joy Your Way

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: Today's episode is produced by my friends at Walk West.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_01: If you're looking to grow your brand and generate leads through podcast or video production, head over to walkwest.com.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, let's start the show.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: Rise up, live joy your way.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: From emotional intelligence through cognitive distortions, certified life and wellness coach Comedy Wood is on a mission to help people see the magnificence of their own unique human spirit.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: Through these small bites of self-visualization and self-confidence, you can have healthy relationships, success in business and career, and live the life you want to live.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: Rise up, live joy your way.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for taking some time to listen in.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_01: And today I want to talk about a topic that's actually really, really close to my heart.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, all the topics are, but this one I actually just recently wrote an article for Authority Magazine, and it was about increasing women's engagement in leadership and management.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: And so I wanted to just discuss it because the article itself, as I was writing it, I realized that there's, I have a lot of it, I have a lot of attachment to it.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: And I just really want to talk about what could potentially help women in leadership and management.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: So despite significant progress, women do remain underrepresented in leadership positions across all sorts of sectors.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_01: And I've had the privilege of working with a lot of professionals across many different areas of work.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_01: And this disparity is seen across the board.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_01: And it does stem from, I believe, multiple factors.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_01: Some of those include implicit bias, which is unconscious stereotypes that influence the hiring and the promotion, which often favors potentially male counterparts.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: There seems to be a lack of sponsorship.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: So while mentorship provides guidance, sponsorship involves the influential advocates who can actively help promote women's advancement.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: And the other thing is the work-life balance pressures.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_01: You know, there are societal expectations, which are often disproportionately placed on women.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_01: A burden is placed on women to manage both the professional and personal responsibilities.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: And so these challenges as they're happening can also lead to self-doubt and imposter syndrome in women, which then inadvertently leads to their reluctance, women's reluctance to even pursue leadership roles to begin with.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_01: So to address the challenges, I do think that one of the things that companies can do is to start to think about sponsorship over just mentorship.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_01: So while mentors give advice or offer advice, sponsors are actively advocating for women in their career advancement.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: So for instance, a client experienced a career transformation when a senior leader sponsored her for a leadership program, which then elevated her visibility within the organization and decision makers.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: The second strategy that companies can start and women in general can start employing is challenge those limiting beliefs, right?
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: So encourage self-reflection, encourage individuals to identify those internalized beliefs that could hinder their ambition.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_01: And so even companies as a whole can start implementing wellness programs to help do that, where they're helping to promote a growth mindset instead of, you know, just kind of put pretending that it doesn't exist, right?
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_01: And then, of course, building supportive networks, create and participate in a multitude of networks that have resources and opportunities for women, and then engage in those communities because those communities hopefully can start fostering collaboration and shared learning.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: And then, and in terms of the work-life balance part of it, uh, advocating for policies that support flexible work arrangements, which can allow for balance between professional and personal responsibilities, and then recognize that that balance is dynamic and personal.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_01: So it would have to be a moving target.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: There's not going to be a one size fits all for everybody.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_01: And if organizations can start taking on part of that and allowing room for that, and women can advocate for themselves that they need more flexibility, that would start moving us towards paving a pathway to more leadership roles.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I do believe that organizations play a crucial role in fostering this environment.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_01: You know, they've got to take a step in implementing inclusive policies and not only develop them, but then also enforce them because that promotes not just diversity, but it promotes the equal opportunity for everybody.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: And then allowing for leadership development programs so they can start building the confidence within women throughout the leadership programs.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_01: And then also to really put a focus on creating that culture of belonging, cultivate the organizational culture that's that promotes and celebrates women in their advancements.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: And then with women who might be holding themselves back because of their own limiting beliefs.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: It is so important that you do take efforts to identify what those limiting beliefs are, but then also embrace who you are.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: You know, really lead from a place that aligns with your own values and strengths rather than trying to fit into someone else's expectation.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_01: Because when you're aligned with yourself, you're more likely to uh take ownership of it and potentially assert yourself.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: Develop your own emotional intelligence, you know, understand what's happening, become self-aware, empathy, interpersonal skills so that you can navigate a complex workplace and definitely pursue opportunities for learning and development, right?
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_01: Your continuous learning is gonna be important as you're looking to potentially move into leadership opportunities.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_01: Increasing women's engagement and leadership does require a multifaceted approach, right?
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: It's not just gonna be a one thing is gonna solve this.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna involve individuals taking ownership, right?
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_01: Women taking ownership.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna involve uh businesses also putting in systematic changes in order to implement strategies to help women step into leadership positions.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: If you are a professional woman and you are struggling with how do you build your confidence or how do you move to the next level, and you feel like coaching could be something that could be beneficial, and would you like to at least talk about it with me?
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: Feel free to book a time with me at coachwithcomedy.com.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: And until next time, stay well.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening to Rise Up, Live Joy Your Way.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: For more information, book a chat with comedy at www.chatwithcomedy.com.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: Or visit her website at www.comedywood.com.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: You can also find comedy on Facebook or Instagram.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: Username It's Authentic Me.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening.