Negotiate like a man, but not too much like a man.
Be helpful at work, but not overly helpful and motherly.
Use silence as a tool, but make sure to speak up. But, don’t speak up too loud because then you’ll be seen as bossy and opinionated.
Be forceful, but not too forceful or you won’t be likeable.
Dress for success, but don’t be too showy. Don’t show too much leg or cleavage because that would send the wrong message, but wear whatever you like.
The advice “out there” for women is overwhelming.
We hear phrases like “achieving work-life balance”, but what does that even mean?
We are told: You can have it all! Oh no, wait, we can’t? Well, ok, maybe, but not all at once. Don’t set your expectations too high, so you don’t get disappointed.
But here’s the thing… even though Women and Women in Leadership have come a long way, we haven’t yet reached this:
“In the future there will be no female leaders, just leaders”.
All of these phrases, ideals and “advice” that I have received over the years is what prompted me to dig deeper into this very fascinating topic.
When the Coronavirus Pandemic hit mid-March, we were given a mandatory “PAUSE” to life as we know it. We experienced bouts of fear, shock, anger, grief and so many more emotions.
I decided during that period that this time of PAUSE was a gift from the Universe to slow down and allow me to dig deeper into a subject that has intrigued me for 24 years- THE IMPACT OF GENDER on everything in life.
This fascination began when I was 22. I packed up my stuff in a trunk, had $700, and moved to a Mediterranean island for 1 year (but ended up staying 18 years).
My first week on the island, I visited a Government Office to get my citizenship Identification Card. I was asked only one question: “Is your Mother or Father from this Country?”
I answered, “My Father”.
The man behind the counter replied, “That’s good, because if it was your Mother, you wouldn’t be entitled to Citizenship”. ?
That was the beginning of my journey into this very fascinating topic… which has led me to today….
My graduation from Cornell University with a Graduate Certificate in Women in Leadership. ?
I no longer think gender issues are “unfair”, but rather they are different and complex.
There is still much work to be done so that Women are not seen as a unicorn in leadership, but as intrinsic to leadership in any company or group.
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“I don’t go by the rule book. I lead from the heart”?
~Princess Diana