March is Women’s History Month, and an important time for us here at Newberry Solutions. One of our passions is developing high-performing women leaders. We’re proud to have been recognized for this work. And we’re excited that the tools we’ve created to make leadership development more accessible (like the New Lens app) are helping women thrive and make a bigger impact.
In honor of Women’s History Month, I wanted to reshare a list of the 10 things that successful women consistently do. Everything on this list is based on what I’ve observed over thousands of hours of coaching leaders. As much as we’d like to think the playing field is similar for men and women, women typically face different types of challenges at work and they play different roles at home. So, naturally, we would expect to see some differences in what successful women do.
Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash
So many of you have told me that this list has been helpful to you or that it’s helped you to mentor or support other women. I hope to keep that momentum going today with this updated version of that list.
Successful women …
Realize that they’ve already earned their current role and fully assume the position. They pay attention to their executive presence and the messages they are sending about their confidence and authority.
Recognize that their own behavior plays a huge role in “teaching” others how to treat them.
Own their value by accepting and appreciating positive feedback. They know their strengths and look for ways to maximize them.
Authentically invest in cultivating sponsors — leaders with power and influence. They understand that mentorship is not the same thing as sponsorship.
Don’t shy away from office politics. Instead, they ethically engage in it to give them access to resources, information and influence they need to get things done.
Negotiate for what they want.
Proactively share their positive business results in a way that others can learn and benefit from. (If you have trouble with this, check out our guide to tasteful self-promotion.)
Design a “sustainable model” that honors their personal and professional priorities. This is especially important now that hybrid work can make it harder to unplug while you’re at home.
Drive for results in a way that maintains or strengthens relationships. Results and relationships are inextricably linked and an investment in both is necessary.
Pave the way for other women. They look for the potential in others and find ways to support their growth.
As you read through this list, what resonated for you? What one step can you take this week to bring it to life for yourself or for another woman you work with? As always, we’re here to help, with several resources including our newest tool to make leadership development affordable and scalable, the award-winning New Lens® app.