Some advice from Dr. Rooksana Rajab
In South Africa, as in many other countries around the world, women leaders are scarcer at the upper levels of organisations. The premise is that women have not been socialized to compete successfully in the world of men, so they must be taught the skills and styles their male counterparts acquire as a matter of course. Women are sometime also led to believe that they need to soften a hard charging approach. Either way, the reaction women get for showing assertiveness and taking charge is very different to the reaction men experience with the same display of actions. On the other hand, a softer, more gentle approach, has given rise to several leadership development programmes and courses for women that talk about building self-image, confidence and self esteem. But is this the answer?
We know from research that female workers have to work considerably harder than their male counterparts to get recognition. As women, we are averse to highlighting our achievements because it is seen as “bragging.” For men, it is expected and acceptable. However, I have come to learn that we need to give ourselves the recognition or nobody else will do it for us.
The three actions Resonance Consulting suggests to support women’s access to leadership positions are:
- Educate women and men about gender bias (those unspoken words and subtle inferences made that people are not even aware of). Women quite often experience gender bias from other women and don’t know how to deal with it.
- Create safe “identity workspaces” to support transitions to bigger roles. Organisations have written policies about how they support and promote women in their workplaces yet very little of this actually happens. Finding a way for yourself must be encouraged.
- Anchor women’s development efforts in a sense of leadership purpose rather than in how women are perceived. These actions will give women insight into themselves. An article in Harvard Business suggests that people become leaders by internalizing a leadership identity and developing a sense of purpose.
The Women of Influence workshop encourages dialogue around the sense of purpose of women. We have found that what is necessary for women, is to explore at a deeper level, what their real aspirations are and how to nurture these aspirations for themselves. Women need to know what their own strengths are and how best to utilise and build on their own strengths. By sharing their challenges and thoughts on the issues they experience, women are better able to recognise ways of building better relationships, create pathways of better understanding and improved interactions with colleagues and co-workers and lead the way. In preparation for the workshop, you will be expected to undergo an assessment which will begin the process of insightfulness. Thereafter, you will actively engage in finding your own purpose and chart ways in which you will achieve these in your personal and work life. Everyone is a leader. When you lead yourself well, from the inside out, your influence expands. Influence is the power to change, or the power to affect someone or something. It starts with you.