What Women Do That Holds Them Back From Succeeding At Leadership

There’s been a number of studies that have illustrated the challenges and obstacles women face that men don’t in trying to move into leadership positions. But are there actions and behaviours women are doing that are also impeding their ability to grow into effective leaders? That’s the focus of the fascinating conversation I have with my guest in this latest episode of my podcast, “Leadership Biz Cafe”.

Sally Helgesen is a pioneer researcher, speaker, and consultant on women’s styles of leadership and the unique contributions they make to the workplace. She focuses on honing women’s leadership styles, creating inclusive company cultures, and equipping men in senior positions to fully engage women’s talents and potential. Her work has been featured in Fortune, The New York Times, Fast Company, and Business Week.

Sally has served as a consultant for the United Nations, where her pioneering studies on inclusive leadership and the increasing power of individuals was the basis for the creation of a group of “Centers of Experimentation” that administer leadership programs in developing countries. Along with Marshall Goldsmith, she co-authored the book “How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job”.

Although the book’s key audience might be women, there’s some powerful insights that will without question help male leaders and colleagues better understand what we need to do to help women truly succeed in the workplace and with it, tap into the full potential and talent of everyone we lead today.

Over the conversation, Sally and I cover a number of topics, including:

• How the differences in the way men and women are evaluated for their performance is leading to “stuckness” and with it, lost productivity and opportunities for organizational growth.

• Why women can have a hard time claiming their achievements and what they can do about (and if you’re a dad who has a daughter, how you can help with this as well).

• A powerful strategy that can help anyone – both men and women – learn to how articulate their career ambitions in a way that not only gets the attention of senior leadership, but helps get them on that course to making those ambitions a reality.

• What women are failing to capitalize on in terms of their innate ability to build deep, meaningful relationships with those around them and how this can impact their growth potential.

• The differences in how women and men are evaluated and how this can fuel perfectionism – and why isn’t a good thing the more you move up the organizational ladder.

As I mentioned in this episode, I’m delighted to announce that my podcast “Leadership Biz Cafe” is now available for streaming on Spotify, in addition to Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, PlayerFM, and several other podcast streaming platforms.

Also, you can now stream all episodes from my show, and find the show notes for past episodes, as well as find links for listen to my show on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and more on the brand new Leadership Biz Cafe podcast page on my website.

Finally, I’d appreciate it if you could subscribe, rate, and comment about my show on your preferred podcasting streaming platform to help continue to support this show.

Noteworthy Links:

• Buy Sally Helegesen’s book on Amazon (or Amazon.ca for Canadian readers)
• Check out these articles that build on what’s discussed in the show:
  • An Inspiring Example Of The Power Of Our Words
  • Are You Giving The Right Message With Your Leadership?
  • Understanding The Power Of Expectations
  • What’s The Truth About Your Leadership?

Special thanks to the sponsors of this episode, UPPcourses.com.