Women's Leadership

" A woman with a vision is a business owner; a woman with ambition is a leader. "

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Are female leaders less competitive than men? In fact, there is no clear consensus on this issue, as attitudes and behaviors can vary greatly depending on company culture, social norms, or individual characteristics. In my practice, I’ve identified 9 key points to address when supporting female leaders—whether through individual coaching or group workshops.

Dare to promote yourself, dare to ask

More and more, female leaders are being called to fully own their place with confidence and determination. To dare to promote themselves and ask for what they want, they need to clarify their ambitions by prioritizing their values and needs. Identifying their strengths, communicating them regularly, stepping back, and adopting a strategic approach to their target will help them gain greater recognition for their talents.

Dare to talk about compensation

Discussing compensation remains a sensitive topic for many women. To help them feel more confident, I encourage them to prepare their arguments by highlighting their achievements and skills, and to choose the right moment to discuss the topic with their direct manager. By basing their demands on salary benchmarks and being ready to negotiate, they can assert their true value while also promoting pay equity. They should also be more persistent—and show they won’t give up.

Strengthen assertiveness

Speaking assertively means expressing your point of view with confidence while respecting that of others. Learning to master this powerful tool can be crucial to being heard in a professional environment that may be discriminatory. I recommend they never back down on substance, always maintain connection, and revisit the issue later if the moment isn’t right.

Prejudices about women

Identifying and challenging limiting beliefs is also essential for unleashing their full potential and overcoming obstacles. They should also work on cultivating self-confidence and challenging stereotypes—by, for example, recalling their three most recent major accomplishments each week or month. Lastly, setting ambitious goals and working to achieve them is key to proving something to themselves!

Strengthen coopetition

“Coopetition” blends cooperation and competition to achieve shared goals. Teaming up temporarily with female competitors can strengthen internal collaboration and break down silos. It also helps generate synergies and create more opportunities for positive influence. Coopetition fosters a mutual learning environment, helping to shatter glass ceilings together.

Networking

Networking enables women to build professional relationships, access career opportunities, and gain support from peers, mentors, and reverse mentors. By building a strong network, they can gain access to valuable information and resources, receive advice and diverse perspectives, and be recognized for their skills and achievements.

Mentoring and reverse mentoring

Encouraging mentoring—whether from more experienced individuals or from younger professionals who are comfortable with AI and the new world—is always a good strategy for gaining support, advice, and professional development opportunities. For women in particular, mentors—whether male or female—can play a crucial role by helping them overcome specific obstacles, take calculated risks, and build their confidence and leadership skills.

Personal branding

Personal branding and storytelling are excellent tools for showcasing one’s skills and expertise in an authentic and compelling way, thereby enhancing credibility and influence within the company. A strong online professional presence—via platforms such as LinkedIn or through speaking at conferences—enables female leaders to share their journeys, achievements, and insights, increasing both their visibility and their impact in their area of expertise.

Healthy narcissism: take care of yourself and your career

I strongly encourage the women I work with to care for their careers. While women are often much better than men at taking care of their appearance, style, or health, they don’t spend enough time building their image (persona) or planning their next career move. This requires gaining perspective, being less perfectionist at times, empowering their teams more, and even saying no to certain tasks or deadlines. Taking care of both physical and mental health—and of one’s career—is essential for success.

All of these strategies are essential to claiming your place in a male-dominated, alpha-male world by finding the right balance!

To go further:
The Women in the Workplace 2018 study by McKinsey highlights that women are less likely than men to be promoted to CEO roles.

The Grant Thornton Women in Business: The Global Report 2020 shows that women hold only 28.8% of leadership positions globally.

Ladies, don’t hesitate to leverage the power of men to succeed by developing strategic alliances with them! You can also encourage them to use their influence to create fair opportunities for all, and to support the advancement of women in your company.

As women, take time to define your three priority areas for development to succeed in your next challenge, and dare to ask for coaching or training if you feel the need!

#WomenLeadership #Influence #Governance #Collaboration #Diversity