Helping Women Leaders Move Forward Faster
Book Giveaway!!
20 copies available!!
Leave a comment on this guest post by Brenda Wensil and Kathryn Heath, PhD to become eligible for one of 20 complimentary copies of their new book, I Wish I’d Known This: 6 Career-Accelerating Secrets for Women Leaders.
Deadline for eligibility is 08/23/2022. International winners will receive electronic version.
The world will be a better place with more women leaders.
Yet professional women still encounter many obstacles on their leadership journeys, including career blind spots such as low self-awareness, trying to go it alone, or lacking a strategic career direction.
The following strategies help women get un-stuck and move forward faster.
6 Career-Accelerating Tips for Women Leaders
#1. Set a vision, strategy, and plan
Don’t allow your career to drift. To succeed, create a long-term vision, constantly build your skills and experiences, and implement smart strategies to get where you’re going.
“Think like a CEO and create a business plan for yourself.”
#2. Build your self-awareness
Learn who you are, what you offer, and how to tell your story. Self-awareness is a lifelong journey, and every great leader cultivates it daily.
“If knowledge is power, self-knowledge is exponential power.”
#3. Develop your reputationality
Reputationality merges the person you are with the work you do. What is that special something you’re known for? Find ways to shape your own narrative; don’t let someone else do it for you.
“When personality rises up to meet with strong credentials, powerful things can happen.”
#4. Install a career GPS
Don’t operate on auto-pilot. Proactively seek feedback, then take action. Once you’ve established your end goal, guidance and course corrections will help you arrive more quickly.
“Be on purpose with your career. Own it.”
#5. Prepare and practice
Actors, musicians, and athletes all practice – why shouldn’t you? Practice for presentations or important conversations until you can’t get it wrong. This creates confidence, influence, and personal power.
#6. Get a posse
Flying solo in your career is inefficient, exhausting, and unnecessary. Surround yourself with a diverse network of supporters who want to help you thrive.
Effective women leaders inspire innovation, sustain profitability, manage risk, and create inclusive environments.
Which of these tips will YOU put into practice today?
Brenda Wensil is co-author of I Wish I’d Known This: 6 Career-Accelerating Secrets for Women Leaders, a managing director at Bravanti, and a coach, writer, and speaker.
Kathryn Heath, PhD is co-author of I Wish I’d Known This: 6 Career-Accelerating Secrets for Women Leaders, a managing director at Bravanti, and a distinguished thought leader and sought-after speaker on the topic of women’s leadership.
I love hearing additional perspectives on such a topic! Looking forward to reading this.
These are important tips. Love the prepare and practice – I do that! I also agree with other comments that practicing self confidence and a you got this mentality is important when we may tend to doubt ourselves.
What a great way to see how many women are reading your posts. Good example of marketing.
Really wish Brenda and Kathryn and their wisdom and insights were around when I was starting off my career path! I would have made a lot fewer mistakes and achieved lasting sucess much sooner. Thank you for sharing; I look forward to learning more!
Critical reminder how we can lead collectively and the world is better for our leadership. When we raise each other up, all boats rise! I e been building my posse of bada$$women!
I am inspired by this post and would love to learn how to lean in harder than I do today to help outline the trajectory of my own career and success.
These are useful points. I would add something around self confidence and building this through self awareness and feedback from others. I am not very confident in my own abilities and still benefit from external feedback.
Such great advice. Practical and applicable.
Love point 1. Would add to be open to going off plan. I got an off strategy opportunity – international assignment with promotion – took it and never looked back. Angela CEO Hogan Security Group
Thanks for sharing this. I need to work on self awareness. Also I am excited about encouraging my niece to stand her ground now that she entered the world of work as a professional.
I am a Leadership Coach and primarily work with women who aspire to be leaders or women who are in leadership roles and want to be more effective and successful. I’m always looking for resources to add to my clients’ reading list, and this sounds like it could be a companion to How Women Rise by Sally Helgesen. I look forward to reviewing it.
I have to get a Posse!
Our organizations both here in Canada and in USA are looking for ways to empower women more and more to be in roles of leadership. Jesus did more than any other person in history to elevate the status of women and we should follow suit.
I’m always looking to take those on my team out of their comfort zones and into positions of greater leadership. This book sounds perfect for helping take people in my organization to the next level. I love the idea of developing one’s reputationality! Looking forward to this book!
Thank you for sharing your viewpoint on this topic. I am going to share with all of the women that I mentor.
Perfect timing- I am bringing together a group of women leaders today and this is exactly what I will be discussing with them.
Great timing!! Going through a career change and can utilize this guide! Thank you.
Great read… as to be expected from Leadership Freak!!! I value the regular brain food that refreshes my attitude, spirit as a change agent and nudge to take some initiative!
This post in particular calling out “Reputatlity” and how much each of us are in control of “inspiring innovation, sustain profitability, manage risk, and create inclusive environments”. Let us all continue to share our narrative!
Great advice! I need this now more than ever in my career life!
It will be interesing to read more about “get a posse”. I once had a supervisor who admitted that he did not get where he was by himself, but he described what he did as “grabbing coattails” on the way up. Having a group of supporters sounds more like people pushing you up instead of hoping you can hang onto someone else on their way up.
It is always good to hear and consider perspectives we might be overlooking. Thanks for the reminder about building and valuing your “posse”. Too often strong women leaders hold each other back rather than building each other up. I’ll be over here trying to determine what it is that I’m known for and how to capitalize on it!
Would love to explore these topics more in depth!
What a great article – I definitely need a posse!
Thanks for awesome insights! My favorite is to get a posse because connections exponentially expand your reach. I would also add the importance of investing in other young leaders as a mentor; observing growth and obstacles in others helps to clarify your self-perceptions and fine-tunes the trajectory.
I love #6. We can’t do this alone!
Great column. I would love to read more about these topics!
Amazing!! So great!!
“If knowledge is power, self-knowledge is exponential power.” So very true. I would add the importance of continual development and not just staying where or who you are.
This was such a fantastic reminder for me to read this morning. I am a woman leader in a large government Agency and have already share this post with others. 🙂 Thank you for on-point message this morning.
My mentor has recently provided me with some of these tips including be your own CEO and have a posse – advisory group. The book sounds like it has some valuable insights that I would love to learn more about!
This past year I have been learning about myself and can honestly say I have gained self-awareness and confidence, which in turn sharpened my leadership skills. It is so important to know who you are, what you stand for, and where you want to go. Great tips for aspiring women leaders!
Great advice!! It has been tough as a director of technology!! One I was at a regional technology meeting and the person running the meeting grouped members by role to answer audience questions. He grouped me with the technicians while all the other male technology directors were in another group. Lesson learned: I should have walked over to the other group and sat down with my peers.
Awesome tips! I can apply several of them right now.
Thank you for sharing this. I am sharing this with all the women in our fire department and would love to share a copy of your new book as well.
I totally believe that a posse makes a difference! Totally under rated, but something that has helped me tremendously over the years. I have people I can ask anything to, practice conversations and even have proof read important emails and documents.
I love all of these. I think the first step is giving yourself, as a woman, permission to do all six steps. To incorporate them into your life and work. I recently changed jobs and am navigating a new corporate environment. I am slowly building my business plan and my posse!
Love this article! I’m a believer of all your points, but especially the points around my TEAM or “POSSE”!!!
Thank you for this book! I am part of a Women in Leadership group called Empower and would love to share this.
Insightful and useful tips – I’m very interested in reading this book! I value the focus on women. We need to support each other.
Awesome!!
Thank you for sharing these tips. I lead 6 young brilliant and ambitious women leaders. I make it a point that I grow and learn with them as I mentor them to embrace their full leadership potential. These tips will be included in our next mentoring/coaching session.
What a great article. Thank you for sharing this. I can’t wait to share it with my team.
Great advices. I would add the following: diversity matters! Be unique and embrace your femininity (so do not just be a better male version). Help other women to succeed.
I will working on practicing to perfect presentations. Loved the article.
Interesting concepts- I think women don’t navigate the’get a posse’ thing so easily. I do believe that being proactive in one’s career is a must!
Adding this to my list of must reads. Sometimes just a reminder is enough to restart the energy. Thanks for that!
These are such great points to focus on. I love the idea of building our reputationality. It really forces you to think about what kind of legacy do you want to have and how do you want people to think of you.
Thanks for including this article focused on women leaders!
Yes! I would be interested in reading this-I have been in leadership for a long time and believe I do many of these things. It is an interesting space to be a women in leadership among other women.
Looking forward to reading on this topic
I am looking forward to reading this and sharing with the women that I mentor both professionally and personally. It’s a much needed perspective.
Very interesting topics and I would love to read more on these bullets to continue my growth and in supporting others in my role. Very interested in reading this!
I would love to read this!!
I look forward to reading this book. I am an educator with 24 years of teaching experience who stepped into a leadership role 4 years ago as a Department Head. I am approaching the point in my professional career that I am thinking about making a change so that I can influence the next generation of educators or perhaps work to improve our system of education on a more global scale.
Great post. One additional thing that your posse can provide which is critical is confidence in yourself and your abilities.
I was just promoted into an executive leadership role that is brand new…this would be a great read for me. Thank you for the opportunity!
As rising/middle leadership in a primarily male organization/industry I find it challenging to balance efforts noted in these 6 topics with my experience of other women leaders often “chewing each other up.” I look forward to reading this book so I can develop intentional efforts to advance the culture and talent development efforts in my workplace with more focus on building each other up rather than competing against one another.
#6. Get a posse- So true! Leadership can be coupled with self doubt, imposter syndrome and the like- your true posse will keep you in check, offer honesty, perspective, and keep you sane. Can’t wait to read the full book!
#6 can be career changing! Great POST, very enlightening and empowering for women in leadership. Would love to read this book!
My network of other successful women has been my biggest support net and given me my greatest feedback when I needed it most.
This book is perfect timing for me. I’m trying to decide what I want to do with my career. I think these 6 steps will help me to plan intentionally for retirement.
Such an important topic! Although in education where vast majority of the teaching force is female, female leaders even in education is hard to come by..
I love the develop your reputationally. I strive to be a leader that I want to follow. I and my team have had 1 really bad boss (he was far from a leader) and I certainly don’t want to be that person. As woman, I don’t think I need to push my way, I believe in standing for what you believe and leading by example. I so value my team and the input they provide to our success. I seek their input. When a person has input and feels valued, that is where you get buy in. They may not totally agree with the plan or the path but they are willing to give it a try because they know they are valued and their input is sought out and important. I look forward to reading this book and learning more to develop my career.
I often read Leadership Freak in the morning before I start the day and at times it reads like a predictive horoscope… I needed this post in the worst way right now.
#2 (self-awareness) was a new concept to me and #3 (tying personality into reputability) has occurred, but not with intention. Both of these items I feel I can implement immediately.
#1 (SMART planning) and #6 (posse + mentorship) … I am struggling with both at this time, even though I know how important they are. I brushed my latest career plan under the carpet for a few months – maybe out of fear? Right now I am in a career flounder with many unanswered questions of what is next, where am I going, what do I actually want? I have recently achieved most of the items on my last plan, so now it is time to re-evaluate.
#6 Oh boy. I have a posse… and I currently feel lonely and scared. Many people in my posse I try to please with my career decisions instead of what I actually feel and/or want. I am realizing that I desperately need to seek/reach out to someone who I can trust with anything, and can ask real hard questions without fearing repercussions/judgement. It may even be worth contacting a career counselor or other professional coach – it would be beneficial to remove preconceived thoughts/opinions from the other party and work with someone whose sole purpose is to get their client in line with their career and life goals.
Writing all of this out made me realize I have the answers inside of me. Its to act and stop ignoring them.
I’ve worked at the same company for 13 years. Leadership has change quite a few time since then. Currently we have a large female leadership base. It’s refreshing.
I’m a female pastor in a denomination with few women leaders. In the US they refuse to ordain women. In Canada the church has ordained a handful of women. I’ve been a pastor for 26 years. In the beginning as a coping mechanism I worked hard to suppress or ignore differences in how I was treated compared to my male colleagues. In more recent years, second half of life, I am realizing that it is no longer helpful to ignore the differences that come from being a female. I appreciate the last point and would even expand on it. Get several posses. Having a support team within the congregation/organization and a support team outside of the congregation/organization play different roles, both vital.
This is a book I NEED to read! Wow, the most powerful words I could have read this morning was about self-awareness, “If knowledge is power, self-knowledge is exponential power”. Isn’t that the truth! Very insightful topics…
I enjoy reading Leadership Freak every day and I recommend it every chance I get. We are all in a leadership position whether our title states it or not. This is an awesome read! I want to read this book! Self-awareness…. it’s important to recognize your strengths to be able to promote yourself and utilize them. It is also equally (if not more) important to understand your weaknesses so that you know your area of opportunities to grow/learn/improve. Thank you for sharing
I would love to read this!
#5. Prepare and practice is my favorite! I need to do this more often, especially in a man dominated company that I work in. Thank you for sharing!
This is a great post. While I’m nearing the end of my career, I’d love for my 16-year old granddaughter to have a copy of this book.
Another comment, BE a posse member. I find the success of others that I am a part of incredibly rewarding.
I had an interesting experience this year with my team – what I realized is that I thought I had self awareness – but learned I didn’t.
I would love to hear more and continue to grow as a leader.
Thank you for these words.
I will love to have more insight on these points. I have a strong passion and zeal as a woman leader. Therefore I would appreciate more information to help me on this journey.
I have to become comfortable with being intentional with my purpose.
Telling my story has always been hard. This changed when I focused on my core beliefs. From that, I was able to share my heart with my team.
This is very timely. I need to not go it alone. Thank you for these valuable points.
This was a great post. I need to focus on bringing more women into my group to lean on as support and to lend support as well.
It IS important for women to collaborate and build each other up, not only for individual careers but for the growth and elevation of collaborative leadership! Not that men aren’t collaborative, but I think it’s women’s first instinct. Let’s focus on that!
Great tips. I am most challenged by #3 Develop Your Reputation. I’ve always let my hard work out why I output speak for itself.
Great points. Looking forward to reading this book and sharing it with my network.
Would love to get this book for my wife !
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Leadership Freak is my daily jam. I love it and learn a lot from it every day. This was definitely a good read and hit some points inside me and I can definitely pass these on to others. Have a plan of where you want to be professionally, understand yourself (what you have to offer, your strengths – weaknesses), form a posse (get a network of support, no one gets where they want alone), do people KNOW about what you can do (do you have a reputation – marketability), ask for feedback and make changes along the way (it’s not personal), and always practice and improve your skillset (always be in learning mode – your never too old to learn, there is always ways to grow).
“Reputationality merges the person you are with the work you do. What is that special something you’re known for? Find ways to shape your own narrative; don’t let someone else do it for you.” This resonates so loudly for me! I am known for something and am finding it hard to BREAK OUT of what I’m known for and help people see that I’m capable of so much more. I LOVE the idea of shaping my own narrative. Now to figure out how…
Excited to read this. Love reading on topics about this. Women in power!
Thanks for the great post! It is always helpful to see these reminders as we often forget to focus on these areas.
I’d love to read this book! Always looking for ways to help me increase my knowledge in my career.
I just love these posts. Thank you for the opportunity to read a unique leadership book. I spend time weekly providing orientation for new employees in a large organization, and I prepare by studying for the next tip I can share. My years of experience only help me to equip others with tips from what I’ve learned and it’s not all from experience–it’s from reading ideas of others!
Good thoughts and certainly valuable for women in guiding their careers AND can be helpful to all leaders who should be having growth and development conversations with women as well. Thanks.
As a woman executive, I have made it a priority to connect with other women leaders to support one another in our community. Being executives is already a lonely role, and being a woman executive still closes some doors. I find great value in connecting with other women that are juggling work, raising children, caring for aging parents and finding time to care of one’s self. Definitely a book to add to my collection.
Number 1 is a must. I find #6 difficult…it is hard to find other women that support one another…this is something we need to work on. Thanks for the reminder.
Value any tips and advice as it is still a difficult path
Having a good mentor and/or model is key, I think.
Thanks for this article it will be very handy for my new mentee and would love to provide her with this book.
I’m 24 and between uni and work… I’m dedicating today to self awareness because last night I realised I really don’t have a clear enough vision of what types of work I’d ideally like to do (and what type of work I would do in non ideal circumstances). Contemplative the topic for clarity is my next step, thanks for the framework of topics to consider!
I would love a copy of the book.
Presently working with Orbis instructional leadership.
Activating career GPS immediately! Great tips – thank you!
This is such an important topic! I love all six of these!
Get a posse. #1 idea. Because its sadly the case a lot of people still don’t want to see you succeed. In silicon valley, you can overhear guys helping one another. Its amazing how it works. Women are kind of isolated though.. Sometimes it is 90-3 or you may be the only one. Then it can feel rough.
I agree with these 6 points. I found it interesting that even on performance reviews and discussions for merit increases that most women just accept and do not push for justifications or question why they were rated at that level vs. their male colleagues.
I am a believer of “Get a Posse”. Women have to support each other and build a network of people who believe in your thoughts and ideas. A Women leader is more creative, has great adaptability, a critical thinking ability and is emotionally intelligent, as compared to her male counterpart.
I would love to hear more about this topic. Certainly interested in reading the book.
Thanks!
Excellent advice! Having been passed up for two promotions in the last three months, time to recalibrate!
Anxious to read and dig in deeper.
I have been working on self-awareness for year’s. It us an incredible lifeling journey. I look forward to giving my daughter her own copy of this book.
I love this advice. Your posse lifts you up as you celebrate and coach one another. I would also add – Be authentic and don’t be afraid to show your heart.
Great information. I work in a male dominated industry and reputationality (great word BTW) and posse are must haves to moving forward.
This year is self awareness and watching my tone. Only because you feel like your constantly pushing against to make your way that we loose track of how that looks.
Great information.I work for a male dominated industry. I can agree that low self-awareness and lacking strategic career direction can hinder women as leaders. Additionally, I obtained a Life Coach certificate six months ago and have not started a business in Life Coaching because I excuse that my role as professional currenlty encompasses the idea of a Life Coach, which it doesn’t. I am also not seeing financial gain for providing my services to my profession. I would love to be a leader in my knowledge regarding self-love.
All solid advice. I especially appreciate #5 – – I’ve found making an outline beforehand of difficult conversations and then mentally rehearsing is super helpful.
I am a Latina leader; this post to be is undoubtedly useful. Great Information! The insights that this book can provide will support me with refining my personal vision statement. Because as some said, “People with vision are almost brainwashed into thinking the world could be changed simply by their effort and imagination.” I seek to improve myself to impact in the way I was designed to.
This post and book is perfect timing. I am working on my own career and family balance while leading woman to grow and strive for greatness. I try to set the best example and find that I have to be open to improvement and work myself.
Thank you so much for this invaluable book. I look forward to receiving a copy!
Great post on leadership for women! Couldn’t agree more 🙂
Growth is a continuous process, especially for women (balancing career and family) thanks for the great post!
Helping Women Leaders Move Forward Faster is very much needed. My role as a leader would require me to read Helping Women Leaders Move Forward Faster daily. I need a daily huddle with other women to assist with the unknowns approaching me daily