Women in Business: The Confident Communicator

Impostor syndrome inner saboteur insecurities However you spell it out much ink has been spilled and many pixels have been placed about doubts that plague women in the workplace Fortunately an impressive 40 of women say they are amp8220neveramp8221 struck by selfdoubt a new Captivate Office Pulse study of professionals in the US and Canada found a higher proportion than men 31 This motif plays out across this yearamp8217s Women in Business series a celebration of selfadvocacy and confident communicationIn the keystone of the series Captivate is giving female professionals across North America a platform to share their insights Over 100 leaders from brands such as TMobile Wyndham Hotels ampamp Resorts and PepsiCo offered advice on selfadvocacy underrated leadership traits and staying driven amp8220Success is intentional Decide what you want believe in yourself and the possible take action and be willing to put in the effortamp8221 amp8211 Erin Wilson VP Marketing HomeEquity BankWhen asked if they felt their success was deserved 46 of women said that not only did they earn their spot but theyamp8217re also aspiring to even higher echelons One of the groups most likely to feel this way Female selfprofessed risktakers who said theyamp8217d be willing to take either small or big risks to further their career66 of female respondents to the Office Pulse study said they considered themselves to be risktakers in the workplace While small risks 55 were more popular 18 were willing to take big swings to get where they wanted to go The primary motivation for going out on a limb The opportunity to make more money which drove 70 of female risktakers Other motivators included the encouragement of a leader 39 and a past success 32amp8220I try to take lessons from what goes well and more importantly what doesn39t go well to become better EVERY dayamp8221 amp8211 Janice Barbosa Senior Marketing Media Manager TMobileamp8220Riskamp8221 can conjure images of cliff edges and snakefilled pits amp8211 or in the professional world highstakes negotiations or bold branding choices For some though every conversation presents an element of risk 34 of women said they did not consider themselves risktakers at work and the primary deterrent was amp8220looking like I donamp8217t know as much as I shouldamp8221 easily trumping amp8220failing at something I triedamp8221This speaks to the importance of confident communication which can be challenging for even the most accomplished professionals 91 of professional women said they used unwarranted apologies like amp8220sorryamp8221 or amp8220this might sound dumbsillyamp8221 at least some of the time in oral communication and a whopping 96 said they used moderators like amp8220justamp8221 amp8220sort ofamp8221 and amp8220I thinkamp8221These verbal crutches were most common among Millennial women 95 and 98 respectively Years spent in the workforce amp8211 or even just on the planet amp8211 can bring confidence More than 1 in 5 22 Baby Boomer women said they amp8220neveramp8221 use unwarranted apologies when speakingamp8220Never apologize for something that does not warrant an apology However always be accountable for your own behavior and your contributionamp8221 amp8211 Marissa Yoss VP Media ampamp Brand Marketing Wyndham Hotels ampamp Resortsamp8220I use my voice regardless of who wants to hear it If I don39t speak up who willamp8221 amp8211 Jamie Dorfman SVP Media Innovation Director MediahubWhen looking to the future both men and women named increasing their income and achieving worklife balance and flexibility as their top two career aspirations However exploring new career opportunities or fields took bronze for women while menamp8217s No 3 was attaining higher leadership positionsNaturally goals shift with the seasons of life Millennial women were more likely than other generations to place importance on attaining higher leadership positions while more Gen X women named amp8220pursuing further educationamp8221Just over 1 in 3 women 35 have charted a clear career path for themselves in the next 35 years essentially in line with their male counterparts Earlycareer women those in the workforce for 8 years or less were more likely to have a plan 52 than not 48 while just 23 of those working for 814 years said they had a clear roadmapWhether you have a detailed blueprint or just a backofthenapkin sketch keep your goals within sight Knowing what you want is the first step to advocating for yourself even if itamp8217s a step outside your comfort zone when we bring our best complete selves to work everyone benefitsamp8220Be comfortable with being uncomfortable When you39re uncomfortable it means you39re stretching your limits and growing and it will lead you to be a stronger more confident personamp8221 amp8211 Kate Brady SD Head of Creative ampamp Content Transformation PepsiCoPosted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership selfpublishing platformClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageorgMyersBizNet

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