The obstacles that successful women have to overcome should also be addressed and tackled by companies. Awareness of unconscious bias should be raised and ensured from all sides so that women have equal opportunities for mentoring and advancement. However, some of the barriers come from preconceived “gender bias” and women’s own understanding of their roles.
1. unequal treatment
Female managers as well as entrepreneurs do not always have the same opportunities for advancement or equal consideration for projects and promotions. Becoming aware of these hurdles helps develop your own strategies to reduce the impact of this social reality on your career.
2. absence of mentoring
Mentors are essential in supporting and developing managers. It is particularly important for women to consciously build up this support in their career development. In the coaching for women we outline ways in which you can surround yourself with good mentors and benefit from their experience and constructive feedback.
3. unconscious bias
Unconscious bias is unfortunately our constant companion. These are learned stereotypes that we all develop about people-typically ethnicity, gender, social status, sexuality, job title, age, and body mass. We are unconsciously influenced by these prejudices. This means that we make rash as well as often unfair decisions without really being aware of it. With my clients, such biases occur repeatedly against themselves and from external parties, which is why they are worked on methodically in coaching.
4. impostor syndrome (also called imposter syndrome)
Already a study published in the 1970s(THE IMPOSTOR PHENOMENON IN HIGH ACHIEVING WOMEN) shows that women repeatedly doubt and downplay their abilities and qualifications, while men over-inflate theirs.
The result of this doubting and downplaying is that women are reluctant to take the lead on high-profile projects. They wait until they have more references, experience and training to show. Impostor syndrome is a form of self-sabotage.
In the coaching for women we find out together how you can trust your own voice. What we will work on specifically:
- Building self-confidence
- The recognition of strengths
- Strategies for achieving goals
5. own posture and language
There are several ways women belittle themselves through their own posture and language. When women use diminishing speech patterns, they make themselves “mute.” These patterns often stem from a desire to be likable or a fear of being criticized. Classic phrases here can be:
- “I’m not sure, but how about we do it this way?”
- I’m sorry, but I don’t think that’s the right strategy.”
- “You know me, numbers are not my strong suit.”
Self-awareness is the antidote. Women need to be aware of how jumping into sympathy always comes at the expense of effectiveness and respect. In the coaching process, we practice communicating in a more straightforward way, based on their strengths and values.
6. overthinking
In my coaching sessions, I regularly observe that while women are more thoughtful in their actions, they also spend more time reflecting on missteps or perceived criticisms. Overthinking things takes emotional energy and triggers stress. It also leads women to get bogged down in internalizing perceived failures, which undermines resilience and self-confidence. Using reframing, we work to take decisive action and gradually control the issue of “overthinking.”
7. perfectionism
Women mistakenly think of the pursuit of perfection as a strength rather than the silent saboteur it often is. Perfectionism goes hand in hand with impostor syndrome. Similarly, female executives and entrepreneurs are often judged more harshly than men for their missteps.
In the joint coaching for women, we create awareness of the inner critic. Failure is part of every development. I help you embrace failure along with a growth mindset.