Let this line from our national anthem resonate ,empower and uplift us as we go into the independence holidays. Mpho Mosate shared her pearls of wisdom with PinnaLead , her message is befitting as we celebrate our country’s 55th independence day.
Nice girls Don’t get the corner Office!
One of the things that we as women tend to do is we do not speak out. You can notice it in meeting rooms or forums when people are asked to contribute, most often it will be our male counterparts who speak out. I read a book when i was younger called “Nice girls don’t get the corner office” by Lois P Frankel, and i realised that there were some traits in there that related to who i was at the time. Often times it is a societal or cultural dynamic at play that we are unconscious of.
You find yourself sitting in a boardroom and when your male counterparts speak out you realise you had the same viewpoint that they are advancing but were not brave enough to put it on the table and have your thoughts assessed by the group. It is something that holds us back.
Talking to the aspect of Leadership qualities,One of the ones i definitely use is “Not thinking that i have any statement or question that is stupid.”One of the things that people say in a meeting is “Sorry if this is a stupid question”, i never advance my thought process as stupid as that is very apologetic and you depreciate yourself as a thinker and an equal in the room.
I speak out quite a bit where i think my thought process can help the conversation or even where i hold a completely different perspective to others. That is certainly one of the traits that i use and encourage other women to use. It is not a matter of being introvert to extrovert it is a matter of just showing up in a session and advancing your thought process to contribute to the ultimate solution. By not contributing you rob the solution of a particular perspective which other people may not hold.
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