How women can lead with compassion and purpose

We’ve all heard those tired, old clichés: women leaders are too emotional, too soft, too bossy, or somehow “not enough.”

Let’s set the record straight. Women bring unique, invaluable strengths to leadership — collaboration, emotional intelligence, resilience, empathy, and an instinct for turning challenges into opportunities. It’s time to recognize and embrace woman’s leadership for its strengths.

In this article, you’ll learn how you can lead boldly from where you are and take action to uplift those around you. Walk away knowing that your unique voice and strengths create ripples of change — at work, in your community, and beyond.

Then, join Women United at Compassion in Command for an inspiring evening that celebrates authentic leadership by women and empowers women to lead with compassion, courage, and a commitment to community. You’ll hear from a powerhouse panel of speakers who have rejected the patriarchal expectation of leadership. These fierce changemakers are redefining what success looks like, focusing on lifting others up over competing, and carving a path for the next generation of woman leaders.

Empowering women to take on leadership roles requires creating networks and initiatives that support their growth and development. Encourage and foster women-led networks and mentorship programs to provide opportunities for growth.

Create Mentorship and Networking Programs: Women-led networks are valuable for promoting safe, inclusive, and supportive workplaces for women of all backgrounds and ages. Providing initiatives related to training, mentorship, and networking can help eliminate barriers for workers and empower women to pursue opportunities they might not have otherwise.

Support Grassroots and Non-Profit Initiatives: By working together, women and allies can change perceptions of what makes a strong leader and develop skills to advance in their fields. Grassroots network initiatives like employee resource groups and non-profit initiatives like United Way’s Women United help build authentic connections and partnerships between individuals who share a belief in the power of women and a commitment to social justice. It also helps changemakers develop a deeper connection to issues affecting their community.

Women — especially marginalized women — face unfair bias and discrimination, especially as they pursue leadership roles. Additionally, working mothers — tasked with unpaid labour, including childcare and domestic responsibilities — often find it difficult to balance the needs of these responsibilities while also engaging with their communities or growing their careers.

These challenges and established biases have real-world implications for women’s success and economic outcomes, with absences from work to care for children have been linked to fewer raises and promotions.

Creating a supportive environment that challenges these perceptions is crucial. Here’s how to do it.

Offer Flexible Work Arrangements: When possible, organizations can support women, working mothers, and other caregivers through flexible arrangements, setting clear expectations for remote and hybrid work environments and training opportunities to retain and promote high-performing women.

If your organization already has development opportunities or accommodations and resources in place for parents or caregivers, make sure you are advertising them and encouraging people to use what’s available.

Address Biases: Unconscious biases are hidden assumptions, beliefs, or attitudes that reinforce stereotypes. And we all have them whether we like it or not. To promote inclusivity and diversity in your organization, conduct training programs to raise awareness about unconscious biases and create a culture where everyone feels safe to share their perspectives and talents.

Communicate Often: Open and honest communication can help address issues and concerns for all parties as they arise.

Leaders, check in with your employees and ask them how they are feeling and managing their current workload. Institute development opportunities and set clear expectations to help employees reach their goals.

For employees: Reach out to leaders you trust and be honest and straightforward about your needs and goals. If you’re struggling with juggling your duties at work and home, address your concerns and look for solutions to meet expectations while also maintaining some work-life balance.

When we don’t see ourselves reflected in positions of power, it can be difficult to envision things any other way. Knowing your worth and looking for opportunities to advance in your career can be valuable in shifting the perspective of who makes a great leader.

Advocate for Your Future: It can be difficult to assert yourself, especially in places where female leadership is lacking. Look for opportunities to meet with your supervisor, HR representative, or senior leadership to state your goals and build a path forward for your career. Be specific about what you want: promotion, pay raise, more opportunities for skill development, etc.

Celebrate Your Achievements: Self-promotion can feel uncomfortable if you’re not used to doing it. However, recognizing and vocalizing your success can showcase the value you bring to your work. With a bit of practice, you can get over the awkwardness of singing your own praises. Think of your self-advocacy as stating the facts instead of bragging. As you get more comfortable, make it a habit of communicating your progress or achievements to peers and mentors you feel comfortable with.

By striving toward equal representation in all aspects of daily life, women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals will benefit now and, in the future — ensuring they have access to better opportunities, greater financial independence and stability, and improving their overall well-being.

No matter your role or organization, you can lead from where you are and help to move the needle on gender equity in the workplace and our community.