How to Leverage Women During Women’s History Month

These days, it feels like we all want our lives — and career journeys — to move at the speed of TikTok.

In coaching conversations with female cohorts, I’ve found that there is often a simmering sense of impatience related to our career paths. But we need to remind ourselves — particularly on International Women’s Day! — that the women who paved the way before us had a grueling task at hand. Now it’s our turn to leverage their hard work and keep lifting each other as we climb (or crisscross) the career frontier. In my research on women’s career fulfillment, I found that what was unpleasant and unresolved then remains unresolved today: e.g pay equity, caregiving responsibilities, etc.

Change does take time, and sometimes moves too slowly for our liking. However, in 2023, there are new dynamics at play — particularly with all of the post pandemic-related shake-ups — and we are all realizing that working differently is not only possible, but necessary. We have seen the success of women’s programmes, cohorts, and communities: many of which formed to combat isolation, and now are exploding in popularity. There are more opportunities for women to gather, brainstorm strategies, exchange ideas, and gain new insights. We need to continue setting the pace (though perhaps not quite at TikTok speed) for the future of working women.

What are women asking for? Flexibility. Recognition. Variety. Opportunities.

These asks aren’t out of reach. So how can we better leverage women to find true fulfillment and success in the modern workforce?

Take a Seat at a Table

Join a woman’s forum, co-working space, Slack group, etc. Then take it a step further: volunteer your services, mentorship, or just a listening ear over a (virtual) coffee to another member. Actively make space for other women to feel heard and encouraged. And you never know whom you might meet — someone on the other side of the table might help with your career climb, too!

Seek out a Sponsor

We talk a lot about mentors, but a sponsor can be even more beneficial: a leader who talks about you in your absence and advocates for you. Carla Harris, author of Play to Win, shares a good reminder that sponsors are spending a lot of their social and political capital on you. They are cheering you on but simultaneously putting their reputation on the line — so be sure you act accordingly with respect and gratitude.

Clamour for Candor

We are often not our own best cheerleaders, so keep that in mind by striving to be someone else’s cheerleader. Go ahead and give quality feedback to your employees and colleagues; recognize achievements with solid examples (not simply, “job well done”). Studies found that black women in particular receive less quality feedback than other employees. Can you make a concerted effort to lower that statistic? Identifying and acknowledging others’ success allows them to use their accomplishments as a compass and move forward.

Invite Information

Pay attention to what is working in other settings — even other countries. As we seek out more flexibility and better ways of working, let’s intentionally collect helpful information to know what’s successful and what the pros/cons are of different work trends globally. Sometimes we see a set-up that looks just right until we realize that in fact, it’s not one-heel-fits-all. So what does flexibility look like for you? That part is an individual decision informed through observation.

Let’s seek to celebrate and leverage the women around us every day, but particularly this month in honour of Women’s History Month. Keep setting the pace and tone — not just for equality, but for true advancement. 

With joy,

Dr. Helen