Some Secrets for Women Leaders to Increase Visibility and Credibility
Being in a leadership position at the workplace is one of the best things that can happen to any professional be it a woman or a man. Leadership roles are challenging and interesting but they are also special because they affect the direction of other people’s work according to your ideology. At a leadership position, a woman is truly able to make a change in her organization, implement her ideas, and use them to lead the organization and the business towards success.
However, it has also been noted that women leaders are rare. This is because women often don’t tap their leadership potential, they don’t know of the secrets and the way to increase their visibility and credibility. Visibility and credibility are both very important factors for women leaders and here are a few secrets to increase these two.
Build networks internally and externally
It is very important for a leader to have a strong network. A leader has to do so much that it is not possible without a strong network and connections with people working in various sectors. Networks are particularly important for people who are higher up in the hierarchy of an organization. This is because a leader does not have to do the work themselves, they have to get the work done through others and for that it is important to have a strong network within as well as outside the organization.
Sell yourself effectively, not aggressively
The biggest mistake women leaders make is that they undervalue themselves. A leader really needs to know their own value to be able to convince others of their value. Moreover, knowing your own value is as important as selling yourself to the world. A leader has to show their power in order to be able to use it but the idea is to sell yourself effectively and not aggressively because aggression takes a leader nowhere but intelligence definitely does.
Ask for the stretch assignments
A leader is one that does not only do the tasks that come under him or her but also takes on other projects and assignments that challenge the abilities and potential of the leader. This is particularly important for women leaders because women are generally stereotyped as being afraid of taking up challenges. Taking additional projects and assignments is also important because doing so encourages other employees to take additional responsibility and go beyond the call of duty too. A leader must always be an inspiration for the rest.
Develop strong communication skills and mastery of your emotions
Displaying varied emotions can be inevitable at the workplace. One can go through all sorts of emotions dealing with different people but it is very important for a leader to develop a mastery of their emotions. They need to know precisely how to control their emotions and when to display them in what way. Moreover, strong communication skills are extremely important for people who have a leadership position. This is because half the work of leaders revolves around conveying things to their subordinates and getting the work done.