The Heart Work of Unpacking the Narrative
There are ample reasons for why women think differently than men and it makes sense men and women will have different emotional responses to different situations. Men will respond different to promotion than women will, and many women will carry career frustrations throughout their career, because of long standing feelings and exposure to inequities in the workplace.
University of Cambridge shared a recent study by Christa Taylor, ‘Gender and Emotions at Work: Organizational Rank Has Greater Emotional Benefits for Men than Women.’, just released April of 2022. This study with over 15000 workers proves that women need communities and safe circles to manage negative emotions at work. Emotional differences between men and women will determine how quickly they rise to the ranks, the impact of microaggressions, effect their decision making, resolving conflict or the avoidance of it, and their leadership capabilities.
Women who are less confident will withhold great ideas for fear of looking stupid, shamed for their ideas, or even ignored. For women who feel that there is no place for discussing tough issues, emotions, challenges, and unpacking narratives, can have a long-standing deficit on their career, and many feel they are on the island of misfits.
It is up to women to decide to act and not to wait for someone to do something for them. Women need to take back control Harvard School of Public Health suggested that women take a strategic approach to help them move up the ladder and create a strategic plan to get where they want to go.
What Can Women Do to Overcome Negative Emotions and Own Their Career Advancement Strategies?
Be Clear About What You Want:
Women often lead others to guess about what they want and need from their employers for fear of a negative response, leaving them feeling less than their male counterparts and quickly asking, “What else can I do to move up.” They then get a laundry list of administrative tasks that are not align for their promotions. Therefore, women need to have a safe space to practice their communication and negotiation skills and become clear on what they need and want, and a “NO” response is a trigger for better negotiation skills.
Unpack Your Narrative:
Women operate on a thorough list of to dos and work for excellence. Women come from a mindset of development, care, and support for others and rarely give any credence to the time and support they need to unpack their own narrative to gain new leadership capabilities. Their beliefs, at times, may sabotage future success. This silent epidemic lies in the subconscious and can only be revealed in safe spaces, with other women, where critical questions are not felt as shaming, and critically unpack beliefs that get in the way for future success. This is not easy for women and creates a tremendous amount of fear and stress at time. These types of small groups create support communities that are professionally facilitated by other women outside of the company, since blind biases exist with facilitators that are employees of the company.
For corporate women who find safe communities and can learn the art of Diagnostic Thinking™, find lifelong friendships, confidants, support for new innovative thinking, and accountability for what they want and deserve.
Seventy percent of over two hundred women who join a Diagnostic Thinking™ group have moved to new roles, created new roles, and one hundred percent are more confident leaders and happy at work.
Dina Readinger is an expert facilitator for transformation change and strategic thinking, solving business critical problems through diverse groups of employees. Her signature Diversity Leadership Development program creates strong confident leaders and culture where people are inspired to stay. Her new book “Thinking Differently” is set for release summer of 2022.