Founder & Board Advisor | Strategic Leader in Go-to-Market & Growth Strategies | WISA Best Woman in Sales Consultancy EMEA | WIT Innovator of the Year | Woman in Tech Enterprise Innovator
I’ve been lucky to have many amazing allies—both men and women—and to be part of incredible women-in-business and tech forums. But while I see a lot of these groups focused on how to help women thrive in male-dominated environments, we often avoid an uncomfortable truth: 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨, 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙪𝙨. I don’t know about you, but this has been an ongoing challenge for me personally. Forget about work, I’ve had to change my tennis club three times in the past few years because I found it hardwork to break into some of the preexisting female cliques in those sports clubs. So, I want to ask, when was the last time you truly supported another woman instead of competing with her? 🎯Hired a woman you knew was more talented and that she might surpass you? 💡 🎯Advocated for another woman when she wasn’t in the room? Specially for those who are at your same level? 🔊 🎯 Refrained from scrolling through someone’s LinkedIn profile, trying to figure out if she’s a threat before she even joins your team? 🧐 🎯Focused on collaboration with women rather than competition? 🤝 🎯 Reached out to someone outside your familiar circle and invited her in? 🎯Celebrated another woman’s success without feeling the need to compare yourself? 🎉 So here’s my invitation: When’s the next forum where we look each other in the eye and say, ‘𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙪𝙨’? Let’s not just talk about breaking glass ceilings, let’s break the walls between us ! #WomenSupportingWomen #BreakingBarriers #FemaleEmpowerment #LiftEachOtherUp #WomenInLeadership #WomenInBusiness #WomenInTech #DiversityAndInclusion #CollaborationOverCompetition #LeadWithKindness #HardTruths #Empowerment #FemaleLeaders #StrongerTogether
Zoé Palmer-Smith
2mo
Thank you Sally, something I've thought many times. May I add to the list, - Providing her an opportunity when she may only appear 60% ready on paper. And doing everything we can to ensure she is successful. (We frequently take our chances on the guys in the room, assuming they can. But where women are concerned we question every aspect of her abilities.)
Carla Leighton
2mo
I love this! Perhaps I'm lucky in the people I've surrounded myself with these days, but I've definitely seen a shift in terms of people feeling threatened or competitive to women lifting each other up and recognising that when one of us wins, we all win. If there's not enough room at the table, get a bigger one instead of fighting for the same spot 💪🫶
Oh this one is worth sitting with…
Sales / commercial leader passionate about creating great client and employee experience
2moSuch a good post. We can help each other in so many ways. Prepping for a career conversation, sharing job roles of interest, sharing connections, talking about salaries and market values, normalising that we are all doing a lot to keep plates spinning and it’s sometimes exhausting, a smile, I love your outfit, asking, “are you ok?”. The world tries to maintain us in a scarcity mindset that if someone else wins, I lose. Simply not true.