By Lisa J. Smith | Photo courtesy Lisa J. Smith
As the founder of SMITH Company, I work with female-led businesses and executives to help them increase their revenue and reverse their limiting beliefs. However, I’ve noticed an unsettling pattern: Many women often undervalue their skills and services. In late 2023, I conducted a national survey to better identify potential root causes of this issue.
Feeling Stuck
I often hear my clients say, “I just feel stuck, like there’s an immovable object in my way.” Or they feel that their contributions are not being recognized and that the people around them aren’t aware of their capabilities. What’s blocking your ability to see your value?
“What Got You Here Won’t Get You There”
The habits women develop as they enter the workforce often become the very obstacles holding them back later in their careers or businesses. For example:
- We have a reluctance to claim our achievements.
Women tend to downplay their accomplishments in order to be team players. Highlighting our accomplishments seems counterintuitive or simply egotistical, but our colleagues and leadership don’t always see or fully understand all that we do or the value we are creating. We owe it to ourselves.
Action Step: Document your achievements regularly, no matter the size, and use them to build the confidence to promote your value authentically.
- We tend to build, rather than leverage, relationships.
Women are natural relationship builders and excel at building community, but we rarely see this as a strength we can use to our advantage because it feels manipulative. Leveraging a relationship is about working toward something mutually beneficial. When we act with intention, it can result in a positive outcome. Action Step: Identify and approach key mutually beneficial relationships with a clear, value-driven ask to collaborate.
- We can get caught in the perfection trap.
Women work harder than their male counterparts to advance. This can result in feeling like they must be perfect not just at work but in all aspects of their lives, creating an impossible paradigm. Our imperfections make us who we are and build our resilience and value. Action Step: No one is perfect or has every aspect of their life buttoned up. Create a daily affirmation that focuses on your strengths to remind you that you are successful and let the idea of perfection go.
Value Is In the Eye of the Beholder
Women are motivated by the quality of their lives and their ability to contribute positively to their family and community above pay or position. Stop allowing old paradigms to frame your mindset, career or business. When you recognize your value, everyone else will see it, too.
Read more from our September/October 2024 cover story “Success Stories” here.
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