We are women in the workforce. And it is a male dominated workforce. However, while there may be some men who hamper women’s progress in the workplace, sometimes it is women themselves who tear down other women instead of building them up.
I am reminded of the University of Chicago Business School’s (Booth) Women’s Conference I attended a few years ago. This very topic came up. The topic of women not being kind to other women. It is only a few women who do this to other women. The rest of us are out there working, being the best that we can be, and trying to flourish and making our workplaces – and the impact they have on society – better because of our efforts.
Nevertheless, I walked away from this conference understanding that women really, really need other women to build them up. We need other women to believe in us when we have a hard time believing in ourselves. We need other women to push us to do something we are on the fence about, that we just might not do, but they know we would do a great job. And for them to tell us that.
Over the past 18 months a few women stand out as having supported me professionally. Today, I want to showcase my friend Jamie Lynn Tatera who runs Wholly Mindful. She help me start my business – sat next to me when I bought the LLC, she listened to me and helped me fine-tune my ideas, but most importantly she taught me the value of Self-Compassion. Being a mom and a wife is a selfless job at times. Sometimes, we forget who we are. Jamie Lynn, through her friendship and her Mindful Self-Compassion class, has helped me stay the course and to care for myself.
Another thing Jamie Lynn did for me was to babysit my kids for two days 18 months ago. Her help enabled me to attend the previously mentioned Booth Women Connect Conference, and meet the professors and speakers the night before. The conference was just what I needed. It opened the door to a lot of wonderful people who have helped me a lot (even this week!), enabled me to boost my confidence and encouraged me to grow my business. Had Jamie Lynn not watched my kids, I would not have attended that conference which had a big impact on my life at a very critical point. Thank you Jamie Lynn.
So now, I want to encourage you to reach out and help a friend who is in need – because they just may not have anywhere to turn – and they definitely won’t admit it.
I love being part of a group in which we can all take small actions that make a strong impact on the lives of other women in business around us. What have you done recently or what can you do to help someone who you know who may be struggling? I’d love to hear.