Are We Stopping Ourselves? An Interesting Perspective on Success

Tonight I had the opportunity to watch a TED talk, and the topic really struck me.  The speaker, Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer at Facebook, explains very simply “Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders.”  Her talk doesn’t make me want to become a self-righteous feminist or shout from the roof tops that women don’t have the same rights or opportunities as men.  Instead, her 15 minute TED talk gave me a new perspective on how and why women do not advance in their careers as quickly as men.   And by listening and really tuning into what Sandberg had to say, it’s amazing that I, a young female strength and conditioning coach, working in a largely male-dominated industry, could be the one who is stopping myself from moving up the ladder to success. See, it’s not the man in front of me or the man behind me or beside me that is to blame – in fact it’s me.  I’m the one who, rather than willingly took the next step up the ladder and grabbed that success with no remorse; I faltered, possibly tripped, or even waited to put my foot on the next rung.  Call it hesitation, call it doubt, perhaps even fear of negative perception – whatever the case may be, I have wavered. 

And due to my indecisiveness, I create an illusion that I don't want the pressure of success, that perhaps I might even pass on the ability to move forward.  And it's not just me, its more a large majority of women in the workforce. Studies have shown that as a society, we put more pressure on our male counterparts to succeed rather than ourselves.  We push for our brothers, our fathers, our sons, our uncles to advance up the ladder of success.  And what’s more, when given the opportunity for advancement – we pass.  Instead, we assume other roles – caregiver, mother, homemaker, wife, etc.  Before I say much more, I firmly believe these are the most significant roles in our society; there is certainly nothing wrong, in my opinion, to assume such a role.  What I’m simply saying is WE CAN HAVE BOTH.  We can have a career, a very successful career, and also be a mother, a wife, a partner, etc. and not sacrifice our personal aspirations and goals. 

So where do you ask am I going?  What is the reasoning behind this blog entry?  Simply, to start a series of blogs that answers the HOW.  If too few women are in leadership positions – then how can we get them there?  In my next entry, I’ll discuss annual performance reviews and I’ll examine what questions you should be asking, what steps you should be taking, and how you can move yourself into a position for advancement and success.

Effort Wins,

Callye