Let’s be honest, aside from perhaps your parents and your life partner, no-one can really empathise with the struggles that you go through daily, more than your network of like-minded women.
They are there to listen to your concerns, to share a glass of wine on the days that you would rather forget and give you advice when you are faced with a decision that can turn your life and career around.
There is a real power in networking and relationships based on female to female mentoring. The impact of a great role model is priceless and one that every woman needs to seek out and learn from.
However, if we are to really make a difference to the lives of the women around us, we must go beyond listening and giving sage advice, and actually roll up our sleeves and assist them in making their dreams a reality.
Talking is good, but action is better. The effectiveness of the ‘boy’s clubs’ is testament to this thinking. Men are great at opening doors for one another, making the introductions that boost businesses and providing the opportunities for one another to build their careers.
As women, we could learn a lot from this approach. If you are a woman who has worked hard to achieve a level of seniority, you may consider the following suggestions to help other women:
- Go beyond mentoring. Sponsor a woman for an opportunity instead. Look at ways that you can take away the roadblocks that are stopping her from reaching her full potential. Advocate for her and her abilities.
- Consider who you give the high-profile work to in your team. Ensure that the qualified women are getting the same great opportunities as their male counterparts.
- If you know a woman who is an entrepreneur, go beyond giving her advice about what she could consider for her business and actually make the introductions to potential clients. Use her products and services and become her greatest advocate.
- Take a less experienced woman along to your next client meeting or industry event. She will learn so much from seeing you in action.
- Put a competent woman up for promotion for that role that just opened up. Especially if she is having a crisis of confidence.
- Challenge that woman who has just returned from parental leave to think about her long-term career. This period of uncertainty and change will pass for her and she needs to think about her future, now.
And as one of my favourite women, Christine Lagarde, says “Ask yourself every day: ‘Did I help another woman today?’”