5 Ways Women Rule Work

It’s no longer a secret: “The Future is Female”. The Feminist age has resurfaced in mainstream popularity, and we’re coming for change with a intersectional flair for the 21st century. We’ve grown sick of the bull. The year of 45 has heighten awareness of social and political issues that long aggrieved women and other marginalized groups in America.  The proactive work of women of various platforms has now come to a climax to attack what women once tolerated or limited our potential. Sexual harassment and gender violence threatens the safety to thrive. Unequal Pay threatens earning potential. Lack of leadership opportunities threatens how decisions are made about matters important to us. Lack of access to mentors threatens our ability to anticipate challenges, identify opportunities, and rally resources. We’ve had enough of all of that. We are ready to take on these things that bind us.

Yet, beyond the social oppression women have experienced in the workplace, confidence is one of the biggest factors holding women back from achieving our greatest potential. Sometimes we can be our own opponents. We get social cues that tell us the negatives, rather than the positives, of what feminine energy brings to the workplace, and then we internalize these messages. #Timesup on that too! The book, The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine, M.D. explains how the female brain was designed for success in just about anything we set our minds to.

Communication

Communication is one of the most sought after soft skills in the workplace. More than not, many fields require ongoing, effective communication with others, both verbally and non-verbal. Brizendine explains in her book that women are born communicators. I have found that many conflicts or problems around work have to do with how people communicate. Women are proficient in solving conflict at the root of the lack of communication. This matters in careers of government and diplomacy, but journalism, public relations, and marketing are also professions where women easily take the crown.

Connection and Empathy

Women understand what it is like to feel deeply. Brizendine explains in her book that female brains are not only programmed to process our own feelings, but to also take in the social cues that would reflect others’ emotions and behavior. Connection and empathy build interpersonal skills necessary to build effective teams and resolve conflict that are mutually beneficial. We also understand the value of emotional support and resilience to overcome barriers. It’s no surprise these traits have helped women excel in areas of human service, education, healthcare, advocacy, and activism.

Intuition

Some of the most important decisions are not made on facts, whether in whole or in part. They require intuition - knowing in the lack of imminent evidence. Brizendine highlights that the combination of our communication, connection, and empathy with others gives women heightened intuitive abilities. We know when something doesn’t feel right, and we are more likely than men to trust these inclinations. This also makes women effective at making calculated risks, strong leaders, inventors and other creatives.

Memory

When it comes to building a project or other areas of service or problem-solving, you will have to make a case. This involves understanding what happened, who was involved, and finding the truth in the midst of chaos or confusion. That’s where female brain memory super powers comes in. Brizendine illustrates the female brain is more triggered by details pertaining to stressful or emotional situations and events. That’s why men struggle in arguments with women, and even more paramount when considering female lawyers and politicians are tough to break.

Long-term Decision Making

Brizendine shares that female brains are less prone to fear and impulse than male brains are. Women are in it for the long haul. We are not susceptible to short-cuts. We see big picture and often more willing to put in the effort to do what it takes to get us there in the most sustainable way. We can slow down our thinking and less moved by anxiety and fear in the face of opposition. We have a deep sense of commitment that keeps us in the game when others have moved on to the next best thing. This makes women most effective in fields of finance, entrepreneurship, and of course, any position of leadership.

Getting in touch with our strengths as women can prepare us to talk about them to employers. We can highlight how our female strengths helped us complete an important project during a job interview. We can explain our contributions to our boss about how we met the long-term goals of the company. It can also help us see how we would thrive in industries we might traditionally have been intimidated to pursue.  It’s a matter of perspective. When we are encouraged to see the good side of what others once perceived as negative, this can give us renewed confidence. We are able to frame the conversation in a new light. This is the shift toward feminine fierceness. So go ahead, strut that femme flare, then be sure to tell them how it’s bringing in the bucks.