With buzz around Netflix’s 'The Bold Type', I spent my Sunday watching the story of three young women, working at a magazine in New York City. The series, while chronicling the lives of these feisty and unabashed women, lets you in on their vulnerabilities and fears; raw and unfiltered.
What struck me, was the courage shown by the Editor-in-Chief (literally, a boss lady!) as she shared her fears of failure, with the board and her team in tow. She then shifted gears to “how contagious fearlessness can be”. She urged young women to take a leap of faith, “because without that leap, we will never know what could be”. The scene made me ponder - the essence of being a woman, of celebrating Women’s Day is in the Everyday; our everyday actions, that can nurture more women leaders.
And last week, as I sat at a Women’s Day panel, I narrated my own everyday. As we discussed how women can find the right sponsors and mentors to get a seat at the table, I shared my top three:
1. If you never ask, you will never know: When I was determined to go to B School, I truly needed the support of an alum through my application process. With both fear and hope, I cold wrote into one of the world’s top women business leaders on LinkedIn, who empowered me and went on to be a mentor. I realized how easy and serendipitous it had been to get out of my own way, and just ask! (after going over and over it again in my head!)
2. It Needs Just A Little More Courage: Years ago, my team had a plum vacant role, and I was frantically looking to hire. Coincidentally, a new member on the team shared her career aspirations (after moving past her fear of rejection). I had wanted to give her the role, only to assume she was happy with what she was doing. Had she not mustered the courage, it would never have been a win-win for both of us! Personally too, I try to make “a little more courage” part of my daily diet!
3. We Are All Accountable: I believe that empowering other women starts when each one of us takes ownership, without waiting on anyone else. Be it any level of management, we need to be that change to enable women to stand tall.
As we were closing the panel, we debated if more women leaders were needed to get others a seat at the table? Yes, most definitely. But it has also been my male colleagues, bosses, and friends, who have catapulted my growth at the workplace. Years ago, I chose to have a male career coach, only to celebrate and learn from gender diversity. It was one of my best decisions; he was instrumental in enabling me to break my own boundaries.
When Beyonce asked, “Who Run the World? GIRLS!”, I remember the skip in my feet. But over time, I came to understand, that it is all of us, Together, United, who run it. And it starts with that one water cooler conversation, that one nod of encouragement, that one phone call, just those five minutes, from a man or a woman, to support women to crush it at the workplace. Thus, I this Women’s Day, I will continue to #ChoosetoChallenge my own mindset. What have you chosen?
(The author is Reneta Kripalani, Associate Director for Private Brands at Purplle.com)