"It's not you-it's your approach."

The power of strategic leadership

Do you recognize yourself feeling overworked and underappreciated? It's time to change your approach, not yourself. How are you seen, heard and appreciated for what you do and the impact you make? Because working harder is not the solution. 

Fascinated by the challenges and the psychological side of female leadership. And that combined with taking your position, your value proposition and presentation - and that's where it can (read "should") get stronger in female leadership and entrepreneurship.

Dear woman, you got to step up!

As a scientist, researcher and strategist, I am fascinated by the challenges of women's leadership. My passion lies in deepening, analyzing and applying new value and insights to help you excel at your leadership position in your life and business doing what you do best, energize and impact. 

Now I read the book 'How Women Rise ' by Marshall Goldsmith and Sally Halgesen. A book specifically about women leaders and their path to the boardroom. And immediately I see the overlap between those strong women in business and in entrepreneurship. I know both sides of the coin and recognize in the book the list of specific challenges and obstacles these women face. 

Here is an overview of the challenges and obstacles. And more importantly, how can you not work harder now, just strategically smarter, which will help you achieve more with your value and the impact you want to make.

The positive side of influencing so that you will achieve more and be appreciated (in all areas a positive influence - personal, business and financial).

Overcome these 12 challenges and achieve more

1. Claim your accomplishments: Develop healthy pride and communicate your successes remarkably as you are
2. Make your contributions visible: Learn to communicate your value effectively without coming across as arrogant
3. Balance expertise with leadership: Combine your expertise with strategic leadership skills for optimal growth
4. Leverage your network strategically: Transform relationships into powerful collaborations and partners for mutual success
5. Surround yourself with the right people: Ask for help early and create a team that will take you to the top
6. Choose growth over comfort: Dare to seize new opportunities that align with your long-term vision
7. Let go of perfection: Shift your focus from flawless to growth and innovation
8. Set boundaries: Balance self-care with caring for others without falling into the "please trap
9. Increase your presence and visibility: Strengthen your position and proposition through powerful body language and assertive communication
10. Communicate the core message: Let your expertise speak through clear, impactful messages.
11. Transform self-criticism: See mistakes as growth opportunities and cultivate self-compassion
12. Strengthen your inner security: Develop emotional intelligence for relaxed leadership

1. Not claim your achievement and attribute it to another person

You are more likely to attribute your successes to others. Often from the fear of coming across as arrogant or selfish. Or fear of "being" and taking your place. And the contradiction lies in the lack of recognition and appreciation for your efforts, hard work and achievements.

Solution: Stand up for what you do and the impact you make. Develop healthy pride in your value, your accomplishments and communicate them in an authentic way. Yes, show up and be heard in order to be appreciated as well.

Read my Empowered Letters: Leading position: from unseen to noticed.

2. Expecting others to "just notice" your contributions

You expect others to spontaneously notice how great your contribution has been. In line with the underlying desire in point 1 above, you experience the feeling of being undervalued. You expect a form of natural recognition without having to promote yourself. Often inherited from your upbringing, "Just act normal....". Or 'Don't put your head above the parapet'. This can be very noble, but the pitfall is that you are never really seen.

SOLUTION: Learn to effectively communicate your contributions and make that clear in your own way. Stand strong in your position, confident and self-esteem giving and sharing your own value and contribution so that you can also be heard and seen. 

3. Attaching excess value to expertise

Focusing excessively on your skills and expertise can be a barrier to your professional growth in leadership. Often this comes from insecurity about social skills and a your desire for recognition based on your expertise. The danger is that you tend to be "in your head" or reluctant to build new relationships and network strategically.

Solution: Instead, combine your expertise and cultivate strategic leadership skills and networks. Because what you are good at, you can do and you excel at. By focusing on strategic networking, relationship building and visibility, you can increase your career opportunities and esteem. 

4. Building relationships without leveraging them

Many women invest in creating an extensive professional network, but strategically do not utilize it effectively. Commonly due to fear of rejection, of asking for favors or coming across as pushy "salesy. They do have a desire for a supportive professional network - a community Where they are seen, heard and valued.

Solution: Join a community of like-minded people. Where you can learn from each other, inspire and genuinely help each other move forward. Learn how to strategically use your accumulated network for mutual benefit. So that you can best help your connections, leverage each other's strengths and increase career opportunities. Without feeling like you are abusing relationships.

5. Not engaging and attracting the right people

Asking for help is a challenge for many leaders and entrepreneurs. Wanting to keep doing everything yourself because you can do it best, right? And never mind if you also have to invest in it. 

Many women (more than men, research shows) tend to want to figure everything out on their own first and only ask for help when they think they have everything mastered. And prefer to keep on buffeting and then work harder, rather than investing in it. And the big difference is going to be made precisely by getting the right people involved early on.

SOLUTION: Not waiting until everything is perfect (because it never is), it is more effective to ask yourself, "Who Do I need to make this a success?" Who can help me do this? By actively gathering the right people around you from day one, finding and engaging your allies, you are going to grow faster and be more effective in achieving your goals. Achieve more in less time.

6. Your current security more important than your growth

This habit stems from a fear of change and uncertainty, but ultimately hinders your personal, business as well as financial growth and long-term fulfillment. Women often show strong loyalty and dedication to their current boss/company. Which actually keeps you from exploring new opportunities that could be beneficial to your future. 

Solution: Get clarity in your personal vision and career plan. Where are you now and where do you want to be in e.g. 3 years, 5 years and 10 years from now? What is that you are here to do, what do you want to leave behind? By consciously investing time in thinking about long term goals and possibilities (both personal, business and financial) you get much more insight and certainty about your current and your future ambitions and plan (and after that ok start deploying the right actions of course😊), without limiting your growth and freedom. Stay inquisitive and see if you stay on your own path and discover new opportunities that are beneficial for your future.

7. The perfection trap - fear of failure and criticism

This trap stems from a deep-seated fear of failure and criticism, combined with a strong desire for perfection and appreciation. This puts enormous pressure not only on yourself, but also on those around you. Moreover, it keeps you from taking risks that are essential for new growth and progress. 

Solution: Go for "good enough" and shifting your focus from perfection to growth. This mindset shift will allow you to better realize your potential and become a more effective leader. 

Also read my Empowered Letters: Using perfectionism as a strength

"Too many people spend too much time trying to perfect something before they actually do it. Instead of waiting for perfection, run with what you go, and fix it along the way..."

- Paul Arden

8. Pleasing - fear of rejection

Also known as "the disease to please," a common pattern among women, even those who are successful and powerful in their professional lives. The fear of rejection or conflict, combined with a strong desire for harmony and acceptance. Due to which you have difficulty setting boundaries, avoiding saying "no," and abandoning your own needs to satisfy others. 

However well-meaning, it leads to not holding others accountable and neglecting your own boundaries and conditions. 

Solution: Strengthen your personal foundation by formulating your own limits and conditions clearly for yourself and letting them be leading. Knowing what you want to spend your time and energy on, allowing you to say 'no' without feeling guilty. Creating a healthy balance between self-care and care for others.

9. Making yourself smaller

This is also called "minimizing," making yourself small by using words (such as, your company 😖) and body language that diminish your own presence and impact. And often through insecurity about your own worth. And then it becomes an inner struggle of your desire for respect and recognition, but you unconsciously undermine your own position. 

Solution: Increase your awareness of your powerful body language and assertive communication. This strengthens your presence, increases your visibility and effective presentation of your value and contribution with impact.

10. Overcompensating with too much information

From your fear an attempt to exude confidence and credibility, tend to overcompensate. This manifests itself in inundating others with an abundance of information, excessive proximity, extensive background information and a flood of words. Ironically, this is actually counterproductive.

Solution: Be clear, concise and work on your communication skills for greater impact. By communicating specifically and accurately, you convey your message more effectively and better demonstrate your expertise. And this applies in both words and writing. 

11. Worrying due to guilt and self-criticism

Or overthinking mistakes made and feeling guilty about yourself. Women often tend to analyze situations or events in detail. It is a trap in which you get stuck in the past. This leads to a negative spiral of self-criticism and guilt, rather than constructive self-reflection. The desire behind this is to find inner peace and self-acceptance. 

Solution: Practicing mindfulness and learning from mistakes without getting stuck in them. Starting to see mistakes as lessons from which you actually learn again. 

Read my Empowered Letters: stop overthinking and take action

12. Hyperalertness from basic insecurity

Or "letting your radar get distracted," is a habit that can hinder women in their careers. This habit stems from a basic insecurity and fear of rejection, which causes you to be overly alert to the environment and the reactions of others. As a result, you tend to always be "on. Whereas your desire is to develop a relaxed presence and focus. 

Solution: Develop your emotional intelligence and self-awareness. Examine where your insecurity comes from, and how you can work on it. A secure foundation in your life and in your work is essential to being present with positive energy, being able to relax and perform at your maximum potential.

Avoidance and overcompensation, we all suffer from it to a greater or lesser extent. We avoid doing things or go into overdrive to avoid facing that "old" pain and our deeper desire. Because that requires changing from your current standard to a new standard. 

Change requires letting go of what is now and choosing what you desire

Choosing choice, spontaneity and untold energy. In the above cases, for long-term growth and successes in your life, it would be better to work on the fear of being able to take your place, your fear of not being good enough, your tendency to internalize and build guilt and your basic insecurity that makes you more concerned with gauging others than feeling yourself.

Of course my goal is not to try to talk you into anything. Because if you are a female leader, CEO or entrepreneur and you totally don't recognize yourself in the above, that's super natural. All the less loss of your leadership, impact and growth opportunities in your life and business. 

Yet I know from my own experience as well as now with the women I speak to on a weekly basis, that there is indeed much to be determined in personal, business and financial leadership, positioning and growth strategies. And so yes women, that is where we ourselves have to step forward and stand on our position as the impactful and visionary leader. Together we get further, together we achieve more.

Dear Women, lets rise together

Do you recognize yourself in these challenges? Know that you are not alone. Every successful woman has struggled with this. The good news? There is so much to gain in your personal, business and financial leadership

It's time to take that step forward. To stand confidently in your position as the visionary, impactful leader you are. Together we get further, together we achieve more.

Are you ready to take your leadership to the next level? To develop strategies that lead to more impact, revenue and freedom in your life and business? Let's map out your unique path to success together.

Contact us today for a personal strategy conversation. Together we turn your vision into reality and create the future you deserve.

Together we rise higher.

 One Life. Lead it. Live it.

Have a great week,

Gerdi

Whenever you are ready:

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Living life as a healthy leader of a healthy future-proof business and financially sound future.

Invest in yourself, invest in your business and invest in your future

Achieve greater returns and grow profitably on a personal, business and financial level

PS2: Have questions, would you like to speak to me in person? Send me a mail (info@gerdihulsink.nl), or schedule a conversation with me.

Book tips:

Books that have helped me:

Strategy

John Lewis Gaddis - On strategic thinking
Patrick-Bet David & Greg Dinkin - Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy
Alex Hormozi – $100M Leads
Alex Hormozi – $100M Offers

Leadership & Entrepreneurship

The Diary of a CEO - Steven Bartlett
Tribes - Seth Godin
Principles - Ray Dalio
The Lean Startup - Eric Ries
Leaders Eat Last - Simon Sinek
Leading From The Emerging Future - C Otto Scharmer
Transformational Presence - Alan Seale
The Big Leap - Gay Hendricks

PS. I have a whole book list. If you are interested and would like to receive my favorite books list? Send me a message and I'll send you my favorites list. 

Divide = multiply.

As Leader of Your Future = Living and Entrepreneurship on Your Own Terms