One of the hardest things I ask my female coaching clients and members of Tide Risers to do is to tell me about their accomplishments. Reactions range from embarrassment about 'bragging' to inability to give me more than a couple success stories from the entire course of their career.

For a lot of people, but especially women, talking aloud about strengths can feel awkward, or even wrong. We're taught from an early age that we shouldn't brag, show off, or self-promote too much. Often we follow these unwritten rules to our detriment, as managers, peers, and others in our lives may not be able to see our full value and potential if we ourselves are not able to talk about our accomplishments comfortably.

Studies show we tend to perceive men as having greater potential than women with the same qualifications, and men as being more visionary leaders when compared to women with similar ideas. While we work on changing the unconscious bias this research reveals, we also need to work on highlighting our accomplishments as women.

So I asked Charisse M. Williams to co-facilitate a Tide Risers session with me, focusing on identifying and leveraging our strengths. We used the CliftonStrengths assessment tool and instructed our members to ask friends and colleagues to tell them what they perceived to be their strengths. Through this work our members uncovered where their strengths lie, practiced talking about them aloud and with confidence, and mapped out how their strengths will play a role in pursuing their Emprise.

One challenge we identified during the session was that many of us are stuck in a deficiency mindset that leads us to focus on our weaknesses instead of acknowledging and elevating our strengths. It’s this deficiency mindset that keeps many women from applying for roles when they don’t have 100% of the qualifications noted on the job description. It’s also the mindset that keeps us from taking the kinds of risks that often bring greater rewards, both professionally and personally. During our session one Tide Riser noted:

“If we work from our strengths we make decisions from a place of power...we don't have to have it all but we each have something and we can be, exist, and expand from that place.”

While we give ourselves the grace and courage to shift our focus to our strengths, it is also important to hold an awareness of the areas in which we are not strong. No one who has ever worked for me will be surprised to know that while I perform with strength when it comes to strategy, visioning, and motivating people, I’m not always great when it comes to paying attention to the details. That’s why I know I have to surround myself with people who have these strengths in abundance, like the exceptional Erin Perkins and Katie Singh.

Success lies in our ability to cultivate a community within which we can maximize our strengths and collaborate with those who possess strengths in areas where we are weak. If you are planning or pursuing your Emprise, undertaking a new project, or leading a team, you’ll want to have a firm understanding of where your strengths lie so you can dedicate your time to the activities in which you will thrive and succeed, while empowering others to take on the tasks that let them shine.

We’re now at a turning point in history; one in which we have the ability to reshape the workplace for women leaders. If we work together, we can redefine what powerful female leadership looks like for generations to come. We need to start with an honest assessment of our strengths and a community that elevates collaboration over competition.

If you’d like to uncover and leverage your strengths, you’ll find some tips and tricks in this blog post I wrote.

Show Us Your Strength