E112: 8 Secrets of Strong Women

Everyday is Happy Women’s Day! You know why? because we choose our mindsets each day. Every morning when I’m in the shower, I’m thinking about the day and how to conquer it. Not, thinking about how it’s going to be a struggle. I look at all the opportunities in front of me and decide where I want to spend more time or less time on.

There is a difference between being assertive and aggressive in business. Women always get a bad rap and get called a not so positive name. The difference is how we utilize assertiveness. Being Assertive means speaking on facts, with the desired end goal in mind. Getting everyone aligned to where we want and need to go. Assertive women, know exactly what needs to be done and how to get there. Assertiveness is defined as self-assured confidence. Which is the complete opposite, of the Imposter Syndrome.

It’s interesting to me, how the Imposter Syndrome has become a growing syndrome that is impacting so many individuals. Imposter Syndrome is basically self-doubt. We all have this and experience it. I did a podcast episode (E84)about how feeling like an imposter is a competitive advantage. It’s called I’m an Imposter and let me Roar! I’ve also created a Free Imposter Syndrome Cheat Sheet to overcome this self-doubt.

Aggressive is where we get in trouble… anyone gets in trouble. It is fueled by emotions and somewhat seen as hostile. This is where individuals need to take 5-10 minutes to breathe, before responding. I wrote a blog all about Emotional Intelligence, as it can be quite the rollercoaster!

Strong Women tend to share many similar traits!

1. They’ve got a vision that has a plan behind it. Very clear on the direction, timelines, and milestones of where we are trying to achieve.
2. We drive things to completion, that’s right. We don’t wait, we have defined what needs to be done and then we figure out who we need to work with to make magic happen. We are proactive.
3. List makers - crazy right. Strong Women tend to have listed, to make sure that things don’t get dropped off the list. It helps us stay organized and accountable.
4. Risk Mitigators - we plan for the worst-case scenario. Strong Women are very conservative in planning. We tend to under commit and overdeliver. Mr.Wonderful, Kevin O’Leary - he has said on numerous occasions that he loves investing in women start-ups because he always recoups his investments. Women tend to be very ultra-conservative with their sales forecasts and they usually beat it. I’ve attached the link to the article. Shark Tank Kevin O'Leary: Women make me the most money
5. Time Management, strong women really know how to manage their time and make the most of every moment. There is that timeless saying “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.”
6. Listen- another key differentiator is that women tend to ask for proactive feedback from those in their inner circle and strangers. They know how valuable it is to get different viewpoints. This helps us mitigate risk (point #4).  We listen to understand.
7. Comparisons - we don’t compare ourselves to others, we LEARN from others that we admire. We look to see what traits/best practices that we can adopt.
8. Learn- we look at every failure point as learning or an opportunity. We are also always looking for opportunities to build new skills, learn a new viewpoint and educate ourselves. This only adds to our confidence in our vision and plan (point #1). In fact, I have another little freebie gift for you. Reflection Action Review Cheat Sheet

 

Be ASSERTIVE, be strong, be bold, be courageous and be unapologetically curious! You’ve got this!