I believe we live at a time where inspiration for working women is still insufficient. It’s coming and getting around, but it is taking time. Probably because to start with, women are not the greatest at sharing their worthy knowledge. Many of the women I know and work with report that they lack inspiration for their career. They are looking around, only to find some rare unsuitable role models or simply can’t see opportunities they feel like pursuing. If this is you, you are not alone. I’m sharing here ways you can seek and find more inspiration, and unearthing more development opportunities for you.
It’s clear that the progression of female staff members at work is in crisis. Throw in some needed breaks to have a family and you already have dotted lines. Then there is the lack of women leaders in the majority of workplaces. So women see and hear mostly from men, fact. They are surrounded by female colleagues their age but aren’t connected to senior women in their organisation. Or the latter leave the workplace after having children to find fulfillment some other ways. At the worse end of the spectrum, some of those women can be tough to deal with and not seem supportive of other women.
So there is little wonder that in such an environment mid-level women feel like they are not seeing a way forward and upward. Think about the last woman at your organisation who inspired you. Who was she and what did she do? Inspiration isn’t all missing, but you have to be agile and proactive to get your own fix at times. Unless you are lucky to work in a company with a proper people development agenda, bringing speakers and organising mentoring.
Firstly let’s look within your current organisation. Can you get onto a women’s development group or program? If there isn’t one, can you come up with one, gathering a few women? It can be as simple as grabbing breakfast or lunch with a few women of various levels every few weeks. Just start somewhere. Is there a woman you look up to? Invite her for a quick coffee. You can later down the track find proper mentors, but first it’s about connecting and learning about what they do.
And you can see this coming…if you are some kind of female manager or senior member somewhere, what are you doing to inspire younger women? We all need to pay it forward. Who can you reach out to have a chat with this month?
Now my key advice here is to proactively establish your own opportunities. If you are waiting for them to land on your lap, you will be waiting much longer. Where can you join a project team? Help organise a corporate function? Attend an off-site meeting from another department? Spend a day at your agency or supplier? Participate in an innovation lab? Opportunities don’t usually come in the format that we expect. But they come from connections, from having an open-mind and from being visible. And you know the best part? There is no pressure of outcome for you, and it might even be fun.
I couldn’t talk about inspiration without touching on networking. This might not be your cup of tea, I have written about it here, but it’s part of the picture. Showing up at events and chatting to people is the link in between inspiring figures and opportunities. Those won’t show up at your doorstep, sadly! Sign up for meet-up newsletters and join an event that interests you. It is that simple, and it can be so rewarding.
We live in a world so full of opportunities on-line too to learn and get inspiration. The web and social media are abundant sources of content to get you stimulated and inspired to take some action in your own career. If you are a big introvert, you can enjoy binging on webinars at home. Granted, you need to pick carefully which on-line sources you align with and the content that motivates you (not making you feel pitiful about yourself in comparison). Follow thought leaders who resonate with you, watch some TED talks, subscribe to groups and blogs that fuel your inspiration and provide helpful content. All it takes is an hour of research on-line and you are all set. Then you are always free to unfollow people or explore others.
Have I convinced you now that there is an unlimited supply of inspiration available to you all the time? It may not be right in front of you at your workplace, though it’s worth checking there first. But if you are embracing curiosity, connections, and learning, you will build your own circle of inspiration. And who knows which amazing place this could potentially take you.
