By Anamika Talwaria. International Women’s Day is fast approaching (8th March for those unsure). In the spirit of feminism and embracing the accomplishments of women, I’ve put together 8 ways you can raise up the other females in your life, both at work and in your personal life.
Encourage Endeavours
I don’t mean blindly say “yes” to everything they’re proposing, but if a colleague of yours has an idea to improve something in the business, show encouragement and offer your support.
If it’s a truly fantastic idea and you’re a little jealous you didn’t think of it first, that’s okay.
But make sure that they know that they might be onto something special. If you’re not sure it’s that great an idea, well that brings me to number two…
Offer Constructive Criticism
Don’t watch a sister fail – help her stand tall and succeed. If you have more expertise in an area, or have another way of doing things that might be more efficient, share that with her.
This could be as mundane as knowing the most efficient way to hang up laundry to dry, or some expert presentation tips (picturing everyone naked can be really off-putting for some of us so I’m really open to ideas!)
Acknowledge Success
Maybe she’s excelled in a project at work that you’re struggling with. Maybe she got that promotion that you were sure someone else would get. Maybe she made an excellent cup of tea (harder than you think!).
It might not seem much to you, but a word of appreciation or congratulation can go a long way to reaffirming someone’s belief in themselves.
Be Honest
This doesn’t give you free reign to be rude or tear her down, but if you’re not sure that she’s approaching a situation in the best way, offer some friendly advice.
Maybe she’s misinformed about something – you can be the one to tell her she’s wrong, but explain why.
Don’t Compare
Appreciate your differences and celebrate each others’ successes. If everyone focused 100% on what they were doing instead of lamenting how quickly other people appear to be progressing, we’d all get a lot further.
Don’t relish in her failures and don’t be jealous of her success. Instead, appreciate what she’s doing right and offer some pointers for where she could improve.
Lend A Hand
Made it up the ladder? Shattered that glass ceiling? Great! Now pull up the other women behind you. There’s more than one seat at the table for us, and we shouldn’t pull the rug out from under one another.
Where you can, refer other female experts to senior positions; if you have that power, it’s up to you to be responsible with it.
Remember That You’re A Boss – And So Is She
Have confidence in your own abilities and exude that in everything you do. Confidence and self love is hard to achieve, but it can be contagious, so be sure of yourself and other women can feel empowered to do the same.
Have Compassion
This might be the most important thing you can do. Empathy and love are such important tools, and often we forget about them, maybe because it’s not cut-throat enough to survive in this world. Be kind.
Bio
Anamika Talwaria is a journalist for a national UK magazine. She runs a travel and lifestyle blog and can often be found rambling in Spanish after a glass of vino or booking spur-of-the-moment holidays. She primarily writes opinion and comment pieces.
Photo by Retha Ferguson from Pexels.
