Running a company isn’t easy, and being constantly underestimated as a female in the workplace is frustrating at times. Leading my company and ensuring that my voice is heard loud and clear in the workplace is difficult yet rewarding at the same time, and in my time as CEO, I have learned so many skills that have aided me not only professionally but socially as well.
1. Carry Yourself with Confidence
This is honestly one of the most important things I have learned in leading my company. Running a small business comes with a lot of strings attached, and I have learned that what draws potential investors and strong, dedicated employees is a constant aura of confidence. Being confident and having faith in yourself and your company is so important and is honestly the deciding factor in whether others take you seriously or not.
I’ve learned that educating myself and my employees on the importance of our company and the services we aim to provide is the best way to instill confidence in the company as a whole. This leads to a herd mentality of confidence that really drives success in any endeavor that I, or others working with me, take on.
2. Uplift Other Women in Your Workplace
Being a female CEO, and knowing all of the struggles that other women in the workplace face, it’s so important to act as someone who people can come to when they feel uncomfortable or underrepresented in their office.
Being able to understand the intersectionality of women and the many issues that women, specifically women of color, face in the workplace is really important in being a leader that is also comforting and able to bridge disparities between coworkers. I’ve made it a priority to give women in the workplace ways to teach other coworkers about issues they may face and ways that those various issues can be mitigated.
3. Create Job Opportunities that Invite Women to Apply
I have realized that many women don’t even see the job title of CEO as something that they can reach in their lifetime. This is because so many job titles that women are considered for – or that are even available to women – keep them in subordinate roles. As a female CEO, aside from working to uplift women already in employment with my company, I have also made it a point to ensure that women are constantly being considered for new roles within my company.
Giving other women within the workplace the opportunity to apply to roles that lead other people, such as Chief of Staff, can help them solidify their career goals and can lead to broader horizons in terms of career advancement for these women.
It’s so important to offer other women the opportunities that may have been harder for me to receive, and it’s so important to realize the struggle that women have in simply applying for jobs with higher titles because they don’t even realize that they may have a chance. In my leadership role, I’ve made sure to prioritize putting women in positions that offer them higher leadership abilities.
4. Network! Network! Network!
Networking doesn’t stop just because you’ve reached the “top of the food chain.” Connections can always be beneficial to you as a CEO and can help you advance your company even further. You never know what your connections can do for you. They can help create meaningful partnerships for your company, help you find dedicated and hardworking employees, and even help you find new ventures to pursue through your company as a result.
LinkedIn is honestly your best friend in terms of networking and really helps put your company forward in a more professional spotlight. Making sure that your company is active on any type of social media can help gain a lot of interest for the ventures your company pursues. Gaining likes and followers is so important for company advancement in this day and age where media plays such a huge role in company popularity and can be a really large factor in your networking success.
5. Always Be Open to New Ideas
As a female CEO, and as someone who knows that perfection is not something that is ever completely reached in a company, it’s important to realize that there are always ways in which certain systems and traditions within a company can be updated. There is never a right way to do something, but some ways may simply be more efficient and effective than other ways. In these situations, it is so important to keep the well-being of your employees at heart and make sure that whatever decision you make for the company is also made on the part of team well-being.
Taking advice from individuals that work hard for the company is crucial in making sure that a happy and healthy work environment is fostered. As a CEO, I’ve made it a point to ensure that all team members – including interns – feel comfortable enough to express their concerns and opinions with me, and I’ve made it clear that I’m simply a message away from them.
Fostering an environment where everyone’s ideas are welcomed and appreciated is something that is crucial to creating a work environment that accommodates everyone and that mitigates any workplace hostility.
About the Author
Madison Campbell is a young sexual assault advocate and technological innovator hoping to revolutionize the ways in which sexual assault is handled on a holistic scale. She is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Leda Health Company, formerly known as MeToo Kits Company.
