Can Personal Setbacks Enhance Your Leadership? Turning Challenges Into Growth

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personal setbacks and leadersWhen you’re going through a hard time in your personal life, you’re probably not thinking about how it might impact your career. It’s often hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you’re dealing with a personal setback. But, going through such things can uniquely position you to excel in leadership roles – especially as a woman.

There’s no question that women in leadership roles often have to deal with unique, specific challenges. Being able to overcome those hurdles can help you foster enhanced leadership skills and empathy.

With that in mind, knowing how to connect personal setbacks to career growth can make a big difference in how you carry yourself in a professional setting, and how you move forward in a leadership position.

The Overlap Between Personal and Professional

Striking a healthy work-life balance is important for everyone. But, it can feel like walking a tightrope when you’re a woman in leadership. Unfortunately, gender bias still exists in many industries, and it can cause many women to feel guilty about spending too much time at home. You might rush to complete milestones at work, or feel a sense of competition. You might even feel guilt for taking the time to practice self-care.

It’s important to let go of that guilt. There’s a greater overlap between the things you learn at home and what you can use at work than you might think. For example, if your family has struggled with financial difficulties in the past, you can use the skills you learned from overcoming those issues to help your business manage its finances, too. Managing personal finance challenges can help with:

  • Fostering resilience
  • Being financially savvy
  • Strategic thinking
  • Decision-making abilities

When you have experience with financial setbacks, you’ll feel more comfortable and knowledgeable talking about them. That can help to break the taboo around money in an office setting, and allow for more transparency when it comes to your business’s financial situation. It can also help remind us that when we face challenges on a personal level, we gain spiritual wisdom that we can bring with us into the workplace too.

Mental Health Awareness

Over 40 million adults in the U.S. deal with anxiety. Millions more struggle with depression, and a variety of other mental health conditions. While the stigma surrounding mental health has lessened over the years, it can often still be found in the workplace. Some people are afraid to talk about their mental health issues, so they struggle in silence. Too many business settings don’t do enough to promote mental health and create a safe working environment that allows people to open up about their struggles.

When we normalize conversations concerning topics like anxiety, depression, and burnout in the workplace, we begin to see just how many people are affected — and we may even begin to see how these issues might be stemming from cultural and systemic factors, rather than personal ones. When you realize that some of these struggles are less about personal factors than you originally first perceived, you’ll naturally want to create mentally healthier work environments. All of this helps support professional workplaces that support personal health and wellbeing.

If you’ve dealt with mental health issues in the past – or you’re still dealing with them – you can use those issues to be a better leader and create a healthier workplace environment. It should come as no surprise that your job can actually have an impact on your mental well-being. Fostering a workplace that promotes mental health awareness can help with things like:

  • Employee productivity
  • Boosted morale
  • A sense of trust and safety for employees

When you’re in a leadership role, people will look to you for the “green light” when it comes to certain issues. If you’re willing to open up about your own mental health struggles, it will be easier for others to come forward and do the same. When word gets out that your work environment has completely slashed the taboo nature of mental health issues, it’s likely that you’ll increase employee retention while becoming a more desirable business for new hires.

The Importance of Empathy

Overcoming personal challenges can help to boost your emotional intelligence. Specifically, it can make you more empathetic. You might not think that’s an important skill to have, especially as a woman who wants to be taken seriously in the workforce. But, empathy goes a long way – especially in a leadership position. In fact, it’s one of the top leadership qualities, as vulnerable, empathetic leaders are better able to:

  • Be completely and entirely honest with themselves and others, even when it’s difficult.
  • Take creative risks and step outside of their comfort zones.
  • Embrace imperfection as an important part of learning and growing.

Leaders who have overcome mental health issues, themselves, are naturally more likely to be empathetic. Taking care of a family and dealing with the daily challenges and setbacks that arise from being a leader at home can also carry over into the workplace. Leaders who empathize aren’t showing weakness. Rather, they are able to identify the feelings of the people working for them. Not only does that help with self-awareness, but it makes them more thoughtful, conscientious, and confident in their decisions.

One example of empathy-as-a-strength can be shown in the form of cultural wealth — more specifically resistant capital. Resistant capital is “the inherited foundation and historical legacy of communities of color and marginalized groups in resisting inequality and pursuing equal rights.” This includes resisting stereotypes that you don’t identify with. If you’ve ever had to integrate from another culture, you understand how hard it can be to feel like an outsider — and you can bring that knowledge as a strength to your workforce.

Leaders who are empathetic understand the needs of those who work for them. They’re more likely to build healthy relationships with those people, fostering a more positive, communicative work environment.

Emotional intelligence is more than just a soft skill. Take the same empathy you might show to your family and friends and carry it over into the workplace.

Everyone faces challenges in their personal lives. Using those setbacks to enhance your leadership can be an effective way to “humanize” yourself in the business world while still gaining the respect you deserve. Learn from your setbacks instead of letting them bring you down. They can help you become the leader you were born to be.

By: Indiana Lee is a passionate writer from the Pacific Northwest, specializing in business operations, leadership, and marketing. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

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Human Design for Leaders: Understanding Your Inner Authority for Better Decision-Making

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human designNo one wakes up and hopes to make bad decisions. You try to make good choices daily for your team and company, but that requires drawing from numerous parts of your personality. Human design can help you understand your mind better and strengthen your connection to your inner authority. Making leadership decisions for yourself or others will become less stressful once you know and trust yourself more.

What Is Human Design?

Human design is a technique that combines traditional spiritual beliefs from numerous cultures. Each type factors in your place of birth, date, and time before matching you with your inner authority type.

When someone makes a decision, their metacognition draws from their self-confidence to choose the option that best prevents mistakes or loss of resources. Human design types explain where that self-confidence may come from based on your personal body graph. Understanding your intuitive nature may help optimize your choices based on how your natural energy flow utilizes opportunities.

How to Find Your Human Design Type

Inner authority in human design differs in each person because it comes from your unique personality and intuition. Take a quick human design quiz to get your results. Understanding how you’re one of these types could help you feel more confident when making business decisions.

Sacral

Someone with sacral authority might describe themselves as a person who listens to their gut. Their instinctive feelings are their motor because they’ve spent a lifetime weighing choices and learning from mistakes. Sacral-centered people ground themselves in their physiological responses by recognizing signs of stressors, like fatigue, or indicators of good choices, like an even heartbeat.

Making a decision with your sacral chakra could mean feeling a buzz in your body when something is clearly right or wrong. Imagine conducting a department meeting where you must assign someone to a leadership position on a budget revision project. Two of your best team members volunteer, but your gut says to pick the person who evaluates the math while considering the human impact of budget cuts.

A sacral authority type could also heed this skill when leveraging marketplace research during high-stakes negotiations or deciding how to manage a massive portfolio. Your internal comfort or discomfort is a sign your sacral intuition is pointing you in the best direction.

Self-Projected

People who talk through problems to find solutions use their self-projected authority. This could be you if you’re one of the 95% of Americans who reach for the phone first when they need to talk with someone. You could also journal your thoughts before deciding something, meeting with a therapist, or talking with an executive coaching professional.

Take a human design type test to see your results and consider if they match how you typically make decisions. Seeing it in writing may solidify your decision-making process and teach you how to approach challenging professional dilemmas with confidence.

Human design for leaders may lean more into this inner authority type as well because good bosses are in touch with their self-expression. Knowing who you are as a leader and how you operate best is key to a self-projected leadership style.

Self-projectors may start a conversation with another C-suite peer and realize they need to change their daily workflow to become more productive. This design type will best succeed by naming the challenge with their supervisor and verbally brainstorming new ways to increase their productivity.

Embracing this approach is good for numerous reasons. Self-projectors will reach solutions more quickly by working with their human design type instincts. They’ll also demonstrate effective problem-solving and leadership skills by authentically communicating with others around them. It strengthens the entire workplace — starting with a quick human design quiz.

Emotional Solar Plexus

The solar plexus authority centers around emotional waves. You might use this instinct for guidance by following your emotional truth when it points you in specific directions. It’s a crucial part of any workplace because it centralizes everyone’s humanity in business worlds driven by growth charts and revenue.

The most vital part of emotional solar plexus authority is learning your emotional scale. When you feel something, are your emotions reacting at their peak or out of a grounded place in your heart?

Time is the best way to identify this balance. Imagine a team member asking you to plan your workplace’s next holiday party. Waves of excitement and joy overwhelm, instantly bringing to mind ideas for party planning and hosting skills. You recognize how your feelings are a bit strong for the topic, so you let your co-worker know you’ll get back to them tomorrow.

Sitting with the idea overnight allows your emotions to settle back down. You know you’d love to take charge of the party, but emotional clarity reminds you how your upcoming board member meeting require your full attention. The next day, you thank your co-worker for the consideration but pass on hosting duties this year.

Splenic

Spontaneous people often draw their choices from their splenic inner authority. It generates an impulsive energy that is powerful in highly self-aware people. This human design type thrives in roles like entrepreneurship, marketing, and creative director positions. Your splenic authority inspires others through your quick ideas, making this personality type invaluable in the workplace.

Scholars argue that emotions are inherently spontaneous, so people should accept when they happen. Splenic individuals use those same emotions and follow them without overthinking where each path might lead. It’s a skill that makes choices easier if you can identify your automatic emotional responses.

You might listen to your impulses when you get a rush of happiness after solving an efficiency issue with your financial operations team. Listening to your intuition about problem-solving enables you to guide others toward optimized solutions that benefit shareholders and consumers.

Listening to your splenic energy will help you make bigger decisions if you balance it with enough time to consider the pros and cons of your next choice. If a C-suite member asks you whether letting a team member go would be best for their department, the gravity of that decision calls for more time than an instinctive reaction. The intense adrenaline rush is a warning sign that your stress could keep you from seeing the entire situation clearly.

Your initial feelings may be what you go with anyway, but harnessing your splenic mindset and expressing it when you feel is best will ensure you’re a helpful leader in the workplace.

Ego

People with more ego authority tend to consider or prioritize their needs before others. This isn’t always a bad thing, especially if your needs directly tie to your employer’s or company’s.

An executive handling enormous responsibilities every day knows their professional reputation intricately ties to the company they lead. They may push harder for specific changes in brand marketing or business practices so the company works better for consumers, uplifting their reputation simultaneously.

Additionally, this skill can stop massive mistakes from happening. If you’re well-versed in your executive vision, you’ll know which steps could take your teams away from your mission statement in the long term. The personal perspective may save your company from something that costs revenue or even its viability.

Ego-driven choices can also come from a strong desire in your heart. When that overcomes your logical mind, it can leave you emotionally exhausted. It could be easier to make decisions when you note if your ego energy is equally from your head and your heart.

Environmental

Environmental inner authority is another human-design approach to decision-making. Instead of encountering a problem and making a decision based on your instinct, you would wait until you’ve had the chance to consider your response in a more optimum environment.

Emotionally-driven workplace leaders can be engaging and form the heart of their company. It’s also not a skill that’s optimum in every situation. If your human design test result comes back as an environmental authority, you’ll feel more confident in your decisions after spending time in a peaceful place where you can contemplate by yourself.

Picture yourself meeting with the chief financial officer of your company. They mention how it would help quarterly revenue to cut the marketing budget. Reducing your brand exposure instantly feels like a bad idea, but you spend time with the dilemma. Maybe you spend lunch alone in the office kitchen or sit under the stars that night to think it through.

Giving yourself permission to pause is a vital skill in any field. It demonstrates thoughtful leadership and teaches others how to establish boundaries as leaders within their teams.

Lunar

Some people believe they operate best from a place of lunar authority. It means they wait a full moon cycle — 28 days — before making big decisions. Your human design quiz results may reveal this aspect of you, which is a fascinating skill to bring to work every day.

Lunar authority is a lesson in taking time. You won’t be able to wait 28 days for every decision, but it could make the more significant ones more successful. You might use that time to negotiate with others in a series of meetings or plan a detailed campaign approach to expanding your company before committing to anything.

Whether you decide to wait a full month or not, sometimes distance makes it easier to conquer challenges. Don’t be afraid to claim more than a few hours to weigh your options and chart a path forward.

Start Understanding Yourself Better

Inner authority in human design is personal. It depends on your body’s genetic makeup and how energy translates through your chakras. Generating your human design chart will help you connect with your inner authority type and make better decisions in your role as an executive. You’ll know your strengths and potential weaknesses, which is essential for dynamic leaders adapting to industry challenges.

By: Beth Rush is the career and finance editor at Body+Mind. She has 5+ years of experience writing about the power of human design to reveal entrepreneurial potential and time management strategies. She also writes about using the emotion of awe to activate our leadership prowess. You can find her on Twitter @bodymindmag. Subscribe to Body+Mind for more posts by Beth Rush.

(Guest Contribution: The opinions and views of guest contributions are not necessarily those of theglasshammer.com).

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First, The Glass Ceiling – Now, Women Fight Robots for Their Careers

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Eliza VanCort(by Eliza Vancort) The Terminator will kill us. The Matrix will grind us down into batteries. And yeah, Ex Machina. Humans have a time-honored tradition of being terrified that sentient machines are going to destroy everything.

Recently McKinsey Global Institute released the study, Generative AI and the future of work in America. The report was a measured exploration of “Which jobs will be in demand? Which ones are shrinking? And which ones could be hardest to fill?” The headlines in the media were quite different. “Nearly 80% of women’s jobs could be disrupted, automated by AI.”

In reality, what the studies said isn’t really new. It’s the same American story, different facts. Replace “AI” with “pandemic” or “economic downturn” and experts arrive at the same conclusion. In times of upheaval, the people who are hit the hardest in America are women, particularly women who are members of targeted groups with less power and privilege.

Here’s how women can prepare and optimize opportunities for the AI era.

     1. Take “STOP AI” off the table
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We can no better stop the AI train than we can stop capitalism. Despite this, many people are working to stop companies from using AI technology instead of humans. This is a losing battle. We live in a capitalist society where maximizing profits is the priority. There are some uses of AI which absolutely can be regulated, such as the demands outlined in the SAG strike. That said, AI isn’t coming, it’s already here. McKinsey estimated that “half of today’s work activities could be automated between 2030 and 2060.” The question isn’t if, or even when. The question is what can you do to prepare?

     2. Give the right support to the right people.

Women and people of color in low wage jobs without higher education are most likely to be impacted by AI. They are fourteen times more likely to have their jobs disrupted than higher-wage positions. For these women, education and training to keep up with this emerging technology is a must. Unfortunately, childcare responsibilities still disproportionately fall on women, and this takes a toll. For example, according to the KFF Women’s Health Survey, during the pandemic, “Three out of ten working mothers said they had to take time off because school or daycare was closed.” If women don’t have access to affordable childcare, they are the childcare. Women must have access to training and education, but this is impossible for many without care for their children. They must go hand in hand.

     3. Make a difference.

One critical way to claim space is to support other women. If you’re a leader in the public or private sector, work to implement new practices and programs now to position your employees for success in the new era of generative AI. For example, even if your organization doesn’t have the budget for in-house education, experts are now predicting that “Implementing AI can bring about a transformative change in access to education through the creation of personalized learning programs that are tailored to suit each student’s unique learning style, preference, and aptitude.” In other words, AI can help you scale and tailor education for your employees affordably. Get creative about making a difference.

     4. Robot-Proof Your Job.

Women are conditioned to be caretakers both in their actions and their communication. This has often resulted in women doing jobs which capitalize on our ability to read people and communicate well, the jobs that require soft skills. The great irony is that soft skills have traditionally been devalued by many because, well, when women go into fields, the field gets less respect and pay. Yet in the new world of AI, those are the very skills that AI just can’t do well. For example, teachers, nurses and therapists are not predicted to be replaced by AI any time soon. If you have soft skills, go into fields that require them, or use those skills to help you stand out in your field. Jobs where humanistic tasks are required, or will augment the job, will be much safer from displacement. If you don’t feel your soft skills are strong, it’s time to brush up on them.

     5. Take Advantage of the Positives
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AI is positioned to help women more than men in ways we really need it. One example? Domestic labor. Women have been held back for years by the amount of time they spend on domestic labor. A Pew Research study just recently reported that, “Even when earnings are similar, husbands spend more time on paid work and leisure, while wives devote more time to caregiving and housework.” Should relationships be more equitable? Of course. But they aren’t, and AI has the potential to allow women with the financial means to lessen their domestic load. In fact, research suggests AI may be able to automate about 39 per cent of domestic work within 10 years. Find every advantage like this and capitalize on it.

     6. Position Yourself for Success.

This is a pivotal moment in history where women can jump into a field that men do not yet fully dominate. Take every opportunity to educate yourself about this emerging technology while it’s developing. By doing so you will not only survive, but you will position yourself as a leader. If your employer doesn’t support continuing education, get ahead of the problem and think about finding a place that does now. Think ahead so you don’t get left behind.

We can’t stop the AI train. But unlike other times in history, we know this train is coming, and we can prepare for it. This is a moment for women to uplift each other and succeed in a field we have not yet been shut out of. Technological apocalypse need not be our destiny. Women shouldn’t just survive the AI train. With the right preparation, we can thrive.

By: Eliza VanCort, Transformation Teacher and #1 bestselling author of A Woman’s Guide to Claiming Space: Stand Tall. Raise Your Voice. Be Heard (named Maria Shriver’s book of the week), who has dedicated her life to empowering women to live bravely and claim the space they deserve.

(The opinions and views of guest contributions are not necessarily those of theglasshammer.com).

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Why Introverts Make Powerful Leaders

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introvert leadersIntroverts are the folks who prefer to recharge their batteries alone rather than with other people. That isn’t to say they don’t like people — many introverts love working with others, but they also value their alone time. Sometimes, but not always, they may also have low self-confidence. They may not be able to see themselves in a leadership or administrative role. That’s where they’re wrong — introverts make some of the best leaders for several reasons.

What Is an Introvert?

An introvert is someone who may keep to themselves more often than not. They recharge their batteries by working and relaxing alone and may prefer small groups to large gatherings. However, being an introvert doesn’t mean someone is afraid of speaking or can’t step up to be a leader. Around 12% of people identify themselves as completely introverted, often drifting toward extroverted partners who likely can help them express themselves better.

Some traits commonly associated with introverted people include the following:

  • Quietness
  • Shyness
  • Thoughtfulness
  • Prefers privacy
  • Easily overstimulated

These traits are loosely related to introverts, meaning they may not fit every introverted person and might even relate to some extroverts. Many introverted people enjoy being around others and participating in social activities — they may just choose to take part on their own terms.

Introverts and extroverts have their places in business. However, workplaces with extroverted leaders yield 14% lower profits on average. While every person is different, introverts more often have traits that would make for exemplary leadership.

3 Stellar Traits of an Introvert Leader

Introverts often have traits that ensure they can lead teams well. Sometimes, the best leader isn’t an outgoing one who blazes the way — it’s the strong one who quietly reassures their team while supporting them from behind and picking them up when they fall. Strong leaders allow their employees to stand on their own without getting in the way of their successes, but they’re always there to provide guidance and offer a listening ear.

Many introverts are born with traits that naturally help them grow into better leaders than their peers. While some introverted people may not feel comfortable leading large groups, their quiet awareness and thoughtful decision-making can be vital to any team.

1. Expert Listening Skills

Many introverts prefer to listen over talk, participating more passively in conversations. Because they spend less time talking, they can study their conversational partners and pick up on small nuances, especially tone and body language, making them experts at listening to and reading people.

For example, something as simple as the pitch of someone’s voice can indicate whether they’re nervous or confident, something that people who aren’t as intuitive wouldn’t pick up on. Introverts might be able to identify these subtle changes in a person because their listening skills are often sublime.

2. Sincerity Above All

Extroverts can be genuine, too — they may find it easy to connect with other people and praise them for their exploits. However, you may be less likely to receive compliments from an introvert. Since introverted people often don’t talk as much as extroverts, going out of their way to compliment someone might mean much more than an extrovert who praises someone whenever they get the chance.

Around 96% of people feel praise makes them more productive, so an introverted leader who genuinely expresses their opinions is a must-have in any business. An introverted leader will assess the situation and praise anyone who deserves it — and they’ll be able to guide anyone who needs assistance.

Similarly, introverts will stand up for themselves. Introverted people may often come off as shy, but in a workplace, they can feel empowered to stand behind their decisions and won’t let people walk all over them. An introvert can exude confidence just as much as an extrovert, so employers can feel assured in enlisting an introvert in a leadership space.

3. More Creative Solutions

Extroverts and introverts can both be creative, but since introverts use self-reflection and think before acting, they have more time and opportunity to develop innovative solutions to tricky problems. When in business, you must understand situations from several angles. Having someone who considers every perspective is vital to the well-being of any company.

The best decision-making process relies on gathering the necessary information and sitting with it before making any conclusions too hastily. Many introverted people prefer to wait before making a decision and think over all the possible outcomes and variables so they understand the facts before making a decision. This person is valuable for any business, especially during times of crisis.

Introverts often use their intuition, leading them to success and practical decision-making. As a result, they’re more likely to realize when someone needs a little extra encouragement or just a friend to lean on. They’ll likely ensure everyone is involved in a project or feels appreciated in their team. That way, these leaders know everyone is included in a group.

How to Make Yourself a Better Leader

The good news is you don’t have to change yourself to become a better leader or pretend to be something you’re not. Both introverts and extroverts are valuable in leadership roles — as long as they demonstrate the right skills to prove they can support a team.

If you want to gain some of the most beneficial traits of a powerful leader, you’ll have to tap into yourself and learn how to reflect and listen more than you talk and act. Introverts make great leaders because they tend to solve problems more effectively, adding immense value to their company.

Here are some soft skills you should work on building if you want to succeed in a leadership role:

  • Active listening: To help others solve their problems
  • Critical thinking: To solve problems with your head instead of on impulse
  • Proper communication: To get across ideas and uplift others

You shouldn’t have to change who you are to fit any role. However, improving certain skills and learning different methods of problem-solving and communication can benefit you as you transition into a leadership position.

Introverts Are Some of the Best Employees to Have

Introverts tend to lean on the more intuitive and reflective side, making them an asset to any business, thanks to the skills they’ve honed in their interactions throughout the years. They’ll provide a fresh viewpoint and sage wisdom after thinking over certain possibilities. While some introverts might not have the best conversational skills, they’ll do their jobs to the best of their abilities and tackle new things that come their way.

However, both introverts and extroverts can make great employees. The best team members are well-rounded and demonstrate characteristics that will help a business flourish and positively affect company culture. One personality trait can’t guarantee a good leader, but it can help people understand where they’re lacking and how they can improve for the sake of their workplace.

By: Mia Barnes is a freelance writer and researcher who specializes in mental wellbeing and workplace wellness. Mia is also the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Body+Mind magazine, an online women’s health publication.

(The opinions and views of guest contributions are not necessarily those of theglasshammer.com).

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How to be an Ally to Latinas this Hispanic Heritage Month

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hispanic heritage monthIf you take a look through a list of CEOs at Fortune 500 companies, you’ll find that 10% of the most senior leaders are women. After many years at the 8% mark, the start of 2023 brought a slight jump with 5 female CEOs being installed. These CEOs include Karla Lewis of Reliance Steel & Aluminum, Julia Sloat of American Electric Power, Jennifer A. Parmentier of Parker Hannifin, Stephanie Ferris of Fidelity National Information Services, and Maria Black of Automatic Data Processing. Although this is a win, there is still a considerable amount of work to be done to make the leaders of companies more representative of the people who work under them. And one of these areas that needs the most focus is the number of Latina professionals in leadership positions.

In the United States, the Latinx population are a major economic driver, contributing over 28% of the US GDP, as well as being the second largest ethnic group. Yet, they are the one of the least represented in the professional world, Latinas especially. Latinas make up 10% of the national population but hold less board seats at Fortune 500 companies (less than 1%)  compared to any gender, ethnic or racial group. White women hold 1226 seats followed by Black women with 183 and 89 seats for women from Asian descent. While Latina professionals hold the smallest number of seats, thirty less than women of Asian heritage, as of 2022 women overall still only hold 30% of Fortune 500 board seats.

Currently, in 2023, there have been only three Latina CEOs in these companies. The first of these CEOs was Geisha Williams who acted as CEO of Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) from 2017 to 2019. She is the first Latina to ever hold the title of CEO at a Fortune 500 company. The second was Cheryl Miller who was CEO of AutoNation from 2019 to 2020. The third, and only current Latina CEO, is Priscilla Almodovar who began her journey as CEO at Fannie Mae at the end of 2022.

Although Latinx accounts for over 18% of the total population in the United States, the number of board seats allocated to Latina professionals is around 1%. Ester Aguilera, CEO of the Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA) shares, “In fact over the last 10 years, between 2010 and 2020, Latinos only gained 1%. We went from 2% of corporate board seats to 3%. Latinos and Latinas are invisible in the C-suite and the boardroom. For Latinas, it’s even smaller. Only about 1% of the public company board seats are held by Latinas.” Aguilera attributes this small number to lack of visibility which makes companies feel as though they cannot find qualified Latinas to hire for board positions. The LDCA prides themselves on helping quicken the search to find qualified Latinx professionals and have created a directory with a talent search tool to hone the search for Latinx employees.

What Can You Do To Be an Ally to Latina Professionals?

Understanding that there is a gap for Latina executives is the first step, but deciding what tactics you can bring into the workplace is the most vital step. It can be very difficult for a company to work cohesively if there is not a level of trust and safety felt by its employees. Amy Edmondson introduced the concept of team psychological safety in 1999. Research shows that it still rings true today in making employees more content in the workplace, lowering levels of conflict between coworkers while boosting higher levels of performance. When speaking of psychological safety, Edmondson explains, “Psychological safety exists when people feel their workplace is an environment where they can speak up, offer ideas, and ask questions without fear of being punished or embarrassed.”

In keeping true to the concept of psychological safety, employers must be willing to create an inclusive environment for all backgrounds and cultures. The Harvard Business Review found that 76% of Latinx employees repress parts of themselves at work. This includes their appearance, accents, body language and communication styles which are all part of executive presence, an important element when defining leadership potential. They also found 43% of Latinas feel as though they need to push aside their authenticity to meet the standards of executive presence at their companies. Employers need to create a space where Latinas can be their true selves and below are just a few examples as to how this can be achieved.

Check Your Own Bias

The change will start with you. As a leader, you are the first obstacle to creating an inclusive space. Take some time to sit with yourself and understand what biases you may have. Think about taking an Implicit Association Test to explore your biases. Once you’re aware of your biases, pay attention to them. Take a step back and think about why you made a decision and if your biases had any influence on that choice. See if there are any stereotypes you are holding in your head such as “I don’t like to work with her, she’s too fiery.” Or “I can never understand what she’s saying, her accent is too strong.” Acknowledging your own biases, and apologizing when they get in the way, is a considerably positive step to creating a healthy team culture.

Engage in Active Listening and Use That Information for Change

While attempting to increase any type of inclusion, leaders should strive to listen to what their team is telling them. Take time to connect to your employees, listen actively and be aware of who they are. If leaders want to retain Latinas and hire more, listening to their needs is overtly important. In learning about needs, you need to let the employees lead the conversation and make sure you ask questions and participate so they know you are listening to understand. From what you learned in these conversations, bring change. Create new policies that meet their needs and help them feel more comfortable in their work environment. Knowing the workplace they would be joining is a safe place, where they don’t have to hide their true selves, would be a driving factor to hiring more qualified Latinas.

Increase Opportunities for Latinas

Another way to help increase the number of Latina professionals is to provide more opportunities for advancement. One way would be to implement a mentorship program in your company. You can follow examples such as the one set by JPMorgan Chase. JPMorgan Chase has created an initiative for advancing Hispanic and Latinx in which they provide activities with emphasis on career readiness and support, entrepreneurship, community development and financial help. Having someone to go to for advice will help Latinas feel like they belong as well as give them someone who may have been in their position to help them advance confidently. The JPMorgan Chase initiative also includes fellowship programs for collegiate level Latinx to help them find their way while still in college. Applying an initiative like this, with a focus on Latinas, could create a better laid out path from college to executive positions. You may also try implementing groups for Latina women to connect with each other and share their own stories. Networks and connections play a large role in advancement in today’s professional occupations. Creating a space where Latina employees can feel as though they belong, with people who look and speak the same way they do, can help increase their executive power and feeling of confidence in an executive position.

While all of these ideas can positively affect Latinas professionally, you must keep in mind that change cannot happen overnight so stay focused. By following these suggestions, you can help take that step towards increasing the number of Latina executives in the professional leadership community. This Hispanic Heritage month, remember to be aware of your own biases, listen to understand, and work to increase opportunities for Latina professionals. Supporting this growing community is essential for companies to retain their Latina employees and create a space in which others will want to join.

By Chloe Williams

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How to Lead your Team Successfully at Work by Building Trust

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building team trustTrust is foundational to a successful team. Being able to trust that your coworkers and employees will perform to the best of their abilities enables not only more productivity but also engaged employees. The Harvard Business Review found that people who work in places with high trust levels reported 106% more energy at work, 76% more engagement, 74% less stress, 40% less burnout, 50% higher productivity and 29% more satisfaction with their lives compared to those at a low trust workplace.

The report also found that low trust workplaces often mean that people have to spend time navigating office politics. There have been decades of research into all aspects of the workplace, team performance being a dominant one. One person who has researched trust and dysfunction in teams is Patrick Lencioni who wrote the book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.

The book lists these dysfunctions as absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. Absence of trust focuses on the lack of vulnerability based trust which leads to team members not willing to be open with teammates on things like admitting mistakes or weaknesses. Fear of conflict connects to trust as it involves team members being comfortable contradicting a teammate and debating topics. Lack of commitment happens when members’ ideas aren’t being taken into account. Avoidance of accountability is when peers don’t hold each other accountable for living up to the standards of the team. The final dysfunction is inattention to results in which individual team members are more focused on their own results than the team results. Many of these dysfunctions can be addressed by making sure psychological safety is present in the workplace.

The current definition of psychological safety was coined in 1999 by Amy Edmondson and is defined as, “the belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes, and that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking.” In a recent study by Yuanqin Ge, it was found that employees that felt a sense of psychological safety in their workplace could speak more openly and often, provide their opinions to help decision making in teams and feel comfortable enough to share their ideas with managers. All of these outcomes are based on trust.

How can you apply psychological safety? According to Timothy Clarke, whose model is based off Edmondson’s 1999 research, there are Four Stages of Psychological Safety which include:

  1. Inclusion Safety – Inclusion safety involves making sure team members feel as though that can be their most authentic selves and will be accepted for that.
  2. Learner Safety – This stage includes making sure the workplace is an environment where questions are not frowned upon. The workplace needs to become a space where people feel they can ask questions to learn, give and receive feedback and even make small mistakes without fear of repercussions.
  3. Contributor Safety – In this stage, the team should feel as though they can share their ideas without the fear of being ridiculed or embarrassed. This stage can be the most difficult stage as bringing your own ideas in front of peers can be a very vulnerable position to be in.
  4. Challenger Safety – In the final stage, team members should be able to question or challenge coworkers’ (include authorities’) ideas and offer suggestions to plans or ways of working through a project.
What Can You Do to Encourage Psychological Safety In Your Own Team?

 

  • Don’t Worry about Being the “Perfect” Team

Don’t put all the emphasis on being the “perfect” team where no mistakes are made and everything is always right. It’s understandable to strive for that as a leader, but it’s not exactly feasible. All of your employees are human and humans cannot be perfect all the time, as much as we may want to be. Studies show that a perfectionist boss has negative effects on motivation, effort, and willingness to work. Let go of your perfectionism a little and allow your employees to make mistakes and learn from them. Try to avoid anger in blaming the person and instead look for ways to rectify the situation. In doing so, you not only show your employees that you trust them enough to learn from this and not do it again but also show your team that coming to you with a mistake will not result in being berated by authority.

  • Encourage All Voices

Try to create a space where everyone can say what they believe needs to be included in a discussion. Remind your team that their input is appreciated and cherished. Attempt to hear people out when they are sharing, instead of dismissing them with answers like “yes, but…” or “You don’t know enough context to understand this situation.” Instead, ask them questions and invite participation in a non threatening way such as “What point of view could we be missing?” and be willing to accept criticisms. It may help to even set up meetings with a portion for playing the devil’s advocate and addressing those concerns as a group. Making sure that your employees feel as though they are being heard can encourage them to continue speaking up and bringing unique ideas and solutions to the table.

  • Focus on Building a Team Culture

Build a team where no one is afraid to ask each other for help. Make it the norm that coworkers encourage each other and have that begin with you. Try to schedule times for your team to spend time together and focus on feedback and appreciation. Make sure you let your team know you appreciate them and are supporting their development personally and professionally. Do this as well as events like happy hours or fun team building activities so your employees can let loose a little. You are with these people 35+ hours a week. Knowing more about them and feeling safe around them will make working with them more enjoyable and productive.

The addition of psychological safety can do wonders for increasing trust in your team. Trust and safety go hand in hand in making sure your workplace is one that can flourish and perform to its highest standards. Applying these few examples can make huge strides towards a more productive and happy work environment for your team.

By Chloe Williams

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How Habit Stacking Can Help Busy Executive Women Supercharge Their Success

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habit stackingThere are many challenges to being a successful executive and managing your personal and professional responsibilities. With so much to focus on, trying to introduce a new habit into your routine can seem daunting.

Habit stacking is a life saver for executive women who want to improve their personal or professional lives without sacrificing the quality of what they currently achieve on a daily basis. It’s a low-stress way to supercharge their success without taking time away from other tasks.

What is Habit Stacking?

Everyone has habits, whether you realize you have them or not. Choosing to pour cereal before your milk, what you reach for first in the morning and how you travel to work are all habits.

Some habits are neutral and don’t impact your quality of life. Others, however, could contribute to your stress, fatigue and well-being.

Research shows that only half of people keep their New Year’s resolutions, showing how bad humans are at creating positive habits. Habit stacking is a way to hack that.

Habit stacking connects your desire to improve your organization habits, heath or leadership skills to a pattern you previously established. You get used to performing the task while doing the one you’re used to, and you form a new habit. You can create positive habits by consistently doing them simultaneously and in the same setting.

By connecting a new habit to an old one, your brain combines the two and the new behavior gets ingrained. Author S.J. Scott popularized “habit-stacking” in the professionally-backed book Habit Stacking: 97 Small Life Changes That Take Five Minutes or Less. Since then, it’s become a tool for people to accomplish their goals.

Here are five ways habit stacking can help busy executives.

1. It Increases Focus

When you habit stack, you can improve your ability to focus on essential tasks. It can be hard to complete the steps in your routine without your mind wandering to other things you must do. Habit stacking is a great way to incorporate mindfulness and meditation into your life, helping you focus on the present moment.

Introducing a new habit into your life can seem daunting. Since habit stacking connects the new task to another routine, it is easier to add to your life. Instead of stressing about not doing it, you can focus on how well you’re doing with the new habit and what you can improve. For example, if you want to start bullet journaling, you can do so while you wait for your morning coffee to brew.

2. You Can Better Commit to Your Goals

Habit stacking makes it much easier to commit to what you desire. Sliding things into your other habits instead of creating a separate one makes achieving your goals easier.

If you want to stay hydrated but forget to drink water, habit stacking can help. Stack drinking a glass of water as you check your email. Doing so will help you meet your hydration goals without interfering with other parts of your day.

3. It Helps You Stay Organized

As an executive, you know the organization is a must. However, staying consistently organized is easier said than done. Habit stacking can be an excellent tool for managing your office and being punctual for important meetings and events.

With habit stacking, you can condition your brain to put things where they need to go and adequately prepare for your activities. Putting your pens back in their drawer is easier when you stack it by shutting down your computer for the evening. You can put your files away when you walk out of your office for the evening. Stack the things you often forget with the things you don’t for success.

4. You Can Effectively Prioritize

If you want to change your priorities but get stuck in a negative routine, habit-stacking can help. Connect one of the positive habits to your negative ones. If you bite your nails to handle stress, you can stack it to get up and take a walk. Eventually, the nail biting habit could turn into taking a walk instead.

As an executive, it can be hard to juggle important tasks, but by stacking the most important ones with your routine, you can complete them with haste.

5. It Promotes Healthier Coping Mechanisms

Life gets stressful, especially with the responsibilities of managing a company. Stacking your habits can help you introduce positive coping mechanisms to reduce stress. For example, you could listen to a chapter of your favorite audiobook while prepping your lunch.

Self-care is a vital tool for everyone, especially when you have the responsibilities of being an executive. The industry still has inappropriate biases, making you work harder for success. Incorporating habits that aid your body and mind can help you feel less stress, reduce symptoms of mental illness and allow you to live a more peaceful life.

Using Habit Stacking to Supercharge Your Success

Habit stacking effectively adds healthy habits into your life that support your personal and professional growth. Connecting a current pattern with one you want to implement can start you on the path to success.

By: Beth Rush is the career and finance editor at Body+Mind. She has 5+ years of experience writing about the power of human design to reveal entrepreneurial potential and time management strategies. She also writes about using the emotion of awe to activate our leadership prowess. You can find her on Twitter @bodymindmag. Subscribe to Body+Mind for more posts by Beth Rush.

(Guest Contribution: The opinions and views of guest contributions are not necessarily those of theglasshammer.com).

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The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and How to Address Them

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five dysfunctions of a teamHigh performing teams, and the desire for them, is a common occurrence in corporations. While teams and groups are commonly used as synonyms, they are different from each other. Oxford Dictionary defines a team as a group of people who work together at a particular job while a group is defined as a number of people or things that are together in the same place. As common as teams are, it should come as no surprise that some work better than others. Dysfunction in teams is all around. Behnam Tabrizi found that nearly 75% of cross-functional teams were dysfunctional. In his book, The Five Dysfunctions of A Team, Patrick Lencioni describes the most common dysfunctions in a team. These dysfunctions are as follows:

  1. Absence of trust
  2. Fear of conflict
  3. Lack of commitment
  4. Avoidance of accountability
  5. Inattention to results

Lencioni argues that trust is foundational for teams. Without the basis of trust, dysfunctions will not be able to be resolved. Research from the Harvard Business Review found that people who work in places with high trust levels reported 106% more energy at work, 76% more engagement, 74% less stress, 40% less burnout, 50% higher productivity and 29% more satisfaction with their lives compared to those at a low trust workplace. Low trust workplaces often have to deal with, and navigate, office politics. Resolving the absence of trust dysfunction is crucial to resolving the later dysfunctions. Each dysfunction is based on the resolution of the previous dysfunction and cannot be mastered out of order. For example, if your team shows lack of commitment, it is likely that there is also a fear of conflict from some, if not all of your team members. When a member doesn’t feel as though they can disagree and create conflict with a coworker, they will not be fully committed to the solution proposed because they were never able to weigh in their own opinions.

So how can you tell which dysfunction your team is stuck at and what can you do to resolve it? Here are some examples for each level:

Dysfunction #1 – Absence of Trust

Teams with absence of trust may:

  • Not own up to mistakes made
  • Not admit that they can’t do something to hide their weaknesses from other team members
  • Be unwilling to go out of the realm of their job descriptions to help a coworker

What can you do to address it?

  • Have team members be vulnerable and tell the team something about themselves then discuss as a team what you learned. This increases vulnerability between the team and makes it easier to continue to be vulnerable.
  • Focus on everyone’s strengths. Doing this will help team members gain confidence in themselves and their work. This could inspire coworkers to appreciate the strengths and talents of their peers.

Addressing lack of trust can:

  • Lead to quicker reaction to issues, now that mistakes can be admitted more openly
  • Prevent mistakes before they happen if coworkers feel comfortable to ask for assistance on projects
Dysfunction #2 – Fear of Conflict

Teams that fear conflict may:

  • Not listen to understand during a disagreement, rather listen to win the disagreement and argue their point
  • Not converse with a coworker they disagree with and speak behind their backs
  • Let leaders dominate a meeting and leave the meeting
  • Display artificial harmony in which there is no conflict at all

What can you do to address it?

  • Suggest an obviously bad idea and see if anyone in your team argues. If they don’t, there is a blatant fear of conflict.
  • Show your team that having opposing views can be productive and helpful.
  • Have a “devil’s advocate” portion of the meeting in which an opposing view can be argued.
  • Thank team members for bringing up different points of view that may conflict with the consensus.

Addressing fear of conflict can:

  • Lead to quicker resolution of issues
  • Lessen the amount of office politics
  • Allow more diverse views and lead to innovation
Dysfunction #3 – Lack of Commitment

Teams that have a lack of commitment may:

  • Have members who don’t commit to an idea because it’s not their idea
  • Have the false impression everyone is on the same page after leaving a meeting
  • Mean members don’t contribute to the discussion because their ideas differ

What can you do to address it?

  • Ask members if they have anything to add, any other ideas or (especially) differing opinions on the topic at hand.
  • Encourage team members to ask questions for clarification.
  • Set a team goal and have objectives for everyone to commit to.

Addressing lack of commitment can:

  • Help the team understand why a goal is being addressed in a certain way
  • Help members commit to an idea after being heard out about their own
  • Show the main goal of the team and what is expected of team members
Dysfunction #4 – Avoidance of Accountability

Teams that have an avoidance of accountability may:

  • Have peers who won’t hold each other accountable on performance and behavioral aspects
  • Have leave leaders with the sole responsibility of discipline
  • Include members not performing to the best of their ability

What can you do to address it?

  • Start at the leadership level and call members out on their behavioral mistakes and let this trickle down to peer level.
  • Regularly review team members’ individual performance and remind the team of the high standards expected.
  • Have the team come together and share one thing for each member that could be improved to promote accountability between team members.

Addressing avoidance of accountability can:

  • Lead to quicker and higher quality performance from the whole team
  • Urge poor performers to improve performance
  • Take some of the strain off of leaders
Dysfunction #5 – Inattention to Results

Teams that have an Inattention to Results:

  • Don’t focus on the team as a whole when working on projects
  • Attain personal goals more often than team goals.
  • Fail to develop as a team

What can you do to address it?

  • Have regular meetings to review key metrics
  • Keep a scoreboard of some type that keeps the team updated on tasks that have been completed.

Addressing inattention to results can:

  • Increase the amount of team goals hit
  • Increase team work and minimize individualism in these settings
  • Increase development as a team

All of these dysfunctions take time and effort to resolve. You have to start at the beginning of the five dysfunctions and work your way through them all to create a truly functional team. If you find that your team is exhibiting dysfunctions of one stage and they can’t seem to be overcome, try taking a step back and looking at the dysfunction level before it. You may find that your team’s problem lies there. Sometimes moving backwards is the only way to avoid an obstacle (or dysfunction) and move forward. Use these tips and ideas to work on creating the trusting, highly functioning team that businesses should aim for and see if the research done by the Harvard Business Review rings true for you.

By Chloe Williams

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Op-Ed: Want to be a CMO? Learn to Pivot.

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Learn to Pivot (by Marcy Comer) I’ve spent my career working to get into the C-Suite, because I wanted to have the challenge and opportunities that come from leading a company and being at the top of my discipline. Now in this role, I’m continuing to learn that the secret to making it to, and staying in, the role of CMO is based on learning to pivot.

I grew up playing basketball, and a pivot is a classic move in which the player stops, holds the ball, and looks around for an opening on the court. You can apply this move in your job and your career. It requires you to stop and evaluate potential next moves. You have to stop the daily grind and evaluate. The more you look around, the more opportunity you find to make the next big move. And, making a big move is the way that you help to accelerate your career and the success of your team.

Here are five ways you can actively bring a pivot-first mentality to your career:
  1. Embrace the struggle as an opportunity: Most people avoid the pain of having to learn something new. But, when you take on painful work, you’re relieving the pain for your manager, coworkers, etc. Start finding the fun in learning and it will no longer be a pain; and it will make you a valuable asset in the organization. This is a pivot from just doing your job, to becoming someone who does hard jobs or unwanted jobs can be a big step towards career success. I’m not the only one who believes this: in a survey of more than 50,000 learners who completed MOOCs on Coursera, 72% reported career benefits such as doing their current job more effectively, finding a new job, or receiving a raise.
  2. Be your own futurist: Find out what’s on the horizon from people that are already respected and be that person for your circle; this means staying on top of news, ideas and conversations and learning from leaders in various fields. The only way to see which way to pivot is to be paying attention to the ever changing horizon and landscape around your business. CNBC has listed “futurism” as the number one skill for leaders.
  3. Don’t just talk about it, try to apply it: Get a trial of a new product, sign up for a course on it and experience the new thing for yourself. Bring it to your organization with your own point of view. Recently I spent a lot of time learning ChatGPT because I wanted to understand how it could impact the marketing function and what it could do to help the aerial imagery business, EagleView, where I work. I was able to apply those learnings to improve business processes, by pivoting to embrace the future, I was able to then lead others within the company on the new tech.
  4. Get better at your weaknesses: A weakness is only a weakness until you make it a strength. The pivot is in skill but also it is mental: if you believe a weakness can be turned into a strength, you will. Once I was in the final stages for a marketing role I really wanted but I didn’t get it because they said I didn’t have enough B2B experience. So I went out and learned as much as I could about it, started consulting companies as a B2B marketer and turned it into a strength. 77% of organizations report they are currently experiencing a leadership gap. Fewer than 20% of organizations have a bench of capable leaders ready to fill critical roles. You have to improve your areas of weakness to step into leadership roles.
  5. Don’t believe everything people tell you: People will always try to put you into a bucket, because it is easier for them if you are exactly who and what they think of you as. However, the pivot is to make sure that you don’t believe people who aren’t seeing your pathway to success. Once, I had a terrible manager at Amazon who kept telling me I needed to learn SQL to get ahead. While coding is definitely a weakness that I *could* get better at, what CMOs are writing SQL every day?

There are similarities between these examples and all of them ladder up to mindset. The key to bringing the pivot forward is to be constantly learning, understanding the world around you and then leveraging that knowledge to help those within your team and company. The more you scale and grow yourself, the better you will be able to find roles that interest you and a career with exponential growth opportunities.

Marcy Comer is the CMO of the EagleView Commercial Business, a role she stepped into after leadership roles at Amazon, Sears, 7-Eleven, Dosh, and Spruce. As a leader who has worked across B2B, B2C, B2B2C and D2C, she has developed a perspective for herself and her team on what it takes to succeed. Her unconventional approach is this: focus on the pivot.

(Guest Contribution: The opinions and views of guest contributions are not necessarily those of theglasshammer.com).

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The Guilt Gap: Why Women Feel More Guilt Than Men and How to Overcome It

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the guilt gapThe guilt gap doesn’t just affect individuals. When researchers asked men and women to list reasons they typically feel guilty, women listed more than men when considering their personal and professional lives.

If you share that internalized guilt, it doesn’t have to follow you around forever. Learn more about why the guilt gap exists and how to overcome it.

1. Feeling Rushed to Achieve Milestones?

Everyone’s felt the pressure to reach a big milestone. Whether that’s graduating from college, landing your dream job or starting a family, the stress can lead to guilt when you don’t accomplish those things quickly.

You’re not alone if the pressure stresses you out. A recent survey found 40% of Americans feel like they haven’t reached their life milestones fast enough. When stress turns into guilt, it’s time to shift your perspective.

Solution: Focus on Your Accomplishments

Recognizing and celebrating your accomplishments can reverse the guilt that may come with working toward long-term goals. Instead of looking at your timeline negatively, reflect on how many incredible things you’ve done in the meantime. Setting aside time to do this regularly could battle your guilt on your journey toward your goals.

2. Feeling a Sense of Competition?

Women may feel a more significant guilt gap in the workplace if there’s a toxic environment. A sense of competition among co-workers can be healthy — unless it becomes all-consuming. The result is a sense of frustration that may lead to guilty worries that you’re never doing enough to be worthy of your spot on your team.

Research backs the reality of women feeling pushed or called to do more in their jobs. A recent study found women have significantly higher corporate social responsibility than men — especially in the first decade or two of their careers.

Solution: Practice Saying No

Telling someone no means you’re reserving time for your mental health. You’ll have less stress, which might be the primary factor intensifying your guilt.

However, you might also feel guilty when you say no to someone. It’s easy to think spreading yourself thin is healthy because it helps others. In reality, it only leads to burnout that takes the joy from your daily life.

Practice saying no to little things and work up to bigger things. It’s a healthy way to value your time and mental health. Use your reserved time for more practical efforts, like self-care habits or resting. There will always be other opportunities to grow or help others when your guilt and stress aren’t draining your energy.

3. Feeling Guilty About Your Self-Care?

When parts of your life feel unmanageable or outside your control, the daily stress and anxiety can negatively affect your mental health. Self-care is a helpful resource to reduce that stress, but you might feel guilty about taking time for yourself.

Researchers found that 19% of single women feel selfish for setting aside time for their self-care. The same research concluded that 86% of married women feel the same way. Selfish feelings can come with extra guilt because you don’t want to let anyone down by spending time on yourself.

Solution: Pursue Healing With Self-Care

Life isn’t always perfect for anyone, so you’ll need self-care to maintain your mental health at any age. This guilt that comes with taking time for yourself can be extra exhausting if you’re one of the 31% of millennials with depression or another mental health condition.

It’s harder to process and release lingering stress when your mental health feels frayed. Self-care habits ensure you’re putting your needs first so things like stress and anxiety don’t degrade your quality of life.

Consider which activities or habits might relax you the most. An evening walk, an aromatherapy diffuser or an adult coloring book could reduce the anxiety triggering your guilt. Research shows self-care behaviors are equally effective at home compared to socialized environments. You don’t need to attend an in-person yoga class or exercise group to improve your mental health.

Starting healthier self-care habits may require the hard work of setting your negative feelings aside. As you get used to prioritizing your needs, the sense of selfishness and corresponding guilt will fade with practice.

4. Feeling Guilty for Pursuing Your Career?

Whether through messages they receive from loved ones, movies or TV shows, women can feel pressured to have specific chapters in their lives. People might have celebrated you starting a career after graduating college, but eventually, they started talking about when you would get married, settle down and start a family.

Those things can bring some women immense joy. Other women want to focus on their careers. When you’re caught in the middle, research shows gender stereotypes trigger guilt when women work longer hours and pursue their careers more purposefully. This specific guilt may feel impossible to overcome, but it’s manageable if you prioritize your dreams.

Solution: Cheer Yourself Toward Your Goals

Overcoming this guilt requires daily work, but it could bring you peace. Commit to cheering yourself on when you wake up each day. Everyone has the right to live a life that makes them happy — career-oriented people are no exception to that rule.

If you aren’t sure which path will make you most happy, consider making a pros-and-cons list. Compare potential futures and listen to your gut instinct. Whichever seems most enjoyable to you will give you the confidence you need to overcome this particular type of guilt.

5. Feeling Like You Can’t Make Mistakes?

When women carry immense responsibilities, letting one of them fall to the side can feel devastating. Guilt may crop up when simple mistakes happen because you don’t want to let anyone down.

One study found that women feel more guilt when they don’t care for their loved ones efficiently. Making mistakes of all sizes account for 10.5% of the reasons participants felt guilty every day. It was the largest mistake category for both men and women, with women feeling the worst about mistakes that compromised their loved ones’ care.

Although no one wants to make mistakes purposefully, the stress of fearing mistakes isn’t healthy. People make accidental bad choices every day. No one can live a life without doing things they regret.

Solution: Look for the Lesson

It’s much easier to use this guilt positively when you reflect on your mistakes. See if you can learn a lesson from the moments that make guilt follow you like a shadow. Was there something you could have done differently? If so, make a purposeful commitment to avoid the same mistake in the future. Acknowledge how your guilt helped you learn and let it go.

If you can’t find a lesson from your guilt, that’s fine, too. It won’t always appear after a learning opportunity. When that happens, it may help to thank your instincts for trying to learn and help you grow. Let your mind know everything’s OK so it can relax. It may ease your guilt back to a manageable level where you can release it or let it passively simmer until it evaporates.

Start Erasing the Guilt Gap

Guilt could make you feel locked into place or shamed away from your dreams. Overcome it by recognizing the source of your guilt and the little truth it holds. It takes courage and bravery to fight internalized misogyny, but it’s possible with a daily commitment to making life more enjoyable for yourself.

Mia Barnes is a freelance writer and researcher who specializes in mental wellbeing and workplace wellness. Mia is also the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Body+Mind magazine, an online women’s health publication.

(The opinions and views of guest contributions are not necessarily those of theglasshammer.com).

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