4 Top Challenges of Women Leaders and How To Overcome Them

4 Top Challenges of Women Leaders and How To Overcome Them

Indra Nooyi. Chanda Kocchar. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw. And many more are showing that women have what it takes to assume leadership positions in business. Not that it’s easy. Getting to the upper echelons of the world of business is tough—all the more so for women because they face special circumstances. Presenting the biggest hurdles and ways to overcome them:

The last thing you want to do is to create challenges for yourself. Believe in yourself.

Internal challenges can present the biggest barriers to the success of working women. Many years of social conditioning, of playing second fiddle to men, can give rise to an inner voice that may discourage a woman from getting outside her comfort zone and leading from the front. It’s common for women to lose faith in their own abilities. 

“I used to feel that others are way better than me, and as a result, I would underplay my capabilities,” reminisces Nupur Gupta, co-founder of Alchemy Furniture.

“Women are more likely to experience the fear of failure, especially if family support isn’t forthcoming,” opines Parushni Aggarwal Gupta, owner & creative director of Studio Creo, an interior solutions store based in Delhi. If you had it in you to conceptualise a business, if you managed to climb the corporate ladder to where you are, you’ve got what it takes to go much further. So let no weak idea bring you down. “It’s possible to slowly train your mind to believe in yourself. Today, I march ahead with full confidence,” shares Gupta.

People may doubt your capabilities. Focus on getting the job done.

As a woman, you have every right to expect certain privileges—such as men offering you a chair, holding the door open for you, etc. However, don’t let gender get in the way beyond that. Don’t expect your male co-workers (or female colleagues, for that matter) to accept your word by default. They will come round when they see your abilities. So focus on getting the job done. It’s been 13 years since Saheba Singh founded design firm This Is It Designs and she still meets people who doubt her capabilities.

“They start meetings with a smirk on their faces, which is basically to say ‘what will this woman know’...   I enjoy watching that smirk fade as we get on with business.”

Gender stereotypes exist even in the minds of lower cadres. Singh has faced an uphill battle to get labour to take instructions from her. “When I started, let alone listen, most labourers wouldn’t even acknowledge me when I said something,” she recollects. “You lose your cool a few times; you tackle the situation tactfully at times. Gradually, they accept that you know your stuff.”

Co-workers will fixate on gender. Make your specialties count.

Proving your expertise is one thing. Proving gender stereotypes wrong can be even tougher. “People think women enter business just to keep themselves busy for a part of the day, as a side to family duties, rather than a bona fide business,” says Gupta.

“People think women leaders are less effective than men. That women shouldn’t be in business because it isn’t safe,” says Dr Som Singh, founder of Unspun Consulting Group, a digital marketing and PR consultancy.

Persistence pays great rewards. Women must also know how to value qualities that gender stereotypes show to be weaknesses. “People thought I was weak and emotional,” says Dr Singh. “But emotion isn’t a bad thing. It brings sensitivity to decision-making. It creates room for balance and diplomacy, and a softer management style that carries everyone along,” she adds. Most women would not be able to pull off practicing a masculine aggressive style of management. Besides, how long can you pretend to be someone you are not? As challenging as it is, women must strike a balance between listening to their emotions and taking hard decisions to improve business results.

Find your work-life balance. Show your detractors how to multitask.

There’s no denying that time management is harder for women because they are expected to bear more responsibility at home. “People assume you won’t travel, won’t be available on site if needed at odd hours, will have a whole set of ‘at home’ kind of issues to deal with that will interfere or hinder with work,” says Singh (Saheba). It gets tougher for moms holding positions of authority or running businesses. They must employ more help at home. If that weren’t enough, a whole set of preconceived notions apply to mothers. Dr Singh’s experience is some people see mothers as incompetent. “Actually, being a mother makes women more patient toward overbearing male egos and hyper personalities,” she says. It takes time, effort and patience to change negative mindsets. “When your co-workers see your commitment, things change. One happy day, your reputation will precede you,” reassures Singh.
 

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