This job was a huge part of my life, I was so proud to be on the executive team. I felt proud of my boss, proud that we were in a business that is generally viewed as crooked, and shady, yet we were doing bigger and better things.
And then it happened.
I shared an idea I had. The then CEO looked at me and said, ‘Oh, that’s really cute Katy, but sweetie that’s not the direction we are going’. Uh, say what?
Now, I’m a pretty tough cookie, and working in the automotive world had encouraged me to grow a thicker skin, but the reality is… I EARNED my spot at that boardroom table, just like the other people did, and yet I didn’t see any of them called ‘Sweetie’.
So, it leads me to question, is it still a man’s world? Now, please don’t get me wrong. I love men. In fact, I’m married to a pretty incredible one, and I also have one who happens to be my son. I was also raised by a wonderful man. In fact, as a young girl I remember hearing my father often say, ‘We need more women to take on important roles in this world.’ My dad was a Sergeant in the Winnipeg Police force- he is an incredible man.
I believe Men are wonderful. So then why, why are we still going backwards with gender equality issues in a time where we should all be truly celebrated for each of our own giftings we bring to the table.
It is a fact today, that women earn $.87 to a man’s dollar. I’m perplexed here, as I don’t see how this makes sense. We work just as hard, we show up, we do the job.
Women make up 1/2 the world’s population, yet there are far fewer leadership/CEO opportunities for women. There are still an overwhelmingly low number of female leaders in the world, and again, this is something that puzzles me, and I hope it puzzles you.
Personally, I believe that many women are far better suited to many leadership roles within our country than our counterparts. I believe this because many women are gifted with empathy, many women are managing homes, children and aging parents, and their careers. They have become masters at multi tasking, prioritizing and understanding and appreciating the many different types of people and their situations.
We can certainly thank many powerful women who are bringing this issue to light and have been doing so for years. Oprah Winfrey, Geena Davis, Cheryl Sandberg, Dr. Maya Angelou and many more. I certainly salute these women; however there is much more work to be done. Perhaps we need to take a closer look at ourselves and wonder, ‘Are we doing our part? Perhaps we are contributing to the issue, perhaps without knowing?’.
It’s interesting to me. As women, we apologize for getting feisty at work. For some reason, we feel the need to say sorry. Perhaps we should practice being unapologetic. If we cry, maybe because we feel empathy, frustration or even happiness, we often are considered weak, or labelled ‘emotional’. The funny thing is, more often than not, when a man cries, his level of respect goes up considerably, and many of us all say in unison ‘awwwwww, what a good man’. Could it be our own behaviors holding us back?
Here’s another interesting finding. A young girl in the playground who is demonstrating some behaviors of ‘taking charge’ may be labelled as ‘bossy’. The same young boy in the playground who is demonstrating the same behavior could be considered ‘driven’ or a ‘natural born leader’.
Let’s dive into some self-examination.
Sometimes self-examination can be tough. I remember having a young female working for me. At our office, the dress code was fairly casual, however whenever a new client or potential client was visiting the office this employee upped her game. And I mean ‘upped her game’. The heels were higher, the skirt was shorter and the sweater was tighter. I never quite understood it, and to be very honest, I didn’t quite know how to handle it. It made me feel uncomfortable. But what I was most uncomfortable with, was the fact that she didn’t get it. She didn’t realize that she was disrespecting herself. To me, it was clear that she didn’t value herself, her intelligence enough …she had to use her body to get the attention.
Others areas of self-examination may sting a wee bit as well. Are we selling ourselves short as women? I’m wondering if it’s possible that we allow ourselves to be treated differently, or if we raise our children differently, that perhaps we have different standards for our sons as opposed to our daughters.
I believe it is imperative that together we work hard to use our brains instead of our beauty. I remember years ago I delivered a keynote in Zimbabwe, and my topic was ‘Building a Woman of Beauty and Brains’.
There in the heart of Africa my message to these incredible, strong and gifted women was to USE your giftings, to use your STRENGTHS, to raise other women up, to empower other women, to honor your husbands, but to first honor yourselves…. because that is beautiful. That is a woman of beauty and brains.
As women we have incredible gifts and incredible beauty, and we must use it accordingly, in the right situations. Not for advancement, or manipulation, or for self-serving purposes. Eye candy is just that, eye candy. It is not respected, nor will it serve us well.
Thus, double standards simply won’t work here.
What is the solution? What is the solution to gender equality? I really don’t know. But I know that we can all do our part today.
We need to respect and honour ourselves to know that we are ENOUGH. We need to use our voices.
We can work hard to empower and raise other women up, we can stand up for what is right and what is wrong. Isn’t it better to be a woman who raises others up instead of tear them down?
We can respectfully demand we be treated and PAID the same at our next job, we can be mindful of gender bias advertising, and teach others the truth about gender equality.
We can teach our sons, and our daughters that we are equal. We are equal.
We can honor our strengths, in fact, let’s celebrate them together!
One of the most important human needs is to feel valued. What if we became consciously aware to add value to others, including our wonderful counterparts?
This is what I know. The more we focus on our own growth, our own strengths, our own behaviors, we will improve over time. It is thru that improvement that we will be leaders to others, we will inspire others, we will encourage others to do likewise.
I’ve got a superpower!
Huh? Let me explain. Firstly, I believe very strongly that everyone has a superpower…we might just not know it yet.
We do know this, your strengths are UNIQUE to you, and you alone. In fact, if we were to take a look at your strengths profile, you will find you’re beautifully unique. 1 in 33 million people will share the strengths line up as you.
Let’s back up a wee bit. Dr.Clifton, who developed Strengthsfinder discovered that we all carry 34 talents within us, all at different degrees of course.
Our Top 5 are the ones that show up the most in our everyday lives. However, these are natural talents, and only…ONLY when we begin to uncover and discover what those talents are, and INVEST in them, do they become Strengths. Makes sense? We need to put a name to those talents.
Think of it like a muscle. We all have muscle. But only when we flex that muscle, and spend time to build and train particular muscles groups, we see results. The same holds true for our talents.
The awesome thing about talents is that they hold massive potential for us. It’s through our talents where we can really dive into our greatest potential for success.
So, once we take the time to discover, uncover, invest, build and nurture our talents, we can then begin to reap the rewards.
Back to the superpower. I love this. And I love superpowers, in fact I love just saying the word, ‘SUPERPOWER’!
When we are really dialed in and aware of our talents and the talents of our team, and with the help of a skilled coach, we can really start to seek out those SUPERPOWERS. How EMPOWERING is that?
Here’s an example, we just coached someone with Activator and Achiever in her Top 5.
Hello! I see a winner here…
People with strong Activator talents are super impatient for action. They can make things happen by turning thoughts/ideas into actions. They make decisions quickly. They are usually influencers.
People with strong Achiever talents have a constant need for completion. It’s almost like they have a fire burning within them – they MUST accomplish something at the end of each day.
Enter Superpower. This person really is a MASTER at getting things DONE. This person can not only masterfully influence a team, an organization or even a country, but this person can also EXECUTE beautifully.
Thus, she can START and FINISH something. Hello SUPERPOWER.
This is where skilled and purposeful coaches help open the door to each of our own potential and more importantly, our Superpowers.
What’s your Superpower?
Whether you're young or old, or have children or not, September feels like the start of a "new year." There is an immediate shift in gears with planning and organizing during the initial flurry of activity that the start of Fall brings.
As nature begins to spiral inward, there is an opportunity for us to do the same. So if it's "back to school," "back to you," "back to routine," or "back to basics," whatever you decide to call it, take some time to reflect on how you would like your Fall season to unfold.
Gone are the unstructured and spontaneous days of Summer in exchange for more rhythm and routine of Fall. Just like a breath, Summer represents the "breath out" and Fall represents the "breath in."
So in the spirit of "breathing in," enjoy my favourite nourishing practices as you switch gears this Fall.
#1 Journal
Take a few moments to record your reflections. As the trees change colour and shed their leaves, ask yourself, "what am I letting go of this fall?" and let the pen flow.
Steep a warm cup of tea, cozy up with a blanket, light a candle and read your favourite book. Dust off your crockpot and enjoy simple hearty meals.
#3 Practice your "no" muscle
As the opportunities come flooding in this time of year, learn to say "no." Resist the urge to over-schedule because of a fear of missing out (FOMO). Be deliberate in choosing activities that support you versus deplete you.
#4 Adopt the mantra, "Hmmm, that's interesting..."
Be the calm in the storm of activity that September brings. Observe what's happening around you and allow the mantra, "that's interesting" to be your go-to saying to keep you centered and out of reaction mode and drama.
#5 Unplug and recharge yourself in nature
Invite more clarity into your daily life by simply being in nature. Enjoy the breath-taking scenery as the leaves begin to change colour.
While this "new year" can be a crazy time, don't forget to immerse yourself in the beauty and simplicity that the Fall brings when you allow it. Use these timely energy tools to help you not only survive this transition but to thrive through it as well!
Welcome in Fall with open arms and let her beauty unfold before your very eyes...with grace AND ease.
Leigh Ann makes her home with her family in the Canadian Rocky Mountains where they enjoy a life of balance, simplicity and adventure. Best known as a Certified Feng Shui Practitioner & Abundance Coach, Leigh Ann helps women declutter their life on a physical, mental and spiritual level so they can live a life they love!
Download the FREE Boost Your Energy Now Toolkit to enjoy 10 ways to create "less busy" and "more calm" in your day.
Do you make a difference?
Nobody said making a difference was easy, it can be simple, but it ain’t easy.
To us, at Katy Loewen Co. that’s what leadership means, making a difference. We know that leadership encompasses many things, but ultimately, it’s influence, and making a difference.
The cool thing about Strength/Leadership Coaching, is that we all have these incredible, natural talents, you know, stuff that we are good at naturally. Or stuff that really makes our heart sing…but yet all too often we are forced to work in areas where we don’t shine, where we don’t vibe really high….where we don’t’ excel.
Perhaps our life’s circumstances dictate this, bills to pay, we don’t have the courage or the means to make a change, perhaps things have changed beyond our control, or we are just stuck.
Being stuck sucks.
There is something powerful that happens when you uncover, discover and start really living and leading in your natural strength zone. It’s magical, it’s validating, it’s exciting, it’s exhilarating, it’s rewarding, it’s contagious, it’s beautiful.
Weakness schmeakness. Listen, we all have them, we know we have them. But let’s not obsess about them, or point them out, or lose your coconuts by spending half your life trying to change them. Instead, simply acknowledge them, manage them and move the heck on. It’s all good.
As a Strengths Coaches, we keep it real, and you’ll hear us say this often, 'we help discover more of who you are, not who you are not’.
So, even if you are stuck, or feel you can’t possibly make a difference due to your circumstances, know that you can. You most certainly can.
I encourage you to tap into your strengths today, become keenly aware of the areas in which you can make a difference. If you are in charge of a team, if you are a co-worker, a volunteer, a parent, a friend… ask someone to tell you about their weekend plans – and actually LISTEN to their response. If someone comes into your office and needs something, lift up your head, put your phone down and actually listen. Let someone KNOW how they impacted you this week. This is leadership.
Today, I’ve decided I’m going to rock my Woo (my favourite strength!) today and really embrace my place.
