March/April, 2024  

Standing Your Ground to be Heard in Your Career

Kay Fittes, April, 2024

If you don’t watch out, your voice can be rolled over, just like a steam roller smashing everything in its path.  You’ve seen steam rollers on the highway, machines with giant rollers that flatten everything in their path.  You don’t want to be smashed.  I am presenting a workshop on this issue at a conference at the end of April.  Talking with a client, I happened to mention the workshop topic and she commented that this is a significant problem in her workplace.  She suggested I write a newsletter about this – here you go!  What does it mean to go “Toe to Toe”?

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Kay’s Consulting Corner

Each month in this section, Kay offers actionable career consulting tips.

Amplifying Your Voice

1. Identify allies and amplifiers.  Who can you partner with to call out your comments and ideas that get stepped on?  If you are interrupted or ignored, this simply means they state something like this:  “I’d like to hear the rest of what Gina was saying.”  “Gina had an innovative idea, let’s hear more.”  Remember, you must step up and reciprocate.  Taking turns in an ally or amplifying role is essential.  When it’s only one woman speaking out, she is often ignored.  When it is multiple women speaking out, it becomes a movement.  Remember, it took a tidal wave of women speaking out to create the “ME, TOO” movement.  Don’t go it alone.
   
   
2. Identify and practice responses.  Don’t wing it when responding to negative comments.  Type out exactly what you want to say and record yourself expressing it.  How do you sound?  You may come across sounding authoritative, determined, and confident!  It’s also possible you may sound diffident, weak willed, or uncertain.  The more you practice these responses outside of the situation the better.  Keep practicing until you have nailed it.  The next step is to practice it with a trusted partner.  I do this with clients frequently, together we create responses to demeaning comments and practice until she comes across with the strength and power.
   
   
3. Identify personal stereotypes.  Women are a product of the same culture as men.  Other females can perpetrate bias and stereotypes, too.  You may hear yourself use words about other women like bossy, catty, and power-hungry.  Would you use those words regarding a man?  Don’t beat yourself up!  Resolve to unlearn learned gender offenses.  You can be part of the solution and not part of the problem.  It’s not just saying words like this aloud that perpetuates stereotypes.  Recognizing stereotypes in your thoughts is equally important.
   

Are you struggling to be heard at work?  Is your career stalled because of steam rolling behavior?  Do you walk out of meetings frustrated and feeling defeated?  It does not have to be this way.  Coaching could be a crucial tool for you.  We can schedule a 45-minute complimentary telephone consultation to determine if High-Heeled Success coaching might turn the tide for you.  Email kay@highheeledsuccess.com or call (513) 561-4288 to schedule a time to talk.

Testimonial – Celeste Giordano

“As a business owner and sales team leader for decades, I saw firsthand how women can be at a disadvantage in professional settings.  Kay empowers her coaching clients to find their power and harness it to achieve higher salaries, promotions, and greater opportunities in the workplace.  If you have the opportunity to see Kay in action as a speaker, don’t miss it.  She gives profound insights and action steps you can take right away to step over obstacles to remarkable success.”

Celeste Giordano
Consultant, Business Coach, and Speaker
Web:  Celeste Giordano

High-Heeled Success^® supports Dress for Success through donations of clothing, time and money.  We offer complimentary seats at every workshop for women participating in the Dress for Success program.

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