‘Like a girl’ has always been a phrase which implies not good enough, not strong enough, not powerful enough, not daring enough, not serious enough, not quite there yet. On the contrary, when women express assertive personality treats, they are often called ‘bossy’ (with a negative connotation). If you have worked in a male dominated environment, you have probably heard the advice ‘do it like a dude’ or ‘stop being such a girl’…
Regardless of the stigma behind the phrase ‘like a girl’ there are a number of reasons why doing it ‘like a girl’ can help you advance your career.
1. Women are more emotionally intelligent
It has been proven that when building a successful career emotional intelligence is more important than IQ. Emotional intelligence (EI) has four parts: self-awareness, managing our emotions, empathy, and social skill. Most tests measuring emotional intelligence show that women tend to have an edge over men when it comes to these basic skills for a happy and successful life. That edge may matter more than ever in the workplace, as more companies are starting to recognise the advantages of high EI, especially for positions like sales, team success and effective team leadership.
2. Women are better at multitasking
According to some of the latest studies in multitasking in the workplace men were slower and less organised than women when switching rapidly between tasks.
Multitasking is essential in 2016, says Dr Gijsbert Stoet, of the University of Glasgow. Modern offices require people to switch fast from one device to another. It can be very distracting so it requires great organisation skills and the ability to stay focused on what you do.
3. Women are more resilient and determined
We all remember Charlotte Whitton’s statement that “Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good.”
New research by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Co. found out that although women and men say they want to be promoted in about equal numbers (75% and 78% respectively), women are significantly less likely to make it to the next tier in their organisation. Women develop extreme resilience and determination to deal with obstacles and rejection because of the challenges they face reaching the top. Maybe this is the reason why in 2016 some of the most influential people in the world are women.
4. Women are better leaders
Dr. Alice Eagly, a top scholar on gender and leadership, recently published her studies which show that women are more likely than men to possess the leadership qualities that are associated with success. Her study shows that women are more transformational than men. It has been found that women care more about developing a strong relationship with followers, listening to them and stimulating them to think ‘outside the box’. The study suggests that women are perceived as more inspirational and ethical than men. Dr. Bernard Bass, who developed the current theory of transformational leadership, predicts that in the future women leaders will dominate simply because they are better suited to 21st century management than are men.
Doing it ‘like a girl’ should be encouraged in 21st century. Always ‘Like a Girl’ campaign won the outstanding Commercial Emmy Award in 2015 because it reminded women that doing it ‘like a girl’ means doing it to the best of your abilities. ‘Like a girl’ is so much more than a phrase, it’s a mindset and once we get rid of this mindset, we will unleash the unstoppable power of women around the world.
