Woman in business. Particularly in higher positions, you will still find a stronghold of ‘old boys.’ However, female talents are increasingly coming into the spotlight. It is no longer taboo to name female and male talents, no matter how much we remain individual. As long as women are underrepresented in business, higher education and government, it remains a balancing act: remaining yourself and still presenting yourself optimally. Change expert Miranda Kampers provides tools. The business world is on the move. Well, a little bit. Gradually the realization dawns that a row of five old men from an ‘old boys network’ represents more of the same. Companies that ‘mix’ female and male talents score demonstrably better. Even business consultants are talking about a time when female leadership may be able to plug the gaps left by an unbalanced male business model: excessive individualism, lack of coherence, risky entrepreneurship. Then there is the infamous glass ceiling. Not just ideal, because people in positions of power are – proven – inclined to adopt a younger (and therefore often male) version of themselves. Also factual, because the higher segment of the business community in particular assumes that… you have an ‘old style Dragonfly housewife’ at home so that you can complete those sixty hours a week yourself.
Reverse side of the coin
For a long time it was taboo to divide feminine and masculine qualities. We were all human, right? It’s still true, we are human and individual first and foremost. But even scientifically it is demonstrable that, broadly speaking, women and men each bring their own qualities. There is a downside to the female ‘model’. Where masculine qualities are thwarted by overconfidence and risk-taking behavior, women thwart themselves by the other side: self-underestimation and excessive risk aversion. The same applies to beating one’s own drum. While male colleagues are often reluctant to talk about successes and qualities, women are less inclined to flaunt their qualities. However, as long as the most common business model still places an unbalanced emphasis on male qualities, it is important that women take that extra step forward.
Distraction from personal growth and success
Another factor is the female tendency to blend in with the environment and not be so quick to position and profile herself individually. All of the factors mentioned are related to the female tendency to be guided by fear and thoughtfulness. When you are afraid of not being able to win an order, you paralyze yourself instead of showing courage in a sales conversation, says change expert Miranda Kampers in the new book The best version of yourself!. Be willing to do what it takes.
,Don’t adopt a masculine approach,
In that context, Kampers has a perhaps unexpected but very useful warning: Don’t go too far in your approach, don’t think that you can survive by choosing a more masculine approach. Ambition and being a woman can really go together. And the business world expects that too. Be businesslike, but stay close to yourself. So basically: uniting the best of your own feminine sides with addressing any underexposed masculine sides. Not only recommended for women, but also a recipe for success for men, who can underexpose the feminine side. All in all, a great and proven successful endeavor, but: difficult. As a woman you can start to reflect on the toughness and sometimes excessive self-profiling around you, or you can become paralyzed and not take that step forward at all. The trick is to accentuate personal presentation and style where useful, and yet be careful not to be yourself insufficiently – like the previous generation of women who ventured into a male stronghold of bodies of power.
Miranda Kampers
Miranda Kampers is an expert in making values visible. With her company M8 Communicatie she works on the growth of people and organizations. She gives training, workshops and lectures to get enterprising people moving. With her book ‘The best version of yourself!’ Kampers wants to show female professionals how they can create a strong own brand in three steps and thus gain more pleasure and energy at work. The focus is on focusing on your talents and values. Kampers offers tools to determine your own remarkable value and make this part of the personal strategy. But above all, she encourages you to take action yourself to become the best version of yourself.
The book
The best version of yourself!
Miranda KampersSdu Uitgevers (an imprint of Sdu Uitgevers)
ISBN 978 90 5261 886 9 – 192 pages – € 29.95
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