Written by: Ciara Banerji, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
In my previous Brainz article, I spoke about Venus Rising in the workplace. How the corporate world is changing for the better as the power of feminine leadership is being acknowledged and championed, but there is still a long way to go.
But what do I really mean by “feminine energy”?
Today, I’m going to explore that and provide a breakdown of how you can immediately start to bring the power of your feminine energy into your leadership at work.
The concept of masculine and feminine energy has a long history in many cultures and many Eastern philosophies. Finding the balance between these two complementary forces is key to bringing harmony to your life. In Western thought, the psychoanalyst Carl Jung describes how humans may embody the feminine or masculine but contain the other. Modern-day brain science suggests that whilst consistent differences between brains according to biological sex are limited, some may favor ‘systemizing’ ways of thinking and others ‘ empathizing ways of thinking. There tends to be a gender bias towards one versus the other.
The important point is that we all encompass both masculine and feminine qualities, but these are helpful constructs in understanding certain groups of traits. It can be exhausting to be constantly only in one mode, whether a man or woman, especially if that limits us from our most authentic, natural way of being.
Whilst it is increasingly recognized that great leadership actually requires balance and that manifesting feminine traits is beneficial, for many of us ‘trained’ in the masculine paradigm, it can require deliberate effort to step into our feminine energy in the workplace.
That’s why I’m going to outline some of the most important ways you can harness feminine superpowers at work, whatever your gender.
1. Connecting, not commanding.
One of the most natural feminine qualities is in forging friendships. Women are often skilled at developing bonds between themselves and others and may not even be aware of the instinctive abilities that allow them to do so. This includes actively listening to others and empathizing with what they say - putting themselves in their shoes on an emotional level.
Being able to genuinely connect with people, whether direct reports or colleagues, makes garnering people’s cooperation much more straightforward. It’s simply a lot easier to persuade someone to do something if they like you and respect you!
Here are some ideas to help you create meaningful connections:
Be willing to show vulnerability - share a story of a time when things didn’t go so well for you, and how you were able to overcome it, or what you learned through failure.
Expand relationships - go out of your way to get to know people you may not work with day to day: share a joke, find something in common, and have a chat at the coffee machine. These may seem trivial, but if connecting isn’t a habit in a masculine-charged workplace, these small interactions can start a shift.
Demonstrate trust, give credit - the most effective leaders give their teams scope to try things their way, even when you might have chosen differently. Make it clear that you are open to new ideas and approaches and offer praise generously for successes or innovations.
2. Champion other women.
It’s unfortunate that women can be other women’s harshest critics and can be especially quick to call out those who ‘behave’ in ways that are out of the accepted norm. Who hasn’t heard female politicians described as too strident, or on the other side, too soft?
As a female or male leader in business, you can use your limelight to inspire others and to champion other women by:
Call out other women’s success or effort - make it a deliberate policy to openly compliment female co-workers on achievements or instances where they stepped up or outside their comfort zone. Highlight them to other senior staff or HR where possible.
Give space to women in meetings - women notoriously tend to speak up less in meetings and may even find themselves spoken over. Whenever you hold meetings, pay particular attention to ensuring that the women in the room are given a chance to share and are encouraged to do so.
Provide growth opportunities - as a leader in an organization. You might have the ability to grant opportunities for women in earlier stages of their careers, whether that is simply shadowing a more senior member of staff or promoting structured coaching programs for women. Set out a growth pathway when/if women get to the stage of starting a family that works for everyone.
3. Play, create and shine!
One of the surest ways to bring out your natural feminine energy is by getting playful, creative, and seeing your ability to shine as an inspiration for others. You don’t have to work in a creative profession to introduce these qualities to your workplace. But you can be sure that you will lower stress levels by doing so and improve problem-solving and productivity.
Just by bringing a feeling of excitement to your day, offering an encouraging smile, or joking around, you can foster a sense of fun, as well as:
Introduce play to projects — even where a project might seem routine, there is always scope for creatively, for example, make a time for the team to consider how they might do an aspect of the work differently, or run a ‘namestorm’ to come up with a fun or creative internal name for a product or piece of work.
Create rituals for celebration — celebrate small team successes together by ringing a bell or high fives. Major milestones come up with surprise rewards like gift cards, funny t-shirts, or ordering pizza.
Do you — be comfortable as yourself at work, whether that’s wearing your most vibrant clothes, telling jokes, or sharing openly. Drop the persona, and let your true self show.
Shine and receive — Start to see your ability to shine as an inspiration for other women, collaborate, lead, show confidence and pride in what you have achieved so others may follow in your footsteps. If you are a male leader, create the platform for women to be acknowledged as powerfully as men.
Whatever your corporate or business culture, there are always opportunities to bring feminine qualities to your workplace consciously. I know that those that make the shift and create that authentic balance will be the leaders and companies to thrive in the future.
Ciara Banerji, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Ciara is an accomplished mindset and peak performance coach, working with professionals and corporate leaders on a global basis to deliver transformational growth. Ciara's mission is to see people THRIVE and not just survive. She believes that people can reach their full potential in a way that promotes their mental stability and their happiness. Ciara is the Director of Liston Ferry Partnership Ltd, a company leading in the field of successful professional, personal and corporate transformations. Ciara coaches ambitious professionals and entrepreneurs to identify beliefs that are holding them back and permanently shift them, unlocking their strategies for change and propelling them to action. She also works with forward-thinking Corporations to put in place programs to support more women to reach the top and improve mindfulness throughout the workplace. Ciara draws on her Psychotherapy and Neuro-linguistic Programming training in her coaching practice, on top of her personal experience as a corporate high-flier turned business owner, wife, and mum!
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