A Round-Up of Inspiration and Information for Introverted Women Leaders (and Anyone Else Who Will Benefit)

I have decided to mix things up a bit with my blogs and deviate from the usual style from time to time. Some of my thoughts include doing a monthly round up of posts you may have missed, and other information at the beginning of the month; spotlighting members (namely those of you who subscribe to my newsletter and want to be featured - this will also be great for you raising your visibility); featuring women who are making waves to bring about positive change for women and other disadvantaged groups. I would appreciate your feedback and suggestions, so please let me know what you would like me to include, or if there is any particular topic you want me to write about.

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STOP Over Apologising and START Being Assertive

If you overly use apologetic language and missed my recent post about it, here it is:

ACCENT BIAS

This week the Sutton Trust published a report about accent bias following a study they carried out.

They reported that:

⭐️ 29% of senior managers from working class backgrounds have been mocked because of their accent.

⭐️ 46% of employees report higher levels of being mocked or singled out for their accent in a social setting.

⭐️ A hierarchy of accent prestige ranks those who speak the Queen's English the highest and those with an African Caribbean and Indian accent the lowest.

⭐️ Only 10% of the population speak the Queen's English YET they dominate positions of authority.

⭐️ And more..

I coach many clients who are executives and senior leaders for whom English is not their first language who have challenges because of their accent and worry that they're not articulating themselves well enough.

In this video I briefly share some of my thoughts on the matter, as well as an exercise I do with clients who because of their accent, experience imposter syndrome and self-doubt when in board meetings.

What has your experience been of accent bias either for yourself, or what you have observed?

You can access the report here.

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HAVE YOUR SAY

A woman messaged me on LinkedIn and said that she had been for an interview and was told that they liked her, but because she is introverted, they wanted her to justify why they should offer her the role 😡

This highlights the unfavourable bias shown towards introversion in our workplaces.

On a recent podcast interview I was asked whether introverts should change to fit the environment, or should the environment change to fit introverts.

What do you think? I am conducting a poll to see whether people think that introverts should change, or whether the environment should. Take the poll by clicking on the image of the poll, and also let me know in the comments below what you think.

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TIPS FOR POSITIONING YOURSELF FOR PROMOTION

Last month I did a webinar on how to position yourself for promotion, and Maëva Vinet did a post sharing her 5 hot takes from it. If you want to position yourself for promotion, check out her post:

UPCOMING EVENTS

Here are a couple of events I have coming up that you can join right here on LinkedIn. Save the date and put them in your diary, and I look forward to seeing you online:

The way that most meetings are conducted do not enable many introverts to make their best contribution and this is a challenge for many of the introverted leaders that I work with.

With a lot of talk just for the sake of talking, questions being thrown at you and being expected to respond on the spot, doesn't allow for the thinking and processing of information that many introverts prefer.

In this LinkedIn live session, I will share strategies on how you can make meetings more introvert friendly. And if you are introverted, I'll share tips on how to be your best possible self in them.

Click on the image above to register, and be sure to add the event to your calendar, and share it with anyone who will benefit from joining in.

A reported 37% of workers report being treated negatively due to their introversion, rising to 49% in self-identified introverts.

Research also suggests that extroverted employees receive more opportunities at work because their performance is more visible. It is often the case that she/he who shouts the loudest are the ones that get heard, get the recognition, get the reward, and get ahead, with the quieter ones getting overlooked.

With a panel of introverts who are at the top of the game in their fields, this thought provoking discussion will raise awareness about introvert bias and challenge perceptions in order to shift the narrative about introversion in our workplaces.

Whether you are introvert, extrovert, or ambivert, join us in the great debate and share your experience, and discuss how to make our workplaces more inclusive to introversion. Register by clicking on the image above. Make sure you add the event to your calendar, and share it with others who need to listen and join in.

I look forward to you joining me on one of these events.

 

First published on LinkedIn.

If you are an introverted woman and a senior leader and want to increase your confidence, influence and impact, take my free assessment and get a report identifying areas to develop. You can take the assessment here.