{"id":69,"date":"2019-09-29T07:15:50","date_gmt":"2019-09-29T07:15:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/112.196.54.37\/Development\/HeatherBackstrom\/?p=69"},"modified":"2023-07-13T13:15:08","modified_gmt":"2023-07-13T20:15:08","slug":"women-use-improv-to-boost-your-status","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heatherbackstrom.com\/women-use-improv-to-boost-your-status\/","title":{"rendered":"Women: Use Improv To Boost Your Status"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n At a recent networking event, I witnessed the stark difference between how a female lawyer and a male lawyer touted a recent accomplishment. Both are highly respected, with talent beyond reproach. They both head up their own individual burgeoning practices with partners and associates. Both had been named as a Top 50 lawyer in Southern California \u2014 certainly an accolade well deserved and only awarded to the best of the best. When the male attorney introduced himself, he simply stated that he was named as a top attorney. Period. A few minutes later, when the female attorney introduced herself, she said she had also received this accolade, then almost under her breath but still very audibly, said, \u201cI don\u2019t know why.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What? If I could have, I would have hit the replay button so she could omit those self-deprecating words and simply stand in the powerful truth that she had been recognized professionally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n While this isn\u2019t the first time I\u2019ve observed a woman in effect putting herself down, it still sent a shockwave through me. I know from my work as an executive coach that many women struggle with the concept of self-promotion. While it\u2019s 100% factual that this female attorney received a professional accolade, I can imagine that her mentioning it publicly may have felt boastful, so she softened it with the \u201cI don\u2019t know why\u201d disclaimer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s no doubt that engaging in self-promoting activities<\/a> is a delicate balance for women. On the one hand, conveying one\u2019s contributions is associated with professional advancement, yet by doing so, women risk being seen as arrogant and less likable. So what\u2019s a woman to do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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