22 Apr Owning your “feminine” strengths

Trait 3: Admitting Imperfection

Sometimes when someone asks too many questions or indicates that they do not know something, it is taken as a sign that the person asking the questions doesn’t know their job. I have often seen men in my organization ‘winging it’ if they don’t know something rather than asking for clarification. I have also seen that women are often not afraid to ask questions if they don’t understand something or if they are not clear on a course of action. This leads women to perform a task better than others who might be hesitant to ask either because of their egos or because such behavior from ‘men’ is taken as a weakness in the workplace. On the other hand it is almost expected from a woman to ask more questions. I say we use this perception and get as much information as we can. Although I recommend making sure that you sound confident even while you ask questions.

In my experience, women also own up to their mistakes more easily. They are not afraid to show their ‘weaknesses’ and as a result, are better able to learn from them. While it’s good to admit a mistake, always be ready to learn what could you have done differently. You can ask this of your team leader or a trusted colleague. This will enable you to a) not make the same mistake again, b) become more innovative and creative and c) earn respect from your colleagues as a responsible and accountable person. In fact, I’ve found that it’s a good idea to ask after every project, what could I have done to make it even better.  

Whatever you feel your ‘feminine’ or ‘weaker’ qualities  are, own them. Share them, talk about them, realize them, and most importantly, let them shine. After all, these are the qualities that can ultimately get you on the top of that leaderboard.

So what other qualities do you think are perceived as a weakness? Leave them in the comments below.

“Drashti Shah is a self-proclaimed micro-managing perfectionist, and a chaotic bookworm who still manages to work on time and work very well. She has a love for all things well written, designed and doodled, and a Post Graduate Degree in Business Entrepreneurship. An experienced writer and a finalist in the Peter Drucker Essay Challenge for Management, she fulfills her love for writing by freelancing as a blogger, content writer and editor. She specializes in writing and speaking for women empowerment, productivity and feminism. As an unapologetic feminist she believes in equal opportunity for all the sexes and is a member of AWID, a global organization working for women’s rights. As a major multi-tasker herself, she also believes that real productivity is discovering your work pattern so that you can maximize your time for both, work and play. She also creates web copies & blogs that convert, for B2B and B2C organizations by providing content, illustrations and graphics that gain customer attention and increase search engine visibility. When she is not being scared of the dark or with her nose in a book, she can be found glued to her laptop churning out content or watching dog videos.”

You can explore her work at www.thepurplescript.com and reach her at drashti@thepurplescript.com