Managing and Encouraging Women Employees

Let’s face it – men and women are different. The differences between men and women are both physical and mental—as the manager, it’s up to you to encourage the work performance of both parties equally. Today we want to focus only on women and how you can step up at your work place. The battle still exists in the corporate world between men and women, but we want to help bridge that gap.

Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, believes every woman should keep these three ideas in mind if she wishes to move ahead in the corporate world and overcome the differences.

1.) Sit at the table

2.) Make your partner a real partner

3.) Don’t leave before you leave

Let’s break down what women can do to reach the top and how you, as their manager, can help them further their career.

1. Sit at the table. As a female in a male dominated arena, it can be intimidating to take a front row seat at a company meeting. Don’t be afraid! Be front, center, and share your opinions and ideas confidently. Women’s gravest mistake is sitting back and staying quiet when they also have amazing ideas.

2. Make your partner a real business partner. When you think you’ve found that solid business relationship, talk to them and explain your long and short-term goals. Your partner should understand that you have aspirations that you wish to accomplish. He or she should be ready to support you, not hold you back. This could be a co-worker, mentor, or manager.

3. Don’t leave before you leave. Looks like a typo, doesn’t it? What Sandberg means by this is that women have the tendency to plan their futures too far in advance. This can be detrimental to their workplace ambition because many times women are planning for instances that haven’t happened yet. Women begin pulling away, stop going the extra mile, and don’t apply for promotions because of their perceived future plans. Don’t get caught up in the tomorrow of every situation. Keep your hand raised, fuel your drive, and continually build your confidence—there’s no reason to leave your job mentally before you’ve left it physically.

Sandberg’s advice is spot on for those women in the corporate world wishing to gain a leading position in their company and show performance improvement. As a manager, you can help encourage both parties equally to strive for their potential and take risks they might have not thought of would be possible.

Lastly, discover how WorkCompass’s AI Virtual Coaching Assistant can help elevate your employees performance and request a demo today.