I read a piece in Forbes a while ago that I can’t stop thinking about…
Women Who Support Women Are More Successful
I personally know the power in women coming together to support women. Maybe you know it too. It’s a belief I built The Huddle on, and what I continue to see manifest itself in the impact of real generosity and learning that happens in safe, feminine, ambitious spaces.
Reading this article was so validating. Study after study shows that women who support women are objectively more successful. “New research in the Harvard Business Review finds that while both men and women benefit from having a network of well-connected peers across different groups, women who also have an inner circle of close female contacts are more likely to land executive positions with greater authority and higher pay, while there was no link found for the success of men in terms of the gender composition of their inner circles.”.
So it’s clear now that it’s not just about how good it feels being supported by other women, enjoying girls night out and networking events. It’s objectively one of the best things you can do for your business and career. Time to prioritize it! To be honest, in the past I’ve felt bad prioritizing female business friendships. Another night out away from my family spent strategizing and networking with other female business owners was landing in the GNO category. I don’t anymore. Obviously there’s balance and my family and marriage is still top priority, but building those relationships with other female founders and business owners is a close second.
Erica Keswin, founder of the Spaghetti Project says is best. “Does your calendar reflect your values? A lot of time it doesn’t, not because we’re bad people, but because we have so much on our plates. Ask yourself, ‘Are relationships important and why?”
I love the idea of looking at our calendar and asking if it reflects our values. How much time are we spending in areas that aren’t really important to us? Can we make small adjustments to align our schedule back to our values?
Whose on your team? Whose in your squad? If you don’t have one, create one or join one!
(Images here by Nicole Breanne from our Micro Huddle at Alt Summit last week)
