As women, cultural messages have told us to stay quiet, be nice, and go along to get along. Because we have internalized these messages, taking entrepreneurial leadership can feel uncomfortable. Being assertive can feel too “masculine.” While it’s true that a good leader displays empathy, it’s also important to run your business with confidence.
This episode is packed with insights about what leadership skills look like for a female entreprenuer. Pam and Teri talk about finding and honing your unique leadership style, setting appropriate boundaries with your team and clients, and having accountability to yourself and those around you.
We’d love to hear from you. What type of leader are you? What leadership skills would you like to develop? Comment below and let us know!
How Building Entrepreneurial Leadership Skills Can Benefit Your Business
What We Talked About
- Growing your leadership skills as a female business owner [00:00]
- Why being a leader is crucial as a female business owner [01:41]
- Balancing strong leadership with soft skills [03:29]
- Self-awareness: Building teams that complement your weaknesses [05:13]
- Identifying and adjusting your unique leadership style [07:34]
- Learning to be more assertive and how that can help grow your business [09:50]
- Setting proper boundaries between working versus personal relationships [13:07]
- Reluctance to delegate and avoidance of difficult conversations [18:45]
- The importance of networking for leadership development and business growth [21:08]
- Viewing other leaders as role model while maintaining your own leadership style and values [26:28]
- Self-reflection: Holding yourself accountable for your leadership [27:46]
- Making a profit while caring for your team and your customers [32:50]
- Surrounding yourself with people who will hold you accountable [34:50]
- Resources for Building Leadership Skills [36:20]
- This or that: Online networking or in-person networking [37:58]
Key Insights
- “I think ultimately you have to operate your business from a place of leadership because you are the boss, whether that comes naturally or not, it’s your business and you have to make the decision. And if you are going to grow and scale, you are going to have people under you.” – Pam
- “I think somtimes as women we can be like, ‘Well, I want to work with her.’ But is she really the person that’s going to bring the leadership that you’re looking for? You have to sort all that out a little bit, which takes time.” – Teri
- “I think that is a pitfall of leaders is like, ‘I do want to delegate. Everything tells me to delegate. Oh, never mind. I’m going to pull it back.’ That’s really hard for people who work for you. Because as a really good leader, I am handing it off to you. If it doesn’t get done like I need it to get done, then we need to have the next step, which is a difficult conversation. – Teri
- “It’s all learning, so being open, being willing to be humble, being willing to try new things—all of it.” – Pam
- “I actually think good leaders care about the people around them more because I think a good leader really wants to raise up people around them. I udnerstand that there’s boundaries and we can all take everything too far. But a good leader really wants the good for the whole.” – Teri
- “Caring only about the bottom line is only going to take you so far because people aren’t inspired by that. And you need the people in your organization to be inspired by the organization so that they care about what you care about, too.” – Pam
Helpful Resources for Building Entrepreneurial Leadership Skills
- Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
- Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
- Trust and Inspire by Stephen Covey
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