It’s no secret that women face obstacles and adversity in the workplace. It’s also no secret that women score higher in leadership skills and have what it takes to run a business with a solutions-oriented, empathetic, strategic and profitable mindset. (Yes, women can do it all.) And although women continue to face broken rungs in the corporate ladder, the glass ceiling is starting to crack.
There are strong, kickass women in positions of power all around. These leaders are supporting other women, turning their years of experience, knowledge and guidance into actionable advice for the next generation. After over 100 interviews over the past three years, SXM Media’s Pass the Mic initiative has uncovered some of the most inspirational advice from mentors in media that completely challenge the status quo.
Empathy is not weakness
People have always been told that toughness, determination and a business-only mindset will get them to the top. Not so fast: empathy, kindness and understanding not only earn you respect, but build a community around you that helps you rise.
“My big motto has always been, ‘you get a lot more from honey than you do with vinegar,’” shares Allie Kallish, EVP, strategic investment, MAGNA. “If you treat people with respect, they give it back to you in spades.”
Work for your team
Flip your leadership role on its head. What if you thought about it as a supporting role, instead? Building a strong, smart team that is empowered and fills in your skill set gaps.
“No.1, you work for your team. They don’t work for you,” explains Ashley Luongo, SVP, advanced TV & programmatic streaming sales, NBCUniversal. “You’re a player coach to the end. And leadership is a responsibility and an act of service. And I really take that to heart.”
Six-foot stature is not a must-have credential
That’s right, Nancy Hall, CEO of Matterkind, was kindly told in college by her advisor that statistically men over six feet tall are CEOs, so that she should find another career goal. This only fueled her more.
“That stayed with me for my entire career, as a five-foot-tall person that identifies as a female,” says Hall. “And it motivated me to keep on working and to keep on going and to hit my goal of running a business.”
Just be yourself, straight up
Myriad leadership philosophies geared toward women told them that in order to succeed women have to act more like men. Lean-in. Be tough. But the fact of the matter is, characteristics that are inherent to women—such as empathy, listening, putting egos aside—are all being redefined as characteristics needed to lead. And to prove that, women had to break some rules.
“For me, I had to break the rules. That’s how I got my nickname, Chief Troublemaker,” shares Shelley Zalis, CEO, The Female Quotient. “The rules didn’t work for me, and it’s really hard to break protocol or to be different. But nothing will change if you just keep following a pattern.”
The power of women supporting women
You’ll hear this inspiring advice (and a whole lot more) in SXM Media’s new Pass the Mic podcast. And with women closing the gender gap in the medium, accounting for nearly half of the listenership, a podcast was the natural choice to get the word out.
Female podcasting is a community, with the rise in the number of women hosting and producing podcasts and the increase in female listeners feeding into each other. Besides just giving valuable advice, women are a force to be reckoned with. As women continue to gain momentum in the workplace, they’re still master multi-taskers, household purchasers and major decision makers.
Of course, advertisers need to take notice of this as well. This is no audience to sleep on. And the community is strong. So strong that when it comes to audio, roughly 50% of female listeners say they would feel more favorable about a brand if they knew it was advertised on podcasts hosted or produced by women. And these listeners are highly educated and super successful, indexing high in earning $100,000.
In the end, it’s not just about supporting women in the workplace, it’s about supporting them everywhere. How do you do more with your media dollars? Sponsor a female-run podcast, lead with a little empathy, and help lift up the next generation of female leaders.
