Pursuing a career in a senior-level or executive leadership position can be extremely demanding yet rewarding. Here are some of our top tips for you to pursue a career as a senior-level executive in today’s highly competitive professional environment.

Although times might have moved evolved in favor of females becoming senior-level leaders and executives since the masculine power suits of the 80s, women in business still, unfortunately, face many obstacles in being taken seriously by colleagues and other industry professionals.

Women in leadership positions often face a double bind: an inclination towards collaboration could be mistaken as an inability to take charge or the initiative on a project; however, if she’s direct and straightforward, a trait seen as a positive quality in male colleagues could, in a woman, conversely be perceived as being aggressive, rude, and unfriendly.

Considering these kinds of challenges, how can you demystify prejudices and bias to be taken seriously in your professional life, especially as you climb the corporate ladder and move up the ranks as a female leader?

Here are three ways you can find your power as a woman in a leadership role. 

Expand Your Knowledge, Refine Your Skills, and Get a Women in Leadership Certificate to Move Up the Ranks

If you are not entirely confident in your leadership skills and do not feel that your colleagues and subordinates will respect you and take you seriously as a manager or a team leader, don’t worry – you can learn these skills through further education and training.

A Women in Leadership Online Business Certificate will teach you leadership and management skills to ensure that you can guide effectively and are perceived as both professional and friendly. For example, in order to reduce misunderstandings or miscommunications with your team, you will learn how to communicate effectively across genders, and learn how to plan and conduct professional negotiations with your male counterparts. You will also gain useful background knowledge regarding the differences between masculine and feminine ways of thinking, and the double bind of female leadership. So ultimately, a Women in Leadership Certificate will provide you with thorough knowledge and the skillset to feel confident in future managerial positions as well as developing and leading teams.

Mentor Female Colleagues and Train Junior Team Members to Enhance Your Own Skills and Build More Self-Confidence

As a woman in a leadership position—whether it’s in the private or public sector or in a startup or Fortune 500 company, you are an excellent role model for other women in your workplace. By experiencing and reflecting on your managerial style, they can learn the skills necessary to be a strong yet approachable female leader. You could take this further and professionally mentor a less-experienced colleague or team member who is interested in advancing her career.

While you might think mentoring is all about sharing your knowledge and experience with the younger generation, you can get huge benefits yourself. Being a mentor provides you with the opportunity to further hone your communication skills, improve your confidence and motivation, as well as develop your ability to encourage others while giving honest, critical feedback. As a mentor, you will hone your managerial skills while also passing on your knowledge and encouragement to the female leaders of tomorrow. 

Establish Yourself as an Expert Voice on Women in Leadership in Business and Other Sectors

In order for the business environment to change and become more accepting of women in senior-level leadership and executive positions, there need to be advocates and supporters to speak out about this issue. In addition to mentoring other female colleagues, you could offer training, both in-house at your company and online via a LinkedIn webinar about the unconscious bias women face in the workplace. This type of training can help break down those barriers by educating others on how effective female leaders really are.

By sharing your knowledge and expertise with other colleagues, your business and others can tackle such issues and work towards making the workplace a fairer place for women and increasing the number of women in leadership and executive-level positions. This awareness can also help educate those on the salary disparities between men and women in the workplace.

There you have it: three ways to find your power as a woman in a leadership role.