Emerging Female Leaders: Why you should be broadcasting your ambitions

Imagine that you want to hire someone to paint your picket fence. Jennifer has put flyers in your mailbox about her picket fence painting service and she even rang your doorbell once to introduce herself and talk to you about picket fence painting. You also know that Linda does something with painting, but you are not sure what is her painting specialty and if she would even be interested in painting your picket fence. 
Who do you reach out to first?  Not a stretch to say most people would get in touch with Jennifer.  While her selling efforts are obvious, what her initiative represents for the person with power to decide provides some useful insights for women eager to advance their careers.
Because Jennifer:

• Saved time and effort for the decision-maker
• Was crystal clear about her ambitions
• Built trust in her commitment to do the job well
• Made herself memorable

Professional women are told time and again that they need to make their ambitions known, in order to be offered valuable career opportunities. Yet many women hold themselves back from broadcasting their vision of their desired future, deferring to limiting beliefs, such as, ‘No one will take me seriously.’ ‘I am not capable enough’, ‘I am too shy’ or ‘I cannot deal with company politics.’ Some women just don’t feel comfortable acknowledging what they want, even to themselves. This reluctance to name ambitions out loud often leaves women plodding on a slow track, wondering bitterly why their male colleagues are whizzing by to secure more coveted roles.  This is a great loss, to both women individually and to organizations who desperately need more women in senior roles to reap the myriad benefits of gender diverse leadership.

So what are the potential gains of vocalizing your ambitions, that you may not yet have considered?

1. Saved time - Never underestimate the value of time saved for a decisionmaker when they can zero in on a person for the task, instead of initiating a lengthy search process. Whether you are lobbying for a new project, a different role, learning a new skill, or taking on greater leadership responsibilities, you are actually doing someone a favor by proactively alerting them to your ambitions.  This vastly increases the chances that you will be the first person they will contact to explore the opportunity. While there is no guarantee of the outcome, you can always ask for feedback about where you still may need to build up experience or skills. In any case you will benefit from the visibility of being considered for the job. ​
2. Clarity - One of the best ways to understand another person is to know what is important to them. When you are transparent about your ambitions, it helps others to sense who you are and what they can expect from you.  People appreciate not having to ‘second guess’ your motives and agenda.  Get clear for yourself on how your ambitions will contribute to the greater good – whether within your department, your organizations or beyond. This clarity about what you stand for will help to build strong professional relationships.  
3. Trust - Ambition is energy combined with determination to make something happen. When others are aware that the challenge you have taken on is coupled to your ambitions, it sets you apart from the rest. In contrast to merely completing an assignment or changing job title, this commitment has meaning for you, and you are personally invested in the outcome.  It is understood that you won’t have all the answers at outset. But your ambition fuels trust that you will do whatever it takes to make your work a success.
   
4. Being memorable - People are drawn to those who radiate optimism and energy. When your ambitions are sincere, when you have the self-belief to declare them without hesitation, your presence and enthusiasm will resonate long after the conversation is over. That’s how you become memorable. Let go of attachment to instant action resulting from your talk with your manager, colleague, sponsor, or potential employer. Just be confident that they will remember their encounter with you. And when the time is right something positive will most likely emerge to bring you a step - or a leap - forward towards your desired future.  

A final word about ambition-sharing.  There are different levels of ambition – from the meticulously mapped out career path to the wish to lead a team meeting for the first time. You don’t need to have ALL of your ambitions worked out in order to get comfortable with sharing. You can practice on something small like asking your manager to enroll in a training course. Or seeking out a mentor to help you build a strategic network. By framing these requests as steps to realizing a broader ambition –  ‘ I want to become an expert’, ‘I want to raise my visibility for a future role’ – you are on your way to getting comfortable with owning the future you want to create for yourself.
 
This article is part of a series highlighting one of the 8 areas of focus: ‘Mapping My Ambitions’, on the Female Leadership Wheel™ a unique coaching tool to support women in their leadership development

Check out my previous article on Self-Care: 3 Easy Breaths and the ROI of Meditation


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