Leadership Roundtable

Recently I attended a Women in Leadership Roundtable and one of the presenters had an insightful perspective. She shared how sometimes as women we feel like we need to justify why we belong at the table that we've been invited to. Instead we should be focusing on what is the value we provide now that we're there.

We do not need to justify why we are at the table.

Feeling like an imposter is pretty common and not just for women. Oftentimes, there is someone in the room who either sounds smarter or is in fact smarter than you. In the moment, we tend to feel like we are the ones that don't belong, instead without realizing that others in the room also feel like they don't belong. The panel speaker was right on: Once you are at the table, focus on how you bring value. It does not matter how you got there. It does not matter who you know in the room. It does not matter the justification for your seat. You are at the table and now it's time to showcase what you can offer.

As a listener of the By the Book podcast, the podcast hosts recently lived and discussed Amy Cuddy’s book Presence. This is a business leadership book intended to provide individuals with greater executive presence. The reviewers were commenting that the author had spent 70% of the book presenting facts, research, data, literature reviews, and numerous other sources to justify why they had come to their conclusion. In the reviewer’s perspective, the fact that such a large majority of the book focused on how the conclusion was drawn was seen as a downside. With so much time spent on the rationale, the readers felt valuable time (and book real-estate) was lost on the actionable strategies or techniques.

There's a fine line between balancing providing context and information around decision making and leading with your decision. I think sometimes as leaders, we err on the side of providing our justification rather than leading with the decision and seeing if there's any feedback. When we start our conversations with a rebuttal mindset that focuses on all the reasons why we may be countered, we are missing the opportunity to move straight to action and gain agreement on the onset.

In your next meeting when you're presenting your opinion or fact, lead with your decision and the conclusion that you've made. Consciously wait and see whether you even need to provide your justification or the various rebuttals that you have prepared. Chances are, you'll find that you don't even need them. You are already at the table, now it's time to let your expertise shine. 

We’d love to hear your examples of how you own your seat at the table and share them with our community. Lastly, please Like, Comment, and Share this article with anyone you think could use this information!