Susan MacKenty Brady

I gave the opening keynote at #LinkageWIL last week. I shared my own journey of self-awareness and what I have learned about the hurdles that women uniquely face in the workplace. Despite giving this talk hundreds of times before for audiences of varied sizes, this one was different. Here’s why.

If we want to get more of what we want, we must start by looking at how we might be getting in our own way. The name of the game is self-awareness and self-management—and it starts with each of us.

We all have biases–conscious and unconscious. Both ways impact behavior. We automatically assume things about people born and raised in certain cities, countries, regions, etc. We judge people by how they look or present themselves to the world. We don’t do it on purpose, but we are all guilty of some sort of bias and judgment. Imagine if you unknowingly carry these thoughts into the workplace.

The reality is that bias—and the other hurdles in the workforce may be impacting us. The good news is that we can control these and they can actually help us advance. The behavior change starts with us.

If we don’t ask for what we want, can we really keep complaining that we’re not getting it? The journey starts with a moment to moment choice, and with recommitting to yourself—each and every day. It’s all about progress, not perfection.

At some point, we need to question if the way we are thinking and feeling—and then speaking—is resulting in the impact we want to have on others. To do this, we need to get immensely curious about the stories we tell ourselves about our own behaviors and the behaviors of others.

In honor of Father’s Day, and as I depart on my latest professional excursion—this time to Japan—to advise (mostly male) executives on the advancement of women leaders, I have been reflecting on being raised by a single father, and how this unique aspect of my personal story has impacted my style as a woman leader and my approach to my profession.

We’re confused about the difference between having it all and doing it all. We can have it all, and the only way to sustain your “all” is to be sure that you aren’t doing it all. Period. Easy, right? Well apparently, not so much.