Today, I held my second session of the virtual Red Lipstick ON! Book club. Already, the conversations have grown in richness and authenticity. The women broke into several small groups for deep discussion. Then I brought everyone back to the main room to provide my insights. Today’s session was around the Career Pillar. I view career as not just women who have an 8 - 5 job, but all women whether they have a small business, or vocation, or are a full-time mom. Here are a few were a few aha moments. 1. Bias for women does exist in the business world. It can show up in little ways—not getting a promotion, or as big a salary increase as a man, or are overlooked for a "cream" assignment. But an even bigger impact is women not supporting other women. Women should cheer other women on! Celebrate other women's successes! Support each other, not tear each other down. 2. The power of femininity in the workplace. I talked about the many wonderful qualities women possess such as intuition, empathy, nurturing others, calming a space, and even leveraging the clothes they wear to meet a situation. 3. Another conversation the members shared was around "What does showing up with red lipstick" look like in your current job. Most of the group thought about when they had to be assertive or hold their ground. But the big aha was when one member said, "Wearing your red lipstick is also knowing when to step out of a situation!" That was golden. Thanks to all the women who are participating in the RLO! Book club experience.
