The GT Law Women’s Forum was a great success again this year. If you are a GT Law student or a GT Law grad, I hope you were there. If not, you will not want to miss it next year.
I was so pleased to moderate a panel discussion on “Leave Humble Behind: Lead your Cheering Section,” which was a power panel to be sure. Panelists included both law firm lawyers and business entrepreneurs, and it got rave reviews. The panelists were: Judith Barnett, President, The Barnett Group; Smruti Patel, Principal, Nexus Vision LLC, and Buffy Mims, Partner, Hollingsworth LLP.
These women did not pull any punches about the fact that women often are too humble about promoting themselves and their services and that being too humble will not get women lawyers where they want to go. The panel was premised on the concepts in a Forbes on-line article, “Why Being Humble Will Get You Nowhere.” The article emphasized the need to:
- Create visibility: Keeping your head down and doing good work is not enough;
- Network broadly and engage in balanced self promotion;
- Develop your personal brand to promote work and create value; and
- Engage in multiple stakeholders.
The panel defined “being too humble” or “having too much humility” as the kind of behavior that “keeps you under the radar,” “holds you back,” and fails to guarantee that others are “thinking of you” or “looking out for you.” .
The discussion examined both sides of the coin: Being too humble and being too assertive. The panelists agreed that women should avoid being aggressive because it is threatening and defies common perceptions. The challenge is to strike the correct balance between too humble and too assertive and to find a style or “brand” of promotion that fits you well, is authentic and is effective.
Speaking up is an essential part of assertiveness. The panelists identified the “ah ha” moments in their professional lives when they finally understood the necessity to speak up and the power of having a professional voice. For one panelist it was the need to get the quality work that she wanted and needed, and for another panelist, it was to negotiate effectively for salary and partnership. Other stories had to do with outrage as the catalyst in gender and age discrimination settings. As you can imagine, it all was very powerful to hear.
You will not want to miss it next year. Stay tuned to the next blog for more information on this very successful event.
And … everyone agreed that Hoya women lawyers rock!!!!!
