Building a Culture of Empowerment for Women

Empowering women isn't just about providing equal opportunities and resources, but also about creating environments that encourage the women around us to take charge of their lives and pursue their dreams. I know that part of my own success is owed to the women in my life who saw my potential and encouraged me to pursue my goals. That kind of encouragement has a ripple effect: when we are empowered, we empower others around us.

We have the power to create a culture of respect and empowerment in our workplaces, homes, and communities. That might seem like a daunting task, but it really boils down to a few simple steps we can all take every day that will help build the kind of culture that allows us to thrive. Here's my advice to women looking for ways to empower themselves and the women around them.

1. Include women's perspectives.

Every person has their own unique experiences and perspectives, so when building a culture that aims to nurture everyone in it, it's important to make sure all perspectives are included at the table. Listen to the ideas and experiences of the women around you, and ensure those are baked into the fabric of the culture you're building.

2. Value the contributions women are making.

Women play crucial roles in business, organizations, homes, and communities — and those contributions are often overlooked or undervalued. We can empower the women in our lives to continue making great contributions by simply recognizing, appreciating, and placing value on those efforts.

In a home context, that might look like teaching our daughters to stand up for themselves, fight for what they believe in, or learn the kind of skills that can boost their personal power, like financial literacy, leadership, and communication.

In a professional context, that could look like a promotion or raise for the women on your team who are always putting in the extra effort to see projects through, or extra praise for the unseen work that one of your team leaders is putting into managing her department.

In a community context, you could volunteer your time at a woman-led organization or support a woman-owned business by purchasing from them or using their services.

3. Let women lead.

I know first-hand the power of being uplifted by the women in my life, and how that kind of empowerment can help you become a strong leader. That's why it's so important to me to uplift other women, too. Uplifting those around you helps build leaders and change-makers, and contributes to a culture of empowerment for women all over.

Mentorship is one of the best ways you can uplift another woman toward leadership. By sharing our skills, experiences, and knowledge, we can inspire other women to dream big and give them a toolbox to help chase those dreams. It's important for women, like myself, to encourage other women to be willing to take risks and overcome failure. Both experiences help build courage and confidence and function as learning experiences if we refuse to give up. As we mentor others, we can share our unique experiences and, in doing so, embolden them to take chances and take charge — and, ultimately, create change.

4. Be kind to ourselves.

As we seek to be empowered women who empower other women, we have to be kind to ourselves. It is so easy to try to be a superwoman, balancing your career, your family, and your friends. But we have to take care of ourselves in order to ensure we are well-equipped to lead a company or organization and to contribute to our communities.

We must set boundaries for our work and our personal life. We have to delegate as needed and we must strive to treat ourselves with the compassion and understanding we offer others. When we take care of ourselves, we are empowering ourselves and can, in turn, empower others.

As we grow in our power as women, and as leaders, we should be able to look back and identify the women who have helped us grow — and in turn, we should always be looking for ways to help empower other women to grow, too. We do our best work in supporting others.