Fact or fiction? You must be a superwoman to be a woman entrepreneur! The job description requires the following:* Ability to leap tall buildings at a single bound
* Stop bullets with your hands
* Stop a speeding freight train
* Jump into immediate action whenever trouble arises
* Be all powerful and indestructible - at work and at home and anywhere in between.
The truth is - no one, woman or man, has these supernatural powers so why do women believe they can achieve the impossible?
Operating a small business is a full time job regardless of gender. If you add the CEO work day responsibilities with the home responsibilities then you might just need a superhero to complete them. Every workplace with employees has conflicts, differences of opinion, and general disagreement about the best way to get the job done. As woman CEO your job is to make sure everyone completes their responsiblities without stepping on the toes of others in the organization. You could say you need to use some of the these same techniques at home where conflicts are just as likely to arise. The major difference is that the actors at work get paid for their participation where the actors at home don't.
Superwomen know the difference. They separate work from home, not only by regulating their demands, but by sharing a different persona. Superwoman Boss is NOT superwoman MOM or superwoman Wife or Superwoman Friend. As a woman entrepreneur you have determined to take your experience and skills to the level of boss -- CEO - person in charge - chief cook and bottle washer - wait a minute that's superwoman woman entrepreneur at home - no wonder this role is so confusing for so many!
Because women are still somewhat new to the CEO, entrepreneur role, there seems to be a consistent push pull with personality. Too many women are uncomfortable with their role as a leader outside of their business. Yet, their experience learned on the job offers an important contribution to the community. What's important is that we, women, are true to our strengths as well as to our weaknesses. We cannot be all things to all people no matter how hard we try - setting boundaries is critical to our success.
And, that success is just as important at home as it is at work.
So, in case I have lost you with this diatribe about why 'superwoman' is not a title any smart woman in business should want to embrace - let me summarize the most important tasks very woman should consider.
1) Be who you were born to be - be true to yourself.
2) Find the joy in everything you do - and be thankful for it.
3) Give everyone you meet the respect that you expect in return.
4) Welcome each day as a new opportunity to be the best you can be.
5) Share the experience of being a woman in a place where anything is possible. Be a mentor and be a friend.
6) Be the example that others choose to follow.
7) Know that life is the journey and that the destination is not important because as long as you are living at the fullest your legacy lives on.
Superwomen are the myth of a culture that depends on superheroes - women entrepreneurs are the face of the this and the next generation of women leaders.
