5 Ways to support the women around you

We work on ourselves all the time, but how can we help to support the women around us? After all, progress happens when we rally together. Remember that old saying about how a rising tide lifts all boats? Well, it’s true. Here are a few ways you can support the woman around you, helping them reach their goals and making the world a little bit better.

1. Be a cheerleader, not a yes (wo)man

We need to encourage each other, but in an honest and authentic way. Nobody likes to be told yes to everything and that isn’t what’s going to create progress. While we should all develop the ability to deliver constructive feedback when necessary, when the women around us are working towards and achieving great things, we should be making an effort to congratulate them and be their cheerleaders along the way. We need to help each other believe we can do anything and support each other in overcoming self-doubt, and building confidence.

2. Be collaborative

When we work together, amazing things happen. If you’re doing something great, enable the people (not just women) to be a part of it. Where can the women around you bring value and help you reach your goal? Ask them if it’s a journey they want to join you on, and it might just be a win-win. One of the best ways we can support the women around us it to not leave them out. Invite them to be a part of something you’re working on. Who knows – it might help them work towards a goal of their own.

3. Give them an assist

Women often get left out because they aren’t given a seat at the table, hesitate to speak up, feel they need to stay in “their place”, or let the strive for perfection take over. Next time you see a friend or colleague struggling with one of these things, help her out. Invite her to the meeting, ask for her opinion on a topic you know she’s knowledgeable about, thank her for her idea even if someone else claims credit. Make an effort to be acutely aware of this happening for the women around you. When they talk about or act on the things related to their goals, look out for signals that they might feel stuck, hesitant, or unconfident.  It can be difficult to lean in, so let’s help each other by setting the stage for each other to be successful.

4. Show up

Is a woman in your network doing something great? Maybe she’s starting a business, or getting involved in a worthy cause, or acting on one of her passions. Next time she hosts an event, speaks on a panel,promotes a webinar, holds a fundraiser, or asks for feedback, simply show up. Showing up for each other is one of the easiest and most powerful things we can do. Plus, you never know what value you’ll get out of it and maybe it’ll open up opportunities for you as well.

5. Host a meet-up

A great way to support the woman around you is to provide a platform for them to improve themselves, create change around them, and work towards their goals. This is at the core of what Empower Collective does. The reason we offer free discussion guides is to enable you to work with the women you know, trust, and believe in, to help each other reach your goals despite gender biases or socialization. Any woman has the ability to rally the women around her and sync up on a regular cadence to dive into challenges and discuss solutions that apply to your own lives. The best part is that it’s super easy, it’s free, and it’s an excuse to get together, eat great food, and support one another in whatever it is you’ve set out to do.