Over the past 5 years we’ve worked with many hundreds of women leaders through our open courses and in-house training programmes and we’ve seen the same challenges come up again and again. 

But here’s the interesting thing: most women don’t actually feel comfortable raising these issues with their line manager. So this article will give you an insight into the areas for growth that are coming up most frequently in our conversations with women leaders in 2024. 

That way, you can take a proactive and realistic approach to developing your managers and leaders and where relevant, prepare them for the transition to C-Suite. 

Dealing with overwhelm and supporting an overwhelmed team

Enthusiasm, ambition, seemingly endless tasks and unrealistic expectations can mean that the role of leadership can often feel overwhelming. 

Women leaders are looking for tools, strategies and frameworks that can help them go from a state of panic to productivity and navigate the rising tide of overwhelm.  Many of the conversations we’re currently having with women leaders are about having difficult conversations (like how to say no), maintaining healthy boundaries and role modelling them so they can in turn support their overwhelmed team. 

Self doubt and imposter feelings

If you suspect that confidence issues, self doubt and imposter feelings are stopping some of your women from stepping up to that next level you’re probably right. 

Gender bias and ingrained societal narratives are still leaving women leaders questioning their own abilities and in some cases, working harder to prove their impact to themselves and others. 

Helping women to understand the causes of their self-doubt and instead, use reframing strategies to believe in themselves through the power of rewriting inner narratives can give them the tools to lead with impact and influence. 

Being heard by senior stakeholders 

Increasing influence and impact is a common challenge that many women face as they transition into leadership roles. 

The women in your business want to communicate with authority and speak the language of senior decision makers as well as handle interruptions and confidently deal with challenging situations. 

We find that as women transition into leadership, they are looking for strategies to step into their authority, with both body language and verbal communication – so that they can be heard. 

Dealing with difficult people

Difficult interactions are something every leader or manager will face at some point in their career. This might look like a challenging team member who zaps people of their energy or team leaders who are empaths and take on the energy and emotions of their team. 

The solution to difficult situations like this is learning practical ways to protect and preserve your energy and leave conversations feeling empowered, rather than exhausted.

Or it might look like the need to deal with drama in the team. For leaders, the key here is understanding why and when drama occurs so that they can identify patterns then make more informed and empowered decisions and ultimately, reduce that drama so that the team can operate effectively. 

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So if you want to build a pipeline of female talent who feel nurtured, supported and ready to step into leadership – it’s time to get proactive with their professional development. Don’t wait for them to come to you, because it’s likely they won’t. 

Get in touch with us at Carla Miller Training so we can develop in-house support for you where you and your teams need it most.