Girls in Tech — Rebecca Shambaugh is president and CEO of Shambaugh Leadership Institute, an organization she founded 20 years ago. She’s known worldwide for her expertise in coaching companies of all sizes to develop an inclusive and diverse culture. She’s especially interested in women’s leadership and programs dedicated to advancing women in leadership positions, gender studies and organizational best practices for harnessing underutilized talent.
Rebecca works with thousands of women every year to drill down into what is really holding them back. And often, she says, what holds women back is not the glass ceiling, but our own sticky feet! (She wrote a book about it).
“Women need to get clear about how to champion their own goals in life,” she explained. “We build our own narrative.”
Of course, there’s been a lot written about what holds women back—and where it all starts. Recent studies demonstrate that men, across many cultures, have higher self-esteem than women. Women are harder on themselves—and they tend to think a lot less of themselves. Women have reported less confidence in the workplace, saying they feel less supported by their managers and peers and generally hesitant toward reaching the top. And these issues start at a very young age: women are taught to be nice to others (rather than take the lead)…