Any manager that fails to take credit on behalf of the team also fails to acknowledge their hard work, leading to resentment and demoralization among team members.

Women in management roles with the tendency to be self-deprecating can also risk downplaying the achievements of their team. In fact, both Hegelsen and Goldsmith have found that men tend to distrust women who downplay their success, viewing them as inauthentic.

Politeness aside, being modest can be harmful to one’s career. This problem, Helgesen found, was evident in practically every industry at every level. Yet, the problem was in drawing attention to their success, and their discomfort with taking credit for their work.įor instance, many would prefer to attribute success to everyone in their team, rather than acknowledge their own hard work to senior colleagues. They worked harder than their male counterparts. She learned that many younger female employees in law, accounting, and consulting were consistent, conscientious and had the ability to deliver high-standard work. She learned from these interviews that most younger women struggled with the word ‘I’- a reluctance to take credit for personal achievements. Sally Helgesen, with the aim of finding out what behaviours successful professional women saw in their younger counterparts, started interviewing a number of women successful in their respective careers. The Struggle To Claim One’s Own Accomplishments She also shows how women can rise from their positions and pursue that coveted leadership position in any career. She points out unconscious learned behaviours that hold women back. How Women Rise (2018), by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith, calls out the many bad habits women have that hinder their progress in the corporate world. Women on the other hand are often left with supporting roles – roles that are associated with gender-biased qualities – than leadership roles. They are often held to different standards, while men in the same positions are rewarded for being assertive and taking risks. However, despite many successes, women still face numerous challenges. Where once women world-over were considered the inferior gender, many women have made their mark in the corporate world. Women have made tremendous progress, especially career-wise.

How Women Rise by Sally Helgesen