Women Don’t Need To Be Empowered!

We talk about empowerment like it is something given to you. It represents a gift bestowed more than anything else. Even our lexicons tell us that it is “authority or power given to someone to do something”. Ok, we have accepted this image of empowerment. But, what about looking further?

“I could not see it, if it were not already in you!” I have said this to countless people in my work as a facilitative leader. I am highlighting that these qualities I see in someone, already exist and are present in them. The ability to see them is a testament to its presence.

My fear is that so many people, women especially, feel that they need someone else to feel empowered. They need another’s permission to express their own talent. They wait for others to tell them that they have something that already is inside them. Without this anointing conveyance, they are stuck where they are: powerless and incapable.

Time to wake up!

Teachers of wisdom around the world have long encouraged us to recognize our innate capacity to be our authentic selves. We are called to contribute our uniqueness to the world. Along the way, we have received a different message. We are to wait. Perhaps it started when we were young and needed our parents to let us know when. Perhaps for some, it was a school, an authority figure, a system, or even us. We learned well enough to stay still.

How many times have you smiled when someone told you that you are now empowered, already knowing that you have always been? Do not confuse this with power and authority. Being conveyed a leadership position and or authority is not the same as empowerment. Empowerment is that force inside you to create, express, and achieve. It needs only your own permission to manifest.

We are supposed to think that empowerment also means, “the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one’s life and claiming one’s rights”; as though this too comes from someone other than us. I cannot think of anything more enriching than to claim our own power and the joy of our own empowerment.

I believe that women should acknowledge the power in them, use it, and most importantly build upon it. In this link, https://christieassociates.com/womenleadersbelonging/ I shared my take on the inclusion of women in leadership in which I have also introduced the Dimensions of Belonging™, a tool that has helped woman leaders enhance their capability and capacity to lead. I invite you to explore the Dimensions of Belonging™ and experience how this tool can serve you to be an impactful woman leader and enhance your success!