E84: What to Do When You’re Underestimated as a Woman in Leadership

Leadership Presence | Mastering The Inner Work Of Leadership

“He said, ‘Well, Janet. I'll say what I really thought of you when I first saw you. The first thing I thought is, “Oh, here's blonde bimbo. And what is she going to say?”’ [...] Then he goes, ‘You talked and I thought, Wow, Barbie has a brain.’”
In this episode, I talk about something women leaders are unfortunately no strangers to: being underestimated or stereotyped because of their appearance or simply because they are women. If you’ve ever had the experience of being pigeon-holed or underestimated because of judgments people make based on unconscious biases they may have, you’ll want to listen to this episode.
I share two stories of my own and offer some tips to navigate this type of situation when it arises.
In this episode:

• When an executive assumed I was a junior employee and not the session leader
• How I handled it and what I learned from that situation
• When a male colleague admitted that he had initially assumed that I must be a “blonde bimbo”
• How to maintain your power and presence when you cannot control the judgements of others
• How to counter being underestimated

Power Presence Academy | Leadership with Less Ego And More Soul is the go-to podcast for anyone who leads. Your host is Janet Ioli, leadership and human development expert, sought-after coach and advisor to global executives, and former executive with experience in four Fortune 100 companies. She helps leaders ground themselves with confidence, connection, and purpose to lead with Less Ego and More Soul.

Connect with Janet Ioli:

Website: janetioli.com
Linkedin: Janet Ioli
Instagram: @janetioli
Janet is the founder of Leadership Presence. She helps leaders ground themselves with confidence, connection, and purpose and lead with Less Ego, More Soul.
If you want to become more grounded, confident, and aligned with your deeper values in just 21 days. Check out Janet Ioli’s book Less Ego, More Soul: A Modern Reinvention Guide for Women.
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Produced by Ideablossoms