By Kathy Caprino

There are two key ingredients that women need more of today to reach their highest potential, and those are bravery and power.

Bravery is the courage to examine what isn’t working in our lives, to take full accountability for what we can change, and to walk through the fear, confusion and doubt to take proactive steps and make the critical changes necessary.

Power is the ability to act on one’s own behalf and advocating for others in an effective way–becoming a true author in one’s life and having the ability to speak, ask, connect, challenge and serve with greater confidence, strength and impact.

The 7 Damaging Power Gaps

 What emerged from my research are these specific, career-thwarting 7 damaging power gaps that that prevent women from advancing, thriving and achieving the highest levels or reward, impact and success. These power gaps are remarkably common among women of all walks, education levels, industries, fields and roles.

1:  Not recognizing your special talents, abilities and accomplishments.

2:  Communicating from fear not strength.

3:  Reluctance to ask for what you deserve.

4:  Isolating from influential support.

5:  Acquiescing instead of saying “stop!” to mistreatment.

6:  Losing sight of your thrilling dream.

7:  Allowing past trauma to shape and define you.

How Prevalent Are These Power Gaps?

To measure the prevalence of these gaps, I conducted a survey in 2019-2020 and the results echoed the qualitative findings:

98% of female respondents indicated they were facing at least one of the 7 power gaps.
Over 75% were experiencing 3 or more gaps at the same time.
The average number of gaps experienced was 4.

In the vast majority of cases, power gaps don’t just emerge from one event or situation. They are shaped over time by what we’ve experienced in childhood and beyond, and also from how we’ve been encouraged, pressured and trained to think, feel and communicate, and ultimately from how we see themselves. This shaping – from society, families, work experiences, social media and more – impacts the trajectory of our personal and professional lives in important ways.

Amazing Career Coaching Develops:

 Brave Sight – to see yourself as the amazing, talented, and valuable individual you are.

Brave Speak – to speak more confidently and assuredly, and get support for your ideas and projects.

Brave Ask – to ask for what you need and want, and get it.

Brave Connection – to connect with amazing individuals who will uplift, nurture, and support you and your dreams.

Brave Challenge – to challenge what is wrong in the world around you, and do something powerful and effective about it.

Brave Service – to do the work that you love, that leverages all that you are, and to transform and improve people’s lives in the process.

Brave Healing – finally, to heal from past suffering and use all of it for your highest good.

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Cynthia’s a Master Facilitator of Kathy’s Amazing Career™ Coach Training.

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