Tall Poppy
Are you a Tall Poppy?
Studies show that ambitious women experience negative work environments as they rise through the ranks and take up greater space in their employment.
This, of course, has a negative impact on all aspects of the Tall Poppy's life: mental health, well-being, engagement, performance, contentment, self-confidence--you name it.
I've been fortunate to not experience much of this over my life. From a young age, I achieved. And yet: I never felt unequal to or less than my peers--especially my male peers.
That said, I did feel isolated at times. The drive I felt (the expectations I internalized) were often different from my closest friends.
Later, when I was surrounded by folks with similar ambitions, we didn't talk about the stressors of that drive, of those internalized expectations, which, of course, isolated us from one another.
Today, with this platform and this community, I'm more free to share openly about these experiences and about the tools I've developed to overcome some of the hard parts of being an ambitious human being--an ambitious woman.
Truthfully, I've not always been one to talk about my experiences as a "female attorney." I felt more aligned with the "I'm an attorney," not a "gendered attorney," camp.
That has shifted recently.
As I approached and made partner, I realized I was entering the ranks where women still are outnumbered by their male colleagues. Meaning: I'm an example for the 50% (or more) of female associates wishing to make it to partnership where that number doesn't exist--yet.
So, when asked, I jumped at the opportunity to speak on a panel about Tall Poppy Syndrome--and how to protect your mental health and well-being as an ambitious woman.
On March 20, 2020 at 2 PM ET, Michele Powers, Kate Harmon, Paulette Brown and I will address Tall Poppy Syndrome, a form of bias that holds back successful and ambitious women. Put on by the ABA, this event is free for all (members and nonmembers).
I hope you will join us to discuss this important and not-talked-about-enough phenomena.
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