Turning Your Womanhood Into a Superpower!
This morning, I was excited to be able to share this presentation at a virtual women’s meetup. I wanted to share my talking points from it here in case anyone else could benefit from reading them.
Welcome, everyone! Today we’ll explore Turning Your Womanhood Into a Superpower — how to see womanhood not as a barrier, but as a source of strength in technology and leadership.
The Power of Identity
First, what is womanhood? While planning this session, I looked up womanhood in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, and defined it as follows: a. the state of being a woman. b. the distinguishing character or qualities of a woman or of womankind. Those definitions are both straightforward and incredibly vague at the same time!
To me, being a woman means having a unique identity. We face situations, challenges, and joys that are different from those experienced by men. Those all contribute to a different set of lived experiences, perspectives, and strengths that set us apart from our male counterparts.
Our experiences as women give us perspectives that enrich our lives, including our work in technology. If we nurture them, they don’t have to be a barrier to our success, but instead can be a source of insight for us.
This is important because diversity isn’t just nice to have — it drives innovation, creativity, and progress.
Core Superpowers of Womanhood
So, what are some of the superpowers we have as women?
Empathy. Women are traditionally known to be more empathetic, and empathy can make us great designers. If you can visualize someone’s perspective, you can do a better job designing an experience that will be beneficial for them.
Collaboration. Women tend to excel at collaboration, which makes us strong team members and collaborators.
Resilience. Women have had to learn to be resilient, and resilience allows us to thrive through change.
Multi-tasking. Women innately know how to multi-task. If a woman can make sure everyone in her family has a nutritious dinner, gets bathed, finishes their homework, gets to bed on time, catches the bus, and so on, multi-tasking becomes natural. As a result, women tend to thrive in Agile environments.
Emotional intelligence. Finally, women naturally have more emotional intelligence, which makes them natural people leaders.
All these soft skills really make a difference, and they can become our superpowers.
Confidence & Visibility
Now that we know some of the superpowers that set us apart, how can we use them to increase confidence and visibility in our jobs?
Claim your voice in meetings. Don’t be afraid to share your unique perspective. Men often have louder voices, but we shouldn’t let them drown us out. Make sure your voice is heard.
Showcase your expertise. Women tend to experience imposter syndrome frequently. I know I struggle with it on a regular basis. But each of us has areas we’re knowledgeable about, whether we’re highly technical or not. Take opportunities to share what you know. For example, Alan Andreas, the Developer Advocate, hosts an Ask the Experts series and is always looking for speakers. Consider stepping outside of your comfort zone.
Network and mentor others. Networking is huge for increasing your visibility. It can be in person, or online. If networking in person seems overwhelming for you, just focus on meaningful conversations with a small number of people. You’ll be amazed by how your confidence can increase by making connections.
Claiming visibility isn’t arrogance, it’s advocacy — for your ideas, your team, and your career. Technology needs our voices and perspectives.
Leveraging Community
As women, we naturally gravitate toward being in community, and these social connections can help us achieve greater confidence and visibility. What might that look like?
Women in Tech groups. You’re obviously taking a great step toward this one by being here today with your fellow women! In the ServiceNow space alone, there are several groups. WomenNow, which I’m involved with, has a blog and a slack channel where we share our victories and challenges and support each other. Many of you may have learned about this meetup through another group, the Women in ServiceNow - SN Learning group on LinkedIn that Shamma and Anjali manage. In addition, there are many broader, non-SN specific women in tech groups that provide learning and networking opportunities. You may consider seeing if any exist in your area or joining a virtual group.
Mentorship. Mentoring others, particularly other women, can help us learn and gain confidence. When you teach someone else a concept, it helps solidify it in your mind, while helping someone else grow their career at the same time. It’s a win-win.
Allyship with colleagues. Oftentimes, you don’t need to look very far to find community. Simply being an ally to the fellow women at your organization can provide a sense of belonging and help you find your voice. Shared experiences can be a great conversation starter and spur you to action to improve the culture in your organization.
Turning Power Into Impact
Once you’ve gotten a handle on your superpower, how can you use it to create a positive impact for those around you? Here are a few suggestions, although this is far from a complete list.
Lead projects that matter. Take ownership of work that creates real, positive impact—not just busy work or low-stakes assignments. Using your power to solve real problems, improve lives, or advance strategic goals can make a huge difference.
Advocate for diversity in hiring. If you’re involved with hiring in your organization, use that opportunity to advocate for diverse candidates who can bring a fresh perspective. Whether it’s women, minorities, or those with disabilities, you can help make sure they have a chance to use their superpowers for your organization’s benefit.
Use your influence to lift others. Did one of your fellow female colleagues make a great suggestion in a meeting? Compliment her in front of your male colleagues. Is there an opportunity to lead a project on your team? Recommend a fellow woman who could benefit from the extra experience. When one of us rises, we all rise.
Your Womanhood Superpower Statement
Now that we’ve discussed what makes us unique as women and how to use those aspects of our personalities to grow our careers, let’s take a moment to reflect on our own personal strengths.
How would you finish this sentence: ‘My womanhood gives me the superpower of _______’?
Closing Inspiration
In closing, your womanhood isn’t a limitation—it’s a multiplier of your impact, in technology and all other aspects of life. To quote the words of singer and businesswoman Rihanna:
“There’s something so special about a woman who dominates in a man’s world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer.”
Let’s all be fearless and use our superpowers as a springboard to success. Thank you.
For any visual learners out there, here’s the actual slide presentation for you: