[author: Ashley LeCroy]

For decades, women have made strides in the professional world from smashing glass ceilings to shattering stereotypes. Every March, during women’s history month, despite the inspiring stories and shared experiences of women, we are reminded there is more progress to be made.

Women of World Law Group—or as we like to call them, WOW— hosted its first-ever WOW Talk in March. An impressive group of female leaders shared personal best practices in paving the way for women to have important roles in the workplace. Listening to a group of women discuss their experiences demonstrates it’s not just about creating a nurturing work environment, but also about cultivating one that supports the growth, ideas, perspectives, and contributions of women.

Here are my top takeaways from this conversation for women who want to cultivate leadership skills and advance in their careers, based on insights from the WOW Talk "She for She Leaders Building Leaders."

Be involved in cultural change: Understand the roles that you can play in driving change within your firm and take an active part in it—don’t wait for the invitation. Identify opportunities for improvement and raise your hand to lead addressing change. Involving younger women in cultural change benefits everyone, not just one group.

Identify your leadership style: Identity your tendencies, preferences, and strengths to develop your unique leadership style and hone those skills. Leadership appears natural when an individual can connect with their abilities and strengths. Look for opportunities to contribute in non-billable ways that make you feel charged up.

See yourself as a leader: Recognize your potential to influence, inspire, and guide others, demonstrating integrity, empathy, adaptability, and a willingness to learn and grow. Seeing yourself as a leader involves not only leading by example but also empowering and supporting others to achieve their goals.

Find mentorship, but also sponsorship: Mentors will guide and support individuals in navigating the path to leadership, and they don't have to be in your firm. Sponsors will actively brag about you and advocate for your career advancement. Seek out and embrace both mentorship and sponsorship from colleagues who recognize your potential and give you opportunities to lead—and do the same for others.

Collaborate: Collaboration is a powerful tool for achieving complex goals and driving positive change. It requires a commitment to communication, respect, and shared purpose. Avoid seeing peers as a threat by embracing shared ideas, resources, and expertise to foster an environment that promotes creativity, innovation, and continuous learning.

Overcome challenges: Learn from the challenges faced by previous generations of women leaders and take proactive steps to overcome the challenges the current generation faces. Building networks and increasing visibility of women ultimately leads to greater representation and inclusivity of women in leadership positions.

Define balance and boundaries: Achieving balance and boundaries requires a commitment to self-awareness, prioritization, and effective time management. Identify what is important to you, where you are needed, and your goals and limits, and establish guidelines for yourself to guide how you balance work and personal life.

Build connections with senior leaders: Develop relationships with senior leaders to gain exposure to their leadership styles and learn from their experiences. Emulating qualities that you admire in others will reinforce your development as a leader.

Embrace a growth mindset: Adopt a mindset to be open to learning, self-reflection, and constructive feedback. Be willing to take on challenges, persist through obstacles, and view failures and mistakes as opportunities for learning and growth. Practice believing in and demonstrating your abilities, intelligence, and talents.

Be authentic: Embrace your authentic self as a leader and be open to seeking input from others while maintaining your decision-making authority. Diversity in perspectives and leadership styles will contribute to a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

You get to choose your own narrative on your path to being a great leader. Take control, be open to feedback, and be supportive of others on their journeys, too.