AWESOME women have talked about the importance of women showing confidence and being willing to step up to acknowledge their own strengths. A new movie, “Big Eyes” gives an extreme example, from a different era, of a talented woman, artist Margaret Keane, who lost her identity and recognition – and then reclaimed them.
CBS Sunday Morning interviewed both Margaret Keane and Amy Adams, the actor who plays Keane in the movie.
Here are some of the comments made in AWESOME discussions about women, their confidence, and driving their own careers.
“It’s about owning your own career…You take the opportunities when presented – never, never turn down an opportunity to get yourself in front of either a customer, a supplier or your senior management.”
“Self-promoting – a lot of us don’t do that very well. So, get out there. Close your laptop, have lunch, talk about your work and your projects.”
“Your comfort level may be being at the back of the room, because the table that’s not at center stage is a comfort zone. I encourage my team and women I mentor to absolutely take your seat at the table and then be willing to contribute.”
“Women often will look at situations involving risk (raising her hand, asking for a salary increase, etc.) and see those situations as threatening. They’ve really learned early on not to push the boundaries or challenge the status quo and haven’t learned that those unsanctioned approaches to getting what you want can yield really great results.”
“There were people who assumed I couldn’t do what I knew I could do because I was female. But I didn’t dwell on those things. There are moments that you’ve got the mountain right in front of you. And you have to decide – am I going to go through the mountain? Am I going to scale the mountain? Or am I just going to smile and go around the mountain.”
Read more collective wisdom in Reality Check, Volumes One, Two, Three