The give-and-take analogy is flawed for women.

You don’t have to get it right, to get it right - how we are so trained to be a good girl and get it right.

The problem is that as women, we are culturally conditioned to SERVE, PLEASE AND GIVE what we can so we can be liked, get validated, and acknowledged. Make a good woman. A good partner, a good wife, a good employee.

Of course, we liked being good girls when we were little, and the narrative runs strong. There isn’t much tolerance for “bad” or “naughty girls” in primary age. A girl with her strong leadership drive is still called “bossy”, whereas a boy is called “strong”. A loud girl is told to be quiet, and a boy is more likely to be tolerated and hear that “boys will be boys”.

As you become older, you might have had your rebellious streaks, but you learned that to fit in, to get ahead in life, to play with the “big boys”, there are rules to follow and to play by. And the most powerful people are often men, and the women in power positions are often still very masculine. The feminine leader is in the making, but we are not the norm.

Everything you do in business can be designed with you in mind AND your client’s best interest. It doesn’t have to be an either-or. It’s not always evident. It takes courage. It takes thought. It takes faith.