The New Sympathetic Superwoman

The Sunday Times 26 April 2009 ran Ruby Warrington’s interesting article on Michelle Obama - The Power of Positive subtitled “The First Lady has shown us a new type of sympathetic superwoman. Wave goodbye to the alpha bitch.”

In professions where there are relatively few female role models and mentors, it is not surprising that women of my generation, who made it to the top, adopted the alpha male characteristics of those men surrounding them. The severe working wardrobe of many women lawyers is testament to the fact that those attitudes continue.

However becoming an alpha female has come at too high a price for many women lawyers. A testament to the unhappiness and frustration felt by many women, is the fact that many have quite simply voted with their feet and left the profession in droves.

Meryl Streep in the film “The Devil Wears Prada” epitomizes for many professional women the fear of becoming divorced from who they really are and what they stand for. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at Law School, the reality of selling your soul to the devil (or is that the billable hour?) becomes a harsh reality.

So how do you balance the conflicting demands of having what it takes and remaining true to you? According to Warrington, Michelle Obama exhibits the characteristics of an alpha positive rather than alpha negative female. At the core is her ability to project her personal power in a positive rather than a negative fashion.

What it boils down to in the end is confidence to be oneself, and careful management of the potential ill effects that a toxic environment can have on your self-esteem.

Interwoven with authenticity, is the ability to use your Emotional Intelligence to connect with yourself and your audience. As a starting point, why not complete a free on-line EQ test?

“To be a Leader you must first be able to lead oneself”.