Who do you think is the most successful woman of 2023? And what defines her as successful?
The truth is: success comes in all different shapes and sizes.
And while it’s not easy to pinpoint exactly what makes someone successful, there are some common practices that successful women share, to look out for.
You might be wondering “What are they?” Sit tight, we’re about to find out.
Today, we’re sharing 7 behaviors that successful women often display.
How many of these behaviors do you see in yourself?
Let’s get started.
1) She’s not afraid to say no
Have you ever found yourself saying yes when you wanted to say no?
Picture this: you’re super busy but your boss asks you to take on another project. You want to say no but you don’t want to let them down so reluctantly, you say yes.
We’ve all been there. Turns out, many of us find it hard to say no. But why?
As outlined by Psychology Today, a recent study found that most of us exaggerate the negative impact that saying no will have. We worry we’ll upset someone, we’ll be judged or we’ll be disappointing others. Basically, we think of the worst-case scenario.
The truth is, nobody cares as much as we think they do. People handle ‘no’ better than we expect them to.
This is where successful women are different. They’re not afraid to say no. They recognize they can’t do it all. They know the importance of saying ‘no.’
They have limits and aren’t afraid to set boundaries. This helps them focus on what truly matters and helps them to be successful.
2) She’s fearless
Have you heard of Spanx? It’s a shapewear company, founded by Sara Blakely in 2000 from her tiny 2-bed apartment.
At the time she was a 27-year-old fax machine salesperson. She had no experience in business or fashion but through grit and determination, created a company that’s worth over a billion dollars today.
This is the definition of fearless. With no experience, little money, and no real chance of success, she didn’t let fear stop her.
Most successful women have a fearless approach to life. They have this unique ability to see challenges as an opportunity to learn. They feel the fear and do it anyway.
Being fearless is a prerequisite to being successful, especially as a woman. If you’ve mastered the ability to be fearless in the face of big challenges, it’s quite likely you’ll be successful in life.
3) She’s always authentic
When you think of ‘authenticity’, which female role models spring to mind?
For me, it’s P!nk, American singer-songwriter who broke onto the music scene in 2000.
With her pink hair, her bad attitude, her potty mouth, and her insane vocal ability, P!nk was unapologetically her authentic self from the start. But it wasn’t always easy.
She faced backlash from music executives telling her she’d need to change if she wanted to be successful.
Her hit Don’t Let Me Get Me references this with the lyrics “LA told me, you’ll be a pop star, all you have to change is everything you are”. Despite this, P!nk stayed true to herself and has sold over 60 million albums to date.
Authenticity is a common trait among successful women. Like P!nk, they make choices in all aspects of their lives that align with who they truly are, no matter the consequences. Sometimes this is hard, but it’s always worth it.
4) She’s not afraid to ask for help
I’m almost embarrassed to admit it now but I used to think asking for help was a sign of weakness. I’d try to do everything alone and suffer in silence.
It wasn’t until I read a quote from Malcolm Forbes, best known as publisher and owner of Forbes magazine, that I had my ‘aha’ moment.
He said, “The smart ones ask when they don’t know. And, sometimes when they do”. I adopted his mentality and started asking for help more.
And here’s the kicker: none of us can do it all alone, we all need to ask for help.
Successful women know this. They ask for help, surround themselves with smart people, and build solid teams around them that ensure they are successful.
So next time you hesitate to ask for help on something, remember that by asking for help, you’re behaving just like so many other successful women.
5) She sets goals
We’ve probably all heard that writing down our goals makes us 33% more likely to achieve them, right? But how many of us actually do it?
I’m not talking about a New Year’s resolution that you were never really serious about. I’m talking about clearly defined and well-thought-out goals that, if reached, will be stepping stones toward the things that you really want in life.
Well, it turns out: setting and striving for goals is something successful women do regularly.
These women are always pushing themselves both personally and professionally. Goal setting is at the center of everything as goals are their step-by-step plan to help them make progress.
So what goals are you setting for yourself?
If you’re the type of person who wants to start setting goals but you just don’t know how, I’d highly recommend Atomic Habits by James Clear. He sets out a simple yet effective way to set goals and reach them through habits.
6) She sees vulnerability as strength
Brené Brown, renowned researcher, and five-time New York Best Selling Author, says that “vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change”. Having spent more than two decades studying empathy, shame, vulnerability, and courage, her message is that vulnerability is not only a strength but a necessity.
Many successful women share this view about vulnerability. These women know that being brave enough to show our true selves fosters deeper connections and leads to more innovation.
Look, I get it: being vulnerable is scary.
It’s being brave enough to share an idea so crazy that others might laugh at you. Or being willing to ask a “silly” question in a room full of experts. But by being vulnerable, you give others the freedom to do the same, and real innovation can flow.
Watch out for this behavior, if you’ve got a woman in your life who encourages vulnerability, you know she sees it as a strength. And you’ll notice, she’s probably also quite successful in life.
7) She supports others
One of the hallmark behaviors of women who are successful in life is their willingness to support others with similar aspirations.
Oprah, one of the most successful women of our time, runs the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy For Girls which provides education and leadership opportunities for disadvantaged girls around the world.
This commitment to supporting others is not unique to just Oprah.
Successful women know how important it is to lift others as they climb. They share knowledge, provide mentorship, and celebrate the success of others, creating a positive and empowering environment for everyone.
Do you have a mentor in your life who is helping to lift you up? Or perhaps you’re at a stage in your life where you’re providing that mentorship for someone else?
This behavior is common for women who tend to be successful, but of course, that is not the motivation. Giving back is part of who they are.
Final thoughts
We’re lucky to have many different successful female role models to look up to today.
Although they all have different strengths and contribute different things to the world, if you look closely, you’ll see that most successful women you can think of, display these 7 behaviors.
And if you see some of these behaviors in yourself, it’s likely that you too, will be quite successful in life.
