978: 5 Leadership Skills for Women That Accelerate Careers Leadership Strategies

How often do you take action in a way that makes you think, “This is going to get me where I want to go!” My guess is that you’re not taking these kinds of strategic action steps often enough, AND you’re probably taking many other action steps each day that are not helping advance your career growth. In fact, you may be stuck in a vicious (exhausting?!) cycle of over-giving, over-producing, and over-proving yourself without any long-term benefit to your career. In this episode, I’m sharing five leadership skills that truly accelerate women’s careers - not in a hustle-harder, fix-yourself way - but in a grounded, strategic, and sustainable way. Too often, women are given vague advice like “just be more confident” or “speak up more,” without being taught the actual skills that create visibility, influence, and momentum. This episode is about naming the skills that actually move the needle in your career advancement and then making them actionable. This is especially for women who are doing great work and still feel stuck or overlooked. I walk through five specific skills that I’ve seen make a real difference over and over again: strategic self-advocacy, clear and confident communication (especially in high-stakes moments), intentional relationship-building, navigating power and bias without losing yourself, and setting boundaries that protect both your energy and your credibility. I talk honestly about the traps women are often socialized into, such as self-sacrificing, waiting to be noticed, staying quiet to stay “likable,” and how these skills help you move out of those patterns without becoming someone you’re not. This conversation is for women at any stage of their career who want to lead with more intention, influence, and ease. My hope is that as you listen, you’ll identify one skill that feels especially relevant right now - one lever you can pull that creates momentum instead of burnout. Leadership isn’t about perfection or a dazzling personality; it’s about practicing the skills that help you be seen, heard, and valued for the leader you already are, so that when the right opportunity opens up, you are well-positioned to step right into it. Links Mentioned: Hire Sara to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with Sara: Connect with Sara on LinkedIn: Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You can listen to 978: 5 Leadership Skills for Women That Accelerate Careers Leadership Strategies online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

978: 5 Leadership Skills for Women That Accelerate Careers Leadership Strategies is an episode from The Shameless Mom Academy | Motherhood | Parent | Lifestyle | Inspiration | Motivation | Education | Mother | Full Life | Life of Your Dreams by Sara Dean.

This episode is 34:49 long.

This episode was published on Feb 10, 2026.

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