It's not about being a #girlboss at all...

It's cliché and I use the term myself but really...what is a girlboss? It's a term we've beaten to death. It all began so innocently thanks to Sophia and I think it was the start of a new era. An era where women were empowered to step up and mark their territory in the work force. In a way, we owe her so much for starting this movement and there have been many more important ones to follow.

So what exactly is a #girlboss because I think a lot of people want to own that title but don't necessarily exhibit all the traits that a true leader and pioneer should exhibit. It's not always about revenue and salaries. It's about kindness. It's about support. True support. It's about that karmic force of what goes around comes around, isn't it?

I started to write this post in November and have been observing the scene ever since. I see a tremendous amount of goodness happening around but I also see a lot of disingenuous behavior, too. Kinda like speaking out of both sides of your CEO mouth!

Here's what I think a #girlboss is defined by:

• You have to be afraid of failure. 

• You have to lift others up.

• You have to nurture new talent and help them discover their strengths.

• You have to yearn to always improve or be better.

• You have to beat yourself. You are only in competition with you. 

• You have to support your peers with referrals and true kindness...especially if you want it in return. 

• You have to work like a dog. You have to pass on some of the fun.

• You have to have an insatiable amount of passion - it cannot be quenched.

• You have to lose sight of the days...they blend because you love what you do, even the hard days.

And let's be realistic, no one is perfect including moi. For sure! You don't have to love everyone and not everyone will love you. I think the key is to be in the same room and remain classy. Class is everything and your reputation precedes you. It's not only what you do in public but it's what you do behind closed doors, too because let's face it...someone is always listening, watching and judging. Especially in a world where social media is our major news source!

But, this whole women's empowerment movement means nothing if we do not practice it with our actions daily. Do it for your staff. Do it for your children. Do it to grow your business because it will; hands down. 

We didn't claw and scrape our way to the top only to tear each other down - women, that is. We are so much stronger as a united front and my wish is to see more of that in 2018. Imagine putting all of our talent to use to really grow. I think that's the stuff of dreams.

So, I think it's okay to have a little badass in you. Heck, I think it's great but nothing is more important than kindness. Nothing. Being a rude badass is simply in bad form and it's definitely not becoming. 

Let's show those fellas what we're really made of. Happy Friday!