Dear Heather,
Be courageously vulnerable. Giving trust to others, revealing your heart and the inner workings of your thoughts, shows others that it’s safe to do the same. It’s scary to be vulnerable, though, and it’s impossible to know if showing others your soft and squishy insides will result in getting hurt. But remember, you’re strong, and if you can bravely step towards vulnerability, others will find you more approachable, feel at ease with your honesty, and come to you with their problems (which is one of the hardest things to suss out from a team). They will begin to trust that your feedback, criticisms and leadership decisions are not coming from a place of harm, and you’ll be less likely to elicit a defensive response in a hard conversation. Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of being courageously vulnerable is that you will make your workplace a safer place for women.

Good luck. You got this.