A common reason mid-career women seek out my help is because they’re stuck in the same role, or at the same level, they have been at for far too long. Despite Herculean efforts – and I’m talking endless 12-hour days, putting their hand up to carry the load or put out all the fires, and keeping their door open to guide anyone who asks – these women simply don’t see the rewards that should come their way.

This was exactly the case for a client I met a couple of years ago. Let’s call her Ainsley. By the time we met, Ainsley was angry. She had been working long days for as long as she could remember and wasn’t being rewarded with the professional recognition she deserved. In fact, she was beginning to feel totally overlooked and taken for granted. And to make matters worse, she was angry with herself because the sacrifices she had made to create life-changing career opportunities for herself and her family just weren’t paying dividends.

If you find yourself here too, it might be easy to complain about what’s ‘out there’ and getting in your way… that man who got the promotion because he’s mates with the director… your team who can’t figure anything out without your input… having unrealistic deadlines imposed on you. None of that is your fault, and it’s keeping you stuck, dissatisfied, and on the edge of burnout. 

And yes, all of those things have a part to play. But there’s one other very important factor that needs to be considered. You! Your decisions, your actions, and your ways of working.

Let’s dive into the top 3 reasons why you’re being overlooked at work, and what you can do about it.

1. You’re focused on the wrong things

This is by far the most common problem that stops women from stepping into the leadership spotlight at work, and it manifests in two ways. 

The first is what you define  as ‘good work’. You’re caught in the mindset that hard work is what counts. Putting in the hours, taking everything on, and carrying the team. Which is completely understandable, given that for the first quarter of our lives (if not longer) that was exactly the model we were taught – be good, work hard, put others first. 

But if hard work was all it took… women everywhere would be at the top of the tree. And that’s simply not the case. Instead, it is the innovative, strategic and quality outcomes that get rewarded. You know – all those ideas and projects you would get to, if only you had a little more time…

Which brings me to the second issue: are you focused on the work that actually matters? (Do you even know what that is?!) If you’re stuck in the weeds of busywork, I’m willing to bet that a lot of what you do each day is maintaining the status quo and being in reactive mode as issues arise. You are handling a lot – but that’s building your reputation as “Good old you, taking care of things”. 

What if, instead, you identified a key strategic objective for your team, department, or company, and dedicated a minimum of 90 minutes per week to moving that forward? It might take some time, but I’m willing to bet that before too long, you’ll begin to attract notice from the executive team as the woman who implemented an innovative solution for that long-standing issue.

2. You’re not speaking up

At this level of your career, putting in the hours and waiting to be noticed is simply not enough. Yes, it absolutely should be – but we have to deal with realities here. It’s time to look for opportunities to showcase what you do and the important contribution you make at work. This is especially important if you’re usually praised for just quietly getting things done. 

This might look like providing a bit more detail about what went into creating a particular outcome, talking about what your team is working on, or sharing with your network the projects and initiatives you’re currently working on. Don’t just rely on people seeing or knowing what you’ve done – make it clear!

3. You’re busy – not effective

Something I’ve noticed about women who are known as the reliable ‘Jill of all trades’ is that people will often come to them for a lot of different things – but they’re so stretched that they’re not actually being very effective at any of them! I’m sure you recognise how this feels… like you’re constantly chasing your tail, and you’re not able to get beyond scratching the surface of any of the bigger pieces of work. It comes back to focusing on what matters most – and you need to reclaim time in your calendar to do that. 

It’s about establishing, communicating, and upholding clear boundaries around your time, energy, and mental space. This will be especially challenging in the beginning, as you undo the reputation you’ve built for yourself as a ‘go to’ resource who will say yes to everything. But it doesn’t mean you have to start slamming the door and turning everyone away! 

Instead, ease into your new normal. Rather than saying yes (and panicking later), practise saying “I can, but I won’t be able to get to it until XXX. Does that work for you?” Or, “right now my focus is YYY. Is this a higher priority?” 

At the end of the day, we teach people how to treat us through the behaviour we accept. If you’re feeling taken for granted, and that what you get done isn’t even seen, let alone valued, it’s time to change tactics and make different choices. When you shift your focus to align with strategic objectives, create space to be more impactful and effective, and harness opportunities to speak up about your contribution, you will shift your reputation and get noticed – for all the right things.

And when you’re getting noticed for all the right reasons… it won’t take long to transition from being overlooked to being on everyone’s radar!

A common obstacle I see keeping women stuck in their career is delegation. Either they don’t do it at all, or when they try it’s executed poorly so they give up and revert back to trying to do everything themselves. 

We know that a key task of leadership is setting the strategic vision and focusing on the work that matters… and yet this cannot happen if you’re stuck in the weeds of day-to-day busywork. This is why delegation is so important – you have to get things off your plate so you have the space to focus on that bigger picture work. 

When I ask women in my community what is holding them back from delegating, they tell me they either don’t have a team to delegate to, or that they’re not comfortable delegating to their team. Let’s look more closely at each roadblock.

I don’t have a team to delegate to

Just like you don’t need to have a team to demonstrate impactful leadership… you don’t need to be leading your own team to be able to share the load. Instead, how can you leverage the strengths and capacity of those around you? This might be your peers, or a project team you are part of, or other people within the organisation.

When you’re able to let go of what you do, you create growth opportunities for others by allowing them to tap into their strengths and interests and develop new skills. I’m confident there will be people in your organisation who would relish such an opportunity so don’t be afraid to cast a wider net to find them. 

You can also practise delegation outside of the workplace if that’s what will free up your capacity for creative thinking and impactful leadership. This might look like engaging a cleaner, outsourcing some meal preparation, or enlisting family members to help with getting the kids to their after-school activities. 

I’m not comfortable delegating to my team

For the women who do have a team, reluctance to delegate often looks like:

• They’re really busy too, it doesn’t feel right to ask them to do another thing; or
• I don’t trust them to do the task well and/or it’s quicker to do it myself.

When you share the load with others, you’re creating the opportunity for them to grow and develop in their own careers – so give them the chance to show you what they’re capable of! When we visited this topic in The Leadership Connection, my membership community for high-calibre, mid-career women, one of our members captured this perfectly: “(Holding tasks back because they might be busy) doesn’t allow for their development, it doesn’t help them grow in confidence and ability… and it just buries me!”

Now, let’s talk about trusting your team (or colleague, or cleaner) to take on new tasks. Trust is fundamental to delegation… but it’s also something that is nurtured over time once you start sharing the load. And it relies on you! If your efforts in delegation so far haven’t been very successful – I’m sorry to say – the problem starts with you. It is up to you to create the conditions for success here.

How to delegate effectively

1.  Prepare for short term pain.

Even with the best team, the journey to effective delegation will be slow, and at times frustrating. Right now, it probably is quicker for you to do things yourself! But over time you will empower your team and build their confidence to take more and more off your plate. This is a long game strategy that will pay off in spades over the coming months and years.

2. Leverage and develop existing strengths.

Take the time to understand people’s strengths, and consider how you can tap into them to deliver the outcome needed. When you assign responsibilities that play to their individual talents and interests, you’ll also be fostering a sense of ownership, motivation and accountability.

3. Clarity creates momentum

Ensure you are clear on the desired outcome, so you can communicate this to your team. One mistake leaders make is that they get too caught up in the ‘how’ and end up micromanaging the process. If you’re a detail-oriented person who is at risk of this too, shift your focus to the detail of the outcome you want to create. Create clear accountability, and provide ample space for your team to confirm they understand what’s expected from them.

4. Delegate, don’t abdicate.

Just shifting things off your plate is not effective delegation! Instead, create a collaborative atmosphere with your team and include space for regular check-ins. Again, make sure they understand what to do and what’s expected from them, and stay available for questions and support until they’re able to manage it on their own.

5. Let them fail (a little)

One of the best ways to build capacity and foster trust with your team is to give them space to muck things up, and be gracious when you help them get back on track. It sounds counterintuitive, but I’m sure you’ll recognise from your own experience – sometimes our biggest lessons come when we make mistakes. This doesn’t look like walking away and letting them crash and burn (that will destroy any trust you’ve developed and shatter their confidence). But creating safety for them to have a little wobble can speed up the learning process significantly.

When we refuse to delegate, we stunt our professional growth and put ourselves on a sure path to burnout. Plus, by holding on to all the busywork ourselves, we limit our capacity to take on new challenges and expand our sphere of influence. It’s time to break free from this self-imposed barrier and embrace delegation as a catalyst for success.

As leaders, our time is precious, and by delegating effectively, we can focus on strategic initiatives that drive our organisations forward. Moreover, delegation fosters professional growth within our teams, empowering individuals to take ownership and develop new skills. Simply put, effective delegation is the cornerstone of impactful leadership.

A common obstacle the mid-career women I work with face is that they’re not being seen by the senior leadership team… which also leaves them unable to influence strategic direction, and feeling undervalued in their role.

In this article I’m going to share with you why it’s important to be visible, valuable, and have influence at senior levels, and what you can do to start shifting the dial on your influence and visibility.

Why does it matter?
Earlier in your career, you probably derived a lot of satisfaction simply from being on the team and being able to effectively follow through on the projects or subject matter areas delegated to you. From our school days onwards, we were rewarded for working hard, asking for permission, and waiting to be called upon. And it is this team-member mindset we need to break free from to step up into impactful leadership.

Successful leaders are the people who are setting the vision, making impactful decisions, solving the big problems and focusing on progressing projects that will support the growth and sustainability of the business. And you can’t do that without getting the senior leadership team on board with the projects or agendas you believe in.

What’s stopping you?
If you’re struggling to get yourself seen, heard, and noticed by your leadership team, the board, or the CEO, the first step is to understand – what’s stopping you? These are the issues I commonly see.

1. Fear
Fear is the biggest thing holding women back from stepping into the spaces and roles where they can excel. It might be a fear of being too visible, the fear of getting it wrong and looking silly, or fear around asking for what you need.

2. Focus
Often the women I work with can articulate what they don’t want – but not what they do want. And if you’re not clear about what you want… you won’t recognise the opportunities to raise your profile and agenda when they appear! It’s time to get focused and specific about the outcomes you want to create, which will also help you focus your efforts to boost your visibility and have more influence.

3. The Pedestal Effect
Sometimes, when we think about the board or C-suite executives at our workplace, we can get a little star-struck. If you find yourself holding back because you don’t want to take up their time, or you’re worried about being a bother when they have a lot on their plate – the Pedestal Effect is in action!

Whatever it is that’s holding you back from becoming visible and having influence at the senior level, it is time to move beyond those obstacles and get yourself seen. Whether it is your direct manager or leaders higher up in the organisation, your senior leaders don’t know as much about your area of expertise as you do… and being able to influence at that level is the key to being able to contribute to the strategic direction of the business and to create change – for the business, their customers, or your team.

How to build your influence

1. Adapt your style
It’s a frustrating truth that we cannot change how others will behave. All you can control is what you do. If you find you’re simply not getting cut through at work, consider how you can adapt your approach and style so that it aligns with the senior leaders. Are they a big picture person, or do they need quite a lot of detail? Will they respond best to facts, or do they need you to present the story of your innovative project? Walk in their shoes, understand what matters to them, and position yourself accordingly.

2. Demonstrate your value.
We cannot expect to be of influence if we’re not being seen as valuable. Stay present to opportunities to let people know what you’re doing, and how you got to your position. This is especially important if you have a knack for making what you do look easy! Demonstrate your capability by allowing people to understand what went into solving that problem or achieving that outcome. It’s time to articulate your magic, ladies!

3. Micro moments matter.
In a busy organisation you won’t often get big enough pockets of time for a detailed presentation about an initiative or project. Instead, you need to keep an eye out for micro moments to sow the seeds of your value. Where can you speak up about what your team is working on? How can you begin to raise your profile with the people that matter? How can you create advocates for your project before you present it more widely?

Relationships first, influence second
If there is one thing that will form the core of your ability to influence it is the quality of your relationships. When you focus on building strong relationships with your colleagues, you will naturally come to understand what is important to them, and how to best approach them with strategic ideas. Check ins and conversations will create those micro moments, and give you the chance to showcase your value and articulate your magic.

Your effectiveness as a strategic leader relies on your ability to influence those around you… and on your ability to influence UP in the organisation. If this is something you’ve struggled with – know you are not alone. It’s time to move past what’s been holding you back, get clear on what you want, and capture those micro moments that can make all the difference.

If your career has plateaued, you may be in more trouble than you realise. As humans we are hardwired to be consistently learning and growing. Without opportunities to stretch and challenge us, we become stale, we lose momentum, and it can cause you to be overlooked and undervalued.

Opportunities for growth dry up for many reasons.

Perhaps you’re at that point where the only opportunity for progression is your boss’s job… and goodness knows how long you’ll have to wait for them to go!

Perhaps you’ve been pigeonholed, and your manager is unable to see your capabilities beyond what you are currently doing.

Or perhaps you’ve become a bit too comfortable in the role you’re in and have shied away from going after new challenges.

Whatever the reason, staying stuck for too long will be detrimental for your career … and ultimately your happiness.

Here’s why…

Your reputation is on the line. Have you noticed that people who are seen to be growing get more attention from senior leaders than those who are seen as hard working, focused team members who be relied on to just get the job done?

People who are growing get a reputation as someone to watch; they get more support and are more likely promoted. In contrast, people whose growth has stalled fall off the radar and opportunities dry up.

As a leader you’ve probably done it yourself – given more coaching and bigger opportunities to team members who are on the rise. So why wouldn’t it happen to you too?

Your confidence is at stake. Confidence comes from generating positive results with the actions you take – particularly those actions that stretch you. So, it’s obvious: if you’re not taking bold and courageous actions, you’re not getting the internal feedback that you’ve got this. Not only does this mean you’re not building confidence… it can undermine what confidence you have by letting seeds of doubt take root, too.

Sadly, a loss of confidence can often lead women to retreat to the tasks, activities and ways of working that are familiar and comfortable. And as a result – they get stuck. Stuck doing tasks that they nailed years ago; tasks that are seen as necessary but not valuable; tasks that provide no sense of pride or confidence.

Your job satisfaction is at risk. We spend too many hours of our life at work to settle for a role that has lost its spark. If you’re not loving your role right now, it’s likely part of the problem is that you’ve stopped growing.

Think about it. When was the last time you did something for the first time? When was the last time you surprised yourself with what you achieved? When was the last time you felt truly proud of your contribution?

Growth doesn’t need to come from a brand new job. More often, it can come from new challenges within your role. Challenges like presenting to the board, creating the department budget, having a difficult conversation with a team member, or heading a business-critical project.

If you haven’t had many moments that challenged your limits lately, it’s a fair warning sign that you’ve hit a professional growth plateau.

If that’s you … then I invite you to join us at our upcoming FREE workshop…

The 4 Pillars to Unlocking Life-Changing Professional Growth: How to break through the mid-career plateau that has you feeling stuck, undervalued, and maybe even on the brink of burnout. Click here to reserve your spot now >>>https://janebenston.lpages.co/unlock-growth/

Many women I speak with think it’s quicker and better to do things themselves rather than taking the time to delegate tasks and projects to someone else. Sadly, this may be hurting your leadership impact and reputation more than you think.

I get it. It quite possibly is quicker to do it yourself!

And no doubt no one else could possibly do it as well as you do 😉

But let me ask you this…

Does your CEO do everything themselves? Have you ever seen a CEO working late into the night entering data into a spreadsheet or fiddling with a PowerPoint slide, so it looks just, right?

No! If they did, they would have no time, energy or mental capacity to set the strategic direction, guide their senior leaders through high level problems, or make the decisions that only they can make.

Successful senior leaders have got to where they are, in part, through their ability to delegate all but the most important, high impact, high value tasks and projects.

And before you tell me that you feel guilty offloading your work onto others, let’s think about what you’re not getting to because you are hanging onto pretty much everything.

Do you have a project that’s been on your to do list for months without much progress?

Do you have an underperforming team member that you’ve been hoping will somehow, finally pick up their game so you don’t have to have the difficult conversation with them?

Or do you feel anxious all the time because you know that you’re spread way too thin, which means your work is not up to your usual standard?

These all require YOUR attention. No one else can or should address these issues.

So, here’s the thing…

The quickest and most sustainable way to do the true work of leadership more consistently is by creating the space to lead!

That’s why delegating effectively to others is one of the first places we focus when we are looking to free up your time and energy.

And it’s one of the foundational strategies I focus on with my clients.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking “I’ll just do this myself and get it done,” but every minute you spend on a low-level task is time you’re not investing in high value work … that only you can do!

So let me ask you this. Do you really want to keep struggling to get to the real work of leadership?

Or are you ready to step back, let go and trust others to pick up some of the load?

Do you often find yourself working tirelessly, trying to prove your worth and earn that well-deserved recognition? It’s a trap many mid-career professional women fall into, thinking that by working harder and doing more, they will finally be seen, heard, and promoted.  

But here’s the truth: it’s not helping you move forward. It’s holding you back. 

If you’ve been making this mistake too – I get it. Over the years we’ve been told that success comes to those who work hard. 

Your strong work ethic, getting the job done and doing it well, was probably what got you to where you are today.  It may be what you are known for. It’s likely helped to open up some fabulous opportunities for you over the years. You may have even crafted a reputation as someone who is super helpful, reliable and dependable.  

But being helpful, useful and reliable is likely the very thing that is now holding you back.   

It was great in the early years of your career but if you want to be seen as an impactful leader… this approach will only keep you stuck at the level, you’re at.   

Take a look at the leaders who you admire. And think about this for a moment… 

Are they stuck in the day to day, busy doing low value tasks? 

NO, they are not!   

The brutal truth is that working harder and doing more is more likely to lead to burnout than respect, recognition or an amazing job offer.  

So, you may be wondering… how do you get to that next level of leadership, impact and recognition?  

It starts with DOING LESS and dedicating more time and energy to actually LEADING.   

It may seem counterintuitive at first. How can you get ahead when you are actually DOING less? 

It’s quite simple really. When you’re busy being busy you’ve got no time or head space to truly lead.   

Leadership is about setting the vision, making impactful decisions, solving the big problems and focusing on progressing projects that will support the growth and sustainability of the business. It’s about building and leading high performing teams and supporting and mentoring people to perform at their best.   

All of these activities require space to think.   

So that’s exactly where you need to start – by creating the space to think and lead.   

That means taking back control of your calendar. I recommend that my clients start by clearing the clutter, removing unnecessary meetings and creating at least 1 or 2 chunks of time each week which they dedicate to focusing on the big picture work of leadership.  

It means setting boundaries.  

It means saying NO to the busy work so you can focus on the work that matters.  

But first… 

Do you actually know what work matters most to you, your team and the organisation?   

If you want your talents and capabilities to be recognised, it’s important you’re prioritising based on what matters most to your boss (and their boss!)  Too often I see women lost in the weeds of the day to day and not focused on the work that is in alignment with the organisation’s goals, and then wonder why they are being overlooked for promotion or interesting projects.  

Recognition will come from DOING LESS, creating space to think, and focusing your efforts on what matters most to the organisation and doing work that supports the business goals.   

And finally – we can’t overlook the importance of making time and space prioritise you.   

Being happy, healthy and well rested is a prerequisite for great leadership. It supports productivity, is the foundation of creativity and is essential to enable you to show up as the best version of you!  

Taking time out for you is not a luxury – it’s a necessity. As is getting enough sleep, making sure you move your body, and doing what you need to do to quieten your mind and nurture your spirit.  

So, let me ask you…. 

Do you really want to stay stuck in the day-to-day busyness, working really hard – but not getting the recognition you deserve?  

Or is it time to break free of this pattern and finally step up to the next level of leadership, impact and recognition – not by doing more but by doing less?   

If you’d like to learn more about how to let go of the busyness and truly step into the work of leadership, then click the button below and join us in our FREE Facebook group, Leading Ladies: an exclusive group for mid-career women to share, learn and grow.