By Jessica Lucio
In preparation for our Book Club, discussing the book How Women Rise
What If Your Greatest Strength Has Become Your Greatest Barrier?
"One of the hardest truths about professional growth is this: the habits that helped us succeed yesterday aren't always the ones that help us rise tomorrow."
If you've ever left a meeting replaying everything you said—or didn't say...
If you've watched someone else receive recognition for work you quietly helped make possible...
If you've hesitated to apply for a role because you didn't feel quite ready...
You're not alone. And you may not have an expertise problem.
You may have a habit problem.
Many of us built our careers by being dependable, prepared, collaborative, and willing to step in wherever we were needed. Those qualities earn trust, strengthen teams, and create opportunities. They're worth celebrating.
But as our careers evolve, those same behaviors can quietly begin working against us.
Humility becomes invisibility.
Preparation becomes perfectionism.
Helping everyone else leaves little time to invest in ourselves.
This is the central idea behind How Women Rise by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith. The authors explore twelve common behaviors that are often rewarded early in our careers but can unintentionally limit our influence, visibility, and long-term growth.
One insight from the book is particularly powerful: "What got you here won't get you there."
It's a simple statement—but one that invites an important question:
What if the next level of your career isn't about doing more? What if it's about doing something differently?
The Hidden Habits We Rarely Talk About
Professional women are often encouraged to work hard, stay humble, support others, and avoid drawing attention to themselves. Those values can build strong reputations, but they can also create unintended consequences.
Maybe you assume your work will speak for itself.
Maybe you wait until you're 100% qualified before volunteering.
Maybe you soften your ideas with phrases like "I just think..." or "This might be a silly suggestion..."
Maybe you're known as the person who can always be counted on—until you're carrying everyone else's work in addition to your own.
These habits rarely appear overnight. They develop over years of positive reinforcement, and that's why they're so difficult to recognize.
Leadership Looks Different Than We Think
One of the things we appreciate most about How Women Rise is that it broadens the definition of leadership.
Leadership isn't reserved for people-managers. It's demonstrated every day by professionals who influence projects, improve processes, mentor colleagues, solve difficult problems, and help organizations move forward. Whether you're just beginning your career, leading a cross-functional initiative, managing a team, or serving as an executive, the opportunity to grow your influence never stops.
The question isn't whether you're a leader. The question is:
How intentionally are you leading today?
A Few Questions Worth Asking Yourself
As you think about your own career, consider these questions:
Do I openly communicate the value I bring, or do I hope others simply notice?
Am I building relationships that help me grow—or only completing today's work?
What opportunities have I delayed because I wanted to be "more ready"?
Do I spend more time managing expectations than pursuing my aspirations?
Which habits have helped me succeed—and which might now be limiting my next step?
Sometimes the most significant career breakthroughs begin with better questions.
Growth Happens in Community
Reading a great leadership book can change your perspective. Discussing it with other professional women can change your behavior. There's something powerful about hearing another woman describe a challenge you've quietly experienced yourself. The conversations often become the catalyst that transforms awareness into action.
Throughout our upcoming PWH Book Club, we'll explore the ideas in How Women Rise together—not as a lecture, but as a conversation. We'll unpack the twelve habits, share personal experiences, celebrate successes, and learn practical strategies for building greater confidence, visibility, influence, and impact. Whether you're an individual contributor, a project leader, a people manager, or an executive, you'll leave with practical ideas you can immediately apply to your own career.
Your Next Rise Starts Here
The goal isn't to become someone different. It's to become more intentional about how your strengths show up. It's recognizing that confidence can coexist with humility, boundaries create space for meaningful work, and visibility isn't self-promotion—it's allowing others to understand the impact you make.
And perhaps most importantly, it's realizing that growth doesn't happen by accident. It happens through reflection, conversation, and the courage to try something new.
We'll be exploring all of this—and much more—during the upcoming PWH Book Club: How Women Rise.
Over four interactive sessions, we'll dive deeper into the habits, the stories behind them, and the practical actions that help women grow at every stage of their careers. If this article sparked even one moment of recognition, imagine what four hours of thoughtful discussion with a community of professional women might do. We'd love to have you pull up a chair, join the conversation, and discover what your next rise could look like!