IWD 2025: Women’s innate strengths bring success full circle

The Circle Game by Joni Mitchell is a nostalgic song for me. For those not familiar, it speaks to the inevitability of growing up, the passage of time, and how as the seasons come and go, we, too, go "round and round in the circle game" moving from childhood to adulthood, from being cared for to being the caregiver.

The idea of the circle of life really hit home this past year. I started a new role with a company I love. My two little girls overnight became pre-teens. And I became the caregiver to aging parents. I think that for women, especially, the stages of life are cumulative. At various points, we are daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, and working professionals, simultaneously juggling these varied roles and the myriad responsibilities and demands that come with them. 

It's tempting to think that you have to be great at multitasking to keep everything on an even keel. I'm admittedly terrible at it, but I can keep the plates spinning. The real strength, I believe, lies in intense focus. Managing multiple priorities without losing sight of critical details. 

It's a valuable skill that has served me well over the course of my career, managing complex deals, balancing competing priorities, and navigating changing customer needs, and one that would transfer into any career I choose. But with each passing year I seem to be wearing more hats, and I can't help but wonder how many other skills gleaned from my life experiences as a woman have transferred into success at work. In other words, beyond niche expertise, do women inherently possess traits that make us exceptional sales leaders? Do the skills we bring to the table come not just from training but from the unique rhythms of our lives? 

The power of connection

Sales, at its core, is about relationships—understanding needs, fostering trust, and delivering value. One of a salesperson's most powerful tools is the ability to listen and truly understand the customer's needs. It's the ability to empathize with others that allows us to create meaningful and lasting client relationships and cultivate partnerships that drive long-term success.

Women are often attuned to others' needs, and I believe that it's this emotional intelligence that sets us apart as sales leaders. We're able to draw from our collective life experiences to connect with clients at different stages of their own journeys. It's this ability to read between the lines and sense underlying issues, for example, that helps us navigate complex negotiations, anticipate our partner or client's needs, and if the situation demands, quickly pivot to overcome roadblocks.

I think I can, I think I can

To be successful in life and in sales, you have to channel the Little Engine That Could—no matter the obstacle before you, you have to have confidence in yourself to keep going. As women, our experience balancing careers, families, and personal ambitions hones our resilience, our ability to adapt and persevere. We know that life comes in cycles—marriage, children, career, aging parents—that challenges are temporary, and that perseverance pays off. 

Resilience isn't just about persistence, however—it's about optimism. Every deal, every situation, brings its own set of highs and lows, and it's this fortitude, this ability to remain optimistic in the face of adversity, that fuels success. We have to believe that we will meet our goals, that we will close the deal, and that we will overcome obstacles—and we have to make others believe it, too.

The "ick" zone

To be successful in sales, you need the ability to see solutions where others see roadblocks. You need to be able to see a problem through different lenses, and that's where resilience, adaptability, empathy, and strategic thinking really come into play. When you're working a deal and things get tough, you're forced to pivot and think quickly about how you can create a win-win for all involved. 

Negotiations are often tricky and you need the ability to withstand the pressure. You have to be okay settling into what I call the "ick zone," and you can't be comfortable there without having overcome adversity. 

Success through strength

Ultimately, I feel that qualities that make women exceptional salespeople and leaders—empathy, emotional intelligence, adaptability, collaboration, and resilience—are the very traits that bring us full circle in our lives. As we move through different seasons of life and leadership, we continuously transform challenges into opportunities, relationships into partnerships, and aspirations into achievements. The sales world isn't just benefiting from having more women in leadership—it's thriving because of us.