Why Talented Women Don't Pursue Leadership | Sheila LaMothe

Why don't talented women pursue leadership? After 35 years in manufacturing, Sheila LaMothe has an answer most of us feel but rarely say out loud: it's usually not ability. It's that they don't see themselves as worthy of the opportunity, even when the people around them already do.Sheila chaired the Women in Manufacturing board, founded Women in Finishing, and today is Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the Chemical Coaters Association International. And it all started with a marketing manager sitting silent in a room full of GE and Ford executives, feeling completely irrelevant, promising herself she would not leave that room without saying something.In this episode:The real reason women hold themselves back from leadership (it's not skill)Imposter syndrome, and why an invitation is evidence that someone sees your value"He saw something in me that I didn't see in myself": how allies and sponsors open doorsSheila's "jump in" rule for opportunities you don't feel ready forHow to bring a mistake to your boss with solutions, not just problemsWhy you should never apologize for speaking in a meetingCHAPTERS 0:00 — Intro and Sheila’s “say something in the room” takeaway0:32 — Why speaking up matters when you’re invited to lead1:00 — A simple challenge for the week: one comment, one question1:30 — Intro to Sheila LaMothe and her career story2:33 — Feeling intimidated in a room full of high-level women3:29 — The moment Sheila decided to speak up4:09 — Why women often don’t own their expertise5:32 — Sheila’s unconventional path into manufacturing7:12 — Confidence, imposter syndrome, and male allies9:48 — Mantras for stepping into opportunity11:37 — Leadership, teamwork, and lessons from athletics13:33 — Learning to trust the better idea, not just your own16:03 — Coaching people to bring solutions, not just problems17:28 — Handling a major magazine typo with transparency20:41 — Joining the WIM board and growing through leadership23:44 — Why trade associations are an underrated resource27:00 — Building a meaningful network, not just collecting contacts29:49 — Final advice: stop apologizing, speak confidently, commit fully32:30 — Closing thanks and outrohttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sheila-lamothe-a1405420/If leadership doesn't see your impact yet, start by putting it into words they recognize. Get the Free Impact Clarity Tool: https://nowomanleftbehind.ac-page.com/impact-clarity-ai-optinRosie Zilinskas is the creator of the Articulation Gap for high-performing corporate women. The Articulation Gap is the distance between the impact high-performing corporate women create and the impact leadership recognizes, rewards, and promotes through Clarity, Composure, and Conviction.#WomenInLeadership #ImposterSyndrome #CareerGrowth