7 Personality Traits of High-Performing Women and How To Adopt Them

By Sarah Landrum

Women are outnumbered by men in leadership roles, but that doesn’t mean we have to be content to take a backseat. You’ve probably noticed how many women are natural-born leaders and appear to be able to perform well in almost any situation. As it turns out, there are several personality traits these women tend to have. Keep reading to learn more about them, and how to develop them so they’re more prominent in your life.

Assertive people tend to be those who stand up for themselves and go full speed ahead to seize new opportunities. They also tend to have better communication skills, which may be one reason why assertiveness and high performance go hand in hand.

Passive behavior, on the other hand, is often associated with a lack of confidence. So, if you find yourself hesitating, step back to take stock of your skills. Once you feel strongly about what you’re capable of, you’ll be better able to speak your mind, or put yourself forward as a worthy candidate to get something done.

Being aggressive doesn’t mean flying off the handle if something doesn’t go your way. Instead, it involves bringing constructive energy to projects so they move forward instead of getting forgotten.

You can sharpen this personality trait by staying determined to see things through to the finish. Remind others of the worth associated with completing a project and stay focused even if others don’t initially share your willingness to put forth the effort required.

If you lack energy, you can hardly expect to get your own to-do list done, let alone inspire others to stay vibrant. Work on your energy level by being aware of the things that drag you down and making conscious efforts to remove yourself from situations when necessary.

It’s also important to give yourself permission to rest and recharge by taking part in healthy activities. Maybe that means playing guitar or reading book. Whatever the case may be, finding what helps you feel restored is the first step towards getting and staying energized.

Empathy is a trait that allows you to relate to the situations others are facing, and understand why they’re feeling the way they are. One great way to become more empathetic is to simply take time to listen to other people’s perspectives. Sometimes without even realiZing it, people become very comfortable in their own surroundings, which may keep them shielded from the challenges experienced by others.

Also, keep in mind empathy doesn’t mean you have to offer solutions to problems. It’s often just enough to make it clear you’re there to provide support. Another effective way to develop empathy is to spend time volunteering for a cause that touches your heart. Doing that gets you out of your comfort zone and able to do something that makes a positive difference.

The ego-strength trait is all about how you handle things when life gets hard. This is definitely a trait that you’ll spend time developing throughout your whole life. A helpful way to start is to keep your perspective as clear as possible.

When challenges come our way, the first response is often one of incompetence, fear or being completely overwhelmed. It’s easier to demonstrate resilience when we try to examine the challenge in a way that’s as practical as possible.

That may mean reaching out to someone else for help, or even just reminding yourself all you can do is take things one day at a time. Also, focus on factors of the challenge that are within your control, rather than letting yourself get swamped by things you can’t necessarily change.

This one is tough for everyone at times, especially because life, and the people you interact with, can be so unpredictable. Being aware of your stress triggers is very useful, because it allows you to recognize things that might make you feel anxious and prepare for them in advance.

It’s also crucial to have several therapeutic things you turn to when stress begins to mount. You may find meditation works well for taming your tension, or feel much more at ease after walking your dog. The sooner you can recognize stress and keep it at a manageable level, the better you’ll be able to handle it.

Productivity can quickly drop if a person’s morale is low. Sometimes the problem can be so severe it spreads from one individual and ends up affecting an entire team. It’s not realistic to have an optimistic attitude all the time, but being grateful goes a long way in cultivating optimism.

Spend a few minutes a day thinking of several things for which you’re grateful. Maybe it’s the sunny weather, or the fact that you got to have a great dinner with a close friend yesterday. Fixating on the good things in life can help you feel uplifted even if some things in life aren’t going as smoothly as you’d like.

Although it’s not possible to become superwoman by displaying all these character traits constantly, or developing them overnight, taking time to improve them could be your ticket to performing better in whatever you pursue.