For both women, one of the most important lessons they have learned over the course of their careers and leadership journeys is the importance of authenticity, vulnerability and confidence in knowing yourself.
“I think one of the biggest misconceptions about leadership is that you have to be someone else’s avatar, that you don’t have to bring your authentic self,” Wright said.
However, she recognized that the other people on the leadership team, especially those above you, have a significant responsibility for implicitly and explicitly giving you permission to be yourself.
“The amount of energy it takes to hide some aspect of yourself is exhausting,” Wright said. “There’s so much to move around when it comes to being CEO of any company, and if you waste minutes trying to be someone you’re not, you’re taking away your fiduciary responsibility to lead that organization.”
Wright has credited her leadership team at NAR with giving her the space to be her authentic self and never question who she is. She believes that having this freedom will help her lead NAR to a better trajectory.
“I always say be yourself from the start because the real you will show up eventually,” Hansen added.
According to Hansen and Wright, part of being your authentic self is also having the confidence to admit when you don’t know something.
It’s OK to Say, ‘I Don’t Know’
“There’s this belief that saying ‘I don’t know’ is a third rail,” Wright said. “The more thoughtful and open you are about what you don’t know, the more people will be willing to help you. This is not a leadership opportunity for a lone genius. There are many people with many different types of fame and experience who can add a lot to your plate.”
For Hansen, relying on her team has been invaluable in helping her become the leader she is today.
“I used to have a huge fear of public speaking,” Hansen said. “Then I realized I was just going to do the best I could. I just got over myself because I don’t have to be better or bigger than anyone else, I just have to be the best me.”
Of course, this requires trust, something that can be difficult for women if they suffer from imposter syndrome or feel like they don’t belong at the table they’re currently sitting at.
Trust those who put their trust in you
For Wright, who said she has never felt imposter syndrome even though she doesn’t have the confidence to believe in herself yet, she chooses to believe in the people who believe in her.
“If someone has given you a chance, why are you going to cross-examine that person?” said Wright. “They’ve seen something in you that maybe you haven’t seen in yourself yet, so just ride the wave and become competent as you go.”
To build trust, both women emphasized the importance of making sure you are prepared so that when an opportunity arises, you are ready to seize it.
“I never wanted to wake up and shake hands with the person I was meant to become,” Wright said. “There are a lot of people with the same goods that I have, the same education and fame, and I decided that I couldn’t see how anyone else could take advantage of those things better than I could.”
Both Hansen and Wright expressed excitement about future female leaders following in their footsteps, but they both recognized that they could not reach these positions alone.
“When I look with confidence through the doors I walk through today, I know there is a train with a significant legacy of women behind me breaking down those doors,” Wright said. “I’m here because of the women before me, and I’m just happy to be one of the women who continue to push those doors open a little bit.”
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