First webinar in a three-part series on Women Leaders focuses on burnout
By Kailyn Lamb, Marketing Content Writer and Editor, PYA
The Knoxville Technology Council’s Women in Tech group joined with Women in Technology of Tennessee for a webinar on burnout earlier this month.
Founder of Life is Organized and Productivity Coach, Mridu Parikh, lead the webinar, “Women Leaders Panel: Setting Boundaries and Avoiding Burnout Without Guilt,” which is the first in a three-part series. She started the event with a story of a woman that seemed perfect, but in reality was just as stressed by all of her commitments as most people. The trouble was this woman could not say no to anything.
“That’s how I believe most women are. We are innate, born nurturers,” Parikh said. “Unfortunately, by doing this and saying all the ‘yeses,’ we are not feeling as great or as awesome as we thought we would.”
By being a people-pleaser, many women are burdened with too many tasks. This often means that individual priorities “take a back seat” as women are stretched too thin. One thing that is important to remember, Parikh said, is that by saying yes to one thing, you are automatically saying no something else to make time for the new task.
The webinar was also a virtual workshop, with Parikh asking the more than 100 global attendees questions or having them read statements out loud. Near the end of the webinar, attendees also broke out into groups before a final Q&A.
Setting boundaries was one of the key topics. But boundaries are not changing the behavior of people around you, Parikh said. “It’s really how you respond to other people’s behavior.” She added that people who learn to say no have more meaningful relationships. Whatever boundary a person decides on, they need to be strict about it or it doesn’t work, Parikh said.
Prioritizing work projects with your supervisor can also help to build boundaries in a work environment. It also makes it a collaborative conversation rather than a direct “no.”
The second event, “Women in Tech Leadership Series: Having a Seat at the Table,” will be held on May 10. Learn more here.
The Knoxville Technology Council will also be hosting a Women in Tech Networking Happy Hour next week at KTown Tavern. Learn more here.
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