THE ELISHA SHOW · PODCAST EPISODE
Why Women Struggle to Speak Up at Work | Seema Bhansali | The Elisha Show
Seema Bhansali is an attorney, former congressional staff leader, and corporate executive who served as Vice President of Employee Experience for an organization of approximately 27,000 people worldwide. Her career journey led her to focus on workplace inclusion, women's leadership, and helping people find the confidence and opportunity to use their voices.
In this conversation, Seema challenges the familiar "lean in" message, explaining why telling women to be more confident or assertive overlooks the workplace environments and expectations that can hold them back. She introduces her Open Voice methodology, sharing practical ways leaders can create more inclusive meetings, develop emerging talent, and ensure that opportunities to contribute are not repeatedly given to the same people. She also shares the inspiration behind her upcoming book, Hit the Buzzer, and why understanding the rules of the game matters before expecting everyone to play it the same way.
In this episode:
✅ Why the "lean in" message can place too much responsibility on women without addressing workplace barriers.
✅ What the Open Voice methodology teaches leaders about creating environments where everyone can contribute.
✅ Five practical ways to encourage participation, including no repeats, rotating agenda topics, representation, public-speaking education, and positive feedback.
✅ How workplace expectations and early experiences can influence women's willingness to take risks and speak up.
✅ Why women need to understand the systems around them rather than blame themselves for every career setback.
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