A Guide to Starting a Women’s Support Group for Your Career  

What do all women seemingly have in common? We are all busy. Whether you are single or married, a mother/caregiver or not, in the beginning stages of your career or a seasoned executive, everyone is busy. Many of us dread adding one more thing to our “to do” list. But some things are just so inherently beneficial that they should almost be considered a necessity. One such necessity is a close circle of driven, passionate women in your professional field. Now your first reaction might be, “Check! I have that (insert attenuated acquaintance here, such as the woman in your monthly book club who always asks, “How are things going at work?”) Stop. We are better than that.

What if you were to form a group whose sole focus was growing professionally? Consider the benefits of joining with women with whom you can (and do) share your aspirations, successes and failures. These are fellow females who seek not only progress and fulfillment in their own professional lives, but also want, and push for, the same in you. Women who can hold each other accountable for their respective goals, inspire each other to reach them and celebrate when those goals are achieved!

Getting Started: Figuring Out the Right Fit

In my circle, a bunch of us joined together to do just that, and our own professional group, which we called “LLG,” was born.  Following are some pointers to decide whether or not such a group is right for you:

• Are you ready to share the good, the bad and the ugly about your career?
• Are you the type of person who can learn from the experiences of others?
• Can you give to the group as much as you hope to receive?

If you decide that you have an interest in forming a professional group, the next step is think about who you would like to be in your group. It is vital to avoid the “comfort zone.” That would be the women who you see regularly, have established friendships with and/or know from the office. This is not meant to suggest that these women would be detrimental to the group; there may be situations where one person who falls within these categories is perfect for the group you intend to found. However, it is important to consider women outside of those who are not simply convenient “asks.”

Thus, you should be honest about finding well-suited and willing participants, which means considering women outside of your immediate circle of friends. Some people have a tendency to dominate the group dynamic and let all things revolve around their individual situation. Beware of this! It is important to select women who have things in common, but who also have some differences to allow for individual growth and an honest exchange of ideas as well as a supportive mentality.

Some ideas to consider when forming the group:

• How large should the group be?
• What is my personality type — and what personality types can I learn from?
• Should everyone be involved with the same specialties within our field, or should it be more widespread?

The answer to these questions will be different for everyone. The key is to be honest about what you are looking for before you decide whom to invite to your group. Someone who shares best when they are in an intimate setting will not be best served by joining a larger professional group. Someone who has a dominating personality may not flourish with a group of more introverted women. The one thing that does seem to work well – and maximizes the exchange of information — is having a group of women from the same industry (more on that below).

Getting the Word Out

Once you decide what type of group interests you, it is time to invite people you feel may benefit. There may be people who immediately come to mind. Write those names down. Then think about someone who is outside of your circle, but for whom you have great admiration.

Once you have a few names, you can call these women to tell them about your idea and gauge their interest. You may decide that you only want to invite one or two women to the group and then allow them to invite one woman who they know who fit the group’s goals. This will allow the group to form organically around a centralized purpose. Not everyone you ask will be interested and that is okay. You don’t want to push a group like this on someone who may, for whatever reason, prefer to work solo. The people you invite should be excited about the group’s purpose, even if they don’t quite “get it” at first.

Final Words of Advice: Give it Time, and Choose from Your own Industry

A professional group may or may not feel like “home” from the very beginning. More often than not, it will take time for the group to truly feel united. Let the relationships within the group evolve organically. Generally, business-savvy women do not rise through the ranks because they disclose all things to all people. Trust is something that will need to build over time. As individuals, you must all be committed to give to the group more than you take from it, at least in the beginning.

Right now, you may be wondering why the women need to be in the same profession. The short answer is: shared experiences. While women across industries can offer general support and guidance, often the steps necessary to succeed are more nuanced, and women who are two, five or even ten years ahead of you can offer the most pointed and succinct advice. Why not make use of lessons learned from any missteps before you make them yourself?

As you contemplate forming a group and devoting precious free time to getting to know a new set of women, it certainly may seem like another “to-do” item added to your list. But in the end, if your group flourishes, you may soon forget how you functioned without these women. As with most things in life, you get out of it what you put into it!