WITS Webinar: Building Confidence, Credibility and Career Influence

The Women in Textile Services (WITS) Network hosted “Own the Room: Building Confidence, Credibility and Career Influence,” featuring Rebecca Dutcher, CEO and founder of Red 66 Marketing. Roughly 80 industry professionals tuned into the session, which focused on helping women strengthen their leadership presence, build professional credibility and increase their influence through authentic personal branding.

Dutcher opened the webinar by emphasizing that personal brands are not discovered, but intentionally created. She encouraged participants to view leadership and personal branding as interconnected concepts. Rather than trying to fit traditional leadership molds, she urged attendees to embrace their unique experiences, strengths and perspectives.

“Authentic leadership means leading in a way that aligns with personal values and work styles while helping others become stronger, more confident versions of themselves,” Dutcher said. “Leadership is not dependent on a title but can be demonstrated from any role within an organization.”

A central theme of the webinar was the value women bring to leadership positions. Dutcher highlighted strengths frequently associated with female leaders, including emotional intelligence, employee support, attention to well-being and the ability to foster a healthy work-life balance. She explained that these qualities contribute to stronger teams and should be viewed as assets rather than weaknesses. She also discussed the intersection of personal and corporate brands, stressing that professionals can build their own reputations while simultaneously advancing their organizations’ values and goals.

The presentation introduced the “Three Cs of Credibility”: character, competence and connection. Character builds trust, competence demonstrates expertise and connection creates relationships that lead to future opportunities. Dutcher explained that all three are necessary for career advancement and influence. Character allows professionals to lead, competence helps them earn greater opportunities and connection enables them to expand their impact. Participants reflected on which of the three areas they naturally rely on most and where they may need further development.

Another key topic was visibility. Dutcher acknowledged that many women struggle with self-promotion because they fear appearing boastful. She challenged that mindset by distinguishing between bragging and sharing value. Bragging is centered on ego, she said, while communicating lessons learned, accomplishments and expertise helps others and contributes to professional growth. Practical visibility strategies included speaking up in meetings, participating in industry associations, engaging thoughtfully on LinkedIn, documenting achievements and sharing insights through reports, articles or company communications.

The discussion also emphasized the importance of networking, mentorship and relationship-building. Dutcher described professional success as being built on trusted relationships and encouraged attendees to make one new connection each month. Whether through industry events, community organizations, coffee meetings or mentorship opportunities, investing in relationships can enhance confidence, create opportunities and strengthen professional reputations. She reminded participants that people generally prefer doing business with those they know, like and trust.

To conclude the session, Dutcher encouraged attendees to take ownership of their professional brands by identifying their strengths, seeking feedback, improving their online presence and committing to consistent development. She challenged each participant to define one next step, whether networking more frequently, seeking mentorship or becoming comfortable sharing accomplishments.

To view the recording of the webinar in TRSA’s On-Demand Learning Portal, click here. Click here for more information on WITS, or contact TRSA Staff Liaison Salita Jones at [email protected] for details.