5 Tips for Women on
Getting Ahead in Business
Take it from this successful CEO--you can't have
everything. But you can be smart about your choices.
According
to a recent Pew Research Center survey, two-thirds of women and
nearly half of men say females face some discrimination when it comes to
getting ahead in business. There's always the interesting question of
children, for one thing. Twenty-two percent of those polled believe women who
want to reach a top position in business are better off not having
them at all, with another 40 percent holding the opinion that if they're going
to do it they should wait until later in their careers. Another 36 percent
believe it's best to get childbirth out of the way early on.
Sandy
Rubenstein knows a thing or two about the subject. A mother of twins since the
age of 29, she's CEO of DXagency, an ad-engagement agency with clients that include
DirecTV, HBO, MTV, and Whole Foods. Here's her advice for women on getting
ahead in business.
Do
work you're passionate about.
Like
it or not, to succeed in business you're going to have to do
lots of things well. "We're expected to be committed to our jobs, our
personal relationships, our kids--all at the same level of intensity,"
Rubenstein says. If you love your work, you'll be more inclined to invest the
amount of energy it takes to assume leadership positions within your
organization or industry.
Decide
what you can live without.
Regardless
of what anyone says, women cannot have everything, so it's important to think
carefully about your priorities and those of your family. "As much as I
want to go to every single tennis game that my kids are playing or every
concert that they're in, there are going to be some that I have to miss,"
she says. "In my family, we have a very candid conversation about which
ones are important and which ones they want me at." It's the same thing
with spending time with a spouse or friends--you need to prioritize. Do you
have to attend a PTA meeting, or is it enough to stay updated via email?
Lighten
up.
Laugh,
have fun, and remember that most likely your work isn't life or death. "At
11:30 at night, when I'm sitting there doing email and worried about [work], I have
to take a breath and say, 'It's going to be OK. Tomorrow is another day and I
need to stop,'" she says.
Stay
on top of your game.
In
other words, make sure you have a plan for how you're going to remain educated
on current trends or the latest technology. "When you go to a meeting or
give a presentation and someone asks a question, you don't want to have to turn
to the guy from IT," she says. "You want to say with confidence, 'I
understand this industry. I can represent what needs to be done.'"
Manage
how people perceive you.
In
an industry dominated by men, it's important to be intentional about your
image. So, while you may be friendly and social, you also need to act and
communicate as a leader, with the understanding that you alone are responsible
for your destiny. "The perception needs to be that you're the boss, that
you're the one in charge," she says. "You can have a relationship
with [others], but there are barriers to how far those conversations should and
could go."
BY CHRISTINA DESMARAIS
http://www.inc.com/christina-desmarais/5-tips-for-women-on-getting-ahead-in-business.html?cid=em01016week13d
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