In Adam Bryant’s special installment of Corner Office on women and leadership, four executives, ranging from the president of a beauty products company to the general counsel at Pfizer, discussed their success in business as a woman.
Meanwhile, The Times asked readers to give their own advice to women who are early in their careers. Here are excerpts from the more than 500 responses.
To read the complete article, please click here.
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My advice to women in the workplace would be to keep your head down, work hard and know your stuff. The more you know, the more powerful you are. Always be thorough. Strive to be the person that people count on. When something is asked of you, put yourself in your co-worker’s shoes, your client’s shoes, your manager’s shoes. If you’re resourceful and let your wisdom speak for itself, the woman thing, the age thing, or any other thing will fall to the wayside. At the end of the day, it’s about how much you know and how well you sell it.
— Nancy Reyes, managing director/associate partner, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, New York
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Establish a group of mentors to whom you can turn to bounce an idea around or check in about a possible career move. Remember that even a mentor relationship is two-way and you should bring something to it. Send your mentor an article occasionally on an area of his/her interest along with your comments. You will nourish the relationship, and your perspective as a person new to the field will be valuable.
— Carolyn Anthony, director of the Skokie Public Library, north of Chicago
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Don’t just sit at the table; talk at the table! Make it a point to contribute at least once in every meeting you attend. If you’re at a total loss for what you might contribute, make it a point to ask at least one question. At its best, it should be a strategic question. Most business discussions are about (1) problems and their negative impacts and (2) solutions and their positive payoffs. A strategic question is simply one about the problem or the solution: e.g. How bad is the problem? What’s the downside if we do nothing? What do we stand to gain? What will we save? Have we evaluated alternative solutions? You don’t need the answers.
— Ora Shtull, executive coach, Ora Coaching Ltd.
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To stand out and excel, especially as a woman in the business world, you need to lead. Think of yourself as a leader first, and a consultant, designer, engineer, etc., second. This will be the foundation that steadies you through the challenges you will inevitably navigate. It will also be the springboard to new opportunities.
Traci Entel, chief human capital officer and partner, Booz & Company
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My honest advice for women early in their careers is to “play the game.” What I mean is, engage in banter. Get to know what your superiors are into, and be able to engage with them in conversation about those topics. Does your boss love symphonic music? Listen to some yourself, and discover a favorite piece or composer. Do they love their local sports team? Watch the highlights from last night’s game this morning, and ask their opinion on how they think the game went. It doesn’t pay off to be “strictly business” all the time, but don’t take it too far in the wrong direction, or expound on topics you don’t know much about. Let your boss talk. After all, that’s what most people want to do anyway! These personal connections may count when you least expect them to.
— Carolyn Matigian
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Have the confidence to take more risks early on, even if it means that you might trip along the way, because ultimately you will learn from those experiences. Ask for the big assignment, make that cross-country move if it means more opportunity for growth. Although I didn’t start taking risks until later in my career, every risk I did take ultimately led to personal and professional development and the realization that ultimately it all works out, and is just part of your journey. I wish I had known that when I was just starting out as I probably would have taken even bigger risks, earlier in my career.
— Marla Kaplowitz, chief executive, MEC North America
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My advice for women early in their careers is to establish themselves as a brand that can evolve over time. Figure out what your brand stands for and how your brand can adapt as you grow in your career. Those women who rely on superficial characteristics to create her brand identity are challenged in the future when maturity exceeds youth. Therefore, focus on your brand appeal and how your brand acts the part you want to be and not the part you are.
— Alexis Josephs, vice president, East Coast sales and strategy, VEVO
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To read the complete article, please click here.
To read Adam Bryant’s article, Four Executives on Succeeding in Business as a Woman: Still Fighting the Headwinds, please click here.