How Real Women Get Ahead

How Real Women Get Ahead Forget what you heard about being one of the boys, having it all, and going for the jugular. Here is how real women get ahead. Get In LineAccording to Catalysts 2002 Census of Women Corporate Officers and Top Earners, women fill less than ten percent of line positions held by corporate officers and just 5.2% of top earners at Fortune 500 companies are women. Is there a correlation? Absolutely. Half of women executives and 68% of CEOs say that lack of significant line experience holds women back (Catalyst, Women in U.S. Corporate Leadership, 2003).Knowing that line experience is critical, get prepared. Study financial management, become an expert in a functional area such as strategic planning, manufacturing, marketing or sales, serve on a nonprofit or advisory board and, the minute the opportunity arises, take a position with profit and loss responsibility.Learning about t he financials doesnt happen overnight. When Margaret Morford, 50, of Brentwood, Tennessee, was Vice President of Human Resources for a large distribution company, sherecalls, I took the saatkorn finance for non-financial managers course three times until I got it. I used that financial knowledge to demonstrate Human Resources impact to the bottom line. Once I started speaking in numbers, the senior managers in my peer group began to view Human Resources as a business partner rather than an administrative drain on revenues.Remember Who You AreIn 2005, The Center for Work/Life Policy asked women what they want in the workplace. Seventy-nine percent of women said the freedom to be myself at work. Ask a man if he desires to be himself at work, and you will probably get the same glassy stare I got when I asked my husband that question. But when I asked women leaders, I heard stories like the one my friend, Pam Judd, age 55, shared. Shortly after she began working for Levis, Pam was advis ed by her boss and peers that if she wanted to get ahead, she shouldnt be so nice. The essential Pam is a very nice rolle caring, empathetic, someone who remembers every event in her friends and familys lives with a card or a phone call. Pam ignored that early advice, made the decision to be herself, and stayed the course. Now, 35 years later, she is a sales director, one of the top female leaders in her company, and still nice.Communicate Superbly Almost fifty percent of women executives cite developing a style with which male managers are comfortable as critical to success (Catalyst, Women in U.S. Corporate Leadership, 2003).Dr. Pat Heim, author of Invisible Rules Men, Women and Teams, writes women often use hedges, disclaimers and tag questions in their speech to involve the other person and maintain the all-important relationship in female culture. When men hear this, they incorrectly assume a woman either does notlage know what she is talking about, or that she is insecure abo ut her ideas.Lisa Steiner, age 46, Vice President, Brown-Forman Corporation, Louisville, Kentucky, says In my experience, women who regularly ask for advice and are tentative are viewed as needy not the best perception if your goal is to reach the top. Steiner adds, It has taken me years to refine my decision-making skills but now I have learned not to second guess myself.Flaunt Your Skills Not Your SexualityMaria Xenidou, age 35, Senior Associate, National Starch Chemical Company, Bridgewater, New Jersey, follows the advice of a mentor who told her never to answer a senior persons query, How are you? with Fine. Instead, she says, I give a one sentence update on what I am working on or a recent challenge I mastered. By doing so, I keep upper management up-to-date about my career and what might have been a quick hello in the hall often turns into a longer conversation.And, highly successful women know not to flirt, swear or be the brde one at the bar. A 2005 study by Tulane Univers ity found that women who send flirtatious e-mail, wear short skirts, cross their legs provocatively or massage a mans shoulders at work win fewer pay raises and promotions.You Cant Have It All If You Do It AllThe biggest hurdle that women have to leap is managing kids and a career. While men also have busy professional and personal lives, women shoulder the majority of household and child care responsibilities and pay the career consequences. According to Catalyst, Workplace Flexibility Isnt Just a Womans Issue, 2003, women are more likely than men toEmploy outside services for domestic helpShare personal responsibilities with a partnerUse childcare servicesRely on supportive relatives other than their partnerCurtail personal interestsSuccessful women plan their careers and dont attempt to do it all. Steiner is married with four children at home. She started her family after completing her education and making a mark in her organization. Says Steiner, I dont attempt to do it all. I delegate a lot of the household chores to make our lives work.Honor The Female AdvantageIn Fast Company, Women and Men, Work and Power, February 1998, Sharon Patrick, President and COO, Martha Stewart Living, is quoted as saying, We cant ignore a 1000000 years of history at the office or in the living room. Men hunt, women gather. A funny but true attribute of the modern hunter is going for the jugular and then inviting you out for a beer afterwards.According to Nicki Joy and Susan Kane-Benson, authors of Selling is a Womans Game, women tend to encourage harmony and agreement, consult with experts, employees and peers before making a decision, and make personal connections with others at work.As more organizations move away from authoritarian values and a rigid hierarchy to a more open, informal, democratic model, being raised as a man is no longer an advantage says John Naisbitt, author of Megatrends. I agree. What do you think?