I am a senior woman in an organization whose power structure is dominated by men. How do I succeed in this game without losing track of who I am?
I am a senior woman in an organization whose power structure is dominated by men. How do I succeed in this game without losing track of who I am?
As a woman in a senior position, you can maintain your personal momentum by staying true to who you are, knowing your strengths and having the confidence to show them off, as I describe below.
• Take advantage of your uniqueness. If you are the only woman, consider it a positive, not a negative. In all your dealings with your male colleagues, you are bound to get attention, simply because they do not know what to expect of you. Every time you attend a meeting or lead a presentation you have a tremendous opportunity to showcase your skills and talents.
• Seek a mentor or be a mentor. If you are feeling overwhelmed in your position, or uncertain how to integrate into the corporate culture, seek a mentor. Many companies offer mentoring programs which can be invaluable to senior managers looking to improve their skills and seek promotions. In your senior position, you can also act as a mentor to other women, providing them with valuable advice to help them advance in their careers.
• Be yourself. As women have assumed more leadership roles, companies have noticed positive changes throughout the organization and in the bottom line. Remember that women’s innate strengths in collaboration and relationship building are highly valued. Play to your strengths and recognize the contributions you can make as a team builder and effective partner to customers and suppliers. There is real power in these roles. The achievements you realize can help you stand out and advance.
• Blow your own horn, even in subtle ways. You have a solid record of achievements – you wouldn’t be where you are without them. Display certificates, degrees and diplomas to emphasize your credentials. Collect testimonials from clients and let them speak for you. Prepare a bio or profile that emphasizes past successes. A good portfolio of your accomplishments can stand as solid proof of your abilities, and offer you a self-esteem boost whenever you need it.
• Build your own brand. Personal branding is a buzzword you may have heard a lot lately. It is about learning what is really special about you, what your unique strengths are, and then finding ways to use this knowledge to build your reputation.
Although small in number, women in senior positions have led the charge in transforming workplace environments and inviting greater collaboration into the corporate structure. You can find inspiration in the fact that you are effecting change for the organization and blazing a trail for other women to follow.
I am a senior woman in an organization whose power structure is dominated by men How do I succeed in this game without losing track of who I am - To learn more about this author, visit Cassandra L. Gierden's Website.
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Women who have attained senior positions in an organization often find it lonely at the top. A 2006 Catalyst Canada study shows that only 4.2% of FP500 companies have a woman as CEO or president. Women make up nearly half the work force, but rarely make it into the ranks of corporate officer. In fact, only 7.3% of so-called “clout titles” belong to women.
As a woman in a senior position, you can maintain your personal momentum by staying true to who you are, knowing your strengths and having the confidence to show them off, as I describe below.
• Take advantage of your uniqueness. If you are the only woman, consider it a positive, not a negative. In all your dealings with your male colleagues, you are bound to get attention, simply because they do not know what to expect of you. Every time you attend a meeting or lead a presentation you have a tremendous opportunity to showcase your skills and talents.
• Seek a mentor or be a mentor. If you are feeling overwhelmed in your position, or uncertain how to integrate into the corporate culture, seek a mentor. Many companies offer mentoring programs which can be invaluable to senior managers looking to improve their skills and seek promotions. In your senior position, you can also act as a mentor to other women, providing them with valuable advice to help them advance in their careers.
• Be yourself. As women have assumed more leadership roles, companies have noticed positive changes throughout the organization and in the bottom line. Remember that women’s innate strengths in collaboration and relationship building are highly valued. Play to your strengths and recognize the contributions you can make as a team builder and effective partner to customers and suppliers. There is real power in these roles. The achievements you realize can help you stand out and advance.
• Blow your own horn, even in subtle ways. You have a solid record of achievements – you wouldn’t be where you are without them. Display certificates, degrees and diplomas to emphasize your credentials. Collect testimonials from clients and let them speak for you. Prepare a bio or profile that emphasizes past successes. A good portfolio of your accomplishments can stand as solid proof of your abilities, and offer you a self-esteem boost whenever you need it.
• Build your own brand. Personal branding is a buzzword you may have heard a lot lately. It is about learning what is really special about you, what your unique strengths are, and then finding ways to use this knowledge to build your reputation.
Although small in number, women in senior positions have led the charge in transforming workplace environments and inviting greater collaboration into the corporate structure. You can find inspiration in the fact that you are effecting change for the organization and blazing a trail for other women to follow.
I am a senior woman in an organization whose power structure is dominated by men How do I succeed in this game without losing track of who I am - To learn more about this author, visit Cassandra L. Gierden's Website.
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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