Long before we were blessed with Beyoncé‘s “Run The World(Girls)” women have been making powerful strides in their careers. Forbes does an awesome job of highlighting successful women. As I began reading 10 Career Lessons from Powerful Women, I immediately knew I had to re-post the article.
Experience is the best teacher, so of course taking advice from women who have already reached their peak (and those still climbing) is motivating. I hope these lessons ignite a fire within you to jump up and get focused on Landing Your Dream Job!
Career Lessons from Powerful Women
- Wake Up Early– success comes easier when you have a jump on the day.
- Vogue editor Anna Wintour is on the tennis court by 6 every morning before work.
- Adopt Mentors and Learn Them
- Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg says one thing you don’t want to do is ask someone, “Will you be my mentor?” It’s unnatural. Instead, you have to adopt them. After meeting, follow-up with an email. Send an interesting article or connect them with someone who might be helpful. Then maintain the relationship over time. And when an opportunity arises where they can really help you, ask: Will you recommend me for this job? Would you make the introduction?
- Stay Ever-Curious– “The smartest thing you can ever do is to constantly ask questions.”
- Today, the lightning pace of change means you have to be ever-curious, always ready to learn and adapt to the new environment around you. Anne Sweeney, the co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney-ABC Television Group, describes herself as “driven by curiosity” because “it gets people excited” and “leads to new ideas, new jobs, new industries.”
- Listen
- Hire people who are smarter than you, give them the tools to do their jobs and then listen carefully. If you’re able to be open to all different kinds of information, your conclusions will be that much better formed. Claire Watts, the U.S. CEO of retail and media company QVC, actually schedules open door times every Tuesday, so that anyone in the company who wants to come talk to her, ask her a question or share something they’ve noticed can do it then.
- Set Career Goals
- Denise Morrison, the CEO of Campbell’s Soup, knew from a very young age she wanted to eventually run a company. She learned that just like you need to set goals to accomplish a business project, you need to set goals in your life, both short-term and long-term, and come up with a plan to achieve them. She always looked at her career as, “Where have I been? Where am I now? Where am I going, and what are the right assignments to get there?” If her current company would work with her to deliver those assignments, she was all-in. But if it didn’t, she knew she needed to move on.
- Be Courageous– Pinpoint what you want, and then you have to stand up and go after it
- Beth Mooney, the CEO of KeyCorp, got her start in banking two years after she graduated from college by knocking on the door of every big bank in Dallas, Texas, and asking for a spot in their management training programs. At the Republic Bank of Dallas, she refused to leave the manager’s office until he offered her a job. So she waited. For three hours. And finally he said okay, he’d give her a chance if she earned an MBA by night. Raise your hand for the big opportunities.
- Get Comfortable With the Word “No” – Sometimes you’ll hear it. Sometimes you’ll need to say it.
- Cozy up to the word “no.” Ertharin Cousin, executive director of the World Food Programme, says it’s one of the most difficult phrases for women to utter. Practice. It will get easier.
- Be Persistent– Success takes persistence, stamina and patience.
- Thomas Edison failed thousands of times while inventing the light bulb. “I have found 10,000 ways something won’t work,” he said. But he wasn’t discouraged, “because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.” Most women reach the top after three decades plugging away.
If you’re anything like me, the tip about getting comfortable with the word NO was a hard pill to swallow. Everything is indeed a learning lesson.
I’m Maya J Hicks, and this is How I Landed My Dream Job!
How I Landed My Dream Job 