Why Should You Keep a List of Your Career Achievements

career achievementsWe keep lists of everything – daily tasks, ideas, reminders. But we don’t keep a list of our achievements.

 

Every day we write down so many things that we don’t want to forget but we miss the big picture. Post-it notes and agendas are not only for casual errands. We need to learn to keep a list of the big things we accomplished. Maybe we see that as a form of  narcissism and we are afraid that we will look bad for everyone else reading them. It doesn’t matter – a list of achievements can come in handy when you are in different situations.

 

1. Keep track of your career – You are wondering if you are taking the right steps and if your strategy is taking you where you want to be? Check the list – do you feel like you are adding something new, does it seem like those accomplishments are adequate for your career track? Keeping this list would give you a great way to monitor and control your goals. Prepare a list of milestones to go with the list of achievements – base it on your expectations. This is the easiest way to keep control of your career and discover problems as soon as they start to be noticeable. This being said, don’t obsess over following your milestone agenda – a month or two difference from your plan is normal. Even a year could be acceptable – if you know you are doing the right things and following the right steps.

2. Prepare to show your success – Whether you want a raise or a new position at a different company, knowing your great accomplishments will go a long way. Look at your list and select the best and most relevant success stories that you have to offer. Those should be all projects and tasks that would not have been done without your personal involvement – select achievements that show just how valuable you are. Make sure to focus on 2 or 3 entries, because otherwise it might have the opposite effect. Knowing how to select the most relevant examples is an achievement itself.

3. Keep your LinkedIn profile up to date – Your virtual resume can open a lot of doors even if you are not in the mood for knocking on them. This is where recruiters, managers, and colleagues, spend a lot of time.  The summary section on your profile is a great place to display those achievements. This is the first thing that people would read on your page – if you are not compelling enough, might be the last. Sometimes it doesn’t matter if you work with the biggest companies in the world, but if your achievements are of a big scale.

4. Sometimes you just need to be reassured – It happens to all of us. We forget how great we are and start thinking that we don’t do anything right. In such a moment you should take a deep breath, open your list of achievements and start reading. Every point has a story and you know it best. You know how much you had to fight for it, what did you do and how did it make you feel. Going through those past success stories is also a great creativity boost – you will remember times when you were basing your decisions on different factors. Try to implement one of those models in your current activities – it might help or it might show you that you went a long way.

You can read the testimonial one of our former clients who started to implement an achievement list to prepare his annual performance reviews. His story was simple: he was qualified, delivering quality work and remained unseen for over 5 years. Consequently, he was not getting promoted expecting his hierarchy to notice him and his great work. After our coaching he recorded small successes, his impact on a project and found himself excited and confident about his next performance review…He got promoted less than 6 months later,  gained exposure within the organization and most importantly has change his mindset about success: it is not about chance, it is about choice!

Keeping a list of your achievements is a great thing to do – I recommend it to everyone, no matter what your career goal is. It’s like keeping track of your savings account – you need to if you are investing the right amount to achieve your milestone in time.

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Learning Leadership – 5 Habits of a Leader

Habits of a leaderSome people are born leaders, but all the others can learn from them.

We all know great leaders – they might be your leaders or on the same level as you. But how do you become one? Some people think that you can’t but I’m willing to argue. A leader can either be born or made. It’s not fast or easy – it’s a daily fight for the best results, influencing people the right way, gaining trust and knowledge.

 

However, there are some really simple habits that I have found in every leader I know.  I’m going to share 5 of them with you today. If you try to implement them in your life, you will certainly become better leader.

 

1. Be open minded – What all leaders have in common is that they are able to see and understand opportunities and people that do not fall into their traditional orientation. Being ready to listen without prejudice will allow you to find new ideas, meet great people and excel. This is what “thinking outside of the box” is – making decisions based on non-traditional elements.

In order to see an opportunity, you need to stop following the usual models. Nowadays leaders and executives might meet over 20 great ideas every day but they would not take action. Do you know why? Because we are confined in a strict box. Learn to see beyond the basic information, analyze the niche, and follow your intuition. Leaders know when to act and when to step back. Evaluate some of the situations in your day – what would have happened if you reacted in a different, non-traditional way?

2. Confess your mistakes and learn from them -We all make mistakes. Some of us try to hide them, others – to learn from them. Analyze the situation, what lead to failure and how could have you responded differently. Learn to accept the fact that you are not immune to mistakes – or you will always live in the fear of making a wrong step. Mistakes can be used as stepping stones.

What great leaders never do is hide – take responsibility, explain how you are planning to create an opportunity from your learning. Do not skip the explanation step, it does not mean apologizing . Just do what you do best, show people that you can make it better. This builds trust and admiration for your qualities.

3. Take action – Be an inventor, be the first to take a step. Remember all those people who had great ideas but decided to not promote them? Yes, me neither. If you want to be a successful leader, you want to take the initiative, to do something risky, to change the whole world. If you don’t have enough passion for the things you do, you can never be a self-starter, an overachiever, or remembered.

The key to success is to believe you deserve it and to take actions in that direction. What people see is someone inspiring, driven by passion. This can be you.

4. Look at problems from different perspectives – As an executive you are used to thinking as an executive. But when there is a problem, try to put yourself in the place of all the stakeholders. Ask yourself what is good and bad for you in each one of those positions. Then use the information to construct an efficient solution. The brainstorming game with the 6 hats of thinking represents exactly this – but it doesn’t mean that you need at least 6 people to put it to action. You can be each one of those 6 stakeholders – it might take some time and practice, but the results would be great for your leadership qualities.

Being able to walk in someone else’s shoes is one of the main distinctions of a true leader – you can only understand people if you put yourself in their place.

5. Be genuine – Yes, we already discussed the power of authenticity. I’ll never get tired to explain that when one is true and represents its own beliefs, other people can feel it. Leadership is earned, not won in a war. It’s a step by step process that you can’t fake. You need to be consistent with your actions and the best way to do it is to be true to yourself.

I would like to end with a reminder – The leaders are not always on the highest positions. They are found at any level in an organization or in a community. And my belief is that everyone is a

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Team Motivation – Using Personal Goals to Invoke Success

TEAM MOTIVATIONManaging people is never easy. There are different motivation strategies that you as a business executive can use.

 

We have already discussed why it is wrong to lead your team with fear. Now we want to disclose another strategy – the personal motivation. It is really simple – if you know your team well and understand what are their short and long-term goals, you can use that knowledge to achieve better results.

 

 

Here are some great ways to start:

1. Talk to your team members – The easiest way to understand what drives people to do what they do is to ask them. You can do it when they join the team – but you might get not the most sincere answer as they might tell you what they think you are expecting to hear. Holding one-to-one meetings with each one of your team members regularly is another option. Discuss what is their career goal, ask them about their plans and how can you help them. They would appreciate your interest and desire to help.

2. Observe and make notes – When you know your team members good, you can see easily how they respond to small bumps on the road and bigger failures. Take a (mental) note and try to understand what made them the most disturbed. People don’t like making even the smallest mistakes if they see them as an obstacle to achieving their goals. You can learn a lot by just observing – but you already know that.

3. Use your new knowledge for good – Now that you know so much about their goals and personal motivations, start using it. Don’t blackmail them – it’s not going to help. If you see that someone doesn’t put all his efforts into his assignments, you can explain briefly how can this project help him achieve what he is thriving for. People tend to be work better if they can see the personal outcome.

4. Show them that you understand – If you know what they want to achieve, listen and use emotional intelligence. Try to assign tasks respective of what would give them more knowledge, what is relevant to their goals and what could help them stand out. If you need to assign some tasks to another colleague, be mindful of people emotions. People would easily assume sabotage if they don’t know the reason. Tell them why someone else is being made responsible for what they would have wanted to d and provide them with support and training to grow.

5. Don’t spare constructive feedback– I don’t say that you should tell them that they are not doing their job or they are under-performing. If you see that someone is not at the needed level, have a personal conversation. Let them know what they are doing wrong and how can they make it right. Don’t just list problems – suggest solutions for each one of them.

 

As you might have noticed, the key to successful team management is personal interaction. The added value to this strategy is that your colleagues would start trusting you more and this would lead to a better, more successful team.

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Women success motivations – what keeps you going?

Executive Female executives successEveryone has its own motivation factors – do you think your success depends on them?

The most recognizable motivation factors in the past 3 decades are money, power and sex. But they sound a lot like male-dominated. Do you think that they are relevant when we are talking about women? If you search on Google for women and motivation, most of the result would be about motivation to lose weight, be a good person, etc. It’s not a widely accepted idea that women need corporate success motivation – is it because we are afraid to talk about it or because we accept the success motivation factors are the same for both genders? If you are reading this article, you are probably interested in success – but do you know why? What are your own motivations? If you need to define the terms for yourself, have a look at this article.

Independence and Freedom – A successful woman can choose her own lifestyle, support her choices and live without following other people’s rules. Diktat and restrictions have existed and I feel that this period is over but we continue to believe that women success depends on what society as define for us in organization, at home and in our community. We keep telling ourselves that we earn less because of men, we compete against each other since we still feel we have to fight and we become women in disguise and play those conflicting roles to please everyone but ourselves.

Make a difference – This is one of the major motivation women have. They naturally tend to nurture and to want to be at service. Nowadays many women decide to leave their executives roles or to be part of non-profit organizations as they feel meaningful. Bringing this vision in for-profit organization will benefit the world at large. It is our responsibility as women to exhibit women leadership and to quit playing the role of a perfect male influenced leader. We both – male and female – have qualities to enrich an organization and to positively generate profit while serving our community. In an era of economic stagnation, creatively involve men and women to work together from a feminine perspective might be the way to innovate, to engage and to succeed.

InfluenceInfluence is an important part of a leader’s ability to lead and motivate. Respect will come naturally. One theory of how leaders can positively influence their followers is through emotional intelligence. The influence occurs when one’s emotions, opinions, or behaviors are affected by others. Leaders use it to maintain engagement, develop a culture of respect and order with their direct reports, team and hierarchy. Influence can be a success motivator for people who want to make a change – influence do not have to be tied to force but instead to powerful energy and ideas. If you feel the need to affect others and their action in a meaningful, non-manipulative way, you probably want to become and influence among your colleagues. And we all know that they would trust you more if you are successful.

Balanced compensation package – Even though money is included in this motivation factor, it is not is the main source of drive for many women, flexibility is. Money indeed, is also the less important motivator when it comes to career and life choices. You might feel like you are taking a lot of daily based decisions because of money, but it is usually a second-level motivator. Most of the time, women tends to value a lot more flexibility at work, time off, medical packages than money itself.

Is your motivation factor not listed above? We have a special online training for executive women – The Women Success Factor. You can read more here and book your course directly. I will help you ACE IT!

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Women Empowered Series – Andrea Jepson on Changing Your Career

Is changing our career after 20 years an easy decision? Is it even possible to make it work and become successful?

Every month Belinda MJ.Brown interviews a “Woman Empowered” who will share her passion, her tips to succeed and her news. Our objective with this series is to provide Men and Women with material to explore the feminine vision of success, balance and life in order to create new opportunities not only for Women but for organizations and communities. This month we are speaking with Andrea Jepson.

Andrea is an inspiring woman who decided to change her career after 20 years of touring with bands and artists as a Lightning Technician. Today she is a successful Financial Advisor with SE Wealth Management at Merrill Lynch. After enjoying her long career in entertainment where she traveled the world, she decided it was time for a change. She made the difficult decision to leave her job, to go back to school, and to join the financial services industry. She assists her clients plan their financial future and reach their goals.

Watch the video interview where she shares her perspective on success, passion and life.

If you want to contact Andrea, feel free to do so by writing her an email – andrea.jepson[at]ml.com

Are you willing to make a step towards your own success but feel insecure? Join our Woman Success Factor Course and start working on your goals! Learn more here!

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Redefine success on your own terms

Redefine success on your own termsWhat is success for you? Do you have your own personal definition or do you follow other people’s dreams?

Everyone is inclined to see success differently because we have different goals, we make different choices and take specific actions based on that. There is not a single definition of success and there can never be one! Success is a choice and personal point of view – there are billions of different definitions therefore. Here you can find a couple of great examples on how different can success be for different people. It’s interesting to see that there is a difference between personal and professional success. The problem with people not feeling accomplished is usually a derivative of a gap between his own perception of success and the one that people around him pose as normal. Let’s dig into these different situations:

1. You don’t feel successful because you are not moving up in the corporate ladder.

2. You don’t feel successful because people around you don’t see you as successful.

3. You don’t feel successful because you are only doing great in the personal or professional area – and the other one lacks attention.

4. You don’t feel successful because you follow someone else’s definition of success.   All of these problems have solutions and have their own way of dealing with them. Those statements require that you challenge the definition you have of success. Asking  yourself the following questions will assist you to assess in the process of  re-defining success on your own terms.

-Does this definition is aligned with your core values?

-Where does this definition come from?

-Who do you want to please when you set your goals and objectives?

I want to have a more in-depth conversation about the standard definition of success. Indeed, based on our cultural background, religion country of origin, language, we as a group set standard for what success should mean for each of us.  In some region of the world, success is hard work and social status.

In other places, success is strictly oriented toward building a life around family reputation and values. You can also find as well nations who define success on their health or happiness. Human beings are far more way complex and it is important to recognize our uniqueness. Because of this singularity, it is important to consider success related to our desires and our own filters and beliefs, not on other people definition of success.

When You follow someone else’s definition of success you ultimately compromise yourself, your authenticity in addition to your relationships, your support system your health and more. As hard as it is for us to understand and differentiate between our own beliefs and the ones that society poses above us, you want to re-think of the image of a successful person – he is driving a luxury car (or has a driver), she is wearing haute couture clothes, they travel the world, they are brilliant and make at least 7 figures. Everyone has different expectations and needs, different options and decisions to make. To you the small bakery shop on the corner might not be a glamorous success, but the owner’s family is proud of the accomplishment and he doesn’t want to hide it. This leads me to the main idea I want to leave you with- define and measure success in your own terms. Decide what do you feel success is for yourself, write it down and when you feel down about something – look at it. It will motivate you, it would help you change your mindset and get back on track.

Remember that even if you meet someone else’s definition of success, it doesn’t mean you will be happy nor fulfilled. You want to be confident and accepting of your own definition of success if you want to be happy and proud of it. So it’s all up to you to decide what is your goal – to be a VP of a global company, to be a small business owner, or to work as little as possible and have the time and income to be with your family. If you are having problems reaching the success point that you defined – contact us.

We have designed several programs that help you to learn to say “No” to the common definition of success that drags you down and leave you unhappy and to say “Yes’ to true success, the one that leads you to be authentic and content at all times.

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Women Leadership Problems – Unhappy with Being at the Top

We fight so hard to get at the top that we don’t really stop for a second to think – and then what?

Women Leadership Problem A lot of women encounter this problem but never share it with anybody. It feels strange and stupid to complain about being successful or managing a great company. But this is not something that you should be ashamed of. We know a lot of good reasons why you feel this way. And yes, feelings are not bad, either. Your first step towards dealing with this problem is to analyze the root of unhappiness – and then take actions accordingly.

 

You don’t have plans for “after” – you were planning and taking strategic actions with one focus – getting there. You are a thriving expert and you need to be challenged. Probably this is your biggest fear – the loss of challenges. You can find a lot more things to focus your energy on but you might lack the motivation. You might need to find a new goal, a more personal – but don’t think it’s that easy. You have been following your previous one for a long time – probably more than 15 years. It’s not easy to just choose something new you want to achieve. You are not the same person that you used to be 15 years ago – you’ve changed and it’s normal for your decision making process to be different. But are you willing to accept this fact?

It’s different than what you expected – a cognitive bias is not an unusual thing. It’s really disturbing, I know, because you are used to having a lot of energy. The gap between your expectations and the reality might not be too big but is still demotivating. What you need is to take a deep breath and evaluate – does this mean that you don’t really like where you’re at? Do you want change or are you willing to go on and make this position fit your expectations? It’s up to you.

 

It’s designed to fit men better than women – and this is not your fault. It’s really common – the definition of success is a good suit, export cigars, matured drinks and young companions. But this idea doesn’t fit the women success definition. You want to keep on winning and not just bragging with being good. You want meaningful success and not meaningless achievements. Women simply want to define success on their own terms.  You all need to accept that you have different perceptions of success and express them.

That was not your goal. Did you go with the flow and follow the path that everyone was drawing ahead of you? Or maybe you wanted to make someone proud? Or prove that you can do it? If this wasn’t your genuine path, the one that you chose for yourself, it’s no wonder that you have a problem finding your comfort here. This might be your biggest problem. You have been a real leader by playing by the rule of others so far but now you feel disconnected and that something is missing. This is not what you wanted after all… This is the time to evaluate, regroup and draw another strategy – if you need help, hire a Women Success Expert or an executive coach – someone who understands and can help you re-define success on your own terms and be who you are wherever you are.

People around you don’t appreciate your success. Sometimes we all need a little push, a pat on the shoulder to let us know we are doing great. A friend to listen, a mentor to guide us. We also need a lot of support – and understanding. Is your family not happy about your achievement? Are there people around you who are jealous of your success? Let them know how you feel – the ones who are genuinely happy might not know how to show it. The others – those who can’t accept you being better than them – are just not right for your life.  

You feel like you didn’t deserve it. It’s strange that everyone else but yourself knows how capable you are.  It’s possible that you use this reason as a shield – you have other concerns that might fit the problems listed above. Or another – personal insecurities based on some previous experiences. It’s important to focus and find what makes you feel like this – this will take you closer to solving the problem. What should you do if you realize you are facing one of the mentioned problems? Make new strategic plans, reevaluate your goals and find what stops you from being content with the results. You might need help from someone who has faced similar situation – this is when a professional executive coach is of a great value.

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How authenticity will lead you to greater and effortless success

What is authenticity? It’s being yourself, standing up for your own values and taking actions that are not against your beliefs.

Authenticity

Do you think that you can succeed if you don’t follow your own authenticity? I’m sure you can.It would be harder, slower and not as rewarding though. You would need to struggle with a lot of decisions that you don’t like, take steps that don’t coincide with your personal motivations and play on other people’s terms. Are you still not convinced? Here are some reasons why authenticity will make your success faster and greater:

1. You make decisions faster – When you know your goals it’s much easier to decide if a step is coinciding with them or not. You don’t need to evaluate things over and over again to take action. You know if it’s right or wrong. When you decide to take actions against your own beliefs, it takes a lot more time to make the step. You will find yourself losing valuable time questioning the outcome, how would it reflect on your future and your current career path. When you feel that something is wrong, you can’t easily accept it.

2. You value yourself more – Have you ever taken a decision that you knew would be bad for you or someone else? If you had, then I’m sure you still remember every detail that lead to that step. You can’t move forward if you are constantly rethinking old decision. If you took a step out of your beliefs, you would regret it for a long time. You might lose you confidence and it always shows. Being authentic in your management actions helps you reach success and be happy with it.

3. You are valued – People like working with people that stand behind the things that they believe in. Even if you stand up against a higher level management, they would appreciate your honesty and value you for the strong position. If they don’t, you need to find a place where they care about making the right thing. Do you want to work with people who are dishonest and would do anything for more power and money? There is nothing wrong with being protective of the values you have – the best companies know that. And you want to work only with the best, right?

4. You are a better manager – Your goal as a manager is to reach certain results while still being a human being. Your team knows that too. If you are willing to do anything – even against your own beliefs, then are you the person they should look up to? Your team might lose their trust in you and this is when problems start to appear. Even if you only crossed this invisible line once, who can guarantee you won’t do it again? Standing up for what you value makes you better in the eyes of people who work with you on a daily basis – they appreciate your honesty because they know you have more to lose.

 5. You do everything with ease – When you are confident, trust your own instincts and know people around you value your opinion, you have far les problems with daily tasks, team management and project implementation.

One of the things that comes from inside and helps us become greater and better, is our authenticity. Everyone is always advising to be yourself, because everyone else is already taken. But the real value of being yourself is the way you feel and the way other people perceive you.

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Executive business coaching – why asking for help is actually good?

business coaching for womenExecutive coaching is a service for successful people. Not the other way around.

Some people see coaching as a thing for people who struggle with their career and don’t know what they want. This can sometimes be the case but executive coaching actually helps high performers and successful people. Let me tell you what is the difference with this program and why having an executive coach or women success expert might be the best decision you are about to take.

1. Executive coaching saves time – As a top manager or executive you value time but some of the more important decisions are time-dependent because you need to evaluate the different options ahead of you. You need to decide if the pros are more than the cons and how would that impact your future. And sometimes even the best of us lose too much time trying to find the right answer. If you work with a coach, you will learn how to make those decisions faster and to trust your own intuition.

2. Executive coaching means directing  your efforts – Imagine the typical day – you start working on a really important task and you have to evaluate the options. But you can’t focus as there are way too many things that are interrupting you.  Coaching will give you tools to clarify and prioritize then you can really focused on what is important and not urgent. You might be already ready to take the decision as soon as your coaching meeting starts – just because you gained clarity which leads you to direct your energy toward what will serve you and your organization.

3. Executive coaching means growing smarter – The goal of your executive coach is to ensure you are making conscious decision to lead your career in the direction you want prepared for each transition. The result is that she helps you understand what your next steps need to be and how to overcome some current limitations or roadblocks along the way. Your executive coach is your partner knows and will encourage you to strengthen your own qualities and to identify possible blind spots to grow.

4. Executive coaching is not a sign of weakness – If you ask for help you are not telling the world that you are incapable. You are showing yourself and people around you that you know what are your weaknesses and your strengths, you know how to overcome the small bumps on the road and you are focused on a long term growth.

5. Coaching takes off the pressure – Some people feel they make better decisions under stress. Most of us actually don’t. If you feel a lot of pressure over you regarding taking the right decision, you will be nervous and most probably will be stuck. What coaching does is it takes that pressure of you – sometimes only the fact that there is someone else that might be able to help is enough.

6. Executive business coaching gives you new perspective – You know how a nice conversation with a friend or an expert makes you thrive with new ideas? Well, your coach is better than a friend because it does practice detached involvement and has nothing at stake in your partnership but help you to define success on your own terms.  As an expert, a strategic thinker and a leader – she will use your energy and focus it on finding the great ideas and solutions that already lies within you.

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Feminism is a Process, Not a FightFeminism is a Process, Not a Fight

Feminism is a long processFeminism is a process – a long, never ending process as it seems.

I bet you think feminism first started appearing in the middle of the 20th century. I dare to say you are wrong – do you know that the first recorded uses of the world date back to the 1872? And yet we still live in a world where equality is not the norm. But still – we are moving faster ahead than ever before. Just think of society’s perception of a childless (by choice) woman in the 1800’s, in the 1950’s and now. Pursuing a career was not a girl’s most popular sacred dream during those times.
And yet today we have CEOs, COOs and a lot of other CO’s “occupied” by wonderful women. The biggest mistake we all make when thinking about feminism is that we forget it’s a long process – it has never been easy changing people’s mind. This means that we need to choose a strategy carefully and be consistent in our efforts if we want to achieve faster results. We all want to see results as fast as we can but sometimes that is just not possible. There are a lot of topics left to address but here are among the ones important currently:

1. Equal pay rates – This is currently one of the hottest topics – while high level management assigns themselves big bonus checks, regardless of their contribution to company’s success, it still feels a challenge for female executives to earn as much as their male executives. The gap is currently reported by IWPR to be a medium of 23%. A woman get’s paid $23 less for ever $100 earned by a man. And this inequality is visible in every sector, every industry, every country. I hear often that “if you felt like feminism is not your battle, think again – your income is one of the biggest metrics for how much your company appreciates you”. But does it have to be the metrics? While I am working with my clients, fair pay conversations rarely come up, because when we work through redefining success, pay and salary are relevant against what women truly desire and not against what men are earning. Usually, we talk about more flexibility, more time, and more opportunities. Of course women want to see their wages increase and if they have to choose, pay rates is a small factor of the compensation package they would design. Maybe it is time to rethink compensation and shift women mindset about asking for money. Indeed, women usually fight more for others than for themselves, while men will do the contrary and get what they want in their wallet!

2. Society perception – We discussed the problem with external audience feeling like you own them explanation for every decision you take. We need to work together to make them understand that a personal decision is exactly this  – personal. Do you know where to find society’s discrimination against female executives – you might not be getting the best project due to your boss being afraid you might decide to start a family, or because you already have kids which deems you unreliable. People assume that something is going to happen because this is “normal” and stop you from achieving your goals. Women are still seen as housewives who only play executives before they find a man to marry and have children with.

3.  How we see ourselves – Sometimes we are the reason we are still not appreciated as much as we need to be. Fighting aggressively, thinking only about a single win and not the whole war – this is why feminism is often seen as a bad influence. All reasonable people agree that equality should be the norm. A lot of the negativity comes from the perception of a feminist being harsh and attacking all the time. This is why some executive women try to stay away from the fight of feminism – they are not willing to carry the burden of those who attack.

I am one of them and I am revisiting this fight. I feel we can achieve greater results by educating and challenging our own limitations on this long walk to equality – but dare I say we are almost there. We often see ourselves as minority, limited and stuck in a box, and therefore we tend to fight to break those invisible walls. I was born in a household with a single Mom of 5, my grandmother was as well a single Mom of 5 and I never felt women were limited or could not accomplish professionally because both my Mom and my grandmother worked and even owned their own business. Consequently, my belief was that women from any background can make it and reach their goals like everyone else. This belief led me to enter the corporate world free of those invisible limitations that my female friends were talking about, and guess what? I never was paid less than my male co-workers leaders and executives, nor found it more difficult to climb the ladder because I was not in the box and not trying to break those invisible walls. Instead I was asking for what I wanted without fear I am not saying women and men are equal at this point, I just feel that your mindset and your approach can make you more successful by focusing on your goals instead of on the “box”.

 

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