Recently, I got to play Oprah in a corporate version of her former show. The audience included women who aspire to the C-Suite, their mentors and sponsors. You too can share in the advice participants valued most. But first..
Welcome to Today’s Show for Women who Aspire to the C-Suite
Nora and Elisha are C-suite women and Board Directors who joined me on a company sponsored wold-wide mentoring event for women. Men, from C-suite executives to first line managers, were also part of the virtual audience. Most people watched the show on large screens in local conference rooms around the world.
We spent an hour talking about Elisha’s and Nora’s careers, their challenges, and what they learned along the way. We talked to and about women who aspire to the C-Suite, men as well. We talked to women who have other career goals. We talked to men who are sponsoring and mentoring women. We fielded participants’ questions. Below is advice participants valued most.
1. Network as if your career depends on it, because it does. Many women think networking is something you do after you’ve taken care of your real job. Networking IS your job and the higher up you go the more your value exists within your network.
2. Don’t let lack of self-confidence stand in your way
Elisha and Nora met by way of 3Plus International’s Mini-Mentoring event. Nora couldn’t make it, but asked me to introduce her to Elisha because they are two of the eight women board directors of global high tech companies. Nora is determined to meet them all. Nora and Elisha spent the first hour of their initial dinner meeting, discussing self-confidence. It’s important to know even these women, with a long list of stellar achievements still talk about this issue.
Elisha’s advice, “Act your way into being your most confident self if you have to. Hire an image consultant to find THE OUTFIT that makes you feel and look confident and powerful.
3. There’s no career elevator
Not even a ladder. It’s a stairway, full of twists, turns and curve balls. “I used to think people like Elisha did it the easy way, a straight line up, but there IS NO EASY WAY.”
The difficult things don’t happen to you they happen FOR you. When I adopted this perspective, everything changed. My biggest challenges were, at the time they occurred, also BIG disappointments. But they put me in touch with my greatest resources. I reached inside. I grew. New doors opened. When I was leading the company’s biggest strategic investment, and the program got cancelled, I learned. When my manager and chief sponsor got fired, first I panicked. Then I learned what I’m really made of.
4. Think carefully about whether you want to lead at C-suite. There are sacrifices.
Elisha “I spend a lot of time on airplanes. That part isn’t fun.”
Nora “There are a lot of things I don’t get to do. I’ve never gardened. I don’t cook. I might be missing out on things I’d really enjoy, but I don’t know because I’ve never done them. The important thing is – I love what I do.”
5. For mentors and sponsors of women who aspire to the C-suite
One of the male executives asked, “I’m mentoring two women in my organization. What should I be sensitive to?”
Eighty-five percent of mentoring is the same for women and men. But the fifteen percent that’s different is critical. Be sensitive to the fact that most women juggle multiple roles. Ask about this. We are still reluctant to bring it up for fear of the motherhood penalty or being seen as not interested in advancement. Ask her what you should be sensitive to. Make it part of the mentoring conversation.
6. Be genuine, down to earth and accessible
Neither Elisha or Nora made this statement. It’s who they are and how people experienced them during the show. People who were “WOWED”, “Didn’t want to leave the conference room” and the C-suite exec who “Would pay money to hear these women speak” all mentioned these qualities as what they appreciated most.