| Corporate Pipeline:
Navigating Your Way to the Top
The technical skills shortage in the work place makes women in business an imperative,
not a matter of diversity. Businesses are turning to women with technical skills because
they possess the expertise needed to run businesses. To be a world class business in
technology means an all out war for survival and talent. Businesses are hiring women to
win and make a difference in the bottom line.
Diversity opens the door of opportunity to women. It gives them a fair chance at the
American dream and the promise of the market system. However, understanding the economics
of women at the work place and their contribution is a more compelling business argument.
Currently, women receive 57% of all college degrees awarded and represent 59% of the
growth in labor. Women make 50% of all consumer and commercial decisions and are the
largest economic power in the world. Capitalizing upon these factors means hiring and
retaining women in the work force.
Women need to assess their strengths and leverage them on the job. While men focus
narrowly on building empires, women see the "big picture" and become the glue
for integrating all the pieces together. Technology is easily duplicated and imitated;
however, customer retention is a matter of providing service, not just designing a
product. Women have the advantage over men when it comes to retaining customers with
excellent service and personal attention. Men excel as single-minded executioners while
everything else around them dies from neglect. On the other hand, women juggle many tasks
simultaneously making them integrators of processes that are vital to business systems. In
other words, women are holistic in their work approach. Their ability to integrate and
make everything work together may be more valuable than pure technology because
globalization means servicing varied clientele and cultures.
Career Tips List
The following is a list of career tips:
Find a mentor (gender is irrelevant)
Get internal sponsors at your workplace
Know what you want and the steps to get it
Set goals, review them often, and revise as needed
Inform management of your goals and get their public support
Gain access to senior-level decision makers
Locate networking opportunities
Volunteer for cross functional/international assignments early in your career
Get leadership development training
Obtain line and general management experience
Create your own flexible workplace with career and succession plans
Break your company’s mindset of "We need to hire someone just like you."
Encourage initiatives at your workplace that include metrics on the advancement of
women
Initiate or join a women’s network
What Perception is Being Created?
Men and women have different mannerisms that are open to different interpretations. The
following are examples of "gender bender" behaviorisms that deserve
consideration.
Nodding of the head. Men consider it an indication of agreement while women
use it to show attentiveness.
Tilted head. Men consider it an indication of weakness while women see it as a
sign of being a good listener.
Fidgeting. Men consider it an indication of less power while women do not make
such an attribution.
Higher voice intonation at the end of the sentence. Men consider it an
indication of uncertainty while women make no such interpretation.
Career Advice
Believe in yourself because there is nothing you can not do unless you chose not to do.
Do not be one of the boys. As one of the boys, advancement is limited to middle
management.
Use your intuition and trust it in business decisions.
Think outside the box and challenge those who do not.
Never be afraid to make mistakes and learn from them.
Deal with obstacles head-on and work through them.
Do not give up when the going gets tough.
Take risks but do your homework first. Then go for it but be accountable.
Separate your personality from the work. It is healthier not to overly
"personalize" work.
Pick your battles wisely.
Honor your family with a sense of entitlement to it.
Direct your career by "working the system" because the company will not.
Ask for what you want. It is a sign of strength.
Own your success and expect to get credit for it.
Make your accomplishments visible and get your company to replicate it.
Pay attention to the male perspective on matters like "gender benders."
Give employees guidelines and then let them figure things out for themselves. Better
work results.
Never publicly humiliate anyone.
Understanding What is to be Accomplished
The workplace is an extension of the community. Globally, women are perceived
differently than in the United States; therefore, awareness about cultural and gender
differences must be taken into consideration while doing business. As examples, Asian
countries use consensus as a decision making process; or the Japanese traditionally prefer
conducting business with men, therefore take along a male colleague as a businesswoman.
Understanding the circumstances most conducive to successfully transacting business
means remaining focused on the end goal despite obstacles.
Do not compromise yourself, but also remember there is more than one way to achieve a
goal.
Know the rules of engagement in your company or circumstance before trying to change
them.
Possess the tools and skills necessary for the task.
Be prepared by knowing what needs to be accomplished and how it satisfies your
objectives.
Making a Case for Mentoring
Mentoring is a formal business relationship between a senior level professional and a
junior colleague. The relationship is one where the mentee benefits from the mentor's
experience and expertise because the mentor shares them. Normally, there needs to be
"chemistry" between the individuals and a feeling of trust/connection. The
mentor genuinely must like and respect the mentee and want to do the mentoring. The mentee
must admire and share a similarity in values/integrity with the mentor. The mentee needs
to be willing to accept criticism and do the homework assigned by the mentor. Mentoring is
a forum for giving advice, guidance, and counsel on career pursuits with the purpose of
advancing the mentee's future professional opportunities.
Recommendations for finding a mentor:
Determine where you want to go in the company. What are your career goals?
Decide what skills are required for that job function.
Assess your current skills set.
Identify potential mentors who (a) possess the skills you need to develop, (b) share
your values, and (c) are able to give candid feedback.
Ask them about becoming your mentor. Disclose what it involves in time and commitment.
Formalize the mentorship by defining its duration, frequency of exchanges/meetings, and
format (e-mail, in person, teleconferencing, phoning, etc.).
Arrange a meeting to discuss the goals of the mentorship.
Inquire if there is anything you can do for the mentor in exchange.
Finally, realize that you may have several mentors (either simultaneously or
successively) depending upon the specialties you want to acquire. It becomes a matter of
having the time, energy, and determination to pursue this route for professional
development.
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