Ten Tips to Success Women in Business Words by Jacqui Chaisson
1. Know your goals. Set goals that are reasonable. Consider things like available capital, your personal life, professional contacts, and other considerations so you can define objectives that are reasonable and attainable, given the “whole” you. Create a mind map of your end objectives. Then, work backward from these objectives to develop a strategy to ultimately reach your professional goals. Your goals should be written out, though not etched in stone, so you can stay open to new business opportunities. Your career or your business will evolve over time, and your business model should change when opportunities present themselves, so remain nimble to take advantage of unforeseen opportunities. 2. Create a to-do list. Create a calendar and make sure that each day you do something that moves you closer to goal achievement. Plan ahead – sometimes months ahead – to address the “big picture” and create both short- and long-term to-do lists. When you know what’s coming, you can address challenges with a cool head and a cool strategy. 3. Accept challenges. Be prepared to accept challenges, even those that you feel will lead to failure. All great businesswomen have failed – some, many times. It’s not the failure that counts, it’s what you do with it. 4. Ambition is good. Ambitious women may be perceived as having misplaced priorities. Unfortunately, some of the old biases are still there, despite the fact that more and more women are taking places of leadership in business, government, academia and other critical areas of society. Don’t let the old ideas of how women should behave hold you back in your career.
5. Lead. Find opportunities to lead at every level, as you move up the ladder to success. Demonstrate your people skills and your thinking skills by volunteering, and by keeping a high profile at every level of career or business growth. 6. Network. If you’re working at a large company, seek out the sharpest minds – the creative, driving forces. They’re easy to find after you’ve been on the job for a while. Cultivate solid professional relationships with these business leaders. And if you do have a good relationship with a successful colleague, ask for a more formal mentoring relationship that delivers concentrated, Regardless of whether they’re moving up the corporate ladder or working to build a start-up, career women must often overcome obstacles to achieve professional success. Here are some tips all businesswomen might consider.
real-world experience more efficiently than casual watching. If you own your own business, reach out to others in your community or your profession and build a network that can propel you to success. 7. Maintain your confidence. You’ll hit a wall now and then. You’ll fall flat a time or two. You won’t meet your objectives as expected. Learn all you can from these missteps and maintain confidence in yourself and your skills. We often learn our best lessons from our worst mistakes. And just because you failed this time, it does NOT make you a failure. Confidence is essential in order for women to grow careers or businesses. Don’t let a setback derail your strategies and tactics. 8. Delegate. Don’t try to do it all, delegate jobs and tasks to others who may be more qualified or more suited. Smart, successful businesswoman are not threatened by surrounding themselves with talented team members, instead they seek them out. 9. Always move forward. Plan to succeed and have strategies in place that align with these plans. Don’t dwell on the past just concentrate on what’s ahead. 10. Always plan for the future. Be prepared for the good and the bad. Have adequate insurance that will ensure the business moves forward if you can’t. Every business owner should have life, disability and critical illness insurance. The goal of every business is to be successful and with the right planning, advice and attitude you can achieve the success you dream of.
SPRING 2019 www.pei-living.ca
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