From real estate to entrepreneurship, one of the constant discussions since women have entered the workplace in large numbers has been how women can achieve a work-life balance. From tech giants encouraging women to Lean In to the number of women who opt out of the workforce entirely, the concept of balance is a highly divisive and heavily debated topic.
As you move up the career ladder, senior positions get fewer and the competition gets fiercer. To make it to the CEO chair takes a lot more than an impressive track record and ability.
Traditionally, many CEOs are selected from finance positions, like a CFO. But more and more CEOs are being appointed with backgrounds in other areas like operations, and marketing and sales. Regardless of your background, it can still be a difficult jump to go from executive to CEO. Going for a CEO role is highly competitive and recruiters and boards are usually looking for specific characteristics for individual roles. So it’s important to know how to present yourself and your track record.
Whether you want to move to the next level of your career, or you’re aiming for the CEO seat, here are some tips on preparing yourself for the challenge.
Great leaders just keep delivering results, even under difficult circumstances. Despite challenging goals, internal and external pressures and all the roadblocks encountered along the way, these leaders continue to find ways to motivate their team to persevere and win.
What is it that sets them apart? Why do the teams they lead consistently deliver on objectives? Why are they such great executors? Here are the five distinct characteristics I’ve witnessed first-hand that help great leaders consistently achieve their objectives:
Women know a lot about giving support. They support friends, families, partners, colleagues, children. But when women start their own businesses, for myriad reasons, support can be conspicuously absent.
Eight years ago today I made a high-stakes career change. It felt like stepping off a cliff, it felt like madness – one of the gutsiest decisions I have ever made.
I wasn’t the only one who thought I was mad. Not many walk away from partnership in a large accounting firm voluntarily, with no defined path, but an incessant internal voice that said it was time to pit myself against new challenges and see what I was capable of.
Having an awareness and understanding of what impacts our financial position now and potentially in the future, allows us to plan, understand the risks and think through contingency planning (sounds like work? It is!).
Authentic leadership: An approach to leadership that emphasises building the leader’s legitimacy through honest relationships with followers which value their input and are built on an ethical foundation. Authentic leaders are positive people with truthful self-concepts who promote openness.
When it comes to team decision-making, we shouldn’t need research to back the idea that more diverse and inclusive environments will lead to better outcomes.
One would think it’s a given. Two heads are clearly better than one. But two different heads are ultimately better than two that simply think the same.
Modern women have learned that career success is not about adjusting to the male-dominated status quo. It's about changing that status quo by embracing what makes diverse perspectives unique, and overcoming the doubts that keep you from reaching you full potential.
No matter where you are in your career, follow this advice from successful female business leaders to help you get ahead.
Becoming a successful entrepreneur takes more than a great idea and important connections (although both do help). Making the shift from the steady life of a full-time employee to the unpredictable world of entrepreneurship requires a shift in mindset that many overlook. In fact, some of the work habits you so carefully honed as a good employee don’t necessarily translate well into the world of an entrepreneur.
According to the Small Business Administration, only half of new businesses will survive to see their fifth year. Making that mental switch from employee to entrepreneur can help you avoid being one of those businesses that doesn’t make it. Here are seven tips for thriving while adjusting to life as an entrepreneur:
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