By Laurie Halter, Host, Carearing Podcast
Ladies listen up! If you want to be a successful female in business and life, follow these hard-fought lessons from the female leaders and entrepreneurs who have come before you! I’ve interviewed dozens of successful women on my podcast, and here is a list of their top advice for going after that next promotion, job, or life goal:
1. Jump in Before You’re Ready
Almost all of the leaders I’ve talked to have jumped in the deep end before they were truly ready and learned to swim. Some of them have jumped in multiple times. (I’m looking at you, Jacci Grillo of Cox.) Usually, mentors or business leaders have seen something in these female superstars and encouraged them to go farther and think bigger. And guess what, they said, “OK” and took the leap.
Perhaps one of the best examples of this is Denise Casagrande, president of PCG Digital. PCG Founder Brian Pasch saw Denise speak on a few PCG training videos as a social media specialist, reached out to her, and boom – three years later the girl is president of the company! The secret to her success? Saying Yes.
2. Have a Growth Mindset
What is a growth mindset? People with a growth mindset don’t mind making mistakes and think of failure as learning opportunities. They’re not stunted by the idea that if they “fail” they’re not worthy. They think of failure as a way to learn. If they stumble, they pick themselves up, learn from the lesson, and carry on. Resiliency and an underlying belief that they will preserve merely by the force of their own will is a hallmark.
Think about your life and career. Where can you focus more on having a growth mindset? What areas have you thought of as failures (or even worse, have not even tried because you’re too afraid to fail?) Can you reframe those events as lessons? This one is big for interviews as well. As you go for that next job, promotion or life goal, think about how you can present a growth mindset and what that would look like in terms of how it would benefit the company for which you’re interviewing.
3. Be a Continual Student
This gem comes to us from Erin Coate, director of marketing and media for Force Marketing. Erin attributes her success to a continual appetite for more information on the newest trends. This girl is a director of marketing, you guys! Did she reach that milestone and say, ‘I’ve learned enough, I’m at the pinnacle of my career?’ No, she said, how can I make myself better by staying on top of the newest trends for my business! That is a growth mindset if I’ve ever heard one.
4. Develop a Thick Skin
I remember one of my first meetings when I was beginning my company was with a room full of older, Caucasian businessmen. There was me, in the middle, presenting with a child strapped to my chest. I’m not even kidding. My one-year-old son woke up sick that morning, and the nanny couldn’t make it to watch him. So, I presented my best PR ideas to this group of distinguished men with him snuggled into my chest in a Baby Bjorn. Just as I was wrapping up the best dang presentation of my tender career, my sweet son threw up all over my chest. Yep – this is real life guys! I smiled brightly, thanked the gentlemen for their time, and promptly left. I did not get that job. In fact, I got a tongue lashing from one of the men about my business acumen. Did it hinder me? Not in the slightest. Hey, buddy, I don’t like smelling baby vomit either, but seriously, what about that amazing presentation? No? Just me? Ok.
5. It’s Everyone’s Club
I love this so much. Yes, I am a cheerleader for female leaders, but one of the best lessons comes from Jacci Grillo, director of sales northeast for Cox. She encourages everyone to think beyond gender lines and recognize each person’s worth. She shared a story where she realized a man on her team was having trouble hopping on calls in the afternoon each day. A co-worker shared with Jackie that the dedicated dad was picking his kids up from school during that time. Jackie immediately changed the time of the calls. It’s not a boys club or a girls club, folks. Let’s encourage everyone in our club to be the best employees, family, men and women, friends and individuals they can be. We will all be better for it.
ARTICLE BY Laurie halter
Laurie Halter is the founder of Charisma! Communications, a successful automotive PR firm, and host of the Carearing podcast where she explores work/life balance issues for leading females. She has a passion for business and entrepreneurship, but what really gets her jumping out of bed in the morning is sharing her experience balancing life, work, and motherhood.
Featured Digital Dealer Orlando Session
In this dynamic session, a powerhouse female panel will give attendees the truth of what it takes to attract, retain, and nurture female leaders in every area of your dealership. During “Ready to Hire, Retain & Nurture Female Leaders?” at Digital Dealer Orlando, Laurie Halter’s panelists: April Simmons, Maureen Bailey and Jacci Grillo will give their own experiences being a female in automotive, along with specific tactics management can use to attract and retain leading females in sales, service and executive management roles. You will walk away with immediate strategies that you can implement to advance the females on your team and find the dynamic female leaders you want.
Key takeaways
- Explore specific tactics on how to nurture female leaders in your own store.
- Discover female leaders want you to know about how to best support them.
- Learn at least three ways you can nurture and best support your female superstars and encourage them to keep growing!