Life Lesson 9 – 8 mistakes women make in business

1. Flirting. Come on ladies, its 2009 and we have broken the ceiling; let’s not patch it up by resorting to trying to be cute. Now I am all for smiling and using flattery when it is needed to make the person you are meeting with at ease and engaged but let’s not giggle or toss our hair. These things only drag us back to the 1950’s and take away our credibility.
2. Saying yes to everything. As women we tend to feel the need to over compensate and show that we can take on just as much as the guys. This is big trouble because you tend to get over loaded and appear to not manage a workload efficiently. The guys say no, so should we. Learn the word, use it well and do the projects you say yes to at 100% as opposed to doing everything that is passed across your desk at 50%.
3. Being overly aggressive – this one may sound odd but I know many women in my industry who seem always tough as nails as if they have something to prove. It comes off as stubborn, angry and unreasonable. There are many ways to be firm and drive your point home without getting the reputation of being someone who would eat their young.
4. Not playing golf – Sounds old fashion but there are still many deals made on the golf course and a lot of networking to be a part of. It does not matter if you are good or not, play in a best ball tournament or take lessons. Don’t go to a conference and not get the full experience. Many may disagree with me on this one but I have found I get a lot of respect being one of the few women out there and I have gained some very key relationships with customers this way.
5. Letting the guilt consume you – you’re at work and feeling guilty you are not home, you’re at home feeling guilty you are not cleaning up your inbox. LET IT GO! Be present where you are. Know that you can do both better if you let yourself be in the moment and give 100% of yourself to the task at hand. Your kids will not feel any different if you feel guilty. Your work will not lose a million dollars if you don’t answer emails until midnight, and if they do there is a bigger problem for you deal with………
6. Not promoting yourself – Ladies, if you do a good job, let people know. Talk about your successes and brag about the big deal you just made of the client you just landed. Fastest way to the top is not by hoping someone notices…….
7. Not dressing appropriately – I always remember hearing “dress for the job you want, not the job you have” SO TRUE. Look as professional as possible in the environment that you are in. People in business initially do judge a book by its cover; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. They will make up their mind for good once you open your mouth and start speaking but do not take for granted the first impression. You also want to project the right image on a daily basis at work to those who could promote you and those who look up to you. I am not saying wear a power suit everyday but if everyone in your office dresses casual why not take it up a notch and dress business casual.
8. Gossiping – Seriously! Don’t be that women who listens to, talks about or starts a rumor. Separate yourself from it and rise above. I have no tolerance for it and my team knows this. You can “care” and listen if someone has an issue but don’t be the eyes and ears of the company, it can only reflect poorly on you in the end.
Driven chick

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Hmmmm where should I start! - Life Lesson 1, Get Noticed at Work

So many decisions have led me here, where i am. Director of Marketing at a Major medical manufacturer, new mom, wife and new home owner. I majored in Political Science, started in sales and am now in marketing. How does that happen? Like it happens to alot of young people who major in something ridiculous like political science! You get out of college, no idea what to do with the obscure degree you obtained (could be that you majored in a language or just general business!) and you get a first job when the graduation money runs out and your parents drive you insane with lectures. Oh yeah, and you need health benefits! So then you get a job, any job.....mine was with a medical distribution company because my friend worked there......and then there is this ahaaa moment when you love or hate what you are doing and make a move. I didn't mind the telesales (very different than telemarketing) some call it inside sales. I knew it was not what I wanted to do long term but I was intrigued by the business itself . How could I make it better how could I improve what was given to me? This leads me to life lesson 1 - GET NOTICED! this will require of course you not being complacent and just clocking in. Figure out who can make your life better - your immediate boss, your coworkers and of course your bosses boss. In my case I knew my immediate boss was herself a complacent chick so I made sure her boss also knew if I was doing well and what I was coming up with. It was as simple as taking a fax page with specials on it and reformatting it with pictures and an up to date header. Looked SOO much better , took me no time at all and showed i had initiative...Now i needed buy in, get my coworkers on my side......your want em to love you and not be jealous.....that will lead to compliments on your work and the all mighty buy in. I made friends like it was my job. not life long lasting friendships (except 2 it turned out) but work friends. People that liked being around me everyday. again SOOO easy. Say hi to everyone, always offer to help, show an interest in what people are saying and listen to them and of course compliment the heck out of them....when you make others feel good they like to be around you. not rocket science folks. so now i got noticed, got buy in and my playing field was set. I had honest conversations with the 2 boss figures like: I really love the company but I want to contribute in a different way, maybe transition out of sales and try marketing. I made them believe that I wanted to grow with the company and I would continue in sales until such time as they thought i was ready. So many people want to grow in their jobs but here's a little reality check.......you won't unless management knows you want to! Again, not rocket science. People cant read your mind. I let them know what i wanted and guess what.......less than a year after joining the company I was promoted to marketing coordinator. So go to work tomorrow and GET NOTICED by your boss, his/her boss and your peers. Get on the radar. All i had to do was pretty up a fax, but it showed SO much more than that. The most important part of that story is No one told me to pretty up the fax...........that's what made the difference. You can do what they tell you to all day long and kick butt at it ........ you will not get noticed for that though, it is those who go outside the box of what they are expected to do who really shine. Well its late and i just have about 6 hours until my little one gets up so i am going to finish my wine and smile that i just finished my first Blog :-P