11 Ideas You Should Keep in Mind as a Woman If You're Serious About Becoming a CEO

You already know the stats; only one in four C Suite executives are women.

The number drops even lower for Fortune 500 companies where only about one in 20 CEOs are women. If you're a woman on the leadership path and believe that you'll make a good CEO one day (like we do), it's likely time to consider how you can break through the glass ceiling and cross over the C-Suite finish line.

I've put together a few tips based on the success I've seen over the years helping women move into coveted Chief roles worth millions.

Here are a few to get you started:

Avoid thankless assignments

According to research, women in management often volunteer for tasks that are unpleasant enough to be avoided by others, but that do not get them credit or promotions. Tasks such as planning the office party, putting together a project to declutter common spaces, writing reports, taking notes at meetings, filling out paperwork, setting up meetings, mentoring new workers, or leading committees that handle hiring often fly under the radar when credit is handed out for effectiveness. They do help companies get important things done, but they aren't the kind of visible, prestigious responsibilities that attract promotions.

While women managers tend to volunteer for low-prestige work, it's important to avoid the instinct to do so.

Learn the important skill of refusal

Women employees, even ones in positions of responsibility, often find that they don't need to volunteer for thankless tasks; rather, they are asked to take care of menial chores that would normally fall to an unpaid intern.

If you find yourself in this position, it's important to understand that these responsibilities are more than just a nuisance or a sign of disrespect. Instead, they keep you from fully being a part of your actual work and taking advantage of opportunities that help you get ahead. It's important to practice politely refusing low-level responsibilities.

?Tell your mentor what kind of guidance you need

?Male executives mentoring women usually direct their guidance toward helping them learn leadership skills. When they mentor young men, however, they tend to concentrate on helping them learn how to create and run a business that makes a profit. If you want to get ahead as a woman employee, it's important to help your mentors avoid this kind of frequently unconscious discrimination. You may need to help your mentors set out the agenda they will follow for you.

Rather than satisfying yourself with the general career and leadership advice that you may get, you need to ask for introductions to people on their network who might be able to help you get ahead.

?Don't be modest

Men who are in consideration for C Suite appointments often provide the board with a list of important people who are likely to speak well of them. Women, on the other hand, are unlikely to be as bold. It's important to overcome the need to be modest, however. You need to plan ahead and work on a list of well-respected people who are likely to have wonderful things to say about your suitability for leadership roles. You may even need to pursue people to step up to help you if they don't respond to the first request. This step could help make the difference between a high-level appointment and disappointment.

Aim higher than CEO; work for a board appointment

In Europe, company boards take an average of three months to decide on appointing a woman to the office of CEO. It takes more than twice as long for boards in the U.S. to do the same thing. It is often proposed that the difference stems from the fact that European corporate boards have more women than American boards. Trying to get on the board at your company can help you do two things: advocate for the women at your company, and, as you will be one of the very few women on the board, increase your likelihood of being chosen as CEO yourself one day.

?Make use of the help that's made available to you

?It isn't uncommon for highly educated women in the workplace to do much of their own grunt work. For instance, when law firms require their lawyers to fill in timesheets for the work they put in, many lawyers hand the task to their assistants. Women lawyers, on the other hand, often do this kind of work themselves, to avoid troubling their assistants. Assistants, though, often do not volunteer to do such work for women bosses, even if they would never let their male bosses do something like it. It's important for women to be aware of these differences, and to resolve to delegate work where possible so that they have time for the important stuff.

Ask for support staff if you are overwhelmed

When female employees are driven hard, they often suck it up and put in long work hours, rather than ask for support staff who could make their life easier. Male employees, on the other hand, often do requisition the additional staff they need. This gives male employees more time to focus on work that is likely to get them promoted.

When you request assistants or other support staff, you may be turned down for the reason that the company believes it can't afford the added expense. If this happens, it could help to look around to see if male colleagues do have such support. If they do, you could point it out to management to see if they could work something out for you. Assistants cost no more than $20 an hour to hire; if your company is under financial stress, however, you could consider finding an intern.

?Embrace your ability to be empathetic

It may occur to you to try to hide some of the qualities that are often associated with femininity -- empathy, sensitivity to the need for collaboration, or inclusiveness -- in order to be able to compete with men in the workplace who may not have these qualities. It's important to keep in mind, however, that requirements for leadership, especially at the top, are changing.

Leaders of the future will be expected to demonstrate awareness, empathy, and sensitivity. Embracing what comes naturally to you as a woman is likely to give you an edge when you compete for the top job.

?Stop being a pushover

Women workers can be sensitive to the needs of those around them and often take on their work in order to be helpful. While there's a lot to be said for kindness and sensitivity to the needs of others, it's important to keep in mind that taking on the work of others is something that women are known for, far more than men. This tends to be work done for no credit. When women work for no credit, and their male colleagues aren't saddled with such responsibilities, women find themselves falling back in the race for top positions.

?Work on overcoming your imposter syndrome

Imposter syndrome -- the painful and baseless feeling some people have that they may not be as qualified for their job as others -- can hold you back. Men are often confident about their competence, but women tend to worry about whether they really do deserve the responsibilities they get. Being saddled with the imposter syndrome can hold you back on many levels. If you secretly feel that you are less than qualified for what you do or get, it may be time to work on the problem, perhaps in therapy, to own who you are.

?Find speaking engagements

Speaking engagements may or may not pay, but they are important, nonetheless. When you speak at conferences or other engagements, you become visible among people who matter in your field and become accepted as a leader. You gain credibility. It's important to constantly be on the lookout for conferences that you could have something to contribute to. When you find one, you could contact the organizer and pitch yourself as a speaker.

?Women have found greater acceptance in the C suite every passing year, but there's a long way for women to travel to achieve equal representation. These ideas could help you, as a woman, make sure that the corporate ladder does work for you.

Ready to to prepare for your power move?

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