Senior Female Executives' Advice to Young Women

Several years ago, I had the honor of facilitating a candid discussion with more than 20 senior executive women about their lives and careers.  I asked them to respond to two questions: 1. Looking back, what were the most important crossroads that enabled you to get to this place in your career?  and 2. If you were going to share one key learning with young women coming out of school or up through the ranks today, what would it be?  As the women spoke, Oklahoma Artist, Susan Morrison-Dyke painted what she heard.  That painting, "The Journey" is shown above.

In answer to the first question, they told me that the key crossroads in their lives and careers had been as follows:

• Going through tough times (i.e., bankruptcy, bank failures, starting a business in a recession and losing a family member) had been a turning point
• Being brave enough to take on stretch assignments that were outside their comfort zone
• Asking for what they wanted or needed
• Learning to be themselves rather than trying to be like everyone else
• Looking for and creating opportunities to be mentored and then taking advantage of them
• Seeing role models that showed them it was okay to be a woman with other commitments
• Setting boundaries when they had children
• Making opportunity wherever they were
• Reaching the point where they felt they deserved to be there
• Taking advantage of whatever they had (i.e., novelty, beauty, etc.)
• Using their competitive rivalry with male peers to energize them into showing what they could do

The key things they wanted to share with young women coming out of school or up through the ranks was:

• Don't feel threatened by other strong women (hire stars)
• Volunteer for things; agree to do it and figure out how later
• Don't beat yourself up, realize there are things beyond your control
• Don't go it alone; leverage others
• If you go overboard to take credit, it will backfire (give others credit and don't try too hard)
• Trust your gut
• Genuinely seek out learnings
• Realize that things don't have to be labeled as an opportunity to be one
• Come to your supervisor with solutions, not just problems
• Hang in there
• Be gracious and tenacious
• When you recognize talent, encourage them to seek their dreams
• Have faith in yourself
• Don't be afraid of competition (aggressively compete when necessary)
• Become an expert

The insights of these amazing and generous women has helped to frame my life and career. I hope you find them to be just as valuable.