Brown University: How hard work gets promoted, in academia

From the blog of Brown University's ADVANCE Program, building on my recent post about what's wrong with working hard:

"... we should not be shy about marketing our ideas and work, whether individual professors or an ADVANCE program office. We shouldn’t assume others will notice each accomplishment."

The ADVANCE Program seeks to increase the retention and advancement of women faculty in science and engineering.

Read the blog post >>

Why women rock… the auto industry

By Cortney Ewald-Ihde, Director of Ewald Auto's Automotive Advantage Employee Perk Program.

Women are a powerful force in the automotive industry.

Not only do we buy over half of the new vehicles sold every year (54%), we influence up to 80% of all purchase decisions. This is on top of that fact that we account for 65% of service work done at dealerships. All in all we provide $200 billion dollars worth of buying power to the industry! Not too shabby for us ladies, if I do say so myself!

Despite this massive buying power that we posses, we still only make up 8% of car salespeople across the country. A lot of this could explain why so often women feel the need to bring along a male “security blanket” to help them shop. Hopefully you do not fall into this category but, if you do, it is really not surprising at all.

The fact of the matter is that women shop and buy differently than men.

Visit Cortney's blog to read the full article>>

What’s wrong with working hard?

As chief financial officer for Morgan Stanley, Ruth Porat is the firm’s most senior-ranked female executive, and one of a small handful of women currently serving in C-level positions on Wall Street. (Here she is profiled by the Wall Street Journal)

It is a tough job with tremendous responsibility, and you could be forgiven for assuming Porat is a proponent of working hard.

In fact, she is quite the opposite. Quoted recently in the New York Times, Porat remarked “One of the biggest problems women have is they work really hard and put their heads down and assume hard work gets noticed”.

The workforce is full of smart, talented, hard-working women who sit at their desk delivering outstanding results to the benefit their company. The problem is, they are relying on the assumption that someone from management will eventually stop by and recognize their hard work.

If your plan to get a promotion or a raise only involves work harder, you should plan on waiting a long time, because hard work alone does not guarantee reward and recognition. You need to take additional steps that make your accomplishments visible.

Take five minutes today to step away from your desk and your work. Go interact with a leader who has the power to advance your career. Ask them how they are doing, and when they return the question, tell them you are doing great, and briefly mention a recent accomplishment, e.g.: “I’m doing great. I just got nominated for an innovation award”.

That’s how hard work gets noticed.

9 ways to that show you are an up-and-coming leader

Have you ever wondered what it really takes, to get promoted?

A number of years ago I was speaking with a leader who I consider to be highly successful. By her mid-30’s she was managing a large business division. As I was asking her what steps she had taken to get there, she confided in me “I just wish there was a roadmap for women that described how to advance”.

It was such a great question, and since no-one seemed to have a clear answer, I made it my personal mission to understand the factors that set apart successful women leaders who have advanced into positions of responsibility and leadership in the corporate world.

Here’s what I discovered. In no particular order, here are nine things to do more of in order to be recognized as an up-and-coming leader who is poised to advance into positions of responsibility and leadership.

1) Project a seasoned, credible leadership presence

2) Gain visibility and reward for your accomplishments

3) Build a reputation as a leader, expert or go-to person

4) Understand the dynamics of power in your organization

5) Navigate organizational politics with savvy

6) Build your sphere of influence

7) Leverage your network to gain access to hidden resources, information and opportunities

8) Cultivate influence and get buy-in for ideas and initiatives

9) Create, envision and lead high-profile projects.

To learn how to integrate these skills into your daily work-life, join me for Poised for Leadership, a 1-day workshop for women who want to break into positions of responsibility, influence and leadership in business.

Dates: May 24 in San Francisco, and June 11 in Minneapolis.

Register now or learn more >>