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Top 10 Rules for Women in Business
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Rule #3: Gain Confidence Through Failure

Failing and surviving gives you confidence. However, women tend to be a little more emotional about failing. When men fail at something, they tend to attribute it to some external cause, like the challenge was impossible, or they didn’t get enough support from their boss. When women fail, the tendency is to attribute the bad result to some personal inadequacy. Recognize that failures do occur, take responsibility for your part, reflect and identify the factors that contributed, take inventory of any behavioral shortcomings, forgive yourself and move on.

Winston Churchill once defined success as “going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” The fear of failure is probably the number one problem holding people back from the success they desire and deserve. Andrea Jung, President and CEO of Avon Products was passed over for the CEO position in 1997, but finally promoted in 1999. Ellen Hancock, once IBM's highest-ranking woman, was fired by Lou Gerstner and later, at Apple, by Steve Jobs. She became CEO of Exodus.

View failure as an opportunity to learn. With learning comes wisdom. With wisdom comes confidence.

Rule #4 Watch Out for the Glass Cliff

Exeter academics Michelle Ryan and Alex Haslam have been investigating what they call the “glass cliff ” phenomenon, which shows that women are more likely to accept high risk opportunities that their male counterparts avoid. Sometimes women are viewed as dispensable, sometimes organizations are truly hopeful that these talented women can perform miracles, and sometimes the women simply don’t see the risk.

Either way, women need to be politically savvy about how they respond when opportunities are presented to them. Don’t be too quick to say “yes” when a challenging assignment comes along. Don’t feel you have less to loose than your male counterparts. Failure is an opportunity to learn, but too many visible, money-losing failures are career limiting! Take some time to assess the situation carefully. Is it a stretch assignment? Or a set up? Don’t be seduced by the title or the trappings of the job. Ask plenty of questions including, “Why me?” and ”Why now?” Ask for the resources you will need in order to pull it off: money, time, headcount and support. Don’t try to be superwoman!