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Top 10 Rules for Women in Business
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Rule #9: Re-frame the Way You View Power

"Power is the ability to change things.” says Carly Fiorina. Many women have shied away from power because they have viewed power traditionally as “power over” someone or some thing. Men and women do not view power in the same way. To most men, power tends to be about authority as measured by titles, perks, and pay. To highly successful women, power is about "influence.”

In order to make a difference in business, you must be seen to be influential and part of the inner circle of decision-makers. If you reframe power as the ability to get things done, being powerful becomes palatable.

Shirley Franklin, former mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, said, “I was always someone in the background, willing to work on the team, not step up. I didn't run for class president. I didn't seek high office at any stage in my life until I was in my 50s, and then I did so very reluctantly.”

Shirley was the 58th mayor of Atlanta, the first female to hold the post and the first black woman to be elected mayor of any major Southern city in the U.S. Shirley shied away from power until midlife. Just think of all the good she could have done and all the difference she could have made had she embraced the concept of power! But power as defined by women, power used wisely, and power to make a difference all have impact and can enable positive change in the world.

Rule #10: Find Yourself a Publicist

Research shows that men are promoted based on potential while women are judged on their track record. If your accomplishments are not visible to others, opportunities are not likely to come your way. However, experiments have demonstrated that when women highlight their accomplishments—that’s a turn-off. This creates a huge challenge for ambitious women. If they’re self-effacing, decision-makers and talent spotters find them unimpressive, but if they talk up their accomplishments, they come across as pushy.

The answer lies in finding subordinates, colleagues and mentors who will promote your successes for you. If you nurture subordinates, they will become your biggest supporters. If you make a special effort to speak about the accomplishments of your colleagues, many of them will return the favor (yes, I know that some will never pay you back, but karma will take care of that!). And of course, we all know how important it is to find mentors in the business who will not only advise us but who will actively promote us. A great mentor will sing your praises, talk about your strengths and accomplishments and be your biggest fan.

But what if you can’t seem to find the right mentor? Or any mentor?

Harriet Rubin, author of the bestselling The Princessa: Machiavelli for Women and The Mona Lisa Stratagem: The Art of Women, Age, and Power has the following words of advice: “Two of my heroes, Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Eleanor Roosevelt, never had mentors. They engaged the best teacher in the world: namely, the world itself.”

 

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Michelle Brailsford is a founding partner at Jupiter Consulting Group, LLC, a boutique learning & development consultancy dedicated to ADDING life BACK INTO work. Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . www.JupiterConsultingGroup.com