Our 27 Favorite Pieces of Career Advice From Boss Ladies in 2018

Our 27 Favorite Pieces of Career Advice From Boss Ladies in 2018 At Fairygodboss, we get the chance to hear game-changing career advice directly from boss ladies on the regular. Whether theyre sharing insight on our podcast, Fairygodboss Radio (now in its second season), offering up their No. 1 pieces of career advice as part of our Fairygodboss of the Week series, or posting wisdom straight to the Fairygodboss Feed, we at FGB think were on the receiving end of an incredible amount of guidance from women whove been there. And as we prepare to wrap up 2018 and enter a new year of living our best lives, both professionally and personally, these are the bits of advice weve heard over the past year that are inspiring us still.1. Give yourself permission to take a risk on something that frightens you or stands in your way of getting better. Beth Comstock, Changemaker, Author, and Former Vice Chair at General Electric2. plektron your head up. Build a sponsor, listen to them, and be open-mi nded and listen to the feedback they give you. Samantha Saperstein, Managing Director of Women on the Move, JPMorgan Chase Co.3. You have to ask. Put yourself out there, find the right moment, connect, and ask for what you want. Francine Katsoudas - Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer, Cisco4. Dont play it safe. You cant grow in your career if you always play it safe. You always have to have one part of yourself outside your comfort zone so you can foster growth. Jill Sweeney, Technical Knowledge Management, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise5. Really focus on what youre passionate about and build a career around it. The impact you can make is incredible. Its never too late. Amber Grewal, Vice President of Global Talent Acquisition, IBM6. Lose the five year plan I never had a plan to become editor in chief of a legendary magazine. I never had a plan to write a book, I kept my eyes open, paid attention to opportunities, looked for ways I could tread into new territory and make my mark. Ann Shoket, Author of The Big Life7. Trust your gut. I spent so long trying to fit in, worrying what other people thought of me, being hesitant to speak my mind or say what I really believed because I welchesnt aya it was right, or smart, or good enough, or was worried about being criticized, or leid being perfect enough, and on and on. And you know what? Almost all of the things I was afraid to say, I still believe them. So what I would say is listen to your inner voice, try not to succumb to self-doubt, and stand up for what you believe in. Jessica Bennett, Gender Editor at The New York Times and Author and Founder of Feminist Fight Club8. Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. I wish I realized this earlier in my career. Ellyn Shook, Chief Leadership Human Resources Officer at Accenture9. It sounds clich, but follow your passion. If you dont know what your passion is, just departure somewhere and weed out the things you dont like to do. When youre passion ate about what you do, you will always succeed. Carly Tatum, Corporate Responsibility Communications Lead, Global Communications at Dell10. Nothing will make you more successful than doing something you truly love. Thats a top predictor of how well youll do and how well youll feel doing it. Because when you love what you do, theres no problem you cant resolve. No long hours to resent, no stress that becomes unsustainable. So find something you really enjoy doing and become good at it. And persevere. Tap into your resilience. Learn how to talk to yourself to make sense of the situation (a key of resilient people) and develop new ways to get what you want if the current ones are not working. Mariela Dabbah, Founder CEO of The Red Shoe Movement11. Take risks Its so important to not be perfect and to make mistakes Gretchen Carlson, Journalist and Female Empowerment Advocate12. Remember that you have a long career ahead of you. As you enter the workforce to when you retire, you have 40 years of experiences to gain. Dont be in too much of a rush that you lose out of valuable experiences. But at the same time, be driven to excel and exceed others expectations. Your career is going to ebb and flow sometimes you will move fehlte nicht viel and other times you will move slow. The important thing is to continue learning. Dont wait for someones permission to solve a problem be proactive and demonstrate your leadership capability. Dont let your job title define how big of a positive influence you can make. Lauren OBrien, Senior Director, Human Resources at PepsiCo13. Instead of thinking about yourself as just an employee at your company, consider yourself to be a rising corporate change agent. This requires less focus on self-promotion and personal accolades, instead being driven by what I call a me for we mindplatzset. Stop and really think about the purpose of the organization you work for. Consider how it can make the most positive impact in a way that is ultimately g ood for its bottom line. Consider the impact on three levels inside (its employees and their families), the industry as a whole, and outside (the customers or stakeholders). Then think about how your efforts can serve this greater impact better and faster so that everyone benefits. If your boss or companys leadership doesnt yet share the vision, get creative and help bring them. Claudia Chan, Founder of S.H.E. Globl Media14. Be clear about what you want for the next assignment. Start thinking about what is next so that you can identify what is needed to get to that goal. Cheryl Talasco,Director, Program Quality at United Technologies Corporation Aerospace Systems15. Do not settle for any job. Make sure that the next job you pick is right for you and you are right for it. Interviews are not just about you being interviewed but you also conducting the interview. Yinka Horton,Senior GAMMA Analyst at Boston Consulting Group16. Leaders are often anointed before they are appointed. Meanin g, focus on doing your very best, being positive and excelling at the level above you before seeking new opportunities. People will see that and naturally want you to progress. Stephanie Atiase,Senior Director of Corporate Strategy Corporate Development at Hilton17. Take risks Be courageous Understand financial acumen, invest in relationships and speak up and share your ideas. Remember Its not who you know, but who knows you. Adriana Ocampo,Chief of Staff to VP Engineering, Modifications Maintenance at Boeing Global Services18. You must know what you love and know what has you saying this is where I need to be and what I need to do. That may change over time, and thats OK. Work towards doing that. It might mean being a volunteer at first. But even if you cant get paid, and even if you can only do that thing a few hours a week, you will feel good about yourself and your life. That will matter and youll know you matter. Linda Goler Blount,President and CEO of Black Womens Health Imp erative19. Think of every job as having three components the responsibilities, the salary, and the company itself. Very few people get the ideal version of all three of those in one role, especially during a career transition. Look at every job you take as something that gets you closer to your dream position. Dana Levin-Robinson,Chief of Staff and Operations at VirtualHealth20. My favorite tip is Dont build a bridge the day you need it. To be successful, you should establish and nurture relationships helping each other along the way. As another mentor has reinforced, Your network is your net worth. Betty Ng,CEO of inspiring Diversity (iD)21. It is OK to take the time to figure out what you want to do... You may have your heart set on one career path and then find out that it just isnt a good fit for you. Dont be afraid to go in another direction. Life is way too short to be toiling away at a job you hate just because you liked the idea of what you thought the job would be. Mary Ly nn Conroy, Financial Consultant Partner at Charles Schwab22. What are all the possible scenarios, and are (you) covered for them? Its about identifying issues before they become problems. Having that mindset is what allows me to be optimistic. Being like, Okay, were going to run into problems, but were going to be able to solve them because were going to work through them before they become unsolvable. Liz Anderson, Project Manager at DRW23. If you want to learn and grow in your field, its always important to get out of your comfort zone. You might be doing a great job, but youre really not pushing yourself to learn and grow there. The magic happens when youre outside of your comfort zone think about all the great possibilities that may be ahead. When you can turn worry into wonder, that slight flip can make all difference. Jodi Euerle Eddy, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Boston Scientific24. To female veterans An industry may underestimate you as a veteran d ont let them Dont let them think you lack business experience, or just fly planes or just manage millions in supply chain. Do not let anyone convince you that you are starting over. Sloane Menkes, Mid-Atlantic Cyber and Privacy Leader at PwC25. One piece of advice that has stood the test of time is Ask better questions. As leaders, one tool we have to teach, to drive accountability, to inspire, and to ensure engagement is the questions we ask. Questions ensure you get feedback from the team. Questions ensure that your team is thinking past the surface. You do not have to ask 20 questions one or two well-thought-out questions is all you need. Melissa Holobach, General Manager at Terex Corporation26. Never lie when you have made a mistake. Just own up to the mistake as soon as you realize and be honest. It may be painful at first, but people will appreciate your honesty and accountability. After all, we are all human. This not only applies internally, but also with your clients. Devi Rajani, Managing Director at FTI Consulting27. Be present and capable. Develop the skills you need to embrace each opportunity as it surfaces, and dont be afraid to be spontaneous so that you have the freedom to say yes to the opportunities you want. Joan K. Motsinger, Senior Vice President of Business Excellence at Seagate Technology--