5 Tips to Ace Your Career Growth if Female

As we come to the end of celebrating women this month of March 2023, here are 5 Tips to Ace Your Career Growth if Female. Let your growth consciousness and efforts exceed the month of March. 

Emotions Have No Place When It Comes to Growth in the Corporate Jungle

It is great to be nice but being nice has never won a battle or won a game. It is tactics and strategy that determine if you win or lose. When making decisions, make them using sound and logical judgment. Not from a place of emotion. You will on many occasions be wrong and insufficient when deciding from a place of emotion. You would be less objective and more subjective in your decision-making. This does not mean that you should not be high on your Emotional Intelligence quotient. The better thing to do than playing “emotions” and expecting people to see for example your hurts is being able to read people and their motives. Have the ability to manage a response when you should be bursting out all your mind and telling them how you feel. This is what keeps one ahead. Having strong emotional intelligence, will not only help you manage your mental health effects but also help you be better with teamwork, customer satisfaction, and manager-employee relationships. Emotions are perceived to be hard to define and difficult to measure. However, results are quantifiable and can be assessed.

It Is Not a One Size Fits Across All Organisations

Things never work the same way, at the same time. The scenarios, opportunities, and people are never the same across all organisations. What is essential is for you to keep your eyes on the ball “goal” if you want to grow. What worked for you with one boss is not going to work for another boss. Hence, it is always essential to understand your peculiar situation. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to management, leadership, self–management, or people management. You have to tailor your people management style and the to the audience that you have and what you are trying to accomplish.

Play Safe and Play Out

It is always essential to be always aware of all risks. However, taking a calculated risk might sometimes cause you losses. Stay away from the safe – comfort zone. Give it a try - Fail but you will learn. Do not be afraid to be ambitious. Michael Angelo once said and I quote, ‘The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.

It Has Never Been A Fair World

Do not expect to be treated like a male colleague or responded to like a male colleague. As much as we want to see an improved change toward gender equality and equity, the boundaries and strategies of the rules are different for men and women, from company to company, from country to country, and from culture to culture. How should you win? Always and quickly identify these rules and boundaries. From the “said” to “ unsaid” to the written and unwritten. Identify this behaviour and innuendos then create strategies to overcome or maneuver these rules or boundaries. Do not hold yourself back or be unjust to yourself. Each new win or level also demands new approaches for consistent wins.

Do Not Treat Your Femininity Like a Burden

Do not treat your femininity as a burden. Own It and enjoy it. This is especially for women who are parenting. That you are pregnant should not limit your capabilities. Also do not encourage people at work to limit your capabilities by their actions or inactions. Even when you are experiencing a difficult pregnancy do not feel guilty, sad, or inadequate. If you need to stop work for the interim do so following the company’s process and policies. Assure management that you are still capable. Even when faced with stigmatization, presented with stereotypes, or discriminated against. Surprise your colleagues or management by not falling into those stereotypes that are being presented.

It is also important to properly read and fully understand your company’s policies and provisions which have been made. Many women suffer because they are unaware of the flexibility or opportunities legally available within their company policies or employee handbook.

There are many phases of your life, pregnancy is one of those phases. That you are currently focused on birthing a newborn should not mean that you are unfocused about your career. Your priorities are only different for the time being.

Many successful women have walked your part before, seek out like minds and persons let them be mentors to you whether by near or distant mentorship.