Introduction: Women Still Earn Less
Virginia Rometty, CEO of IBM
There are very few careers where women earn the same amount as their male counterparts, but that question is not necessarily the primary view when planning our career paths. Although women often place more value on career satisfaction than money, they tend to earn between 75% and 85% of men in their same fields which can be very stressful and upsetting. Today we have women in positions of corporate and political leaders who have made themselves available to provide information on the best ways to move up the ladder and tips to maintain success both professionally and personally. There are even countries today that have female presidents and leaders, including Brazil and Germany, with women in positions of both primary and extreme leadership.
Keep it Simple
Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors
There are a number of tips that are available from some of the most successful women at the top… in all careers. First, be open to new opportunities. There is no reason to keep yourself glued to one position or seat in life. There is always the ability to learn more. Next, you have to be resilient. It is important to learn from the downfalls (or failures) that can so often place us a step behind. There is never a reason to give up but always keep on learning from your mistakes and moving forward.
Building both your team and yourself is of the utmost importance. Sometimes it takes some self-evaluation to complete the building process, seeing both where you want to go in your career and where you want to lead your team with you. Once you have learned those details about yourself it is important to gain focus. Even more than the quality of multi-tasking as a skill there is the ability to maintain the key focus on the essential tasks as they come up. And finally, in all these simple steps it is important to remain confident as a leader.
Continue to Learn
Susan Wijcickim, CEO of YouTube
Whether you are looking for a career change, a promotion or other change in life it is always important to another factor in learning how to best manage your career and life is the acquisition of a mentor. There is always someone with the previous experience who can teach you what will work best for your needs. Whether you are looking for continued advancement or a new career, there is even more than a college degree can offer, and that is personal communication and knowledge. You will be able to see in person what someone else has done to complete those same steps you are hoping to make, and you can follow along their path.
Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo