Never shortchange yourself
In a study published in Misunderstood Millennial Talent: The Other 91%, one of the co-authors, Joan Kuhl, reveals that millennial women are 55% likelier than millennial men to turn down senior leadership positions in companies. This reluctance to make it big stems from the responsibilities that women are invariably tied to in terms of their home care, babies’ care, and family management roles.
Millennial women tend to value the time they can spend with their families, look forward to investing more of their life in their hobbies, and also tend to shirk from the bitter political strings of leadership roles.
Still, millennial women are more ambitious than men when it comes to building a business or personal brand while staying firmly connected to things they hold valuable in life. In this guide, we will explore some facets of how other women can take a cue from these winner women.
Also read: These influential women nailed down the tech industry, proving that the glass ceiling can be broken
1. Negotiate For Everything
Never let the general opinion around you get shaped into something that says “easy win”. The secret to making this happen is to always negotiate and get what you are worth. Never shortchange yourself, and motivate your friends and family entrepreneurs to do the same.
Remember, nobody will bring you a deal you can’t refuse; it’s you who has to make an ordinary transaction into an extraordinary personal benefit. And you do that by negotiating. Invest in one of the most popular negotiation guide books.
2. Look for Bridges, Don’t Look At the Voids
In anything you do, whether it’s your professional work, or your home business, accept the fact that you will face more challenges than your male counterparts. However, you can, and you will overcome them, like the most iconic millennial women entrepreneurs and professionals have done.
A study conducted by consulting firm real revealed that 90% women left their conventional jobs to start their own businesses. Read their blogs and follow their social media profiles to understand how they meet the challenges that their multiple roles throw at them.
Whether it’s about raising capital, filing patents, contesting lawsuits, working with an innovative co-packer to build your brand, hiring talent, reinventing products, or going out to the market and selling like a pro — millennial women do it all with a flair that makes them win.
4. Be Prepared For Challenges and Build Capabilities to Beat Them
To enjoy sustainable success, all you enterprising divas have to introspect and lot and figure out the challenges that can potentially slow your progress. Here are some of the challenges that women face: acknowledge them, face them, and beat them.
- Lack of respect and co-founder trust, especially in highly technical ventures
- The inexplicable need among entrepreneurs to show masculine attributes as a proxy of success
- Lack of confidence in skills to pitch their ideas and sell their products
- Lack of belief because of not having any prior experience in entrepreneurship and business
- Working in a world where men have disproportionately high representation
Keep on working on yourself so that when these challenges actually materialize, you face them head-on.
Also read: Women in tech, and a competitive advantage
5. Look For Champions to Be By Your Side
In Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor, author Sylvia Hewlett advocates that women need to connect with sponsors that can help them step past the proverbial sticky middle slice of management. Extending the thought, millennial women would do well to always be on the lookout for opportunities to network with such champions.
The secret sauce here is to always think, “What can I do for them,” rather than the other way around. Stay in touch, show your worth, and even with one good relationship, you will see how much a difference it makes to have the support of a champ.
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