5 Tips for Succeeding as a Woman in a Male-Dominated World
How to succeed in this male dominated world of business is nothing novel but by practicing the GOLDEN RULE, “DO unto others what you would like others do unto you.“
The following are tips on how to succeed in a male-dominated world:
Surround Yourself With Successful Women or Those Who Represent Who You Want to Be
They make you strive to be a better person… they lift you up and believe in you, more than you believe in yourself. They help you look, and move, outside your comfort zone and (eventually) be comfortable with it. So, ladies, surround yourself with strong women. Women who lift you up when you’re down. Women who challenge you, who push you to try new things and think differently. Women who want the best for you (not those who cut you down to make themselves feel better). Women who you can be yourself with, no questions asked. Women who love you for who you are.
Dress Up Like a Lady
Dress elegantly. This means dressing appropriately considering your body type, and your age. To be more practical, you can wear a variety of tailored clothes or simple ones, not gaudy or showy. You may show your curves but make sure you won’t try to fit in a very tight clothing.
Avoid showing too much skin during business meetings; wearing plunging necklines is strictly discouraged as it exudes an image of being unbecoming of a business woman; nor wearing sweatpants or tracksuits would suit you either. Make sure that your clothes are clean and neat, free of stains and wrinkles. On scents.. For business meetings, avoid wearing spice based perfumes as the scent stimulates men’s sexual urges. Use floral or fruity scents instead.
Educate Yourself and Hone Your Skills
A business woman should be eloquent and carry a conversation intelligently. This requires a lot of reading and keeping one’s self abreast with pertinent current issues of the world. If you are in business, it is necessary that you update yourself on the local and global business trendsand issues. If you can get some formal education, by all means, enroll in courses, but if you are not the academic type, you can find some alternative ways to educate yourself. There are many universities today who offer courses on an audit basis or online courses will do. If not, then you can do it by exposure to media, friends, associates, and family. As a business woman, read scholarly articles and not fiction. Most successful business people are into hard facts.
Tell the Truth
Honesty and integrity are keys to getting the trust of everyone in the business. Never promise anything that you know you can not deliver. Do not be afraid to admit that you do not have the monopoly of knowledge.
A male-client can not respect you if he can not trust you. Be candid and straightforward yet tactful. Mean what you say and say what you mean. Don’t waste your time or the client’s time by promising something that you can not do.
Be an Authentic Woman
According to Mathew Boggs, author of “Cracking the Man Code,” men respect women who do not try to compete with their masculinity but women who are authentically women themselves.
This doesn’t mean playing dumb in the negotiation table but being smart in a feminine way. An authentic woman in business is courteous and polite, have good posture, well-groomed, intelligent, hard-working, reliable and dependable yet still a woman.
