GLS
Consulting, Inc. 38% of women reported their favorite strategies are
active; they include networking, finding mentors or supportive peers, constant
learning, reading and doing research to stay current.
“Networking. Having a network of professionals that I can call on to provide advice or recommendations (on anything from asp’s to local caterers) has been key.”
“I think one strong strategy is networking. I think this is a Godsend. Many of the networking opportunities that have popped up show a real wish to cooperate and assist each other. People understand the pressure of the new economy and are easing it by helping each other.”
“I network a lot with other women. We talk about running a business, marketing, strategies, and our anxieties. I also try to mentor other women whenever I can-sharing my own experiences, contact, and knowledge.”
“Learn by experience how to
best communicate/organize to get things done and to involve the people who need
to be involved.”
“Stay current. One step ahead
of the guys. Don’t give away anything anymore. Toot my own horn and take
credit.”
“Seek mentors and peers who do
it well to gather best practices and support.”
“-Reach out to other successful
companies for the best ideas.
-Continuously work with the president and CEO to recheck strategies and tactics
–with the market shifting so quickly, so too must our strategies.
-Ensure complete alignment of all activities against Company top objectives.
-Pull in people who have worked together as a team before who have a proven
track record of teamwork and relentless execution.
-Mask the team from the underlying stresses and keep them highly motivated and
recognized for achievement – seek out opportunities for the team to stay
engaged with the president and CEO as we grow so they maintain high visibility
and importance within the company.
-Take on any/all assignments that do not fit within any obvious organization to
be viewed as a leader!”
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Women also actively work to reduce stress in their lives:
“I set clear boundaries
between work and “life” (e.g. no e-mail on weekends, time away to vacation,
limited travel). I eat really well, work out, spend time talking with friends,
and stay connected with my church.”
“Trying to create balance in my
life and to have spirit enriching non-work activities.”
“Try to find outlets for
stress through exercise or sharing your feelings with a network of reliable
friends.”
29% of women reported that their strategies are mainly
internal: keeping a perspective, being able to handle oneself, being forthright,
flexible and adaptive and using humor.
“Also you just have to stop
stressing out and as my mother says, “Rise above it” (0r as my father says,
“Have balls of steel.”)
“Use humor. Re-direct the
issues to accomplishing the task at hand.”
“Most importantly, make HUMOR
a part of the day. I’ve never had more fun at a job-we find creative ways to
have fun.”
“Using resources such as
“play like a man win like a woman.” Taking training classes and using women
focused groups to increase opportunities.
18% of women reported using their competence and
confidence to help them handle things at work.
“Have
confidence in abilities and skills.”
“Personal and professional
experience, particularly in dealing with change management, individual
differences, interpersonal communications, leadership, prioritization, project
management and multi-tasking.”
Some women commented that women’s strategies are
increasingly less traditionally ‘feminine’ and more traditionally
‘masculine’:
“Most women have chosen to act like men to overcome obstacles.”
“Work hard. Be competent. Be
unemotional. Be gender-neutral (masculine. Fight for credibility in all work
situations.”
Summary
of strategies women use:
Women
use their internal resources to work effectively in the workplace. Again, what
we found is that the strategies women use to navigate in the new economy are
powerful ones. Women tap into their inner capacity to adapt, be flexible, and at
the same time, maintain a broader perspective to cope with working in the new
economy.
Women
also know how to reach out and ask for help from others, and to help others grow
and develop. We sense this is the women’s version of the “old-boys
network.” For women, it goes
beyond making contacts, it is about genuine reciprocity and helping others, as a
way to equalize the playing field. Women develop through their relationships
with others and find peer support and networking
a natural extension of how women negotiate the world.
We hypothesize that women’s use of technology to network will also help level the playing field. Now that women can network on line, they don’t have to take more precious time from their already crowded workweek to attend evening networking meetings. Women can connect with each other during work, or never have to leave their home in the evenings. We believe that on-line networking has great potential for women and is ripe for development. Women love the creativity of learning new things. The good news is that the new economy significantly values and rewards this learning.