A Conversation with Young Women in Business

Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of having a conversation with Georgetown Women in Business, a club formed by women who are in the MBA program at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business. They had all worked at least four years in the corporate world before coming back to complete their graduate studies. As is the university, they are truly global group, coming from many companies around the world.

We discussed a variety of topics.

One topic was leading without authority as one works her way up. It is important to recognize that leadership is helping others do the right things well. “Others” can be a 1,000 people, or 100, or even one other person, e.g., helping a single team member or colleague.

A woman can do this so effectively using her natural leadership skills, as the best leadership comes from the heart, e.g.

• Asking purposeful questions
• Listening to understand, and with care
• Having meaningful conversations
• Developing important relationships
• Not being self consumed, rather caring about the village—the team

We discussed the inevitable: working with a difficult boss, one who is not helpful, not accessible, maybe has a command and control management style. My advice is to try to work it out with that boss. Try to have a conversation such as “I want to do great work, and I would like to know what you expect, need and want from me, and I would like to share what I need from you as my boss, which will help me. My doing great work benefits all of us and our company.”

As communication is an answer to a most problems in our world, I would ask, “May we discuss what great communication looks between us?”

In fact, the above conversation is a great idea with any boss, whether a helpful leader or not.

Negotiating Skills
Women are paid just 78% of what men receive.  It is amazing that we still must wrestle with equal pay today. Standing up for yourself, negotiating, and being ready to communicate your achievements and contributions are important skills for women.

While it is often difficult for women to be self-promoting, it is usually in your best interest to do so in order for you to receive the salary you deserve, that promotion, or important assignments you want and have earned.

Work Life Balance
We talked about work life balance, especially, but not limited to, those who have child care or elderly care responsibilities. I referred to Christine Brown-Quinn’s wonderful book Step Aside, Super Woman, in which she shares her strategy of laser and unwavering focus, which enabled her to meet her goals of success as a mom and wife, as well as becoming a managing director of an investment banking firm (just 7% of the managing directors were women).

A Mentor (and a Sponsor!)
These women asked about seeking a mentor, which can be very important. There is no proven strategy except to do a great job and seek trusting relationships at all levels, and not to be hesitant at some point to ask. Likely, the person will be flattered. I do suggest a discussion of expectations and how you will work together.

I also hope that there may be someone at a senior level who will become a sponsor and will say to his/her senior leadership, “This person has it, we need to bring her up to an important leadership position.” It is often inappropriate to ask for that sponsorship, rather to earn it in the eyes of the person. To do so, one has to be visible and have a relationship.

Be a Great Teammate
We talked about becoming indispensible, the MVP, for all we do, not just our own great work. We also discussed how we can bring positive energy and offer help and encouragement to our team members.  The best way to be promoted is by our peers.

Emotional Intelligence
It is important to understand emotional intelligence, which does not begin to get the attention and credit it deserves in business. It is the key indicator of our success in business, in our leadership, and certainly in our happiness.  Business is about earned and trusting relationships.

Thanks to a thoughtful question from Sonya Chawla, the President of Georgetown Women in Business, we discussed the good news about emotional intelligence skills. They may be assessed to give a present benchmark and we may work to improve selected skill areas.

Read a Leadership Book a Month
I encouraged everyone to read one leadership book a month. Today’s are short, easy reads, and usually full of compelling stories. I always gain at least a few very useful ideas and a whole lot of inspiration.

I was excited to be with this group of women, who have so much to offer in their business careers. They have humility and are eager to work to become their best selves. They want to gain knowledge, business know-how, wisdom, and effective leadership skills so they may help their companies and themselves succeed.