3 Crucial Lessons for Women in Business

At a recent women’s leadership conference at Ross, dozens of women spoke about their experiences in business, the influential advice they have received, and the lessons they have learned over the years. Most of this advice is universal, but some is specific to women, as we often tend to face different challenges in the business world. Here are three important lessons I learned  from this conference: 1.  You have to let your manager know when you want to get promoted. Of course, this will depend slightly on the company and its structure, but if your supervisor doesn’t know that you have the desire to move up in your company, someone else could get promoted ahead of you. Show interest in growing with the company by taking on more projects and vocalizing that you are eventually interested in moving up to Director, Partner, etc. If you have a good relationship with your supervisor, talk about the steps you should take early in your career to get closer to those positions when the time comes. 2.  There’s no certainty about the future, so take what’s in front of you right now. If you think you might want to start a family in the next year, don’t stop yourself from applying for a new position because you might have to go on leave after a few months. Take advantage of the opportunities you have because you never know what the future has in store. Perhaps your planned move to a different city doesn’t happen, or you and your partner decide you want to wait another few years before having a child. If you don’t take advantage of what comes your way, you might not have another opportunity for a while. 3.  If everyone at work likes you, you’re not doing something right. You need to approach your work with a business mindset and make the best decisions for the company. Sometimes those decisions won’t please everyone, and that is okay because you know that you are doing the best job you can to help your organization  succeed. If everyone at work likes you, it probably means you aren’t pushing thought boundaries the way you should, so try walking the fine line of being friendly and tough as a woman in the workplace. Sometimes it can be difficult to be a well-respected woman in business, and while this mindset may be changing, it isn’t changing as quickly as some of us would like it to. With this in mind, take charge of your professional life   let your boss know that you’re here for the long run and that you want to work your way up the ladder. Take advantage of the opportunities that you have, and stand by your decisions, even if they don’t please everyone in the office. First though, you need to get into the business world, and what better way to do that than talk to a Veritas Prep admissions consultant? We can  help you decide which MBA program is the best fit for you! Applying to business school? Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today, or take our free MBA Admissions Profile Evaluation  for personalized advice for your unique application situation! As always, be sure to find us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+  and Twitter. Colleen Hill is a Veritas Prep consultant for the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. You can read more articles by her here.