Top Tips for Success from High-Achieving Women

Being a high-achieving woman is easy as that is what most of us are – but being a successful high achieving woman is a different story altogether.

It is hard to make a name for yourself in the world of business when the majority of the big industry players are men, and sadly, this means that some of the time women are just not taken as seriously, or we are paid less.

There are measures we can take though, to make sure we stay relevant and are taken seriously for our knowledge in the business world. An MBA from a top-performing school for example, is one way to let people know you mean business.

Courses like those from Hult International Business School offer students a chance to be part of a group too, and this is a great way to network and develop the networking skills that you will need in future to get your name and business out there in your industry.

Speak up in Meetings

One personal building block as well as taking a formal business education that can help you be a successful high-achieving woman is to remember to always speak up when you have something to say in a meeting.

Most women in general will wait until they are asked a direct question in a meeting to speak up and say what they are thinking, but by doing this you are being a passive participant in meetings and what you need to do to get noticed is to be an active participant.

This makes sure that you are seen as a member of the existing team and this gives you equal footing with other team members. Confidently expressing your ideas is a skill that will get you far in the business world, especially when meetings are so integral to business.

Be Your Own Brand

You have likely heard this before, but it is really important for your career success that you remain true to your vision and end goal, much like any good marketer would do.

So, when you are conducting anything to do with yourself – how you dress, how you have written an email, how you say anything, how you attend a meeting or an event – make sure you remain true to your vision and version of success and what that looks like to you.

Branding yourself in the business world is a great way to get people to invest in you, and that means they will also invest in your ideas.

Know Your Worth

Women are often taught not to be competitive, and so we are less likely to be loud and proud about our accomplishments and accolades than men are in the workplace.

Unfortunately, this means a lot of us undervalue and undermarket ourselves and our ideas. A global study labelled this phenomenon as the “female humility effect.”

Nobody in business leaves their career down to chance, and we are all as strategic as one another when it comes to our jobs and careers. If you don’t learn to promote your skills and yourself, nobody else will.

If you have real trouble in being confident and thus knowing your worth, you can always hire a career coach or up skill by taking an education which specializes in your chosen industry, and this can help you feel more confident within your business and career as you will also be avoiding ‘imposter syndrome.’

Use Body Language

Ever heard of something called a power pose? Studies have shown that how we compose ourselves and how we use our body language actually changes our body chemistry and this can affect our performance.

Standing tall, leaning in towards others and gesticulating hand gestures all show high power, while crossed arms and legs convey low power. Successful women always use power poses, especially when addressing a group or talking to an audience.

Fake It til You Make It

We all get nervous and feel out of our depth from time to time, but these are simply feelings which can come and go and change (note the body language point above), on a day to day, or even hour to hour basis.

One way to fight those first day jitters, or the general jitters, is to pretend you believe in yourself before you do, and use visualization exercises to help you achieve a feeling that you need.

Pitching an idea for example? Visualize it going well and achieving a successful outcome, and the likelihood is that that’s exactly what will happen.