Women on Top

In one of my initial post , I debated on the fact that women have equal brains as men do , though they might develop differently. In continuation with that , here is some more , to give a thought.

A leading global media and entertainment company , recently conducted a study and found that they have 50 % of women population among their total employees around the world.But what was more striking to them was that the men : women ratio was significantly low at the top level. They did a study on the "Why" and conducted discussions and meeting with the women on top in different companies.

After which they conducted an only women leadership program , and some of the aspiring women from their organization were invited to attend the same from around the world. One of my collegues (at a senior level) got the chance to attend the same and here is what she shared.

Negotiate : We, the women are poor at negotiating for ourselves. While negotiating for a promotion or a hike,we give up far more easily than men , probably because we have different priorties and for a majority of us job is secondary.

Here are some tips while you negotiate.A) Try not to be defensive. The other guy would always want you to get defensive. But try not to be. Speak less and let the other person talk more. When you feel the need to be defensive , ask a question.Ask more questions and let him find answers to the questions(which he is not prepared to answer).B)Do not get flattered. They will try to faltter you telling you that you did a great job and no one can do it better. (So you basically continue doing the same).C)Tell them their gain. How do they benifit from you. D) If you cannot get through , negotiate to find a midway , where both are benifited.E) Know your market value and negotiate on that. Tell them I want to stay with you and this is what I will get if I go elsewhere.

Heads Up : Women normally follow a "Heads down approach". This also comes from their basic nature. A woman manager would utlize most of her time and energy at getting the best from her team. we should get more balanced and look straight. Guys spend quality time to sell themselves.They know what they have done and what is the impact , while women will just keep doing the due , thinking it as a part of their job.So strike a balance and invest time in selling yourself.

Network Well : Network yourself well. There are a few areas to that. List down the people who a)Support you b)Sponser you.Mind that, your competitors cannot be your sponsors.

Another known reason and I personally feel the most important reason is most women choose to take a break to nurture their families and they head start after a long gap. So the guys are far ahead till that time. So even if you think you are spending too much on getting a support system for your kids and not able to earn anything from your work , its worth it in longer run.