#WomenExcel: Don鈥檛 be afraid to sit at the head of the table
Celebrated globally on March 8, International Women鈥檚 Day recognizes the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. 91影视 has devoted the Impact blog to featuring women leaders across the globe聽throughout the month of March. Join us here as we recognize the accomplishments of our staff around the world, embrace diversity and promote gender parity.
One of the first women enrolled at UC-Berkeley, my grandmother, Margaret, was an entrepreneur who believed in me from the start. She looked after me often as a child, and I remember her marching in the door of my home and saying to my siblings and me with great authority, 鈥淲hen grandma鈥檚 here, the rules change.鈥� Then off we鈥檇 go to a restaurant, each with a 鈥渂udget鈥� to spend on our dinner selection. This was not just a meal, this was a financial transaction.
When I was 10, she bought 100 shares of Wendy鈥檚 stock for me to 鈥渕anage,鈥� and when we (occasionally!) ordered fast food, we only ate at Wendy鈥檚.
鈥淭his is your investment,鈥� she鈥檇 say. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e a shareholder and we鈥檙e investing in your business.鈥� Then she鈥檇 take me in to Wendy鈥檚 to purchase 20 hamburgers, and we鈥檇 give them to the homeless.
She gave me a lot of advice in her long, incredible life, and I credit her with teaching me that I鈥檓 a businessperson first 鈥� who happens to be a woman 鈥� and that understanding is what鈥檚 led me to pursue leadership roles throughout my career.
I鈥檝e been blessed with so many incredible mentors on my career journey, and the lessons continue today. The best advice I鈥檝e received so far is to always come to the table with a point of view and a willingness to say, 鈥測es, I鈥檒l do it,鈥� and figure it out. This is the mindset that separates leaders. That鈥檚 why I encourage my team members to jump in and tackle challenges that aren鈥檛 their core strengths. I鈥檝e seen so many people skyrocket into new opportunities by taking a leap that pushed them outside of their comfort zone.
There was an interesting study done on workplace gender differences. It showed that when a woman considers a new opportunity 鈥� say, a new job 鈥� with 10 qualifications, she would need to fit all 10 criteria before she鈥檇 apply, while a man might say, 鈥淚鈥檝e done six of these things really well 鈥� I鈥檓 in, I鈥檒l figure the rest out.鈥� Many women feel this need to be perfectly prepared, and are so often fearful of failing. Perhaps that鈥檚 because as girls, we were taught to follow the rules and were rewarded for doing so. But in the business world, those who challenge conventional wisdom and take risks rise to the top.
I recently attended a networking event where one of the few open seats was at the head of the table. I watched as many women entered the room and grabbed a chair off to the side 鈥� as I鈥檝e done countless times myself. Moments later, a man walked in and planted himself in that seat without hesitation. We have an incredible opportunity to change the life trajectory for our daughters by showing them that they can take risks, and they can sit at the head of the table (even when they鈥檙e terrified inside). We can teach them to 鈥渇ail forward鈥� and to not be afraid to color outside the lines 鈥� and the best way to do that is to show her firsthand how it鈥檚 done.
Heather Rim is 91影视鈥檚 senior vice president and chief communications officer, overseeing all aspects of 91影视’s enterprise communications including brand management, public relations, employee communications, social media and digital communications. She serves on the boards of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles and the Downtown Women鈥檚 Center.
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