9 Game-Changing Career Tips For Women, From Women
The communications industry is changing every day.
1. Define your own success
Zain Habboo, senior director for digital and multimedia strategy at the United Nations Foundation, spoke about the importance of being flexible — even when defining success.
“I don’t have a definition of success,” she said.
[pullquote style=”right” quote=”dark”]I think if you can define success, then there’s nothing left to do.[/pullquote]
[pullquote style=”right” quote=”dark”] I always say fail hard, fail fast, fail often.[/pullquote]
2. Never give up
360i CEO Sarah Hofstetter stressed the importance of loving what you do. And when times get hard, loving what you do makes it easier to keep doing it.
“Perseverance is key when it comes to success,” she told attendees. “It requires a tremendous amount of conviction, and a willingness to see beyond what’s possible to just get it done.”
3. Don’t be afraid to fail
Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, said that she constantly drew inspiration from her team.
Also inspiring? Failure. She said, “I think if you have an idea, you just have to put it out there in the world. If you haven’t failed yet, you haven’t tried anything!”
4. Accept bumps in the road
ABC News correspondent Mara Schiavocampo told attendees that persistence was one of the keys to her success.
“Success is not a straight trajectory; there are ups and downs and unexpected twists and turns,” she said. “But if you keep your eye on the prize and focus on the finish line, eventually you’ll get there.”
5. Don’t be afraid to be afraid
Bestselling author J. Courtney Sullivan remembered the fear she felt the first time she was asked to write a book review for the New York Times.
“For a long time, whenever I was about to tackle a new assignment, I would have this terrifying sense of fear,” she said. “Then it hit me that if I’m not a little bit terrified, a new project probably isn’t worth pursuing.”
6. “No” means nothing
Danielle Weisberg, cofounder of theSkimm, said that the best advice she’d ever gotten was from her mom. She told Danielle that the worst thing someone could tell you was no, and that “no” wasn’t that bad.
“When you hear no, say thank you. Use that to make your next pitch better, so you can get to yes,” she said.
7. Keep your goal in sight
TheSkimm cofounder Carly Zakin said that her readers — and the fact that she’d helped create something that resonated so strongly with them — were her biggest inspiration.
“In the day-to-day grind, it’s sometimes easy to lose sight of the bigger picture or get distracted by shiny opportunities,” she said.
[pullquote style=”left” quote=”dark”]Staying tethered to a goal has been key to our success so far.[/pullquote]
[pullquote style=”left” quote=”dark”] Fake it until you make it.[/pullquote]
8. Look for opportunities
Mashable CMO Stacy Martinet told attendees about being approached to become point person for her company’s entire digital communications department, due to massive internal restructuring. She was just 23 at the time.
The lesson? “In chaos comes great opportunity,” she said. “We’re living in a chaotic time for media and marketing, but with a lot of change and uncertainty can come opportunities to further your career growth. Seize on these moments.”
9. If you don’t know, pretend you do
Maureen Sullivan, president of AOL.com and Lifestyle Brands, said that the best things she’d done in her career had felt like she was doing them with her best friends.
She told attendees, “You don’t have to have all the answers to take on a new opportunity or a new role in your career. The expression can work, and if you have the passion, the work ethic and the commitment to do something, those three ingredients are enough.”
