Several studies point to the fact that men are more often motivated in their careers by high income and high power positions while women are motivated more often by connection, meaningful work and recognition. But in both cases, the road to success in most organizations means climbing the corporate ladder. And steps up the ladder are supported by rungs of leadership. You must be seen as a leader to move up.
While not easy, leadership is simple. As I write in No Ceiling, No Walls, it consists of a 3-part equation:
1. using your personal greatness/strengths to
2. achieve and sustain key outcomes by
3. engaging the greatness/strengths of others.
Our studies indicate that much of the advice that women have been given about leadership over-focuses on elements 1 and 3: identifying and cultivating their own strengths (74%) and developing the interpersonal skills to effectively engage others (24%). Advice about what it means to deliver key outcomes is sadly missing - only 2%.
This was not the case for Merrill Sherman, CEO of Bank RI who was advised early in her career, "Be for the business." This piece of wisdom is at the heart of the most important question a woman must ask and answer in order to build a successful career:
Do I/Can I believe in and support the mission, work and products/services of this company?
While a man who answers "no" might be motivated to succeed by the allure of higher power and compensation, if you answer "no" to this question, you are likely to find it difficult to wholeheartedly commit yourself to delivering key outcomes. Chances are good that you will be unable to engage your whole self at work. You are likely to burn out or be seen as retired-in-place. The chances of achieving your career goals will be lessened because you won't be seen as "being for the business."
If you answer "yes" to this question, it will be easy for you to engage your heart (passion), head (creativity and innovation) and hands (execution) to achieve and sustain key outcomes in service of your organization's strategy. You will substantially increase your chances of being seen as having potential. You will leave work each day feeling as though you've done something important - and that sense is the difference between distress that leaves you exhausted and eustress (positive stress) that energizes you.
So, look courageously in the mirror and ask yourself if you believe in the company you work for. If your honest answer is "no", create an action plan to move to a company in whose mission, work and products/services you can believe. If your honest answer is "yes", your work isn't over. Make sure that you are able to climb the ladder on rungs of leadership by ensuring that you get high marks on all 3 parts of the leadership and career success equation.
Susan L. Colantuono
