More and more companies now acknowledge the importance of the role that women play in business success. As such, there are now more opportunities for women to succeed in their careers in almost every industry. These opportunities, however, do not guarantee instant success. It is important for career women to know how to utilize their skills and even personalities to their advantage.
Below are the common career stoppers that will stop you from advancing in your chosen career:
1. Forgetting about yourself and paying attention only to what others need.
Females naturally have a nurturing personality, which often gives them the image of being ‘caretakers’. There is nothing wrong about looking after other people, even at work, but if you keep on saying YES to everything at work, you may end up not being able to do your own tasks. What’s worse is that this could have a negative impact on the efficacy of other people within your own team.
2. Being too concerned about yourself and not others.
Ironically, women are likely to think too much of themselves, and less of others. When problems arise, you should avoid overreacting and overcorrecting the people you work with. You should also learn to listen to what others have to say, and also consider others’ input. Keeping this balance will allow you to earn the respect of your coworkers.
3. Not taking the initiative.
Too many women tend to just wait for someone’s approval before making a move in their career. As a result, these women are not likely to be taken seriously in the workplace, and are often passed over for promotion because they don’t seem to have confidence in themselves and what they can do.
4. Spending more than you can afford.
Debt is always easy to put on, but very difficult to take off. When you are in debt, you lose control and power over your finances. Too often, this becomes the reason why a lot of us are stuck in jobs they don’t like. And when you don’t feel passionate about your job, there is no way you will do your best to succeed there.
5. Having a broad vision without a plan of action.
Women are often very idealistic, and really good at making plans and looking at the bigger picture. This are good traits to have, but only when you can focus on implementing them. To avoid failure in your career or any other aspect of your life, you’ve got to set realistic expectations, and you have to pay attention to how you are going to achieve all your goals.
6. Flirting with men to get what you want.
A lot of women use this strategy to get ahead in their careers. While this could work to your advantage, the gains are just short term. What you want is to truly deserve whatever it is that you will achieve. You should aim to get a promotion because of the quality of your ideas, your ability to work well with others, and your great technical skills. With proper career planning, you won’t have to rely on anybody to get to where you want to be.