Over my years in business, I've worked with a lot of women, I've managed a lot of women, I've promoted a lot of women, I am a woman.
And the biggest mistake that I've seen women — and particularly younger women — make at work is……..
They kinda mistake it for school.
Huh? You may be saying. Are you nuts? Of course work is not school: there's no tailgating; I can't remember the last time I pulled an all-nighter; and there's not a quarterback in sight.
But stay with me for a second. Because I can't tell you how many women I've spoken to who think that delivering a great project on time, ticking and tying the budget, landing the new client are the keys to success. In other words, getting an A.
With a bit of prodding, they further tell me that they believe that if they keep their heads down and "get that A," they will be given the next great project or be promoted or granted the raise. In other words, that they will be rewarded for a job well done.
Maybe. I hope so. But what made us successful at school is not always the same as what can make us successful at work.
Because here's what nobody really tells us: Yes, you need to be great at your job, but it may not be enough. Instead, networking has been called the #1 unwritten rule of success in business. We didn't need it at school to be at the top of the class. But, in business, your next business opportunity is more likely to come from a loose connection (one of the many folks you met at the recent industry gathering, with whom you keep in intermittent contact) than from Mike in the next office. That's because you and Mike mostly traffic in the same information; it's through a broad network that you bring in addition information. So you can be really great at your job, but if you're not hearing about the new opportunity, you're not going to get the new opportunity.