No. 1 Success Tip For Women In Business: Do More Than You Know

“What are the top 10 things you learned about thirtysomething women – their tricks and tips that helped them define and find their success?” I answered that question when I delivered a Masterclass at Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland last month. This is post #1 in a series that brings the Masterclass to you. 

Kat Cole is a self-made woman. She grew up in Jacksonville, Florida with her mother and two sisters, living on $10 a week for groceries. In high school, Kat worked part-time as a Hooters girl serving beer and chicken wings. At age 19, studying to become an engineer, Kat got her once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to move to Australia to help Hooters expand internationally and she dropped out of college. At age 32, she became President of Cinnabon. And she got her MBA. How did she do it? Her success begins with a powerful belief, “I have an intense belief that I can do anything (sometimes more than I should), always believing I can do ‘more than I know,’ so I take chances,” says Kat.
Kat adds on: “A lot of things have happened over time that I could have worried over or that could have made me feel that I’m not worthy. I see that happening with young women. If that first question or doubt enters your mind, that’s ok, but then you’re responsible for the second thought and any related action. Choose to believe in yourself; that determines your place in the world and affects whether or not others believe in you, too.”

Believe in yourself. That determines your place in the world and affects whether or not others believe in you too. Graphic credit ImageThink

Believing in yourself gives you the power to ask for what you want and deserve. Dr. Christina Greer, a 35-year-old Assistant Professor of Political Science at Fordham University says, “As a woman, especially a woman of color, many people think I am supposed to be apologetic about being smart and pushing for what I want. But I’m unapologetic for things that are important to me. If I don’t stand up for myself and call attention to the things that I need and want, how am I going to get them? It means that I can work within the system to make change, but with an attitude of, ‘we need to start breaking some eggs because this omelet isn’t going to make itself.’ When I see my colleagues in the hallway on my way to teach, I often say, ‘I am off to influence the youth of America.’ In many ways, that is what educators do. We teach new ideas, unteach old/outdated/antiquated concepts and ideas, and we give them confidence to go out there and change the world.” It’s working — here’s what a 21-year-old female student told Christina: “I appreciate you being young, smart, black, fun and unapologetic about it. It tells me that it’s possible and I should be a version of that.”
What would have happened if Kat and Christina allowed that ugly voice to enter their world, the voice that nags, “Are you good enough? Are you smart enough? Can you handle it? Do you deserve it?”

Denise Restauri ,

Contributor

I amplify the emerging voices of girls and women.