Traits Successful Businesswomen Have In Common
As a businesswoman, I thought it appropriate to write about the traits successful businesswomen have in common. This is certainly not a piece about inequality, the lack of businesswomen in the boardroom, or even feminism. Those are all open for interpretation. Rather, this is a journey of self-discovery, learning from other women entrepreneurs who seem to know what they’re doing.
The following 10 traits come to my mind:
- Believing In Yourself
Mary Kay Ash, the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics said “If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can’t, you’re right.” If you don’t believe in yourself and the success of your business, why should anyone else? People may fail you, and you may get disappointed along the way, but at least have the courage to believe in yourself. You may have to take a couple of leaps of faith along the way, but just do it! We often regret the things we didn’t do, more than the thing we ended up doing.
- Ambition
I believe ambition is framed by two questions? What keeps you motivated and what stops you from reaching your goals? If you know what drives you to “just keep swimming” like Dory, it’s easier to face what holds you back head-on and find a solution – no matter if it’s age, finances, or support. Just don’t settle for second best.
- Passion
What’s that saying? Love what you do and do what you love? When you’re passionate about something it’s much easier to spend 12 hours a day and make some necessary sacrifices, especially in the beginning. Surround yourself with like-minded people who can mentor you in pursuing your passion. Once you’ve found your passion build your business around it!
- Reputation
A solid reputation is not usually built overnight, it comes with repetition – taking time, experience, and endurance. It’s often doing what you do best, all the time. As a marketer, I firmly believe that word-of-mouth is by far the most powerful marketing tool.
- Humbleness And The Willingness To Learn
Treat others the way you want to be treated. Never stop learning – from others, your mistakes, books, podcasts, workshops, and networks. “Successful businesswomen will always be humble. They’ll never be afraid to admit they don’t know everything and will always strive to boost their skills,” says Katy Cowan who runs the Creative Boom website voluntarily – she is a trained journalist, writer, and PR professional.
- Hard Work
A business doesn’t build itself. Overnight success stories often end up being fly-by-nights or one-hit wonders. It takes discipline, sacrifice, and a lot of dedication. Sometimes it means starting from scratch or starting over, but whatever the circumstances just start. And then finish what you started!
- Knowing Your Boundaries
Having your priorities straight from the get-go will help you set boundaries. Sometimes, when you start out the lines can get blurred, but remember, people will only treat you the way you allow them to. It also goes hand-in-hand with finding that elusive work/life harmony. Sometimes it means saying NO. I’ve read somewhere that the gauge of how happy you are at work is the feeling you get in your stomach on a Sunday night – it’s either excitement for the week ahead or a pit of anxiousness.
- Flexibility And Adaptability
Change is inevitable they say. However, you control how you react to change. Do you adapt and embrace it or do you oppose it with no flexibility? This is where you get the opportunity to be creative and innovative. Instead of being part of the problem, bring forth the solution!
- Kindness And Gratitude
Whoever said you have to be a witch to make it, has probably never been met with kindness. Emotional intelligence is not only a skill it’s a must to be successful in business. Reading emotional cues, being a good communicator, and showing gratitude come naturally when you apply a bit of kindness. When you realise that it’s not all about yourself, your wants, and your needs, life is so much less complicated.
- Integrity
Integrity is defined as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, the state of being whole and undivided. For me, it’s being at peace with yourself and others. There’s nothing as rewarding at the end of the day than knowing what you’ve achieved, you did with integrity and authenticity.
I’m sure there are many other more successful businesswomen have in common. This is my top 10, now it’s time to discover yours!