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When I speak to young women who have just started their careers, they often ask me, “If you could go back in time, what would you say to the 22-year-old version of yourself?” The truth is, I couldn’t say anything that would have prepared me for the twists and turns that shaped my career. But there are a lot things I wish I had in my toolbox (or at least had before) that would have made some roadblocks a little less challenging to maneuver.
The path to leadership comes with a steep learning curve; without support, it can feel like you’re trying to translate a language you’ve never heard before. To get more women in leadership, those of us who to have learned the language needed to spread the wealth, share the mistakes we made we didn’t want to have, the opportunities we took and are happy with and the lessons passed down from leaders before us who led us to the top. Here are five of the lessons I learned:
Related: 3 Ways Women Can Turn Performance Anxiety Into Dauntless Action
1. Fear is a compass
The opportunities that scare us are, more often than not, the ones most likely to change the trajectory of our careers. If we want to move forward and find work that excites us, we must be willing to take calculated risks – exploring the career path we couldn’t stop at, moving to the city we’ve always dreamed of living in, and asking for the promotion we know we deserve.
For example, the Global Head of Health and Life Sciences at Domino left the company where she had worked for nearly 20 years to join our startup. It was a big risk to her career and her family. Still, it was a step she felt called to take (and one she took after careful consideration and consideration). She took the plunge, leaving the stability she’d known for two decades and now feels like she’s landed the job she’s dreamed of since she started working.
Don’t be afraid to reassess the vision you had for your career and take calculated risks – fear is just a compass pointing us in the direction we need to go.
2. Be an all-rounder
Many may find success by specializing in one niche, but that is not necessarily the only path to success. Moving sideways from roll to roll can be just as valuable to your career as moving vertically on the same track. Don’t be afraid of a new opportunity just because it’s not in line with your current track; Getting yourself out of your comfort zone and learning a new field will only help, not hurt your career. By gaining knowledge on a wide variety of topics, you can effectively connect and communicate with a wide variety of people and support projects on topics that span the entire company. We need experts who can fix the minor glitch in our computer systems, but we also have the Jill-of-all-trades that brings the team together and connects the dots to move everyone towards the company mission.
Related: A Successful Career Path Doesn’t Have To Be Linear
3. Find Mentors
If you ask a woman in leadership what the most impactful element of their career has been, they’ll probably say, “my mentor.” A mentor can accelerate your career; they guide you around the pitfalls they may have encountered and challenge you to look for new opportunities.
That said, we can’t sit back and expect the perfect mentor to fall from the sky – we need to strategically seek them out. It can feel intimidating to reach people in positions you aspire to and ask for their guidance, but that’s the only way we can find a quality mentor. Message a LinkedIn executive whose work you’ve long admired, or reach out to your company’s notoriously hard-to-please manager — whoever you choose to be your mentor, the point is not to wait. Find a mentor in your chosen field and find them earlywill be crucial to your career development.
4. Be ready to improvise
No matter how much we try, we can’t plan everything. As a student, my plan was mapped out: graduate, study medicine and become a doctor. However, due to unforeseen personal circumstances, I had to take a new path and map out. What felt devastating then is now a moment in my life that I look at with gratitude.
So many of us think we should follow the script handed to us, but life is far from a neat scenario with a beginning, middle, and end. External factors inevitably force us to improvise – to spin fast, scrap the script and start over. When this happens, don’t panic at the thought that your life is over. It may not be quite what you imagined, but it could be even better. There is no direct path to success. All we can do is prepare with a plan A, B, and C and learn to roll our fists when we need to come up with a plan D.
Related: 10 Powerful Female Leaders Share How To Thrive As A Leader
5. Leave the door open
Finally, if you’re successful, don’t slam the door behind you. There are so many women and men who have helped me get to where I am today; I now pay them respect by passing on their legacy of guidance, mentorship and support.
Whether it’s fellow women, people of color or those in the LGBTQ+ community, it’s vital that we extend our support to those who need it most to create a more inclusive and diverse workplace. None of us have found success alone – remember who supported your ascent and pay it forward. A rising tide lifts all boats.
