067. Attaining Career Excellence As A Woman
Excellence has no gender to it; it is a product of engaging some universal principles that are backed up by actions that in turn produce results. It is a choice of habit that represents what an individual decides to dedicate his/her life to no matter what it takes. There are so many women that have been relegated to the background on issues of leadership because they are seen as people who do not have the capability to attain certain thresholds of success or certain pinnacles of fulfillment. That might not be true.
There are principles that guide and form the universe, and these principles have no respect for gender or age, no respect for tribe or race, no respect for clan or nationality, once they are duly engaged, they are bound to produce results. Most women are seen as people who get appointments, contracts, or entitlements on feminist grounds. Some people argue that men get what they get based on merit, while women get some based on merit and most because they play the women card all the time. So many women too have been giving credence to this claim. You see statements like “I failed in the job because they were all expecting me to fail as a woman”, “I was not treated fairly so it affected my job delivery”, “I would have performed better if I had been given the same support men were given”. There are some things to know if you ever want to stand out as a woman.
First, do not join other women in playing the gender game. Master your craft and become a better master with each day. Knowledge is available to all irrespective of gender, ethnicity, race, nationality or color. So nothing should stop you from pursuing it.
Furthermore, do more than required. It's like the case of the underdog who no one expects to perform. You must cultivate the habit of going the extra mile and doing more than necessary as a woman. Do not follow limits, break them. Stretch them. Get more skills than required, do more work than required, study more patterns than required, work with more success models than required. See yourself as someone who is still unfolding and needs to beat so hard on her craft to achieve success.
Lastly, work hard and be a visionary. People follow leaders no matter their gender or age. Leaders are leaders because they envisage what the future holds and quickly position themselves and everyone else to get maximum benefits out of what to expect. It's not about being someone who is so loud and vociferous; it's about leading by example in all of your actions, choice of words and personae.
People study leaders before they choose to follow them. They see something to hope for, a beam of fulfillment, some ray of confidence, and a sense of vision which they can identify with. Women should know that no one can stop them if they decide to be unstoppable, they should know that no gender has the monopoly of success, excellence or extraordinary feats. Settle this in your mind and the world kneels at your feet.
