Tips for Females to succeed in Male-Dominated industries

There have been recent efforts by companies to increase the number of females that they have in leadership positions which is long overdue.  Some companies truly embrace the presence of females in leadership roles and are very well balanced, while other companies appear to be barely hitting the perceived acceptable levels of female inclusion.  

In an effort to help empower women to advance their career with companies that fall in to the latter, I have provided some tips that women have found to be useful when attempting to navigate male dominated environments.

Find a mentor

Most people will be open to becoming a mentor and are often honoured to be viewed as a role model.  Don't limit yourself to someone in your field, choose a person whose career you admire and whose passion inspires you.  Outlook is vital to success and having a second voice (one that will be positive) in your head can often be more useful than expected.

Believe in yourself

Don’t let anyone discourage you.  Just because no woman has trail blazed in your particular industry in the past, doesn’t mean that it cannot happen.  Old barriers are falling every day.  We are now even seeing women taking management positions in professional male sports!  This would be unheard of even 5 years ago.  Believe in yourself and do not listen to other people (including many women!) who suggest that you are wasting your time. 

Establish trust

Be authentically you!  When someone pretends to be something else or they try to “fit in” with the others in an organization, their attempts are usually unsuccessful.  Don’t be that person who is trying too hard to be one of the guys, as it usually ends up looking as though you are not sincere and that you are too guarded to show your REAL personality.  As a result, it is very possible that you will not connect with anybody.  Credibility is built by being very knowledgeable, using strong listening skills, being real and being very calculated and concise in your communication.

 Emulate success

Incorporate polish, assertiveness, confidence, and clear communication style into yourself. 

If you always have the good of the organization in mind, eventually someone in a position of power will help you grow.

Farewell,

Mike