Women at work and their tips, challenges, advice, complaints, and experiences

Are you cultivating the habits that lead to success?  Sharon Hadary of the Center for Women's Business Research has compiled a list of the Top Ten Characteristics of Successful Women Business Leaders.  Many thanks to Hal Halladay, who posted the information and posed a great question as well.

What do you think?  Do women need to do different things in leadership?  Or is it more that we do things differently than men as it is, but perhaps should learn more from them, and they from us, allowing for a more efficient and effective middle ground for leaders of either gender? 

In my personal experience, I've come across some habits of male mentors and supervisors (not always one and the same!) that I've felt were most effective for the working environment, and I chose to adopt those management methods.  In other cases, I chose to follow my own instincts (oh look, it's number 4 on Ms. Hadaray's list!) and confidently made my own pathway...which worked out quite well. 

Looking at this list, I must say that too many of the women I know (whether leaders in the business community, at home, or in churches) are not setting the boundaries necessary to cultivate characteristics 7, 8, and 10.  Recognizing that our time and energy have a value (number 7) and that they are not infinite resources is something all too many women are "guilty" of.  (Or guilty about...it depends!)  I, and at least 90% of the women I know, no matter what their field, do not invest adequately in themselves (number 8).  This means that their finite resources, though renewable, are not rebuilt and recharged frequently enough. 

And then there's number 10...good old Serendipity.  When was the last time you left openings in your schedule for spontaneity...for "whatever" might come along?  Those of you who work from home like me may have a little easier time of this.  But way too many workers (male and female alike, now that I think about it) are pushing the calendar to the limit, squeezing in work, commutes, classes, date nights, bedtime stories, volunteer efforts, religious events, and umpteen million other "tasks", leaving nothing desirable or enjoyable, but only hours and hours of pure work and stress. 

The upshot of this?  Personally I believe that women, maybe more than men, are incredible when it comes to characteristic number 9...building support networks.  Again, it could be business, it could be pleasure.  But most of the women I know create a support group, or multiple support groups, wherein each and every woman involved feels somehow lifted up.  And if we aren't doing it daily, we are at least attempting to. 

What do you think?  Leave me a comment.  Then pop by and offer your thoughts to Hal as well!