Afaemme Blog

1. Proactively Learn the Culture
So many people passively ignore the culture of their organizations and then wonder why their ideas aren’t embraced.  Pay attention to how people at your firm liked to be communicated with, where and how people get information, how successes and failures are handled—even the formality of dress.  Doing so will help you package your message in a way that people can readily accept, thereby improving your chances of winning support.

2. Don’t Qualify Your Ideas
When offering an opinion, give it affirmatively—knowing your ideas won’t be accepted every single time.  Never, ever qualify your ideas with phrases like, “This might be a silly question…,” “I’m sorry if this is off-topic…” or “Someone may have already said this…”  In business, be prepared for people to take you at your word; if you tell people your ideas are silly, that’s exactly how they’ll see them.  A hallmark of a leader is standing confidently behind her opinions, rather than voicing her comments as questions or stirring up doubt…about herself.

3. Learn to Negotiate Now, Not Later
A budding leader will need to negotiate on the job often: for a vendor to come down on their prices, for an important stakeholder group to see value in a new initiative, and certainly for promotions and raises.  Seek out trainings, books, advisors, and coaching on this art now and you will refer back to it over the length of your career. 

4. Show your Entrepreneurial Side
One leader I interviewed advised, “We’re all put in boxes within our jobs….  Make sure the lines on your box aren’t too defined.”  Meaning, if you want to be considered for an incredible opportunity 2 departments over, don’t promote the message that your boundaries are rigidly defined.  Participate in cross-functional projects, volunteer to spearhead a corporate taskforce, and take advantage of rotational programs.  Become known by those other than just your boss, showing that you’re open to growth opportunities in other areas.

5. Don’t Underestimate Mentoring
While Gen Y is famous for not wanting undue oversight, mentors can collapse your learning curve, helping you quickly get where you want and need to go.  Look for people with outstanding reputations and whom you have an organic connection with.  Most of all–don’t fall into the trap of looking to one person to fulfill all of your needs.   Assemble a personal “board of directors” to advise you on all aspects of your career including image, technical skills, presentation, and contacts.

6. If You Can’t, You Must
Unless you’re in the business of building bridges or performing heart surgery, go ahead and take risks!  In fact, the women executives I interviewed in my book said that they continually took risks before they felt ready for them.  Consider what the organization could do to facilitate your success, if a training could boost your confidence, or if your board of directors could support you.  The important kernel is to take risks and accept stretch opportunities, not that you go it alone.  Re-evaluate what you’ve been talking yourself out of pursuing on the job, and take a baby step toward it.”

According to a survey done to 2.487 persons by the Spanish Center for Sociological Research, 94,9% of the Spaniards agree or totally agree with full gender equality.

Nevertheless, there are some data that take to pieces this first impression: 20,1% of the interviewed think that in times of economic crisis, where there is a high unemployment rate, men have to be preferred in front of women when acceding to a job. 64,7% were in disagreement with this statement.

The first morning of the Anna Lindh Forum 2010 held in Barcelona during the first week of March began with a debate on initial findings of the “Anna Lindh-Gallup Poll” on intercultural trends.

We would like to highlight two interesting aspects:

1- People from North Africa and Middle East mostly contact and talk to Europeans by surfing in the Internet while the latter mostly get in touch with North Africans and people from the Middle East due to work and business.

2- Asking Europeans if they care more about educating their children in family solidarity matters or for being independent, 50% choose the first option. But asking people from North Africa and the Middle East what they think about Europeans, 57% think that they clearly give more importance to independence.

In 2009 Terziario Donna Confcommercio has motivated a study on Businesswomen which has gathered interesting data on women and entrepreneurship in Italy.

The study, done by Unioncamere, shows that female companies are better withstanding the effects of the worldwide economic crisis and even if 60% of them saw their business dropping, 80% could avoid firing their employees.

Other interesting data are that there are more female companies in the center and the south of Italy and that they mainly operate in trade, agriculture and services.

Finally, the study also highlighted the ageing problem: there is a progressive ageing of active Italian businesswomen and a lack of youg businesswomen ready to take their place.

Here are a series of conclusions of the 5th International Forum on Communication and Branding, held in Barcelona on March 4th 2010:

Women represent the largest emerging market of the planet, more than the Chinese and Indian markets together.In order to reach the 51% segment of the market that makes 80% of the purchases, we must learn to connect with women and communicate with their language by re-elaborating all the strategies.

The change that the image of women has undergone in the last few years has been one of the most drastic ones. Women today are completely different from their mothers and grandmothers.Gender differences exist to be recognized, used and enjoyed. Incorporating feminine language in a commercial spot does not mean being separatist but bilingual.

Improving society and environment, aesthetic design, earning time, cooperation, collaboration and empathy are major motivations and values in a woman.Men buy. Women go shopping. When a female consumer goes shopping, she embarks on a journey based on communication, experiences and details.

Women buy in a spirally. Before making a decision, they ask, find opinions and soak up all the information. Inspired by detail and planning ahead, their aim is to find the perfect answer.The young (15-to-24-year-old) new generation (from 15 to 24 years old) has grown up in the Internet era. These digital natives are not only consumers but want to play a more active role and they have a strong feminine consciousness.With more female users, social networks have reinvented communication, turning it into an act of exchange, of community sharing. Brands have to adapt to this new world.Female consumers pay no attention to commercials that do not represent women in a realistic and credible way. Women must be shown from a more authentic perspective with which they can identify.

Understanding female consumers better is the key to success for a product or service. If you have a female client, you have a faithful ambassador for your brand.

A recent article, written by Ángeles Caso in the supplement of La Vanguardia last Sunday 21st, highlights the shocking data about long-term academic women in Spain, which lays down an image on professional women that is not really a capture of the Spanish reality. Data show that there are only 12 women among the 120 long-term academics of the Royal Academy of Doctors (10%); 4 among 46 of the Royal Academy of Veterinary Sciences (less than 9%); 3 among 36 in the Academy of History (8%); 3 among 44 in the Academy of Pharmaceutics (less than 7%); 3 among 48 (6%) in the case of Engineering; 2 among 60 (3%) in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando; 1 among 37 (less than 3%) in the case of Moral and Politics Science; 1 among 42 (just a little bit more than 2%) in the case of Economic and Financial Sciences; 1 among 48 (2%) in the case of Medicine; 1 among 54 (less than 2%) in the case of Exact, Physics and Natural Sciences; and none among the 38 (0%) in the Royal Academy of Jurisprudence and Legislation… If someone from abroad reads these data she/he will be convinced about the fact that in Spain there are almost no women professors, no artists, no historian, no pharmacist, no veterinarian, no writer, no doctor, no researcher, no lawyer, no judge… She/he would just think we, women in Spain, still live like 50 years ago, are semi-analphabetic and shut away at home…  As Ángeles Caso says in her article: The Institutions of the “Spanish Intelligence” are almost exclusively in the hands of men. So there is still a lot to do in terms of equality.