“Stay cool and classy when those around don’t.”

“It’s going to take culture change within the companies, and management training later in your career. I had an opportunity to participate in an Advanced Management Training program as a Director. It focused on developing executive competencies and it was amazing.”

“I learned how to let my direct team fail and be responsible for the results.”

“Learn to support each other and not look at each other as competition.”

“I learned to manage up, direct strategy, influence others.”

“I had to transition from tactical day-to-day to strategic thinking.”

“Things became highly political once I transitioned to leading the function. Nobody has your back anymore and they expect you to navigate on your own.”

“Women need to challenge themselves to be uncomfortable and take on stretch roles. At some point, the uncomfortable will become comfortable. I haven’t mastered this and still self-limit my potential because I’m afraid of failing.”

“I learned how to speak up and ask for the opportunities as aggressively as men.”

“I had to juggle many more balls and work at a higher level.”

“All the buffers started to disappear. Instead of just saying what you would do if you were a director, you have to be able to go do it.”

“Trust yourself and find good mentors.”

“Stay close to your core values, don’t copy the men in this industry. Find companies that have diversity in their hiring strategy.”

“Have integrity in EVERYTHING you do. Walk the walk, talk the talk. And, do it with a customer-first mindset.”

“Be authentic to yourself & build strong relationships with people that bring you positive energy.”

“Be yourself. Get out there, ask for extra projects/responsibility. Keep your promises. Speak your mind. Be kind AND have strong boundaries.”

“Focus on being as good or better than the person on either side of you.”

“Develop tough skin. Work harder and smarter than your male peers. Consider joining companies where women are at the top or start your own company.”

“Learn to think and act like a man as if you are a sports team.”

“Stay focused, be strong, have a good sense of humor and keep fighting.”

“Be ambitious and aggressive. Advocate for yourself. Don’t be afraid to defend your opinion.”

“Do not be afraid to ask for more pay and more responsibility.”

“Don’t undervalue what you do and you will succeed.”

“Be tenacious; do it; it is purposeful work.”

“Work hard, focus on data and be willing to tackle new challenges and be willing to acknowledge what you don’t know.”

“This isn’t 1960. Don’t let being a woman be your excuse for anything – work hard and you’ll get all the opportunities you deserve.”

“Never give up, the journey is exhausting but can be rewarding.”

“Do it. It’s worth the hassle to make the contributions.”

“Work hard and make sure your contributions are recognized.”

“Be better- don’t let them box you out.”

“Become an expert. Never stop learning. Do the things that are difficult.”

“[Be] assertive and [use] fact based communication.”

“Be true to yourself, have integrity in all that you do and be creative, zig where others zag and enjoy yourself.”

“It is a great professional field, work hard, listen, lean in and learn from those around you.”

“Know the clinical relevance and be able to talk quantitatively.”

“Start in sales.”

“Keep focused on your own personal growth and development.”

“Get the best education possible to give the most options.”

“Make sure you study to gain knowledge and show confidence in your knowledge.”

“Start with a strong specific relevant skill set.”

“Clinical background or MBA will be very important.”

“Nothing can replace the importance of hard work and initiative, but is also important to develop strong relationships. While having the technical skills is very important, soft skills are critical for success especially as you move further up the ladder.”

“Take on new challenges to help you and the company grow.”

“Must be driven by CULTURE at the EXECUTIVE level.
Ensure that the people (both men & women) in senior leadership roles believe in:

1. nurturing strong female leaders
AND   
2. supporting family flexibility (in case that strong female leader chooses to have a family).”

“Be a woman in leadership who advocates for women.”

“Stop talking about how to achieve life balance and focus on how to get more candidates for leadership roles. Those are different problems and should not be mixed up.”

“We mentor younger talents and train them in effective people management and leadership.”

“Sponsor and mentor high potential talent. Help others to create networks!”

“Keep pushing for women to be in hiring positions. For those of us who promote people, make sure there are women in the mix of candidates. We should be working with business schools, it has been enlightening as I have worked with the women’s group at Kellogg and mentored a few of them.”

“I think middle management has been my hardest role. You have to be accountable for getting the work done and often don’t have enough or the right resources to do so.”

“I needed to find the right sponsor to promote that I am up to this level. I am now struggling with getting to next level while I see male peers being promoted easily.”

“Learning to manage and lead former peers.”

“I had to wait for a woman VP to see that I could work at the Director level.”

“There isn’t any training on how to move up and very little mentorship.”

“There were no women to go to for guidance in either the C-Suite or the Board. When one woman was finally elected to the board, she publicly said she could not be perceived as promoting women. I left that company for my current employer.”

“Things became highly political once I transitioned to leading the function. Nobody has your back anymore and you are expected to navigate on your own.”

“Joining the company Leadership Team – a major shift from functional responsibility only to full-company mindset.”

“Learning to relate in male dominated community.”

“Needing to learn how all the other business areas worked and my role to help the business succeed.”

“Transitioning to large numbers of people management.”

“The expectation that a female executive needs to fit the mold of a male executive.”

“Managing up, directing strategy, influencing others.”

“Get the best education possible to give the most options.”

“Always try to reach your goals, no matter how difficult these may be!”

“Make sure you study to gain a lot of knowledge and show confidence in your knowledge.”

“It is hard work and sacrifice but well worth it.”

“Consider a business/finance route, not engineering.”

“Study engineering or finance.”

“Be yourself, but don’t let the boys control all the decisions!”

“Be determined. Follow your passion.”

“Advocate for yourself. Don’t be afraid to defend your opinion.”