subject: Do You Need to Fail in Order to Succeed in Women CEO Positions? [print this page] Do You Need to Fail in Order to Succeed in Women CEO Positions?
There are many variations on what is needed for those in women CEO Roles to be considered successful. However, the best women CEOs that we've worked with seem to focus on these two; the importance of failure and the value of creating an effective team. Those who aspire towards women CEO roles would be wise to learn from the successes of other women CEOs and develop a focus on learning to fail and building the right team to support their objectives.
The first consideration is to keep in mind is that risk taking involves losing. Many successful business women and men do not like to fail in whatever they do. Let alone lose to the competition. However when in a women's CEO role, lack of failure means lack of pushing the envelope to grow yourself and or your business. You just need to learn how to fail well so that your business can grow and prosper.
Some of the greatest learning's come from our setbacks. Take H. Ross Perot, for instance. Despite two failed runs for President, Perot founded the Electronic Data Systems and has become one of the richest people and most successful entrepreneur in America. In addition to status and wealth, he also made the list of history's 10 greatest entrepreneurs, proving that a few failures do not directly correlate with one's overall success.
On the contrary, many failures may lead directly to great accomplishments provided the experiences and learnings from these negative events form the foundation for success in the future. You may not aspire to the level and success of H. Ross Perot, but his lessons and experience can help others in women CEO positions to achieve their own goals and objectives.
Obtaining success of this magnitude requires exceptional leadership skills for women ceo wannabes. Such leadership skills can only blossom when you know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses and know what other talent you need around you to succeed. It is critical to learn where you fit within the team structure and are women ceo roles still important. And what else is missing.
There are some who pride themselves on being an outstanding, or "A" level performer and team player, while others more properly fit into "B's" or "C's" teams. It is an interesting observation that "A" team players tend to hire even better "A+" leveled players, while "B's" tend to hire the "C's".
The simplest explanation for such behavior is that those of average team playing abilities are scared and potentially threatened by those who may surpass them. Those in women CEO positions like to think of themselves as major "A" players, but is that always true? "A" level team players understand the need for these top flight workers. They're not afraid of internal competition; in fact they thrive on it. So are you hiring "A"players or resting in a "B" or "C" level position.
An organization simply cannot run on C's. The more "A" level team members, the greater the likelihood for success. Effective leaders in women CEO positions, acknowledge their flaws, and welcome those with complimentary experience and skills. The net result is a much more effective organization.
By hiring a variety of employees with different talents and personalities, those in women CEO positions will fill a much-needed gap in their business and avoid creating an environment of sameness. After all, if every employee shared one mentality and character, the same decisions, good and bad would continue to be made. Diversity, on the other hand, increases the chance of improvement and helps you achieve a competitive advantage. You can plan for and anticipate changes faster than most.
Many cite three main types of people in business: the financial wizards (i.e accountants), gear heads (i.e engineers) and poets (i.e marketing and creative positions). Though most of us could place ourselves in one of these categories, each needs the other two in order to be successful. One example from history was Ben Franklin. Franklin certainly was not the smartest of his band, but the people he surrounded himself with, and the team he orchestrated, were ideal. It's easy to see the results he generated with their help. The same holds true for Thomas Edison.
Diversity is the key to good business; enabling more unique and well-thought out approaches. A good leader will assemble such a team, keeping in mind that while failure is still possible, it is unlikely to be a permanent outcome provided you have a diverse team of "A" players attacking the marketplace.
