“Network with men and women. Understand all the players and what is important to them. Understand the 20 that gets you
the 80: What are the three accomplishments that will get you noticed? Focus there and not on pleasing everyone.”
“Build your network before you need it, and water it like a garden. Sometimes it takes years for the seeds to grow.
Always offer to water other people’s gardens — always offer to help others. Those people will pay it back!”
“Work hard, deliver in your role, reach out internally and externally to build relationships and expand knowledge
base. Be intentional with who/why you meet and listen. When people offer their support, time, mentorship, take it!”
“Build a relationship map and deliberately build reciprocal relationships beyond your immediate superior. Include
relationships with people who will play the roles of critic, champion and sounding board.”
“Build a strong mixed-gender industry network. Female networks are nice. But 80% of leadership is still male and to
progress you have to be seen by them.”
“Make it a priority to surround yourself with support, as it takes a village for a woman who is a minority to measure
up and withstand the pressures that may ensue.”
“Have a life partner who fully shares duties and is your biggest fan. It also helps if your incomes are similar so
that your time is not seen as ‘less valuable.’”
“Network, network, network! And do it consistently in a way that builds true relationships rather than reaching
out only when you need help or are considering a move.”
“Identify your advocates early, ask them for feedback often, never apologize for asking questions, and never make
yourself small in the room for anyone, for any reason.”
“You can’t have it all so make sure you are working in an environment that suits that stage of your personal life but
allows you to continue growing your experience and keeping a place at the table. Choose a partner who you can share
the load with.”
“Sponsors and champions are very important. Build your network, both as a recipient and a giver of value. If you have
to slow down for a while due to family or other needs, it is OK — just keep learning and connecting with your
network during this time period. This will significantly enhance your ability to rapidly accelerate your career when
the time is right.”
“Your network is all that matters and what will get you all your opportunities.”
“Network throughout your organization; don’t sit at your desk all day; go meet people and build relationships.”
“Find your wolfpack — a group of strong women who can be there for each other.”
“Get a few good male mentors at different stages of your career. Older mentors will retire when you are at
that critical middle management point, so you need mentors not too much older than you too.”
“Cultivate a relationship with more than one mentor, including at least one male and one female. This will help you
gain a broader perspective on opportunities and challenges before you. Manage your relationships with mentors with
great care and respect.”
“You may get conflicting advice from various mentors but accept that as a gift and rely on your own wisdom to assess
the best next step.”
“Recognize that mentorship goes both ways.”
“Carefully seek out a mentor you truly admire and are curious about; do the mentor’s homework for them by giving them
your background and specific questions/goals; follow up often about how a piece of advice from them keeps paying
off. This builds networking skills that will pay off indefinitely.”