Succeeding in Business as a Woman

This article focuses on interviewing four different female executives in different companies and discussing their experiences as women in high positions. Amy Schulman, the executive vice president of Pfizer, emphasized the importance of women helping women, and being confident and standing their ground. Lisa Price of Carol’s Daughter told the story of how she began her company with no confidence, but through her own work, she took her place at the head of her team. Doreen Lorenzo, the president of Quirky, furthers Schulman’s idea of teaching women to be more confident with themselves and the ability to temper your emotions. Marjorie Kaplan, the group president of Animal Planet, Science, and Velocity networks, discussed her experience with men being assumed to be capable, while women had to prove their worth to others, as well as being sure to make clear what your expectations are, especially with men who devalue you for your gender.

These women became successful and self-made because they were able to recognize the differences in how men and women are raised, especially with regards to positions of power, and were able to maneuver around those perceptions, either rejecting what was negative and did not work, or adopting what they needed to carry on their own agendas and motives. They were able to face the stereotypes and bias against them, and remain strong in the face of those criticisms, while also helping other women to overcome their own struggles. They each pushed the importance of confidence, which I agree with because that is the easiest way to command respect.

I would ask Schulman how she thinks women should gain the confidence she thinks is so important, how to balance not being “entitled” to things because of your gender but also making sure there is more equality of women in the workplace, and how women can best help each other in the transactional forum; I would ask these questions because Schulman focuses on inclusivity in the workplace, but does not give much detail on how to achieve it. I would ask Price why she focuses so much on shutting down women crying if she thinks having a beauty company makes her more prone to prove herself by eliminating gendered responses, and how she knew she was comfortable enough to take the head of the table in her company; I’d ask these questions because Price spends so much time in the interview discussing crying, but also her transformation to the real head of the table is so profound.

I would ask Lorenzo if she finds being in a male-dominated field as an executive leader makes a difference, how to best remove emotions from the equation, or if she thinks there’s a way to merge emotions and the typically male focus on logic; I would ask these questions because there seems to be so much focus on degendering women as being the only way to succeed, and it is important to see if it’s possible to be both. I’d ask Kaplan how she overcame the embarrassment or slights that she faced in her early days if it is important in her eyes to find a female mentor as a young woman in business, and how to work around needing to work twice as hard just to prove your competence, because image seems to be very important to her, and she discusses it from her early years, which makes an impact.

My philosophy would include the ideas these women include, or emphasizing confidence, knowing my audience and my own place in the business so that I can truly command all the respect I deserve. I would want to be understanding and compassionate with my coworkers but would still focus on being sure they were aware of my position as leader.

Work Cited

Bryant, Adam. "Four Executives on Succeeding in Business as a Woman." The New York Times. N.p., 12 Oct. 2013. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/10/13/business/women-corner-office.html?_r=0>.