Must-Know Advice From Successful Female Leaders
Jul 15, 2024
I’m fascinated with the journey some women take to climb the corporate ladder.
In some instances, it’s mind-blowing how hard it can be, and yet, these incredible women did it, and did it in such a way that allows the women around them to stand taller.
I think about it often, because many of the amazing leaders I’ve worked with were also dealing with the same stuff us mere mortals are dealing with, things like…
…imposter syndrome!
Just like us, they too often feel they lack certain skills, extensive experience, additional qualifications, and…
…even the confidence to stand up to others.
Yep, they had to overcome that barrier too!
So, what advice did they get? What has stuck with them and made a real difference to their careers?
I’ll share all that with you now, so keep reading, lovely lady!
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Todays Topics
- That’s Interesting: Career advice from super-successful women
- Monday Mindset: Your career should energise you
- Career Hack: North-Star Leadership
- Career Growth Call: Want to level up your career? Talk to me!
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Career Advice From Super-Successful Women
Often, the most successful people become successful because of the rules they live by.
Rules they learnt from others that have made a huge impact on their careers.
The Financial Review recently featured 11 career pieces of advice from some of the nation’s top female leaders, all finalists in The Australian Financial Review Women in Leadership Awards.
Here are my top 7:
"There are four things to consider when you’re evaluating your next career move: passion, personality, potential and purpose." (Narelle Devine, Chief Information Security Officer, Asia Pacific, Telstra)
“You can have the best job in the world, but unless you’re passionate about the work and its mission, respect the people you work with, and it helps you achieve your bigger goals, it will be hard to stay motivated.”
"The best career advice I got was to not try to be one of the boys." (Tammy Medard, Managing Director, Institutional, Australia & PNG, ANZ Bank)
Tammy explained, “I’m feminine. I am an empathetic leader. I put my hands up when I’m excited. And some of those characteristics didn’t feel aligned with what I had seen from executive bankers before. I felt like the weight was lifted off my shoulders at that time because you try so hard just to fit in, so to get that advice from someone senior pretty early in my career I felt like I could actually just be myself and that was good enough.”
"Play to your strengths and do what you love. It’s fundamental." (Kate West, Australasia Region Co-Chair, Arup)
"Don’t assume you know all the answers. Talk to a variety of people and they’ll help you along the way." (Anna Wiley, Asset President for Copper, South Australia, BHP)
"When offered a great opportunity, grab it. There will always be people telling you why you shouldn’t take a risk on change—but the opportunities are usually worth the risk." (Jaki Virtue, Chief Operating Officer, Washington H. Soul Pattinson)
"Always focus on impact, and always go where you’ll have the most impact." (Ingrid Mae, CEO, Venture Capital Fund W23 Global)
"You tend to get what you ask for, so voice your ambitions aloud. People are essentially good, and they will help you if they know what you're aiming for." (Stephanie Smith, Australian Trade and Investment Commissioner, Greater China, Austrade)
Let’s talk about what’s obvious here.
All of these women are making choices based on what they know is true for them, and important for them. Whether it's:
- Following their passion
- Voicing their ambitions
- Asking questions if they don’t know
- Playing to their strengths
- Betting on themselves when they are offered opportunities
All traits each of us can take on.
One thing women ask me all the time is how to get from where they are today into the leadership position of their dreams.
More specifically, what do they need to do when they’re an emerging leader who is too snowed under with meetings, emails, reports and tasks to focus on developing themselves and their teams?
I’ve got a strategy to fix this.
I call it North-Star Leadership, and that’s what I’m talking about in this week’s Career Hack.
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Energise baby!
Keep this one pinned to your desk this week!
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North Star Leadership
Listen up, because I'm about to share the secret sauce that's helped me and countless others achieve our wildest career dreams.
It's not some magic potion or insider connection.
You work hard, get promoted into a leadership role, and then you suddenly find yourself drowning in a never-ending cycle of tasks, emails, meetings, and putting out employee fires.
It's exhausting!
It can leave you feeling like you're just treading water, never really making the impact you envisioned when you took on this role.
But there is a way to break free from this reactive cycle and become the purposeful, influential leader you want to be.
It's all about staying focused on your bigger vision, even amidst the day-to-day chaos.
So how do you actually implement this?
1) First, get clear on your personal purpose and the legacy you want to leave in your role.
What is the big impact you want to make? Define this vision, and keep it at the forefront of your mind.
This is your North Star, and it should guide your actions and decisions.
2) Next, communicate this vision to your team and get them aligned and engaged with these bigger goals.
When everyone is working towards the same meaningful objectives, it’s much easier to prioritise effectively and avoid getting sidetracked by the small stuff.
3) Be disciplined about identifying and focusing on the high-impact work that will move you closer to your North Star.
Constantly ask yourself, "Is this task or project getting me closer to my vision?" If not, delegate it or say 'no.'
Now, this sounds simple enough in theory, but the reality is that implementing the North-Star approach on your own can be challenging, especially when you're already feeling overwhelmed and stuck in reactive mode—or when your boss just keeps throwing tasks at you.
You might be tempted to turn to self-help books or motivational TED talks for guidance, but often these resources just leave you feeling worse. Like you're failing because you can't live up to the ideal they describe.
Or maybe you’ve tried attending generic career-development workshops offered by your HR department, only to find that they're too basic and don't provide any actionable insights.
Perhaps you've even negotiated for a small raise, thinking that more money would make you feel better about your situation. But without a change in your actual job responsibilities, the extra cash doesn't really solve the underlying issues.
Venting to friends might provide some temporary relief, but at the end of the day, they can't fix your career for you.
And while going back to uni for an advanced degree, or starting over in a new field might seem like viable options, the reality is that most women leaders can't afford to put their careers on hold or sacrifice precious time with their families.
That's where my team and I come in.
We specialise in helping ambitious leaders like you gain clarity on your vision, build your strategic leadership skills, and create practical action plans to help get you out of the weeds and focused on your big-picture impact without requiring you to attend high-pressure networking events or do anything that feels inauthentic.
If you’re ready to start thriving as the purposeful leader you're meant to be, let's chat.
Book a Call with Me and we'll map out your North Star, strategise how to get your team on board, and create a step-by-step plan to keep you on track.
Find a time in my calendar here.
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Cheers & Claps: Our Success Stories
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Wrapping up another fantastic week! A huge thank you for subscribing and diving into our newsletter. 
We trust it sparked some inspiration, motivation, or perhaps offered a delightful distraction.
Em & the PY Team
P.S. Whenever you’re ready... here are 4 ways I can help you accelerate your career:
1. Book your FREE Career Growth Session
If you’re a professional woman who is tired of tolerating your job, then you might just be a few strategies and tactics away from getting the clarity and confidence to land a role that not only excites you, but aligns with your life. Talk to us today to see what's possible for you - Click Here
2. Join my FREE Career Clarity & Confidence Group
Inside, we’ll be sharing with you how to get the clarity and confidence to secure a career that not only excites you, but aligns with your life — Click Here
3. Join me for a FREE Online Career Workshop
I’ll be teaching you how to discover your perfect job, confidently go for it & get it (without endless searching on SEEK, the headache of perfecting a resume, or struggling with interview nerves) - attend for FREE here.
4. Apply for our Thriving Leaders Club
It's our exclusive community for women who want to be impactful, influential leaders that