When the first generation of women entered the workforce in earnest in the 1970s, they succeeded in the only way they could - by imitating men. Authoritarian leadership and tight control was the hallmark of that day's businessman, and women were not exactly welcomed into the ranks of management. Well ladies, that was yesterday, and today is today!
Forget what your mama or your boss told you, because following the rules can be bad for your career. Today's CEO/entrepreneur can no longer tap his/her company's full potential using a "command-and-control" style. The 21st century business woman needs to be able to build a vision based on the awareness of economic transformation, then help her partners and staff fulfill that vision. She must draw on a wide range of skills to get to the top and stay there. Following are 7 Key Characteristics that are essential:
1. Sell the Vision: A leader with a fresh, independent plan for her company's growth and future has a distinct advantage in luring and keeping great talent and investors. Vision is not some lofty ideal, but an obtainable concept that is easy to understand and will make the company grow to another level.
2. Reinvent the Rules: While women have traditionally been socialized to please others, the 21st century leader knows that good girls rarely post great returns. The strong managers/owners today not only anticipate change, they create entirely new organizations that respond to shifts and search for innovation.
3. Achieve With A Laser Focus: Go where others fear to tread! Being aggressive and ambitious has long been considered male traits, but they are key qualities for new leaders. Today's business woman has the ability to home in on opportunities that others may simply not see, and then excel in that uncharted territory.
4. Use High-Touch in a High-Tech Era: When a number of leaders are conducting business by e-mail, voice mail, passwords, and PINs, the female entrepreneur succeeds because she guides with a strong, personal, bed-side manner. Today's business woman is just as technologically savvy as her peers, but her skill with staff and customers is "high-touch" which gives her a critical edge and separation from the "pack".
5. Challenge or Opportunity? - Women are great at turning a challenge into an opportunity instead of using the "slash-and-burn" approach. They are able to make bold strokes, but they also win the cooperation of others in the organization in making any transformation a success.
6. A Customer Preference Obsession: In this information age which makes it easier to shop around for the best "whatever", businesses must work harder to give people what they want before their competitors do. There is no substitute for spending time with clients to become expert at their businesses and learn their demands. Female leaders are almost intuitively adept in doing just that, and without the client even suspecting.
7. Courage Under Fire: Show me any career woman or female entrepreneur today that isn't able to "stand-the-heat" in any tough-call situation. Their decision-making skills are rooted in a high level of confidence, because they've had to weather and surpass any and all "corporate" storms they've encountered over time.
It takes a certain mind-set and bravado for anyone to start their own business and succeed, but it's even more difficult for a female entrepreneur. Let's face it, ladies! We've always had to be twice-as-smart and twice-as-confident as any male counterpart in the corporate world. After all, if we can bear and raise the future generation, how can running a successful business scare us?
In order to be successful in network marketing, you have to promote the marketing plan of the organization. That brings up another question, because even though you are promoting a business plan, are you not also promoting a product line? As part of the network, you are indirectly promoting the product line while directly promoting the concept of joining the organization.
That means, of course, that you have to have a product in which you believe. You are certainly not going to fare well in a network that distributes ABC Vitamins if you have tried them without success but feel great using Moms Natural Vitamins. That does not mean that within a multi level marketing organization with many products that you will never find a product you do not like but you want to avoid setting yourself up for failure by joining an organization whose entire basis is a product that you will not use.
That being said, when you begin to look around for the organization with which you desire to affiliate, make sure that you choose one whose products you would be willing to use. The basis of network marketing is, by definition, using your own products and teaching others to do the same. Does that mean you should never sell any of the products directly? No, of course not, that would be ludicrous thinking but you want to concentrate your efforts on recruiting new people for the network and making customers of those who are not interested in being individual business owners.
Based on that premise, your choice of an organization is quite pertinent to the success of your business venture, so you want to take some time making your choice. Many of the network marketing organizations on the Internet have a tendency to provide quite detailed informations, all you have to do is sign up on their website so that they know you visited and they will send you many different forms of communication. Read over everything before you make a final choice so that you know you made the right choice.
You also want to review the business plan of each organization as well as any initial investment or monetary requirements. For example, about eight years ago a network marketing organization online required you to purchase at least $50 in products each month in order to be eligible for any bonuses. They built your downline for you but in order to be considered active, you had to spend $50 a month.
It was a huge multi level marketing group, that might have been fine, but it was a limited product line with health and dietary products, so it would be difficult for the average person to spend that kind of money every month. These are, however, the kind of things of which you must be aware as you conduct your research and choose a network marketing organization with which to work.
Both Thomas Griffin & Obinna Heche are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Thomas Griffin has sinced written about articles on various topics from College Education, Marketing Secrets and How to Sell on Ebay. Thomas Griffen is the CEO of Urbanload. Do you want to make easy money on eBay? Over 2000 resellers can't be wrong. Urbanload offers you a