Problems of a business woman. Time management for women of different social statuses

Today is Boss's Day all over the world. This holiday was proposed in 1958 by American secretary Patricia Haroski. After only 4 years, this holiday became official in the state of Illinois, and then quickly spread throughout the world.

Just a few decades ago, those who were celebrated on Boss's Day were exclusively men. Now women are also accepting congratulations. Women managers are called “businesswomen” and are expected to have special approaches to work, subordinates and themselves.

We are talking today about what is strictly prohibited for a business woman. executive director and managing partner of BogushTime

Who is a business woman? This is a woman leader. Who is a successful businesswoman? This is a businesswoman who knows that a leader is a person who is obliged to provide results, regardless of the situation, without discounting gender. A businesswoman knows how to ensure this result and at the same time does not forget that she is a woman. How does she manage all this? Let's go backwards and name those moments that should not exist in the work of a business woman.

A business woman should not lose sight of her goal

Any leader should focus on, because working with goals is the main function of a leader and his main advantage. Focusing on goals makes it possible to see the whole picture of what is happening, take into account risks, create a working strategic plan, set priorities correctly, influence the situation and direct your employees in the right direction. Any time you find yourself in a state of confusion, you really need to work on your goals and make plans. You sit down and describe everything in the areas of the company’s activities and then you see that in order to have such a result in 3 months, you and your employees need to take such and such steps today.
So that each employee understands what he needs to do to achieve common goal, the manager must convey these goals and developed plans to his employees: people need guidelines for the future and confidence in it. In addition, they must understand why they are doing the work today, which is not always interesting and does not always inspire them. Only an understanding of goals gives their work meaning, determines motivation and forms loyalty to management and the company.

Business women should not let things take their course

A leader must be able to control the completion of tasks well, because setting goals is one thing, but being able to control their achievement is another. Therefore, any leader must have the tools with which he controls the achievement of a particular goal and be able to use them. The tools may be different, but they must be there. Because if the manager does not control the receipt of intermediate results, much less final results, then employees have the idea that this is not important and they are sabotaging the work.

Business woman should not lose faith in the product

A successful leader must permanently or subdivisionally. Those. people need to understand that they are doing something good, useful and that they are able to achieve results and achieve goals even in difficult times. Therefore, it is important to constantly focus your team's attention on what went well.

Even in our company, when we stop sending out good news, when we don't report any good results, and when we don't summarize results, people get stuck in a routine and lose energy and motivation. When we give confirmation of what has been done, when we sum up the results during the week and send out good news, then people really see how much has been done, how great we are and how great our product is, and how many people we have helped.

A business woman can't be modest

You need to constantly ask clients to give feedback about the product, about the benefits they received by purchasing your company's product or service or interacting with you. It is important to receive positive affirmations from customers and make this known to your employees to inspire them. And it’s even better to make it known to the general public in order to create a certain image for yourself, your company and its products.

A business woman cannot be biased

There must be levers of control, carrots and sticks, rewards and punishments. If a person deserves a bonus, then he should be given a bonus and not necessarily money, for example, given an additional paid day off. Those. give some special conditions at the moment when a person deserves it. At the same time, encourage it so that everyone knows about it.
And to punish behind closed doors, but only when the person actually messed up somewhere, as a result of which the company suffered some losses, suffered a blow to its image, etc. If you just encourage people, that's good. But people must understand that if you make a mistake, you must make a contribution to correct the situation.

A business woman should not follow the lead of her employees

A successful move for any manager is to not get involved in employee problems. Because the manager should be “lazy” and force employees to work, and not work for them, and his attention should be on the future. Because when a manager gets involved in current problems, his attention is diverted from his goals, and this does not allow the company to develop. Therefore, as soon as a problem arises, ask the employee for possible solutions, you can support one of them, direct them, but never take on the matter yourself.

Business woman must not forget about people

My tactics are that it is important for me to support people and if I see that I can help, then I help. At least because I’m talking to a person and the fact that they’ve been given attention makes him feel better. At the same time, it is important to help employees stay focused on their personal goals. The company's goals are good, but if you see that an employee is depressed, then talk to him, find out what he wants for himself and how he can realize it with the help of the company.

A business woman should not focus only on the company

A top executive must have public relations at his level. Those. if you are a director, then you need to communicate with directors, if you are commercial or financial director, then you need your own social circle. It is imperative to have communications outside the company, because when you are just “stirring” inside the company, you get stuck, your attention is only here and there is no way to look from the outside at your company and your activities. And when you communicate with people, you get some new ideas, the opportunity to evaluate what is happening now and what you can improve.

Business woman can't help but study

It is important to be constantly learning. If you don't do this, then the ways of getting results and achieving goals will become outdated over time, and training is the only way to start doing things differently.

Business woman can't miss the mood of her team

It is sacred for a successful leader to ensure that employees understand each other and maintain productive communication with each other. If I see that someone is at odds with someone else, I settle it right there. I don’t allow anyone to quarrel with anyone - when I see it, I do everything to deal with it. And people who are not in the mood for communication and who interfere with the work of other employees need to be removed from the team - this solves many problems in itself.

A business woman can't be in a bad mood

A leader must maintain himself in a good emotional state. Because if you, as a leader, are crushed, you don’t want anything - no goals, no control, no work. Basically, when you're in a bad state, you can't drive properly. Therefore, sometimes a leader, especially a woman, needs to drop everything and go do something that feels good. Everyone chooses something for themselves: massage, training, sports, extreme sports, family, children, etc. Everything that you like, that inspires you, that lifts your emotional tone.

Our strength is in our weakness,

and our weakness is limitless.

W. Shakespeare. The Taming of the Shrew

Today it is almost impossible to find a field of activity where a woman would work, moreover, where she would not hold leadership or at least key positions. In Russia, for example, women head 40% of small and medium-sized businesses. But even a hundred years ago it was difficult to imagine that women could work adequately in business, which was always considered a purely male path. And lo and behold, they work! And how successful! But businesswomen, strictly speaking, are not only female managers, but also representatives of ordinary professions that are in one way or another connected with commercial activities, for example, such as a secretary-assistant or an assistant manager.

It's no secret that the path business woman is not strewn with roses, and the harsh mentality of business gradually leaves its unpleasant imprint on the finely organized female nature. Business requires from a woman not only strict orderliness of actions, but also sometimes rigidity in decision-making, categoricalness, and authoritarianism. This state of affairs causes irreparable damage to the naturally emotional female psyche. By suppressing femininity in themselves for the sake of circumstances, the fair half of humanity risks losing not only peace of mind and self-confidence, but also their main weapon of influence on men. Always remaining a woman is the only recipe for success for a real businesswoman. How to learn to harmoniously combine these two principles – business and femininity?

We soften the strict dress code

Let's start, as K.S. said. Stanislavsky, “from the hanger,” or rather, from the wardrobe of our imaginary businesswoman. A strict dress code prescribes a strict suit of traditional cut, a dim range of colors, and the absence of aggressively sexual details in the suit (deep neckline, tight-fitting and transparent fabrics, high-heeled stilettos, etc.). It seems that, having lost this arsenal, a woman will turn into a shapeless and sexless object, completely devoid of attractiveness. However, even from such a suit you can create an attractive image.

Firstly, nothing emphasizes a woman’s weakness and fragility more than a man’s suit. Secondly, a skirt always enhances the feminine side of its owner, even if she spends the entire non-office part of her life in trousers and jeans. Thirdly, elegant, tastefully selected feminine accessories (brooches, neckerchiefs, men’s ties in exquisite colors (yes, your eyesight serves you right, dear reader, it’s men’s ties!)), expensive but modest in size jewelry ( earrings, beads) will make a woman truly irresistible. Even those details of the toilet that others are not aware of, but the owner herself knows (stunning lace underwear, elegant stockings), will give her an inner feeling of confidence in her own irresistibility. When a woman likes herself, when she feels her inner strength and, if you like, the power of her charm over the men around her, then she is truly capable of moving mountains.

Reception room – an oasis of femininity

Now let’s move from the wardrobe to the reception room, which should be a kind of “oasis of femininity”. One should not think that the aura of a female presence arises in this or that office space thanks to the aromas of expensive perfumery new products or various trinkets such as openwork frames with photographs on the desktop, souvenirs brought by colleagues from distant countries, small caliber plush toys... Nothing like that! Even a strict business environment in the reception area can be feminine due to neatness, comfort, and most importantly, the friendly, sensitive, attentive attitude of the owner of the office towards her employees and guests.

I often remember how a new secretary, Yulia K., came to the commercial management of our company. Due to lack of space, she was allocated an uncomfortable, rather dark, walk-through room. A week later the room was unrecognizable. And the point is not that the light was always on in it now, and this left the feeling of gloominess, and not even the new, pleasing to the eye blinds or the beautiful large flower that comfortably fit into the interior. It was just a matter of Yulina’s charming smile, which literally lit up the modest room when one of her colleagues entered it. The combination of calm confidence, the highest professionalism, efficiency, organization and gentleness, ease (but not frivolity!) in dealing with others was so sweet and attractive that it created a strong feeling: this is not just a business employee, but a lady!

Even leaving her reception area and finding herself directly in the circle of colleagues, with whom, we note, the assistant manager needs to keep a certain distance due to the specifics of her work, she did not seem like some kind of alien creature. She was always in good mood, not talkative, but ready for dialogue, capable of joking with others, inquiring about their personal affairs and hobbies, at the same time a little more formally conveying the manager’s instructions to the employee and immediately clearly and even dryly reprimanding a careless colleague for delays in work. In a word, like a true woman, she was always a bit of an actress.

But it is precisely this quality that distinguishes women from men. A woman is able to quickly transform herself, change roles depending on the situation and not feel any nervous strain. Men like this aerobatics It’s simply not within their power, they (unless with very rare exceptions!) are not able to quickly change roles. For a man, changing his usual image is extremely stressful. But a good and successful business is, first of all, creativity. Improvisation? Yes, but well thought out and prepared in advance. So female acting in commerce comes at a very opportune time.

Explosion of stereotypes

We have already talked about the suit of a business woman. I would like to return to this topic once again, but from the point of view of the acting streak in the soul of every woman. If a man, getting ready for work in the morning, thinks about a clean shirt, a tie to match his suit and pressed trousers, then for a real business woman, choosing an outfit for the next working day takes much more time. Of course, according to the office dress code, an employee is required to change her outfit and hairstyle, but this alone is not enough. An experienced business woman thinks through her choice to the smallest detail. If she has a regular meeting, a neutral gray-blue color scheme is quite enough. If the meeting promises a breakthrough in your career, then without a dark blue formal suit with thin vertical stripes (a symbol of inner professional growth, as psychologists say) she cannot do it. And if the meeting involves a confidential conversation, then the soft pink color will become a faithful assistant, conducive to openness and frankness. Tell me, dear reader, would any male businessman bother himself with such a thorough analysis of his image in anticipation of the coming day? I won't be wrong if I say no. Only artistic female nature brings its own rules of the game to business.

One of these rules is especially popular among businesswomen. I mean an explosion of stereotypes. When a male businessman goes to a business meeting with a female executive, a certain stereotype is already present in his mind. Most often this is a lonely, slightly masculine, bitchy lady of indefinite age and with a heavy gait. (The image of the boss from the film “Office Romance” immediately comes to mind.) And... what a surprise! An elegant, slender young woman appears before him, in whose presence our hero already wants to be, first of all, a man and a gentleman. Or, on the contrary, instead of a tenacious, sharp-spoken and quick-to-deed aunt, an ephemeral creature with an angelic look and such meekness floats into the meeting room that it seems that she wouldn’t hurt a fly. The man relaxes and loses his vigilance, deciding that it won’t be difficult to beat “this sheep.” Meanwhile, a “chilling story” unfolds: a lion lurks under the mask of a sheep! Shock and bewilderment - the partner is unsettled...

Negotiations are like a chess game

Since, following our imaginary heroine, we have moved from the reception room to the meeting room, it would not be amiss to remind the reader that a serious business conversation, intricate combinations of steps in the negotiation process are sometimes reminiscent of cunning chess games. “Where can a woman understand the mechanics of these processes. The braid is long, the mind is short,” - those men who do not recognize the role of women in the negotiation process and in business in general like to quote the proverb. And they are very wrong! A sensitive and emotional female nature, possessing excellent intuition, is much better than a male at catching the slightest nuances in the changing moods of the interlocutor. The woman catches the smallest shades of intonation play, inaccessible to the ear of a man, with ease and ease, immediately understanding what the interlocutor’s attitude is to the issue raised and to her personally. And having a flexible and, as we have already found out, artistic nature, he easily adapts to his opponent, finding himself on his wavelength both emotionally and intonationally. A situation arises of communication in one, albeit non-verbal, language. I'm not even talking about the language of facial expressions! Men are less inclined to express their emotions with facial expressions; women certainly have the upper hand here; moreover, the latter’s observation skills allow them to mirror the gestures and facial expressions of their interlocutor during discussions, which also helps to establish additional positive contact.

Words words…

Men rarely know how to find a successful embodiment of their spiritual movements in words. Another thing is a woman. Her natural verbal intelligence allows her to discover exact correspondences to express the whole range of feelings, internal experiences, doubts, hesitations, etc. “You discourage me with your categoricalness!”, “I am at a loss, listening to your projects...”, “I am shocked by the impudence flight of your thoughts! - such phrases, uttered by a woman, and even seasoned with various intonation modulations, can sound playful and intriguing, cool the ardor of the interlocutor, and can also sound like a compliment. In this regard, a woman’s possibilities are truly limitless!

Compliment is a woman’s weapon

Perhaps we should dwell a little on such a powerful “weapon” as a compliment. For men, it is more difficult in this regard. The male mentality is unlikely to allow praising another man in front of everyone, especially if he is your business opponent, and especially if he is a woman (!). But it is highly recommended for a business woman to compliment a man, admiring his intelligence, business acumen or insight. For example: “Sergey Ivanovich, among my business partners it is difficult to find a more experienced person who, moreover, has such extensive and significant connections...”, “Ivan Grigorievich, only you, with your intellectual baggage and a number of unique author’s developments, are capable of influence the further course of events in the shortest possible time.” Well, tell me, dear reader, what man wouldn’t like an admiring female look and a couple of flattering words, especially if they are backed up by facts!

Emphasized attention to the opponent, the ability to react in a timely manner to what he said and at the same time find the right emotion, showing interest in the little things in the conversation - all this is extremely impressive to male interlocutors. I know many women who, in a business conversation, did not make long and lengthy speeches, did not demonstrate their erudition for the sake of eloquence, but restrainedly and laconically outlined their position, the rest of the time silently listening to the interlocutor. They made the most pleasant impression and evoked readiness for constructive dialogue and compromise solutions.

Create an atmosphere

To conduct successful negotiations, a woman’s ability to create a meeting atmosphere that suits the occasion will also be useful. You can, of course, hold the meeting in a dry, business-like manner, in a meeting room at a rectangular table, with your partner seated opposite you. A distance will immediately arise, not only physical, visual, but also psychological. It is difficult to predict what the outcome of the meeting will be. What would a real woman do? He will hold a meeting at a round table, where all those present are at the same distance from each other, and there are no sharp corners, which always cause internal emotional discomfort. In the meeting room, suddenly, quite “accidentally”, there will be an issue of a magazine in which an interview with the current guest was published, or his book, if he wrote one. His favorite type of tea or coffee will be “randomly” offered as a drink. In short, the entire meeting will be prepared in advance and built according to the “favorite guest” scenario, which any woman uses in everyday life. Sometimes she can move such a meeting to an expensive, cozy restaurant, again taking into account the gastronomic preferences of the business partner. Relax, lull vigilance, tune in to positive communication, win over, evoke pleasant associations - in a word, spread around yourself that aura of femininity that will allow you to achieve the implementation of your business goals. This is how women and business go hand in hand.

And no matter what the skeptics say, a woman and a business are two very compatible things! The whole point is only in the ability to correctly place accents and find a middle ground. Then the business is guaranteed to have a very charming female face.

N.V. Coachman,
personal assistant
General Director of CJSC TVK Aviapark,
member of the Professional Secretaries Club

One of the most pressing questions for women who have decided to open their own business and work for themselves is how to become a businesswoman from scratch? You have been saving for a long time to be independent and organize your own income, all you have to do is take into account a few simple tips that will allow you to achieve great success! Below we will provide you with 10 recommendations for an aspiring “businesswoman”.

1. The first thing you must learn to do is plan your day wisely. If you have already decided to become a successful business lady, pay due attention to planning. Take a notebook and make a schedule for your working day: getting up, sending your child to school, self-development, household chores, working on a business idea, etc. If you are disorganized, achieve good result it won't work!
2. The next piece of advice is to take your choice of earning ideas seriously, as well as analyze your competitors. If you initially choose the wrong field of activity, there will be no success. Eg, business providing accounting services in a small village in Russia, not really good idea earnings.
   
3. Spend enough time on education and self-development. Participate in trainings, seminars, attend various courses to improve personal effectiveness, etc. You can also study without initial capital by reading books successful people. To become a businesswoman from scratch, you need to be educated and certainly be able to communicate with people.
   
4. Develop in yourself such qualities as restraint, willpower, confidence, efficiency, competence and, no less important, flexibility. In some cases, you will have to adapt to people to get advice, organize a meeting, etc. If you cannot be flexible and at the same time do not learn to improvise, it will be difficult to become a successful business woman.
   
5. Keep track of your appearance and health. Put ripped jeans and T-shirts with cartoon characters away from your wardrobe. If you want to be a real businesswoman, you need to look like that ( tips for choosing a business suit you can look at the corresponding article on the site). Wear a blue or gray business suit and keep yourself in shape. An important factor– the cleanliness of your car. You shouldn't go to a meeting without washing your dirty car. Don't forget, the first impression of you can be formed even while you are walking from the parking lot adjacent to the meeting place.
   
6. Set a goal, and under no circumstances give up. It’s good if your business idea will always be in sight - a screensaver on your desktop, a sticker on the mirror, or even a piece of paper attached with a magnet to the refrigerator, as in the photo below! It should also be noted that if you have already decided to become a budding businesswoman, try to listen less to those around you, unless of course they are specialists in your chosen field of activity. The only one who can influence your opinion is the person who presents serious arguments. All the rest “it seems to me” or “I wouldn’t do this” are ignored.
   
7. Take action from day one. If you decide to open a business, start analyzing the market as quickly as possible and collecting the necessary package of documents. The longer you drag your feet, the less likely you are to organize a successful business of your own and become a successful entrepreneur!
   
8. Try to spend more time in the social circle of people who are also businessmen. Strong company will pull you up, even morally. In addition, when communicating with colleagues, you can learn something useful for yourself.
   
9. Think globally. Even if you decide to start cake business, think about how you can further expand, increase profits and work volumes. You always need to go for something more to achieve results.
   
10. Take time to relax. A lady shouldn't work 20 hours to become a businesswoman from scratch. Everything should be in moderation: rest, work, entertainment. Simply, try to devote less time to the last point.
    

You can watch an example of a seminar that allows a girl to improve her leadership qualities in this video:

Well, the last piece of advice, not included in the list, is for our young readers. If you want to become a businesswoman from scratch at the age of 10 or 12, we advise you to read the article: how to make money for a girl over 9 years old!