Top 10 career tips from Forbes' most powerful corporate women

Top 10 career tips from Forbes’ most powerful women

Sarah Khan

05 Oct 2016

1/10
Rise and shine
What do Forbes' list of powerful women have in common? Early mornings.

Michelle Gass, president of Starbucks, wakes up at 4.30am every morning for a run; Anna Wintour, longtime and iconic Vogue editor has 6am tennis sessions in the morning.
There are numerous benefits to be reaped from early mornings - 'morning people' are said to be more proactive, optimistic and better planners.
2/10
Learn to delegate
Katie Taylor, CEO of the Four Seasons hotel chain, concedes to be somewhat of a 'control freak' but learnt the importance of delegating. We can all relate to this on some level, but learning to delegate is important to be competent and efficient in your role.

Useful tip: Picture your career as a juggling act of balls and determine which of the balls are fragile and would shatter if dropped, and which are made of rubber and would bounce back. Give away, or delegate, the rubber balls.
3/10
Leverage upon your mentors
'Adopt' a mentor for your career. It could either be someone whose career advice you trust or someone you would like to model your career after. Follow up after a meeting with them - send interesting articles, network with them and maintain the relationship over time.
When you encounter a situation or opportunity they can assist you in, seek their advice or ask them to recommend you for a position you are keen in.
4/10
Stay curious
It's no secret that the world and global economy we live in today is rapidly evolving. The lightning pace of change in today's world means that staying constantly curious is important to learning, adapting and remaining relevant.
Anne Sweeney, president of Disney-ABC Television Group, describes herself as 'driven by curiosity' because it 'leads to new ideas' and stresses that 'the smartest thing you can ever do is to constantly ask questions'.
5/10
Be persistent
Don't be fooled by the glossy tales of overnight successes - most women reach the top after years or decades working on their craft.
We're all familiar with Thomas Edison's failed thousands of attempts while inventing the light bulb. Despite that, he was not discouraged because 'every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward'. Success takes determination, persistence, stamina and patience, so keep going. You'll get there.
6/10
Listen
Be open to all different kinds of information from all types of people. Listen to your employees, bosses or co-workers and be open and objective to all of it - your conclusions will be much better formed as a result.
Claire Watts, US CEO of retail and media company QVC has a scheduled open door every Tuesday, for anyone in the company who wants to speak with her, ask a question or share something. The most successful of individuals and companies are ones that are constantly listening, learning, adapting, and therefore growing.
7/10
Negotiate early and often
Studies have found that women don't negotiate as often or as successfully as men, which may unfortunately contribute to the gender wage gap that continues to persist till today. In most developed cities, women still earn 80-85% of what men do in the same position.
8/10
Set career goals
Denise Morrison, CEO of Campbell's Soup, knew from young she wanted to run a company and learned the importance of setting both short and long-term goals very quickly.
She constantly looked at her career and asked, 'Where am I now? Where have I been? Where am I going and what are the right steps and assignments to get me there?' If the company she was in allowed her the tools and tasks to eventually get her to realise those goals, she was all-in. If it didn't, she knew it was time to move on.
9/10
Be comfortable with ‘no’s and rejections
Warm up to the word 'no' - you'll hear it often throughout your career and sometimes you'll even need to say it.
Ertharin Cousin, executive director of the World Food Programme, admits it's one of the hardest words for women to utter. The solution is simple: practice. It'll get easier everytime.
10/10
Courage
While it's easier to visualise and set your goals, it's harder going after them. It definitely takes courage to go after what you want and seize the necessary opportunities and steps to realise them.
Beth Mooney, CEO of American bank KeyCorp, got her start in banking two years after graduating from college by knocking on the door every major bank in Texas. She wanted a spot in their management training programs and refused to leave until she got an official job offer (which she did).
Opportunities for you to shine and realise your goals are around you - all you have to do is to muster the courage to seek and grab them.

If you’ve ever wanted to pick the brains of these successful women, you’re not the first.

It’s heartening to know than in 2016, we have more women in top-tier positions than ever before (it’s definitely a trend that we hope continues to grow in the years to come). No doubt, it can be tricky navigating through the workplace and your career – the ‘right’ step to make in your career can be an elusive thing. We feel you – and as such, we have compiled a list of top 10 career-changing lessons from some of the world’s most powerful women.

From CEOs of multinational companies to heads of banks, these women have become a regular fixture on the Forbes’ Most Powerful Women list, and there is much to be learnt from them. Whether you’re only just starting to navigate through your career as a fresh grad or are well into your career, be sure to make these 10 tips part of your ultimate career bible.

Sarah Khan

Photos: Getty Images

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