How does one climb the corporate ladder? Especially as a woman, and at a young age? Marissa Mayer became the youngest female CEO of a fortune 500 company when she recently left Google to join Yahoo! And while she displays extensive qualities of being a good leader and that she has what it takes, she does have her work cut out for her in her new position.
What makes an effective leader, especially if you’re a woman? In an article by TheStreet.com, they’ve broken down Marissa Mayer’s rise to CEO into lessons of leadership we can all learn from.
First, it’s a good idea to throw your hat into the ring. Just because you haven’t done the job before means that you will fail, and you have to be willing to take certain risks in life to get ahead.
When Mayer first joined Google, some were opposed to the idea, as she was their first female engineer. She held numerous roles there, and was able to prove that she had what it takes to make a company succeed, as she helped to launch more than 100 well-known Google products and services. Marissa Mayer took a risk, and this risk has influenced her successes today.
It’s also a good idea for women to build peer groups in and out of the workplace, and a great way to do this is through networking. This helps to create new relationships, and build valuable connections with other professionals. And it’s good to always keep an open mind, especially to possible work opportunities, while you network.
It is important to work at a company that provides a healthy culture for its employees. If you are unhappy where you work, chances are you aren’t giving it your all. Marissa Mayer created a strong successful work culture previously, and hopefully this can also be done in her new role, especially considering she is a mother to be. Balancing work with life can be challenging, but if your company provides a successful environment it could help you to be happier about where you work.
Today’s workforce has made it easier to integrate being a parent with also being a top-level executive. Something Mayer seems to do well, and what we should all do, is figure out what’s most important to you, and find the best combination for both in our professional and personal lives.
Adam Connors, a partner at Spire Search Partners, shares his thoughts about how younger people are rising increasingly more to higher level positions, and the impact Marissa Mayer will have on Yahoo! in this insightful article by TheStreet.com:
4 Leadership Lessons from Marissa Mayer’s Surprise Rise
http://www.thestreet.com/story/11651006/1/4-leadership-lessons-from-marissa-mayers-surprise-rise.html
