If You Are Surrounded by Mostly Men, I Have Some Advice for You

If You Are Surrounded by Mostly Men, I Have Some Advice for You During my 20-year career in techa male-dominated spaceIve learned a lot about how to fit in while standing out.Some of this can be related to being a woman, some of it cannot. Working and thriving in a male-dominated industry brings with it ups and downs. My world has evolved at a dizzyingly fast pace and Ive enjoyed the ride.I dont have regrets, but I do have advice for women in the early stages of a career in a similarly male-dominated environment.1 Really find out what fuelsyou.What unique mixture of emotions, priorities and aspirations drives you? Because its different for everyone, man or woman. Too many of us follow a model of success thats been carved out by someone else, someone (often male) with different priorities and a different world-view.My advice would be to first understand what drives you, then understand that success is somethingyouget to define. For me, success is about taking something, if even just a grain of an idea, to completion watching it being born and come to fruition.It could be a strategy, or it could be a product. It could be a different take on something that exists a re-brand, for instance. Or, a new way of telling a story. For example, I recently launched a newonline video channeldedicated to communicating the challenges of digital transformation in a different way, a way I hadnt seen done before.Its a very powerful thing to know that you can make a difference and that the difference is worthwhile. Maybe thats the reason I am drawn to fast-growing or junges unternehmen firms, where its easier to see your ideas come to fruition and stand out.2 Make your own luck.If what you do seems mundane, change it. Every time theres a fork in the road and a career decision to be made it will feel daunting, but ultimately each decision is potentially empowering.Its up to you to make your career interesting to navigate your own path. If you dont like being behind a desk, get up a nd get out. Explore the business beyond the confines of your day-to-day role. Talking to customers has, for me, been vitally important whether it is part of my job title or not. The truth is, I like forging relationships with customers and with others in my industry, and I derive value from it.Ive learned to not underestimate the power of people meeting up whether it be at a party or other gathering to transform the collective consciousness. Its one of the reasons I still believe in the value of industry events, because of the opportunities to network, to make an impression and to evangelize.3 Dont be defined by others.I have worked through some badeanstalt situations, but Im hardly alone in having experienced a substandard manager or an unpalatable locker-room-type work environment. Learn from these instances. They can be stepping stones to better things, not situations to be endured indefinitely.I had a former babo who used to walk around the office carrying a bat. Thats right, an actual baseball bat. He would handle it, menacingly, as he came up behind your desk to check what you were working on. I quickly learned that baboes and colleagues can be intimidating to assert authority. (I also learned to be careful what you are looking at on your computer screen, because you never know when your boss is going to creep up behind you)So, one day, I got my own bat and started carrying it around the office. It worked. He found it funny, he backed off and the entire mood of the office lightened.Admittedly, that boss welches unusual, but some version of it happens every day in meeting rooms around the world. I quickly learned that in a meeting with aggressive, loud, dominant players (lets face it, usually men) I needed to be equally loud. To paraphrase Sheryl Sandberg, You have to sit at the table, not on the sidelines. But I say, sit at theheadof the table.4 Manage up.Many people dont know how to manage up properly.Managing up isnt a weakness far from it. I fee l very strongly that it is your responsibility to update your boss, to keep them in line with your goals, what you are doing, the issues you face and how you plan to solve them. Dont expect your manager to fix it. Initially it takes guts to point out where your responsibilities end and your managers begin. In my experience, Ive gotten more respect ultimately, even though it is not always what the management wants to hear.Now, what that doesnt mean is that you update your boss on every little thing. When I own a project, I own it to fruition. Ill ask my boss if I have any questions, otherwise, it is my project. Dont wait for someone else to identify your talents and determine how you can be useful you need to be clear about that and communicate it yourself.Managing people and projects successfully is intricately linked with being able to manage ones time. It drives me nuts when people think my open-door policy means my time is there for the taking. Im mindful of my own time, and Im respectful of other peoples.5 Get a little help along the way.Mentoring is an established, well-known practice, and yet many women shy away from it. Why? Whether its codified into a mentoring agreement or it is more informal, having someone guide you, share insight, teach you new disciplines, or act as a sounding board is hugely beneficial. For women,female mentors can be especially useful because they can offer all the unwritten tips, tricks and advice that relates to precisely how to get ahead under similar circumstances.I would not be where I am today without the likes of Suzy Welch, who was editor-in-chief of the Harvard Business Review at the time that I worked there. She was confident and successful in a male-dominated world, yet supportive and generous in helping those who worked for her.I learned a lot from her about being able to clearly articulate the points I want to communicate. She also gave me my first glowing recommendation letter, which was like a gold card back then .I also want to recognize the indomitable Laura Beck, then at Porter Novelli, who taught me to always do my homework and pay attention to detail. I was moving fast in an agency environment, and sometimes I tried to get something off my desk without carefully reading it first. Laura taught me by example to think before you act, even when youre under the gun to prove yourself.I have another albeit fictitious mentor. Who remembers Melanie Griffith inWorking Girl? She was determined, even in the face of adversity. And she showed how, with the right idea and the right people behind you, you can step outside the scope of your role and do anything. Dont always think you need to ask permission6 And finally, dont knock gut instinct.The explosion of data available in all forms of business has placed a great deal of emphasis on analytics. I am not disputing the power of analytical thinking. However, there is also value in having the self-belief to trust your gut decisions. This is especially true workingand thrivingin a male-dominated industry.Snap decisions get a lot of bad press.Were encouraged from an early age to think before we act, to weigh the options before making a decision. In his book,Blink, Malcolm Gladwell argues decisions made quickly can be every bit as good as decisions made cautiously and deliberately. There is a caveat, however you need to know your subject matter. When it comes to my area of expertise, I trust my decisions, even when they need to be made quickly, and I would encourage more women to do the same.More broadly, my advice to women is that you are the expert when it comes toyou, so when it comes to decisions that affect your lifeback yourself.This article originally appeared on Women 2.0.