1. Resist perfectionism! Many women hold themselves back because they feel they are not “ready” to go to the next level. Once they are perfect (have the right amount of experience, the correct degree, and have mastered their current job 100 percent) then they will consider pushing upward. Men, on the other hand, are far more likely to “go for it,” even if they are not completely ready. Don’t wait until you are perfect. It is an unattainable goal. Ask yourself: “Am I good enough right now to take my business to the next level?”
2. Learn how to negotiate. This is a learnable skill! Just because you have never negotiated in the past doesn’t mean you can’t learn to negotiate and even become comfortable with it. It can be as simple as just asking for more. The next time you are offered money, practice responding: “Well, because of this [skill required, hours required, experience required], it feels like [$60,000] would be more appropriate.” See how they respond. Negotiating is merely a conversation and there is no reason why it can’t be win-win.
3. Increase your risk tolerance. Women are notorious for not risking enough. We wait until we are ready, until we feel comfortable, or until it is safe to proceed. We need to take more chances in the workplace. Try things that might make you feel uncomfortable- volunteer for a plumb assignment before a male colleague sweeps in, or ask for things that are not necessarily advertised as available. It will be difficult to rise in your career if you have a hard time taking risks. Start by exercising your risk muscle in small ways, and your ability to risk will grow.
4. Raise your pay expectations. It’s fairly simple. If you expect more money, you are likely to get more money. Women need to set their pay expectations higher. Too often they are satisfied with making money that is below their true earning potential. Part of this is because we feel we don’t deserve more. And part of this is because we don’t know the objective value of our work. Try this to raise your expectations: find out what other people earn who do what you do by looking at salary.com, or other salary websites. If you are self-employed, make a series of anonymous “rate-checking” calls. What you find might surprise you. Expect more.
