Top Ten Tips from Harvard Business School’s Dynamic Women in Business Conference

On February 23rd, 2013 the Women’s Student Association (WSA), a student organization at the Harvard Business School, hosted the 22nd Annual Dynamic Women in Business Conference. The event was packed with insightful speakers and information-ladden panels. It was a great opportunity for Collegiettes looking to break into business, as it offered the opportunity to brush shoulders with the leading women in the field. After an inspirational day we walked away with some words of wisdom from these leading ladies, that we included below for Collegiettes to consider, whether you are trying to break into business or further any career. 

1) “You’re not going to get an A every day, and that’s okay.” – Jennifer Davis, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs

Given that these words came from a very successful and ambitious woman, I learned that even if you possess a Goldman Sachs-senior member’s level of intelligence and ambition, there are moments when you may not be on top of your game. The key is to be flexible and to accept change, taking advantage of opportunities, and turning negative situations into positive learning experiences.

2) “Women can have most of it — over time.” – Darlene Pasquill, Managing Director, Credit Suisse

Can women have it all in the finance industry? As you may expect, this question is a response to Anne-Marie Slaughter’s famous article “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” which was published in The Atlantic this past summer. The general consensus between all of the female panelists at the conference was that as a junior member, you have very little control over your work/life balance, but that over time and with hard work, you will gain the leverage to have both a great career and satisfying home life.

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3) “You’re not going to be successful by yourself.” – Jung Paik, Engagement Manager, McKinsey Company

Many ambitious women, including myself, always picture themselves succeeding on their own. Ms. Paik’s breakthrough advice is to change that idea. Close your eyes, and visualize yourself with a resourceful and reliable business partner. Even the most self-sufficient, independent woman can benefit from having a partner or mentor.

4) “The perfect mentor does not have to be a person who is like you.” – Deepa Purushothaman, Principal, Deloitte

Upon joining the team at Deloitte, Ms. Purushothama spent a significant amount of time trying to find the perfect mentor. She was searching for a relatively young Indian woman whose life experiences were similar experience to her own. The result? She did not find anyone. The reason? There was no one like her! In the end, she shifted her thinking and searched for her mentor in a larger pool. Ms. Purushothaman has a very different background from the man who she now considers to be her mentor, but, regardless, she still considers him to be one of the most important figures in her career.

5) “Sometime an opportunity looks like a step backward, but it can be a slingshot, shooting you forward faster.” – Carrie Householder, Head of the Home Team, MYHABIT.com

Though in her particular circumstance, the “step backward” was due to switching industries, many Collegiettes might experience this after graduation, when after a plethora of internships and leadership opportunities you are forced to start from ground zero once again. Carrie’s point, however, is appropriate for everyone, no matter your position in the workforce. What she was emphasizing is that there is something to be learned from every job opportunity that you can leverage in attaining your next position or can utilize at your next job.

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6) “Choose to be courageous.” – Melanie Healey, Group President, North America, P&G

In her speech about how our choices guide the story of our lives Healey advised that we should, “choose to be courageous”. For many women the biggest hurdle in their way is themselves. We first have to believe in ourselves and our goals – even if they are ambitious – before anyone else can. You will never know that you cannot do something, until you have tried.  Healey must have taken her own advice, as now she is one of the leaders of the largest corporations in the world.

7) “Let go of perfection, and then you can soar.” – Sheila Marcelo, CEO & founder, Care.com

We are all guilty of holding ourselves to unrealistically high standards and at times being our own worst critics. If we loosen up and let go of everything being perfect all the time, we are less apt to get upset when they are not and thus able to accomplish more in our spare time. This does not mean not to aim for the stars or not to be daring, on the contrary, this means setting high goals, but not setting rigid guidelines as to what achieving them means or the route to attaining them. It means goals with wide parameters and that you cannot tackle everything at once. We are not machines; we are only human.

8) “When women look at a job description they check off every prerequisite before they apply. Men check off one or two and say, ‘I can do this’. Don’t hold yourself back; check a few and then lean in.” – Julia Austin, VP of Innovation, VMWare

This quote illuminates that lack of self-confidence that Collegiettes and women alike may even hold on a subconscious level. We at first, have to have confidence in ourselves before others do. In addition, putting yourself out there and taking risks s the only way to progress. You may at times be let down, but at other times you will succeed and get a step up. With either time you have to take a risk first.

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9) “’Brand’ is not what you tell your customers, that’s marketing. ‘Brand’ is what your customers tell their friends.” – Christina Wallace, MBA student, Harvard Business School

An excellent definition for those business and marketing-savvy Collegiettes out there, but also a great anecdote for your own self-brand. You can think about not what you tell others about yourself, possibly expressed via a resume or cover letter, but if you need an objective view think about what others might say about you. This is a helpful exercise to identify your strengths and weaknesses in the professional world or as a co-worker.

10) “Be intense with outcome and be chill with people.” –Sheila Marcelo, Founder and CEO, Care.com

It is a good to be results-driven, but do not let this drive blind you and turn you into an uptight and unpleasant personality. People do not appreciate being bossed around, and work better under an environment they feel comfortable in. While it is important to stick with deadlines, and work as efficiently as possible, you have to realize that you are working with people—not machines. Taking this into account, having a good sense of humor and being flexible are equivalently important to being pragmatically goal-oriented.