When I left college and started working, I can attest to the fact that I felt out of place. When I first started working for a very large corporation, everyone around me had children my age or younger. It’s never easy being the new kid on the block. It’s always a matter of establishing your worth and adding value while avoiding stepping on the toes of those who have been doing what you are new to for a very long time. In a workplace with a majority of 50-year-old men, respect was not given readily. The first year I was really turned off by the fact that no matter what I did, I would never be accepted into the good-ole-boys club. In many instances, I was half their age, a woman, and, to add insult to injury, a little blond.
How would I possibly fit in this world? I couldn’t, was the response. I would never be like them, regardless of what I did. These men displayed the card for men over 50. They played golf together, lived similar lives, were married, and had kids. Not to mention the fact that they were men and had years of experience.
I did, however, possess something even more potent. The card for the woman, age 23. All I had to do was figure out how to use it. Work became a much happier environment for me as soon as I altered my perspective on how I could complete the tasks I needed to complete. Maybe I couldn’t look someone dead in the eye, put the fear of God into them, and say “get it done” with any authority, but ever notice how far a smile and a “could you please help me” can get you as a woman? I had to figure out how to speak and behave in a way that these good ole’ boys would find acceptable. It isn’t sexist, in my opinion. It’s important to learn how to communicate with the other sex so they can understand you the best, in my opinion, because men and women are simply different on some levels. It’s just smart sales strategy. I might appeal to your ego and use sex.
I’m aware that many of you are currently rolling your eyes at me. I’m not referring to wearing a cleavage-baring shirt to work, short skirts, or anything similar. Just different sales strategies are what I’m discussing. Who wants to be told how to do something by a 23-year-old woman at the age of 50? I discovered how to please everyone using two different strategies.
Making the other person believe that the proposal on the table is theirs is one of the best sales strategies. In my case, this was absolutely perfect. I could present data that would lead to a single, conclusive solution instead of offering a solution, and I could pose queries that would lead others to the same conclusion. I inadvertently turned their egos against them. The more they felt like they contributed to the solution, the better they felt about it. When I can make this work, it can be difficult for me to contain my laughter because, once you figure out how to do it, it usually works every time. It fixed my issue of being 23, blond, and not “old enough” to have people want to pay attention to my solutions.
The second strategy involved acquiring the ability to smile, inquire, and request assistance. I had to use my cards instead of being stubborn! By playing the cards I had rather than fighting them, I could get these good ol’ boys to pay attention to me. In my professional life, I’ve discovered that I can arrange meetings with individuals who are more senior than I ordinarily meet with, make them my mentors, win them over to my point of view, and get their support when I present the best solution. You can go a long way in life and at work with a smile and a small amount of flirting that is APPROPRIATE. It can be a fantastic card and entertaining to watch in action.
The first and most important step is to stop viewing everything as sexist. First impressions are the basis of all of life. Own who you are and the hand you believe you are holding. You’ll probably think these cards are really good. The sky’s the limit once you learn to approach your work like a sales pitch, customize it to your skill set, and, most importantly, customize it to your target audience.
If you relate to some of this scenario, such as being younger than your coworkers or a minority female, etc., try picking up a book about selling as a woman or one that features the differences between how men and women think. We hold a very strong hand of cards. Just keep in mind that we can’t always imitate those around us. When a man is selling to another man, his pitch may be very different from that of a woman, and vice versa. One of the most rewarding things you can do for yourself is to learn how to sell yourself and your ideas.
