I’ve historically shied away from the gender discussion to avoid segregating myself into the female-only category. I wanted to succeed professionally on my own terms without regard to my gender. At this point in my career, I feel lucky to have a job that I am passionate about and to be working with great people. As a senior leader, I have a responsibility to share my experiences and insights, so I no longer shy away from the gender issue, because I want to help other women achieve success in male-dominated fields.

Perhaps the most important lesson I have learned is that, above all, you must be authentic. I think younger women sometimes try to fit in by acting in a way that they’re not necessarily comfortable with. Say, for example, you don’t like sports. Are you really going to study the sports page every night so you can sell yourself as a sports fanatic at the office? That would be exhausting.

Now, I don’t want to suggest that you’re not being authentic if you don’t tell everybody that you are a rodeo clown on the weekends. We all have different facets of ourselves, so you’re not being inauthentic if you are showing more of one facet of yourself at work and more of another facet of yourself at home. It’s about finding and striking the right balance that allows you to act naturally. I didn’t find success by trying to be one of the guys. I was very careful about retaining my reputation, maintaining my integrity, and being true to myself. You don’t have to follow the crowd to be accepted.

“I didn’t find success by trying to be one of the guys.”

What has made me successful

If you had asked me ten, or even five years ago, ‘Why are you successful?’ I don’t think I could have put a name on it. Now when I am asked that question, I respond with two words: confidence and resilience. That’s what got me to where I am today.

How did I build confidence in myself and show resilience? By embracing change. I have worked at organizations during periods of significant transition. Rather than succumb to negativity, I viewed those times as opportunities. I had the resilience or the fortitude to see things through. I thought very much about the role I could play, the broader contribution I could make. I didn’t shy away from opportunities that presented themselves, even when I wasn’t 100% sure I could succeed.  Studies show that women, in particular, allow themselves to think that if they can’t absolutely crush a new job on Day One, they shouldn’t even consider applying. But if, on your first day in a new position or a new role, you can do everything, then what’s the challenge in that? Where is the opportunity for professional growth?

Go outside your comfort zone

A new challenge can be uncomfortable, but I try to recognize that that feeling will be temporary and never let it keep me from making a change. I also believe we women tend to hold ourselves to very high standards and, ironically, that actually works against us. I make a conscious effort to always keep that fact in mind. The more often you put yourself in a position of having to rise to the occasion or to go outside your comfort zone, the more confident you’ll get in doing so, the more success you’ll have to build upon, and the easier it becomes.

As a woman, it’s hard to say, ‘I earned this success. It’s because of me.’ But I have to acknowledge that a lot of the success that I’ve enjoyed is because of the hard work that I put in and the resilience I showed during difficult times. It’s not by accident or luck. I stepped up during times of dramatic change and was rewarded for my fortitude.

Success is really doing what you love, being authentic to yourself in that role, being recognized and rewarded for the hard work that’s put in – and not necessarily from a monetary standpoint. I feel that I am at the pinnacle of success in my career. I am lucky because I’m passionate about the work that I do and the people I do it with, while at the same time being recognized for a job well done. To have all three of those at the same time is rare and I never want to take that for granted.