Entering the Promise Land: Tips for Women Executives on Breaking through the Glass Ceiling - Tip #3 Courage Under Fire

Hello All,

This week’s tip suggests the importance of remaining cool and collected under all circumstances. 

Tip # 3 - Courage under Fire: We have all been in a position where the stresses of a work environment and the enormity of the predicament might seem as though they are too much to handle. There may even be times when you feel powerless and want to give up. Even when those situations occur, you never want to place yourself in a situation where your colleagues or any executive can see you sweat, or worse yet, cry.

  A common response that you may receive from some of your coworkers is sympathy. Your colleagues may have experienced a similar situation and understand your frustration. For other coworkers, their response will be to pity you. You have placed yourself in a situation where others are now privy to the fact that you cannot control your emotions. Neither scenario is ideal for a woman entering the promise land. You always need to demonstrate strength and composure. You need to allow others to see that you are emotionally equipped to handle any situation.

 Although we are considered the fairer sex, there is no leniency in the workplace.  If you need a few moments to pull yourself together, then excuse yourself from the situation and do what you have to do to compose yourself. But remember this; once others have seen you expose your emotions, that picture of you will stick with them indefinitely.