Happy Monday. We’ve got some career advice today that may seem counterintuitive: don’t be helpful. Not all the time, of course, but in certain situations some of your better qualities can do you a disservice. Successful women are usually raised to be good girls. Most likely you learned to get ahead by pleasing your parents, your teachers and your bosses. So chances are it comes naturally to you to be helpful in most situations. That’s great, except when it’s not. Notice the dynamic where you work. If your male peers aren’t playing the supporting roles, you shouldn’t either. Definitely know how to do every job and how to use all the technology. Definitely jump in and be team player when the team is in crunch mode. But be mindful about not setting up or cleaning up the conference room for meetings and team lunches. Don’t be the one who offers to take notes at every meeting, order the food or book the conference room. Most likely the guys aren’t doing it so what message does it send if you are? You want to be valued for your quality contributions, not just the support you provide. One of my first bosses, [...]
