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One habit can give women a critical advantage over men at work: ‘It ignites an upward spiral for your career’
Women are more likely than men to embrace perfectionist tendencies like overpreparing and overdelivering at work, studies show. When used strategically, this habit can give female employees a sustainable advantage, according to new research.
Margarethe Wiersema, a professor at the UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business, and Marie Louise Mors, a professor at the Copenhagen Business School, interviewed directors at more than 200 publicly traded companies on the major U.S. and European stock exchanges to determine how the presence of women influences board decisions.
Women were more willing than men to ask in-depth questions and acknowledge when they didn’t know something, for example, which researchers found led to more thorough and honest discussions.
One common habit in particular that women practiced more often than men made an “invaluable” impact on their careers and the work of the board, according to Wiersema: “What stood out most about the women we included in our research was their preparedness.”
A male director said in the study that women are “more prepared and more knowledgeable,” making them more “attuned directors.” Women tended to come into board meetings with thoughtful questions that improved discussions, and their colleagues were more motivated to read up before meetings.
This is also often true of female employees who aren’t on corporate boards, Wiersema says: “Women can change what’s going on in the room by being super prepared and sharing their knowledge.”
When you’re prepared, “you go in with more confidence, and when you’re confident, you are more likely to speak up in a meeting and make a valuable contribution to the conversation,” says Joanne Lipman, a lecturer at Yale University and bestselling author. “It ignites an upward spiral for your career.”
The downsides of perfectionism, and how to find a balance
Perfectionism is often rooted in a fear of failure. For many women, the tendency to overprepare and overdeliver comes from an understanding that “you have to work twice as hard as your male co-workers for half the recognition, [and] that to succeed, you can’t be average,” Wiersema says.
And it can have downsides. Perfectionism can typecast women as the worker bee on staff, which can lead to them being assigned more “thankless tasks” around the office, for example.
To avoid that trap, Lipman says women should focus on preparing for the important conversations, meetings and assignments that can help push their career forward, such as a presentation for an important client or a critical one-on-one meeting with their manager.
Keep a running list of ideas that could help make your department or team run more efficiently, suggests Brandi Britton, the global executive director of contract finance and accounting at staffing firm Robert Half. “That way, when there’s dead space in a meeting or the opportunity to pitch ideas presents itself, you stay ready,” she explains.
Being prepared doesn’t just help you make a strong impression in a meeting, says Britton. It can help you gain the trust and confidence of your boss and colleagues.
What’s more, it can prime you for leadership and promotional opportunities. “Ultimately, if you’re the most prepared person in the room, you make everyone else’s jobs easier,” says Lipman. “That’s the best quality you could want in a leader.”
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