A few weeks ago a former colleague of mine invited me to speak to the women attorneys in her office.  Her office had just started hosting a monthly lunch for the women and she was hoping to bring in speakers that could help them with business development.  

My friend wanted to make these lunches a venue for learning and career advancement.  Well, the women weren’t excited to have “training” encroach on their firm-sponsored lunch. They wanted that lunch to be an opportunity to socialize and catch up.  If she kept trying to include training in their lunch, they said they wouldn’t come.  They told her that if the firm is interested in doing more to help the women in the firm, then they should expand their paid maternity leave to nine weeks.

My friend was disheartened by their lack of interest in expanding their expertise. 

While this is an extreme example.  It shows that many times we want something for nothing. 

Should employers that want to support women in their workplace incorporate more flexibility?  Yes.  

Would it be fantastic if they paid nine-weeks of maternity leave? Absolutely.  

But companies aren’t socialist systems.  Heck, most aren’t even democratic. 

When I see women expecting concessions around work and family but they aren’t willing to invest in their development at their organization, I am dismayed.  

This isn’t about fairness.  We could argue in the abstract that it would be fair if employers were more innovative in retaining women.  However, the abstract doesn’t make a difference in the here and now.

Whether we like it or not, change comes by the demonstration that retaining women is worth the pain of changing the company culture.  Culture is habit, it is “how we do things here.” 

Companies take pride in their cultures, and it is a hard thing to shift. The only way to really move towards a more flexible work environment is to show employers what they will lose by not changing.  

If you don’t invest in yourself, I guarantee you that your company will not invest in you.

Why do you need to invest in yourself?  

When you demonstrate that you are committed to your advancement, you gain credibility.  And credibility is essential to flexibility.

When your investment in yourself is ho-hum, your achievements reflect it.  And when you have ho-hum results, why would your company alter it’s culture to make you more comfortable?

Many people think that investing in a degree establishes their credibility.  A degree gives you entrée into the corporate world but it takes continued growth and investment in yourself and your career to advance to leadership.

There are three areas in which women seriously need to take stock in their investment in their careers:

1 - Time

How do you spend your time when you are in the office?  Are you creating opportunities for visibility?  Are you engaging with key managers?  Does your boss and her boss know your latest accomplishments?

Or is your biggest concern how soon you can get out of the door at the end of the day?  

While I am all for balance, if you have not reached out to at least one key colleague or client in your day, you should evaluate how you’re spending your time.

If you are too busy working hard to invest time to interact with the key people around you or learn a new aspect of your industry, your career will stagnate.

2 - Attitude

Do you keep waiting for good things to come your way or are you creating opportunity?  When you demonstrate your interest in people and help them, you automatically create opportunities for yourself.  

Advancement doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Advancement is made by the decisions of other people.  

If you don’t invest in knowing them and their needs, you become less visible.

You also have to take investing in yourself seriously.  Kinda investing in yourself is like kinda being pregnant.  You either you invest and take your career seriously or you don’t.

3 - Continued Learning

Whether it is a seminar or a coach, you need to continue to learn about your industry and push yourself to the next level in your career.  You have to invest your own money in books, coaches, and seminars.  

So many women will only take a training if their company will pay for it.  In fact, they dismiss training and coaching by saying my company would never support it.

Your career isn’t about your company's support.  Your career is fluid, it goes with you.  

I ask women who are reluctant to pay for training how much they spent on the car they drive.  Usually they have financed at least $20,000 for their car but find themselves stretched to invest $1000 in their careers.

The problem with waiting for your company to invest in your continued education and development is that you have to HOPE that they will and HOPE that what they choose to invest in is beneficial for your career.

Hope is NOT a strategy.

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How can you plan to invest in your career?

As quoted from the dictionary, “an investment is an act of devoting time, effort, or energy to a particular undertaking with the expectation of a worthwhile result: the time spent in attending a one-day seminar is an investment in our professional futures.”

When you work on your family budget make sure that you create a line item for career development and marketing.  Set aside funds on a regular basis that give you an opportunity to invest in training and events that will enhance your career.  

This way, when the right seminar comes along you aren’t stuck weighing your value.  You will have decided you are worth it in advance and now have the money on hand to make a sound investment decision.