Opinion: Be Inspired to become a future female retail leader

One: weigh up the options

Ask yourself….why not? Write down any doubts you have that are holding you back. Split them between rational issues that need practical solutions and emotional issues that may need a confidence boost to overcome.

Put your problem-solving hat on and find a solution for each. Women are very resourceful, so this should be an easy step. If you need help, look for someone who has a Venus approach and a can-do attitude.

Two: pick a role

Decide the role you want to be in and then promote yourself to that level in your own mind. Adopt the right behaviours and ways of thinking and others will find it easy to imagine you in the role.

This will help you to build confidence ahead of a promotion, making it a natural step.

Three: get trusted feedback

Find a successful mentor, male or female, who will give you honest feedback and sound advice. The trick here is finding a way of being neither thick skinned nor overly sensitive to their input. Above all else, LISTEN and take action on it.

Four: create a network

Build a network of business friends by working hard for people, going the extra mile for them and building trust as someone who always delivers.

Ask yourself, if you had a critical appointment to make, would you take a chance on you? If not, why not? Put it right.

Five: aim high

Go for your dream job. You can’t do enough preparation for a job interview. Don’t under call it if it’s an internal opportunity. Start by truly understanding what a great job would look like.

The more research you do, the better the insights you’ll discover and women are great at finding insights. We work in a market that’s dominated by female customers, so customer empathy is a good starting point.

If it’s an operational or financial job, focus on digging deep into how people, processes and systems work. This should uncover opportunities to give you a unique angle on the job.

Six: maintain commitments

When you’re in your dream job, set the bar high for what you want to achieve and commit to finishing what you start. You’re now building equity with the team you’ll recruit to work for you and they are every bit as important as the people you work for.

Their loyalty and progression will reflect on you for the rest of your career.

Seven: keep going

When you’ve finished your dream job, push yourself on to the next goal. Don’t wait to be asked, persuaded or cajoled, be confident and take responsibility for setting your own direction.

Remember you can grow into a role. As a successful leader, you’ll now be in demand.

Eight: forget doubt

Throughout, believe that being a woman can bring advantages in doing a great job in retail. The majority of men are agnostic to talent gender and the vast majority are persuaded by the person most likely to deliver results.

Take responsibility for resolving practical issues or proposing realistic solutions. Don’t ever take advantage of any benefits you might gain as a woman.

Nine: set rules

Set the rules between work-life and home-life to get the right balance and stick to them. If you’ve got outside responsibilities, flexibility is key.

Gain trust with the team around you, so that you can all take a flexible approach whilst doing an amazing job. You’ll work just as hard and everything will get done but it’ll be less stressful than rigid hours.

Ten: confidence is key

Be confident and comfortable in your own skin. Have fun at work, don’t take yourself too seriously and make it your mission to smile more than anyone you know!