Smart Living: Advice For Success At Work

By: Melanie Bloom - Email

Updated: Mon 11:43 AM, Mar 18, 2013

First News Nebraska

Learn what steps to take to succeed from women who have made it to the top of their fields.

Karen Vidt is a certified public accountant and owns a thriving tax business.

One secret to her success: be very clear when you communicate.

"You just expect people to know what you think, know what you want, and they don't always," said Vidt.

Executive coach, Janice Sabatine, said communication really is key.

"Think first. Really synthesize your ideas before you open your mouth," said Sabatine.

For people who lean toward being long-winded, there's WAIST: Why Am I Still Talking.

Everyone has at least one gem of wisdom that helped get them to where they are in their success story.

"I would say the best piece of advice I've ever gotten has been to not compromise any values," said one woman.

"To always present yourself as if it's your own business," said another woman.

"Try new things. It's okay to make a mistake because we learn from it," said another woman.

Sabatine said that sometimes you learn the most from situations that you like the least.

No one likes criticism, whether it is constructive or not. For those times, remember Q-tip: Quit Taking It Personally.

"Many of my clients tell me they don't always have the Q-tip on them, but they think of it or they'll put their hand in their pocket and remember the Q-tip. When there's some kind of interaction going on, quit taking it personally," said Sabatine.

Career.com lists the biggest mistake women make at work.

One of the big ones is trapping yourself in a non-business role. In other words, do not be the one to take on cleaning up after office meetings or the one responsible for bringing in birthday cakes.

Another big mistake is bringing inappropriate behavior into the office. Leave gossiping for your time with your girlfriends.