Rotman School Celebrates International Women’s Day with 10 Lessons for Women

After a year-long research study that began in February 2015, the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, in partnership with TD, released a joint report on how Canadian women perceive the challenges and opportunities in advancing their careers. The report was released in celebration of International Women’s Day and the #YourStoryYourFuture Women @ Work event.

The report titled, 10 Lessons: Women @ Work Managing Career, Family & Legacy engaged close to 400 working women across Canada to discuss how women can achieve success. The Rotman School and TD launched an essay competition asking women to describe their experiences navigating family, career, and legacy aspirations to distill the information into ten lessons.

In a news release by TD, Walid Hejazi, an Associate Professor at the Rotman School, spoke about the research. “A key finding from our perspective is the significant role education and financial preparation play in contributing to solutions and future successes in furthering women’s careers,” he said.

Jessica Moorhouse attended the event and shared the key lessons communicated within the report in her blog.

10 Lessons for Women

1. Communicate your aspirations. Before you can achieve success, you need to define your aspirations and come back to them frequently.
2. Get an education. Education is never a waste of money and the earlier you get your education, including an MBA, the better for your career.
3. Be financially prepared for the unexpected. Make a plan A, B, and C so you’re prepared when life throws you a curveball.
4. Develop business acumen. No matter what your job is, your business is your business. You need to have skills and be strategic.
5. Understand the trade-offs of a career break. Just because you choose to have a family doesn’t mean you have to give up your career. Make sure you have a reentry plan.
6. Rethink guilt—focus on the positive. You should not feel guilty for having a career and a family. You should feel proud.
7. Be confident—take career and life risks. If you want to progress your career, you need to be confident and move forward boldly.
8. Find and learn from trusted mentors and mentees. Find someone to look up to and reach out to them.
9. Network, network, network! Building a network is strategic and will play a big part in your career plan.
10. Think about your legacy. Your life and career should be deliberate. Your legacy should be your roadmap to success.

regions: Toronto

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