Three Ways To Get Ahead

I am often asked, "How have you been so successful at climbing the corporate ladder?" My quick retort is usually, "Keeping my head down, focusing on my role and adding value to the company." The truth is that doesn't really answer the question. Women face many challenges in the IT world, but I don't think we talk about them openly enough. VARBusiness' Women of the Channel forum is a great opportunity for us to share our ideas and insights and, frankly, learn from each other. Beyond superior execution and results, there are three things I believe set employees apart when evaluated for upward mobility: communication, expanding beyond their area of responsibility, and continued focus on new ideas and new approaches. While true for both men and women, I think women approach these specific areas differently than their male counterparts. CommunicationCommunication means more than submitting a monthly report. It is about clearly articulating your project, why you are doing it, progress being made and potential obstacles. But some women underestimate the importance of being able to "net it out." While it may seem important to show all the work and details behind what is happening on a project, the executive audience simply wants to know how this will impact the business, obstacles being faced and help needed from them to get it done. Women might expect management to recognize their accomplishments and see documenting these as self-promotion, but don't put "I" in everything you communicate -- and you certainly shouldn't do an e-mail blast on every small accomplishment . Instead, make sure management understands how you are benefiting the company as an employee as succinctly as possible. Expanding Beyond Your Area of ResponsibilityExpanding beyond your area of responsibility is important in demonstrating your abilities to manage the business at a higher level. Many people look up to the next rung on the corporate ladder as the way to grow their careers. Personally, I have been more successful in my career by being willing to take lateral positions in different areas of the business. While this may seem like a longer route up (another job between me and that promotion), it has given me a deeper understanding of business issues than someone who has stayed in the same function; it is often what makes an outside candidate more attractive than an internal candidate. That may be even more important in a company's channel organization. To be successful, you must be able to help partners with issues well beyond sales. You need to help them figure out everything from product requirements, to market coverage planning, to sales support, to the creation of financial models that will help a partner be successful. In my 25-plus years in this business, I have worked in product engineering, product support, product marketing, sales, sales management, business development and operations, many of those during my 11 years with Hitachi Data Systems. If you choose to stay within a particular business area, take the time to understand the needs of the peripheral organizations. Understanding the impact of your decisions on other areas of the business and your partner companies will help you create stronger solutions to problems and, ultimately, leave you with stronger results. Continued Focus On New Ideas And New Approaches It's hard to continually improve and look for new ideas to what can seem like age-old problems. But when you look at the IT industry, that is exactly what separates successful organizations from unsuccessful ones. It is important that you build into your day, week or month time to ask yourself some tough questions. If you are responsible for an area, when was the last time you changed how you did things? When was the last time you asked colleagues working at other companies how they do what you do? We are all so busy that this is usually forced on us because someone is getting ahead of us, rather than it being a proactive part of what we do every day. The strongest leaders look up, down, sideways and outside to see if what they are doing makes sense and how they can change the game or improve their value and ultimately increase their success. You as an individual can stand out in an organization if you are taking the time to bring new ideas forward. I believe everyone, no matter your level in an organization, can make a material difference. Women need to recognize that sometimes just keeping your nose down and working hard at your specific role may not be enough to accelerate your move up the corporate ladder. I know I have certainly benefited from these three lessons in my career at Hitachi Data Systems -- a place where women and men have the opportunity to expand their responsibilities with an open culture focused on continuous improvement and new ideas.

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Karen Sigman is vice president of global channels at Hitachi Data Systems. In this role, she is responsible for developing and managing the company's global channel strategy and programs to ensure a rich combination of sales channels that will grow revenue and market share in the enterprise, midrange and SME markets worldwide. Sigman was recently named among VARBusiness' Power 50 Women of the Channel.