3 Biggest Career Lessons from the Women’s March

Yes! I can proudly say I marched on Saturday along with 3 million other women (and tons of men too) in the largest march in US history. Leave it to women to make history!

The experience was positive, inspiring, and incredibly impactful to stand side-by-side with so many like-minded and like-hearted people. It was peaceful and polite, yet powerful beyond words.

Politics aside, an experience like this is an incredible opportunity for growth and development in all areas of our lives.  And as a career coach for more than 20 years, I always look for the life lessons and meaningful take-aways we can use and apply to our careers.

Here are the 3 Biggest Career Lessons from the Women’s March.

1. Take Action

   If you are feeling stuck or powerless in your career, the single and most effective thing you can do is take action. You can literally put one foot in front of another and march, or you can figuratively march by updating your résumé, freshening up your LinkedIn profile, attending a networking event, getting involved in your community, helping a friend or colleague, learning a new skill, or volunteering for big project.

2. Build a Community
   

   No one achieves any level of success alone. History would not have been made if only one woman marched alone. You need to surround yourself with an unstoppable sisterhood, with cheerleaders, champions, advocates, and allies that lift you up, support you, and deeply believe in you. You don’t necessarily need to build a community of three million people, but you do need quality people and the right people in your life.

3. Create Accountability
   

   It’s one thing to say you want a new job, a bigger job, or your dream job, and it’s another thing to make it happen. You can come up with a million reasons why an opportunity won’t work or why it’s not right the time, but you know those are nothing but excuses. An accountability buddy will wake you up early and make sure you’re ready to march…just like a career coach, best friend, spouse, mentor, or co-worker will make sure you submitted that executive job application, negotiated that long-overdue raise, or delivered that scary presentation.

You don’t need to march with three million other people on a Saturday in January to make history. You just need to learn and apply these lessons to your own career and to make your own history. This is the time to feel inspired, to feel empowered, and to pull on your “big-girl” panties and take control of your own life. The bottom line is it’s time to Woman UP!