Women in the Workplace – by Bet (Betty) Gaylord
Women in the workplace are an integral part of our culture and businesses across the globe. I would like to encourage women to continue to succeed in the business world.
The very first step is a positive attitude and an attitude of gratitude. I didn’t know as a young girl that I would be in the automotive industry for my entire career, over 41 years. I certainly never aspired to be a “car girl”. But having that positive attitude every morning when I wake up was the very beginning.
The second step is to never use the words to an employer, “that’s not my job”. Sure, we all have certain duties that we are responsible for; however, if your company needs help it is my experience that providing that help in whatever department it might be helps the company and me. Allow me to explain, any time I was approached to perform a task that might not have been in my normal course of duties I felt like having a positive response to the request and helping the company was the right thing to do. And, equally as important, when I would accept these new duties I learned more and more about other departments, other job functions, other people, and other business insights. All of which benefited me and helped me become a valuable asset to the auto industry all these many years later. I cannot tell you how grateful I am to have learned so much from others along the way as they really enhanced my career.
Lastly, I have been in management most of my career. I believe that your management style has everything to do with the success of your Team and the success of the company. Though I was in a managerial role, I always treated my Team extremely well. I felt like it was my job to teach, coach, empower, lift up and train my Team to be successful while making the culture a fun atmosphere place of business. An employee that feels valued and appreciated will enjoy their work and take pride in their career. As a leader I feel like it is important to understand that I am nothing without my Team. Over the years, several of my Team members were promoted and that makes me very happy for them. A good leader, not a boss, strives to help her Team excel and when they do it is a positive reflection on the leader.
So, keep that attitude of gratitude and a positive work environment then the sky is the limit!
