10 Rules Successful Women Swear

These life tips have helped some of south africa’s top career women reach success.

1 BE GENUINE IN EVERYTHING YOU DO

This works both inside and outside work. If you can’t stay consistent across both worlds, you’ll have a tough time reconciling what you do with who you are, and life is too short to be a hypocrite. Key for me and my authenticity are six values: honesty, tolerance, creativity, hard work, infinite optimism and loads of humour. These values have shaped my core personality throughout my career and have contributed to my success more than anything else.’ Yasaman Hadjibashi, chief creation officer at Barclays Africa Group

2 IF YOU DON’T GIVE, YOU DON’T GET

To love what you do, to have passion,determination and a good work ethic are all very important, but ultimately, I believe that if you don’t give, you don’t get. If you don’t share your time, knowledge and passion, you can’t grow. I have fulfilment every day in so many ways when I do this.’ Lisa Currey, MD of Hamiltons Advertising

3 DIVIDE PROJECTS INTO BITESIZED CHUNKS

As with many challenges in life,there will be times when it all feels impossible, when the magnitude of the task combined with the weight of your and everyone else’s expectations has frozen the part of your brain where ideas live. In my spare time, I’m a long-distance runner and one thing running the Comrades Marathon three times has taught me is that the finish line is a lot closer when you stop trying to run the whole 89km and start dividing it into manageable portions. Ignore the final product due in six months and focus on the first task. Ideas always flow when you own the work, not when the work owns you.’ Emma Carpenter, creative director at Accenture Digital