That is the measure of how far we've come. Thirty years ago it must have taken that attitude to succeed. I certainly don't feel I need to worry about being destroyed or that I must dominate men in business. However, I don't subscribe to the old saying that "behind every great man is a great woman". It doesn't interest me to be behind any great man, but equally I don't expect him to be behind me.
What has stayed the same since Thatcher is that the women who get ahead are those who religiously invest in themselves and believe that they have a unique contribution to make to the world.
Those businesses where technology reigns offer the best environment for women. The pace of change is being accelerated by the internet and all manner of enabling technologies. Where there is change, there is opportunity. I always tell my girlfriends and young women not to worry about breaking through glass ceilings, but just to build their own cathedrals. Real Business published its list of the UK's 100 Most Entrepreneurial Women in March.
In my 20's, I tried to keep rounding out my skills, but I felt that there was a discount applied to everything I did in business. In meetings, I would voice an opinion only to have a man say the same thing after me; I'd be ignored and people would respond to his comment, which I had voiced earlier. It took me until age 30 at business school to do a hard benchmarking exercise against my peer group to fully understand what I was good at. It had been there all along, but the contrast to my peers made it jump out at me. At some point in my early 30's, I understood that I'd have more fun and success if I would just focus on what I was good at - "my unfair advantage". At that point, my confidence grew, and years of investing in myself led to the discount flipping into a premium. Now I don't let men get away with echoing me but taking the credit.
That's the journey for women - I see it all over the place. Some never make it, as life is definitely not fair, but one moves from 'discount to premium' by focusing on what you're good at, investing in yourself constantly, and enlisting others in your success and enabling theirs.
