Economic downturns aside, the road to success as a businesswoman is not an easy one.

先不考虑经济衰退的因素，对职场女性来说，通往成功的道路并非康庄大道。

While the hope is that the working world is gender-blind, women face certain challenges that men often avoid.

虽然人们寄希望于职场的性别零歧视，但是女性却往往要面对某些男性可以豁免的挑战。

Fortunately, there are plenty of successful, effective women who have killed it in the business world to keep the rest of the female population hopeful motivated.

幸运的是，已经有很多成功、高效的女性在职场上战胜了各种困难，给其他职业女性以前进的动力。

And while many of the assets of these women are gender-neutral, some of the habits and skills they share come from harnessing and molding uniquely female strengths to their advantage.

虽然这些女性的很多杰出表现与性别无关，但她们所具有的一些习惯与能力，正是源于她们对自身独特女性优势的利用与驾驭。

All it takes is perseverance¹, organization and an unwavering sense of self.

这一切所需要的不过是毅力、规划以及毫不动摇的自我意识。

Piece of cake, right?

听起来小菜一碟，是吧？

1. Have Confidence

充满自信

No matter what your trajectory² may be, having confidence in yourself and your goals is hands-down the top quality you will need for success.

无论你采取怎样的方法，对自身及目标充满信心无疑是成功道路上所必需的首要品质。

This confidence will fuel the ultimate edge in any profession: perseverance.

这份自信将助你获得在任何行业都必须的终极优势：毅力。

“(Perseverance) requires an unwavering sense of self-belief about yourself, your product, your mission,” said Maseena Ziegler, author of a No. 1 best-selling book in Hong Kong, "Ladies Who Launch in Hong Kong.

“培养毅力需要你对自身、对自己的产品、职责有坚定的自信。”香港畅销书排行第一《女性从香港起步》的作者玛莎拉·齐格勒（Maseena Ziegl）说道。

Perseverance is the characteristic common to the 12 female entrepreneurs about whom Ziegler wrote.

毅力是齐格勒在书中从12位女企业家身上概括出的共同品质。

2. Monitor Emotions

控制情绪

While men struggle with being vulnerable and emotive, women are encouraged from an early age to express their emotions.

男性一直以脆弱、多愁善感为耻辱，但女性则从小就被鼓励表达自己的情感。

This can prove problematic in the workplace.

但这却会在职场上产生诸多问题。

Letting emotions take over in a business setting can often mean losing control of the situation.

在商业背景下，让情感冲昏头脑通常意味着对局势失去控制。

If emotions overwhelm in the workplace, go for an extended bathroom break and get out what ails³ you.

如果情绪在工作场合突然失控，假装去厕所，稍稍待久一些，舒缓一下折磨着你的情绪。

If you're finding yourself doing this every day, it may be an indicator⁴ to examine your current work situation.

不过要是你天天都需要这么做的话，或许是时候好好审视一下你的工作现状了。

3. Organize and Structure

组织与条理

Whether you’re working for yourself or someone else, having your own personal structure to a day is a huge help in making strides toward your goals.

不管你是为别人打工还是自己创业，想要朝着你的目标昂首阔步前进，拥有每日个人规划无疑帮助巨大。

Roussel advises taking one step at a time and one day at a time, and not allowing yourself to be overwhelmed by larger, long-term goals.

鲁塞尔建议从小处着手，从每一天入手，这样可以避免自己一下子被长期、远大的目标压垮。

Writing a to-do list is a simple, satisfying way to tackle a day's objectives.

写一份待做清单可以助你简单、有效地处理一天的事务。

Whether your schedule is set for you or you create it yourself, sticking to a structured day — even in your personal life — is imperative⁵.

无论你的时间表是他人安排的还是自己制定的，即便是在日常生活中，都必须恪守一天的日程体系。

Mandell stresses the need to be prompt in work-related activities.

曼德尔强调了守时在职场活动中的重要性。

Don't make excuses of being a "late person" to yourself or others.

不要为自己的“迟到”找借口。

Make a point of changing that behavior.

拿出行动来改变这一状态。

Being late to work, a meeting, or even to a social gathering⁶, will imply either that you don’t have your act together or that your time is more important than that of the person who was waiting for you.

上班迟到、开会迟到甚至社交活动迟到，要么显得你是个没有条理的人，要么显得你对等待其他人毫不重视。

Being prompt reflects courtesy and reliability⁷, both of which are powerful traits in business.

为人守时可以反映出个人修养与可靠程度，这些都是职场中的可贵品质。

4. Hone Communication Skills

提高沟通技巧

Speaking from behind a lectern, participating in a conference call or composing an email, excellent communication skills are essential.

无论是在讲台上演说、参与电话会议还是撰写电子邮件，出色的沟通技巧必不可少。

While some people may be naturally gregarious⁸ or charismatic, even introverted women may still excel at this, as long as they are assertive⁹ and pay attention to detail.

虽然有些人可能天生就魅力无穷、热爱交际，但是即使内敛的女性也仍能脱颖而出——只要她充满自信并且注重细节。

“What you have to remember is that you’re an intelligent, articulate woman and you’ve more than earned your place at the table.”

“你必须要记住：你是一位思维敏捷、善于表达的女性，你还可以做到更好。”

If you have a tendency toward falling back on weaker language, prepare what you have to say in advance of any meeting so that you’re sure of the words coming out of your mouth.

如果你会不由自主地使用回软弱的语言，那就在每次会议前预先准备好自己要说的内容，这样就能对脱口而出的话更有把握。

5. Find a Mentor¹⁰ or Community

找到一位导师或是一个团体

It is crucial to actively¹¹ seek out women with whom to connect in your industry.

从你所在行业里积极寻找、联络同性伙伴是非常关键的。

It is easy to get wrapped up in seeing another woman as a threat, but that will only keep both of you down.

不要轻易封闭自己、把其他女性看作威胁，那样只会让你们两败俱伤。

Invite a female colleague to play tennis or lunch.

邀请一位女性同事一起打网球或是共进午餐。

Or you can go an even more basic route.

或者也可以采取更简单的方式。

When you’re just starting out or changing careers, seek out women in your industry and build relationships with them.

如果你刚刚在职场上起步，或是刚刚换了新工作，一定要找到女性同行，并且和她们建立人际关系。

6. Keep Personal Life Personal

私生活留在私下

In most modern work environments, the line between friends and co-workers is often blurred¹², and before you know it, your entire office knows about your marital¹³ woes¹⁴ or your chronic¹⁵ insomnia¹⁶.

在当代职场上，通常朋友与同事的界线已经模糊了。还没等你察觉到这点，你不幸的婚姻或是慢性失眠症就已经在办公室里众所皆知了。

Mandell advises against revealing too much about your personal life in the workplace.

曼德尔的忠告是不要在工作场合透露太多个人隐私。

“Be it romantic life, home life or health,” she said, “if you say you have a headache, guys are going to think, ‘Oh, it’s that time of the month.’ ”

“不管是爱情、家庭还是健康，”她说，“只要你说你有点头痛，大家就会开始猜‘哦，每月一次又来了’。”

Gushing¹⁷ about your personal problems will give colleagues an altered perception of who you are as a person.

滔滔不绝地讨论你的私生活问题，将会使你的同事们对你个人的看法有所转变。

The relationships will seem more frivolous¹⁸ and casual.

你们的工作关系将会更随意轻浮，散漫草率。

And while there’s no problem with being friends outside of work with your co-workers, refrain from talking about last night’s traumatic first date until your lunch break.

在工作之余，与同事保持朋友关系当然没有问题，但是请把昨晚约会的情伤留到午间休息时再聊吧。

By the same token, it is critical to protect your personal life from being invaded by your career.

同样的道理，保护你的私生活不受工作侵犯也很关键。

While many people check emails until bedtime, make sure that when you want a break — whether to connect with a family member or go for a run — the phones go away.

虽然很多人会在睡前还查收邮件，但一定要确保当你想要休息的时候，或是想联络家人、出去玩的时候，可以随时放下工作。

Not only is it good manners, but it allows you to take a mental vacation from the intensity¹⁹ of the work day.

这可不仅是礼貌，更重要的是你可以在紧张的工作之外得到精神的放松。

Balancing those two sides of life — knowing how to distance yourself from work in personal time and from personal life during work — will help you thrive in both worlds.

平衡工作与生活的关系，懂得让工作与生活保持距离，这会让你在两个世界都游刃有余。

7. Stay Informed and Connected

保持联络与灵通

Of the women interviewed, most begin their days checking newspapers, blogs, RSS feeds, Facebook and Twitter to stay connected with the world around them.

接受采访的女性，大多每天第一件事就是阅读报纸、博客、RSS订阅、脸书和推特等了解周边的大小事件。

Knowing what’s happening in your own career field — from real estate to teaching 1st grade — will set you apart from the pack.

知道你所在领域的新鲜事——不管是房地产业还是中学教育，都能让你远离平庸。

Seek out blogs, set up Google alerts, and follow leaders in your industry on Twitter to keep yourself continually in the loop with what’s happening each day.

精选博文，建立谷歌快讯，在推特上关注行业精英，都能不断让你知晓每天发生的事情。

This will allow you to be ready to participate in any conversation and come up with new, relevant ideas.

这能帮你更好地融入任何话题，迸发出新颖、相关的灵感。

Social networks, if you know how to use them, are valuable resources.

当你学会利用社交网络的时候，它们会是非常宝贵的资源。

Roussel makes a point of commenting on posts, wishing people happy birthday, and providing updates about herself to ensure that her network is continually maintained.

鲁塞尔通过评论推送、给朋友送上生日祝福以及时不时更新她的生活状况，来持续维护她的人际网络。

“Keeping in touch, putting yourself out there, networking … you never know," she said. "You can connect with someone online and then months later they give you the biggest job you’ve ever had.”

她说：“保持联络，挂在网上，这就是社交网络……世事难料，说不定你在网上认识的某人，几个月以后就交给了你一个经手过的最大项目。”

As long as you set time aside in your schedule, you may happily browse²⁰ your global community to maintain connections with people in every facet²¹ of business.

只要你在日程里合理地安排时间，你就可以愉快地浏览你的全球网络社区，与各行各业的人士建立社交关系。