International Women’s Day: Michelle Battersby’s fail-safe career tips
It’s easy to feel competitive when it comes to our careers, but this International Women’s Day we need to pump each other up, and talk more openly about our wins and fails, writes Michelle Battersby.
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This International Women’s Day I want to share my career story in the hope it may inspire other professional focused women to believe in themselves, embrace challenge and to never give up on chasing career dreams.
In 2016, my life was changed forever when I was introduced to Whitney Wolfe Herd, the Founder and CEO of Bumble. Whitney, a visionary with a mission to end global misogyny and empower women across the world to make the first move, opened up potential and passion in me I didn’t know existed.
At the time I was working as an HR generalist in the finance industry. It was a role that I should have loved, but personally felt uninspired by. I was on the hunt for something more that could see me embrace challenge head on, have significant cultural impact and stand for something I was truly passionate about.
I remember the day I received my first phone call from Whitney to talk about Bumble – a brand that at the time was relatively unheard of in Australia – and on this call she shared her story with me. I was so in awe of her I handed in my resignation that same day, and immediately took on the challenge of building Bumble into a social network powerhouse.
During the next three years I started as the first employee in Australia and worked my way up to oversee the marketing department across the entire APAC region. I saw Bumble through to three million Australian registrations and launched the brand into multiple other countries. I did all of this with no marketing, events, PR, communications or digital experience – but a huge amount of belief, passion and courage to succeed.
I’d go as far as to say that on paper, I didn’t have any of the necessary requirements to succeed in the role. But what I did have was the ability to back myself and a never say never attitude which, when entering a start up at an early phase, I came to learn, was critical.
In July last year I was again presented with another great professional opportunity, this time with the health and fitness app Keep it Cleaner as their CMO, with the mission to scale up the business and flip the fitness industry on its head.
I knew from the moment conversations started with KIC I was going to have to make another challenging and scary career decision. But this time, I was confronted with a public awareness of my success at Bumble and the pressure to succeed again.
In making this move, I’ve had to focus on is putting my pride behind me, being brave and having tunnel vision for success and impact.
To anyone wanting to take the plunge, back yourself. Seek out a professional career that truly inspires you every day. Be empowered within your own career. Don’t be afraid of the unknown. Unlock your greatest potential and passion.
My other tips are:
1. Always keep yourself open to opportunities. You don’t have to accept them then and there, the right ones will sometimes wait for you.
2. Don’t be afraid of change and talk about it! If you have a vision for yourself or you see yourself doing something more, don’t be scared to voice this desire for change. Network, tell your friends, tell your mentors – once someone else knows your thirst for something more professionally, they can keep you in mind for opportunities that may be right for you.
3. If you’ve never thrown yourself headfirst into some big changes, try it! I moved cities for my role at KIC and feel like I have the opportunity to recreate some of the successes I loved the most at Bumble. The decision was scary, but it makes the reward so much sweeter. Nothing great comes to you while you remain in your comfort zone!
4. No one is going to advocate for you like yourself. I received my promotions at Bumble because I asked for them. When you ask, you must be prepared, know your value, know your bargaining power and present the facts.
5. Believe in yourself! I often find myself receiving messages from women who’ve been presented with opportunities they feel are beyond them. The opportunity never would have come to you if you weren’t capable. Whoever has presented that opportunity believes in you, so try to see yourself through their eyes even if you don’t have the confidence in yourself yet. Confidence can come later, but always back yourself!
6. You cannot be what you cannot see; share your stories, be OK to talk about yourself and share the stories of other women as well. Any success, failure, learning, experience is valuable.
There’s a lot to celebrate when it comes to recognising incredible women smashing glass ceilings in their fields, and we need to hear those stories.
So this International Women’s Day I challenge you to share stories of the incredible women in your life who are doing great things all the time. You never know who it may touch or the fire it may ignite in someone.
Michelle Battersby is the CMO of Keep It Cleaner and will join the KIC community in a group workout with thousands of women from across the world this International Women’s Day.