Resetting the Rules: Tips on Becoming Your Own Boss

As a woman in ad tech, I’ve seen first hand how hard it can be to elevate your career without the proper coaching and advice from other women in the business. At Innovid, where 50% of our employees are women, we’re extremely proud to have a culture that empowers those women to lead. To that end, we have cultivated a quarterly series entitled “Women in Tech” to bring to the table issues facing women in business from building your personal brand to effective networking and creating a work/life balance. 

This month we’ve teamed up with the IAB’s Women Visionaries program to inspire more women and share insightful tips on what (and what NOT) to do to become a BOSS.

Author of Rich Bitch and Boss Bitch Nicole Lapin joined Innovid’s President Beth-Ann Eason in an intimate discussion on how to harness your inner boss, take charge of your career and brand yourself amongst your peers.

Anna Bager, EVP of Industry Initiatives, IAB (far left) introduces Beth-Ann Eason, President, Innovid (middle) and Nicole Lapin, author of Rich Bitch and Boss Bitch (far right) to a packed crowd at the IAB Ad Lab. 

The discussion was lively and intimate, personal and informative and focused on themes from her latest book with practical tips on how to be your own CEO (of your family, life), how to take charge of your current career, and how to be your own “brand/business.”

Here are some of my favorite takeaways:

Prioritize YOU

You can’t be an effective leader if you are not taking care of yourself. Fill your cup and then others. Schedule “me time” with an actual calendar meeting to prioritize yourself — Turn off social media and make time to get things done that will move the needle towards your goals. 

Being Self-Aware

This is a tough one for some. But the most honest thing you can do is to be self-aware of your accomplishments and your flaws. Open yourself up to constructive criticism and be open to change. This comes up most often when people are looking for a raise and they are very quick to point fingers at their bosses or others as to the reasons they aren’t getting ahead. Lapin’s advise? Take a look at yourself. Are you a good employee? Are you productive in your career? Have you done what the business needed to deserve the promotion/raise? If you were your boss, would you promote you? By being self-aware, you can read the room, make changes as needed and see more success. 

In fact, Lapin’s definition of BOSS is actually an acronym for Bold, Obsessed, Self-Aware and Strong. 

Nicole Lapin, author of Rich Bitch and Boss Bitch (far right) gives her tips on how to become your own BOSS.

Stop saying “I’m sorry”

Stop apologizing!! Women are notorious for saying ‘I’m sorry’ when someone bumps into you, or when you need to cancel plans, or if you are running late. We ALL have our things. Stop overdramatizing things that aren’t in your control and only apologize when you actually did something wrong. An alternative? Simply saying “Thank you for your patience” will go a long way.

Be STRONG – and avoid these weak words in our vocabulary

Easiest way to NOT get taken seriously? Using poor choices in verbal and written communications. Right? Kinda, isn’t it, like? Drop these words! One of the best skills you can harness is hitting pause button – choose your words wisely and you will receive better responses.

As women, we explain ourselves way too much and it makes us weak. Come to it from a place of confidence and see how people respond better to you. 

Quick Tips and Tricks:

• Managing your time is your most valuable asset. You can always get more money but we all have the same number of hours per day. What separates leaders from the rest of the pack is how effective they are at maximizing the day to reach their goals. 
• Building your own personal brand: Know the one thing you are really good at – create your personal brand on what makes you YOU. 
• Being an intra-preneur: “Being the boss of you is the only constant.”
• On receiving compliments: Just say thanks! Oftentimes women feel uncomfortable receiving compliments, and instead put themselves down. Lapin offers an alternative to empower women. As Lapin would say “Don’t talk about my friend like that!” Stop being ‘mean girl’ to yourself and instead say ‘Thank You’ when receiving a compliment.
• On networking: Some women aren’t comfortable at events where you need to network to build your brand and your business. Lapin suggests to change the way you think about this experience. Transforming “networking” to a concept like “building a network” allows you to make it less transactional and offers an opportunity to provide more value to the other person. For example, when trying to build connections with people that are busy (like meeting a well-known author at an event like this!) its best to approach it from a place of service rather than asking for time. By going the extra mile to fill a need (maybe you heard they need a good photographer and you can connect them to someone you know), you will stand out among the others vying for time.