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[Introduction music]
Mariela Dabbaha has just written a fascinating book.
Its title is Women Power. It includes various interviews with powerful women.
But the main question is if women need to do something different from men
to achieve success. And Mariela is here to answer us.
Mariela, before anything else, congratulations on your book.
Thank you. It is a pleasure to be here with you.
You have interviewed many, many women for this book.
What do powerful and successful women have in common?
The first thing they have in common is that they are not afraid. They throw themselves to the next
challenges without the need of being 100% trained, which is something that happens
to many of us women. And they feel that they are in great control over their circumstances,
instead of their circumstances controlling them.
Is it different for a women to become successful? In other words, it is much more demanding for a women
to be successful compared to a man?
I believe that many of the women I interviewed said that they had to work
double because women in reality are given opportunities in accordance
to their verified achievements. While men are given opportunities
according to their forward projection.
So then, yes, they have to work much more to arrive at similar places.
One of the things that interested me the most about your book were the strategies you provide
women to become successful.
Give me two or three essential ideas for a woman to move ahead.
First, one must identify certain specific people for the network.
What in English are called the mentors, the sponsors.
In other words, the difference between a mentor and a sponsor.
[Ramos] Who is going to promote you, who is going to help you.
[Mariela] Who is going to promote you; who is going to open doors for you when you are not present.
Who are your sympathizers. The ones who speak well of you behind closed doors
and it can be an administrative person, but should speak well of you, of your reputation.
The coaches, guides, advisers.
These are people one must go on identifying.
Also, to be able to visualize what it is one wants to do, so she can start aligning the objectives
with the short term objectives that need to be conquered.
To be very clear of what one wants.
Very well. Clear visualization. Y have exercises in the book which can help with
self introspection; which will help in identifying what are the messages you have inherited
from when you were a child, from society, which have nothing to do with what you want. They have to to with...
[Ramos] For example...
[Mariela] For example, in the homes of many women, the fathers would arrive and change
the T.V. channel with out asking first the women who were watching the T.V.
Or the man drives; or the man manages the budget related to buying a house
or the purchase of a car, and leaves the women with the house budget only.
These are messages that, without noticing, are going to affect you tomorrow at the time
of negotiating your salary.
One of the things that I found fascinating is when you write about branding, which we would translate
as 'marca', right? We are all are a brand
and we present ourselves with this brand.
What is your brand, Mariel
Well, I worked with my group of advisors and asked them to give me feedback
on what do I convey when someone meets me.
[Ramos] And what do people say?
And people say that I am a high energy person, who knows how to listen, who is
able to communicate. And these are elements of my brand which
have been maintained over time.
[Ramos] OK, if a women is listening to us, or a man,
and they want to find their brand, how can we do this?
First, I recommend that they send - and there is an example there - an email to their
acquaintances asking: What adjectives do you think identify me? If you had to say something about me,
what would you say? And see if this coincides with what I want to project or not.
What about English? We arrive here, we learn English very late
and some of us speak it with an accent. But we are in an American world.
I just saw a study...the Pew Hispanic Center study.
87% say that without English we cannot move ahead. How can we do this?
I agree with this. One must make an effort to learn English.
[Ramos] Even with an accent.
[Mariela] Even with an accent. In the area of Miami, there are many people who believe that,
since they move in a Spanish speaking world, it is not necessary to learn English.
But in reality, to move ahead in this country and for our work to be recognized,
it is very important to speak English. With or without accent, it doesn't matter.
Mariela, what is this Red Shoes Movement?
Well, the Red Shoes Movement is a movement which I launched
- because the cover of the book has the red shoes - [Ramos] Yes.
[Mariela] so that women may go to work with red shoes...
[Ramos] As you wearing for this interview.
[Mariela] ...as I am wearing for this interview, to promote
the support of growth for other women. So other women may have power.
Because one of the topics I address in the book is that many times
we women can be our worse enemies.
So the idea is for women to support other women.
For women to support women; open doors for them; and to be their sponsors,
Not only their mentors, but those who can help them move ahead
in the next level of their careers.
And speaking of success, Mariela Dabbaha has been successful because her book has been published
not only in the United States, but also in all Latin America and Spain too, right?
In Latin American and Spain. It will come out in English in October.
It is selling very well in Amazon. It is number 1 in many categories.
In addition, I am successful because I am very satisfied with what I do.
And the concept of success in the book is that success is not a destiny, but a road.
It is the road you want to take because it is the path which satisfies you the most.
I cannot think of anyone else who knows how to self promote better than you. Thank you, Mariela, for coming.
Well, thank you for the invitation.
Thank you. Mariela Debbah, Women Power. Discover Who You Are To Create Your Own Success.
Thank you for coming
[Mariela] It was a pleasure.
[Ramos] Good luck, though you don't need it.