Even though there’s still an abundance of sexist double standards at work, we’ve interviewed tons of inspirational businesswomen who are crushing the glass ceiling and becoming their own bosses. From Sandy Rubinstein, the CEO of one of the hottest digital advertising agencies, to Komal Minhas, the kickass producer of the girl power documentary Dream, Girl — let’s just say our #wcw list is pretty darn substantial. Well, if you too are planning on conquering your dream job, we’ve got just the thing you need to succeed. Here are 10 mega-inspirational TED talks by strong businesswomen that’ll help you take your career to the next level.
1. Three Lessons on Success from an Arab Businesswoman: Through her career as an engineer, advocate and mother in Abu Dhabi, Leila Hoteit has learned a TON. Follow her inspirational journey as a professional Arab woman in this short 14-minute TED talk. Plus, find out the top three lessons that she’s learned along the way.
2. Dare to Disagree: The former CEO of five businesses, Margaret Heffernan knows a thing or two when it comes to good ideas. Although most people try to avoid conflict at all costs, Margaret pushes us to embrace a healthy disagreement — for the sake of good business.
3. Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders: Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg addresses the feminist problem that’s on everyone’s minds in this awesome talk. Sharing three pieces of advice for women aiming for the C-suite, this is definitely a video every businesswoman should binge on their lunch break.
4. Why You Think You’re Right — Even When You’re Wrong: We’ve all been there — adamantly arguing for something only to realize a week or so later that we were completely wrong. In this trippy TED talk, Julia Galef examines the psychology behind how we see the world and offers a few tidbits of advice that all businesswomen will find super useful.
5. What It Takes to Be a Great Leader: Leadership expert Roselinde Torres describes her 25-year observation of great leadership at work and offers up all that she’s learned in this must-watch video.
6. Why Do Ambitious Women Have Flat Heads?: Dame Stephanie Shirley is the #wcw you never knew you needed. Founding an all-woman software company in the ’60s, she’s definitely seen her fair share of successful businesswomen. In this LOL-inducing talk she recounts her amazing life and offers some sound wisdom for the female leaders of tomorrow.
7. How to Manage for Collective Creativity: Whether you’re in a creative industry or not, thinking outside the box is an important part of any business. In this informative lecture, Linda Hill, a professor at Harvard, details all the things that the most creative companies in America are doing — and exactly how your company can do them too.
8. How to Use Experts — and When Not To: Economist Noreena Hertz says relying on too many expert opinions can be super dangerous for your business. Learn how she manages all the opinions in this enlightening 18-minute talk.
9. Learning from Leadership’s Missing Manual: There are a bazillion business books on leadership… but not one that gets it 100 percent right. In this awesome TED talk, social entrepreneur Fields Wicker-Miurin tells the story of three amazing local leaders to share insight into how leadership should actually look.
10. Forget the Pecking Order at Work: Instead of putting your value on star employees, business leader Margaret Heffernan advises that the most lucrative results come from social cohesion. Learn more about this radical idea in her amazing (and mega popular) 2015 talk.
(Featured photo via Getty)
