Highlights


See Jane Win

Highlights of How Jane Won

55 Successful Women Share How They Grew
From Ordinary Girls to Extraordinary Women

When women of my generation realized we were oppressed, we vowed to change that for ourselves, our daughters, and for the generations of women that would follow. We believed that women deserved to earn our own identities and our own successes, not just marry our husbands' successes. In our study for See Jane Win and How Jane Won, success was defined as not just a title or a paycheck, but simply put, fulfillment--to be happy in our careers, our homes, and our relationships.

More than 1,000 successful women participated in our See Jane Win research by completing a 24-page questionnaire. More than 150 women took time from their busy and interesting lives to tell us their stories so they could inspire and encourage girls and women of this and future generations. Their stories were spellbinding, exciting, and ever so wise. My daughter, Sara, and I would often call each other in exhilaration after each interview. We felt so fortunate to talk and listen to these wise women, and we were so anxious to share every nugget of their wisdom with women the world over.

The research findings of See Jane Win, the advice that follows, and words of wisdom from some of the successful women's stories that you can read about in How Jane Won follow to inspire you, your daughters, sisters, mothers, dads, and teachers, too, to help girls and women to learn to fulfill themselves.

GIRLS GROW THROUGH HEALTHY COMPETITION

A major milestone for me was winning first place in extemporaneous speaking at a tournament at Ball State University. I had never competed before. I didn't know the feeling of being number one. I really liked it.
Jane Pauley
Anchor, NBC News; Dateline

My dad taught me to be competitive. He gave me a little tin shovel and told me to shovel dirt off one little square piece of the sidewalk. He bet me he could do the whole sidewalk in the same time, and he beat me. I threw my shovel down and had a fit because I'd lost that competition. He never just let me win, but he provided challenges.
Marilyn Carlson Nelson
CEO Carlson Companies

Many of the successful women from our study listed "winning in competition" as an important positive experience for them. They frequently described the exhilaration and motivation they derived from winning. But, successful women didn’t always win; they had to cope with personal and professional losses and the emotional fallout; they learned from those losses and regrouped to persevere.

DARE TO COMPETE

Take the risk of entering competitions. Enter some competitions in which you feel confident so you can experience the exhilaration of winning. Awards are personal affirmations. Also enter some competitions in which you feel less skilled. Not expecting to win helps you learn not to be too hard on yourself, and even small improvements can help you build confidence.

Competition and collaboration are not opposites. Selecting the appropriate occasions for cooperation and competition helps you learn to function successfully in a competitive society.

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