in the weedsCarol’s recent post on entrepreneur.com was titled “10 Rules for Success as a Woman” – but most of these apply to anyone. There are certain mannerisms or other little things that can make you appear less professional as an entrepreneur. And most of them are really easy to fix! Carol begins:

“I often get asked to speak to groups, including women’s-oriented groups, and I often see behavior that makes me cringe.

In a recent Q&A period for one such group, the host introduced a participant as working with elite speakers. So, that was my impression of her- a high-level professional woman. Then, instead of reinforcing her accomplishments or just asking me her question, she proceeded to tell me- and everyone watching- how she wasn’t planning to participate in the event, so she was sorry that she was just wearing a terrycloth sweatshirt.

My response was, “Now, instead of me thinking about you as working with elite speakers, all that I can focus on is your damn terrycloth sweatshirt.” It was not only an irrelevant comment to our discourse, but it changed the perception of her for the worse for no apparent reason.

While I am not a fan of labeling or stereotyping, as I discussed here, I have noticed that women professionals and entrepreneurs have picked up some bad habits along the way that are impeding their success.

Even if you are not a woman (i.e., you are a man or a puppy or whatever), please take the time to read these and to draw attention to these bad habits when the women in your life (relatives, co-workers, mentees, etc.) engage in them.”

You can read the rest of the post here.