Also during the 1970’s, tennis great Billie Jean King challenged her male counterpart, Bobby Riggs to a tennis match. King won the much publicized “Battle of the Sexes” and it had a startling impact on society, not only in America, but around the world, mostly because it got everyone talking. Janet Guthrie got everyone talking too. She stunned the sports world and made front-page news as the first women to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500, the two top race car competitions, previously all male. She smoothed the way for other women racers, like Danica Patrick.

Every one of those women victoriously bucked a system that tried to hold them back. Obviously, there was no playing the Pillow Fight game for them. How did they do it?

Here are five characteristics they, and other victorious women, share. Which one would help you get smarter and better at work?

Live with Passion

Passion means caring so much about what you do and who you are that you are willing to do the tough stuff that it takes to be successful. Biographies describe how Susan B. Anthony’s passion for women’s equality gave her the courage to stand up to everything from ridicule to death threats. She advanced causes that promoted a woman’s right to vote, receive higher education, and have her own property and income – all of which are so commonplace today that we take them for granted.

When you embrace your passion, you have inspiration, energy, commitment and guts. Passion keeps you going when you feel tired, or aren’t getting where you want to go fast enough and are tempted to quit and. It’s also your passion which, like Susan B. Anthony’s, has the power to change lives for generations – globally, locally or simply in your family.

Take Charge of Your Career

Many women grew up believing that doing a good job is all you need to get noticed and get ahead. If that was really true, then GE, Wal-Mart, Toyota and other companies wouldn’t need to sell their products and services using advertising, endorsements or infomercials. You have to let people know who you are and what you want to do.

Jean Otte, founder Women Unlimited, the nationally acclaimed leadership program, says that the most common mistake women in business make is failing to promote themselves to the right people. She notices how upset women often get when a business opportunity arises and someone less qualified snatches it. According to Jean, you have to get noticed by the people who care. She wants women to understand that “it’s not who you know, but who knows you know” that makes the difference.

Here are three ways to take control of your career:

• Approach your work with a plan and learn how to ask for what you want in clear and specific language, e.g. here are my goals and here’s how I’d like your help with them;
• Refine your networking so you create personal influence; and
• Enlist the help of a mentor who will give you feedback and show you how to promote yourself effectively and steer you away from self-sabotaging methods.