Women tend to follow the rules, but breaking them every once in a while is necessary to get ahead, writes Barbara Apple Sullivan. But while pushing the limits can lead to success, it's important to have values you adhere to and to take calculated risks. "You shouldn't bet the ranch if you can't recover quickly from losing it," she writes.

"Virginia M. Rometty, I.B.M.’s next chief executive and the first woman who will have that role at Big Blue, has said that she learned the importance of shoving insecurity aside early in her career. At one point she was offered a big job but hesitated because she felt she didn’t have enough experience. (Her husband reportedly noted that a man wouldn’t have done that.) Rometty learned to overcome self-doubt and build—dare I say fake—the confidence to step outside her comfort zone. That determination helped her climb her way to the top."

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