5 Ways leadership can adapt & change in these turbulent times

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These are tough, unprecedented times for everyone. And the more we watch the news, the worse it seems to get – it’s wearing us all down already. I have to admit that I am having a hard time focusing on any task, and I am a focuser! I find myself getting distracted a lot, going from one thing to another, which is unlike me. So I know everyone is feeling some kind of stress, uncertainty and yes, a lot of fear.

I am trying to figure out what I can do to help. And since we are now stuck at home, I have some extra time to watch webinars, read and curate information. To that end, I saw a great presentation recently by Carlene Li who wrote the book ‘The Disrupted Mindset’, and I wanted to net down some of the really useful things she said. Read more

4 Tips to negotiate better pay or what you want in the workplace (or life!)

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In 2013 when Sheryl Sandberg wrote her book Lean In, she talked about how ‘sluggish’ the progress was in regards to women’s compensation in the workplace. She reminded us that “in 1970, American women were paid 59 cents for every dollar their male counterparts made.” By 2010, 40 long years later, that had grown to only 77 cents. 8 years later, in a most recent Lean In study in 2018, that’s rocketed up by 3 cents to where women in the US are now making 80 cents for every dollar that a man makes in a similar role. And while white women in America are making 20% less than men, Black women are making 39% less and Latinas 47% less. Some countries in the world are a little better than the US but overall worldwide, women are paid 23% less than men in similar roles.

It’s hard to believe that when this conversation started all those many years ago, more hasn’t been done to close this gap. But perhaps in the 3rd decade of 21st century with awareness at an all-time high (see Fortune’s article in October 2019 on the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team), the time is finally ripe for some real changes. Read more

Startup: You – How to approach your career like an entrepreneur

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Are you looking for your first job, want a better job in a new company or more from the one you have now? The world of work and careers has changed and will continue to change over the coming years. Fortune had a good article awhile ago that is still relevant now – a unique way of looking at your career plan and growth. It’s by Erika Fry and looks at “wherever you are on the corporate ladder, whatever you do for a living, if you want to jumpstart your career (or just keep up) you’ve got to think like you’re launching a business from the ground up”. Just like, perhaps, an entrepreneur might do in Silicon Valley. She quotes LinkedIn co-founders Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha in their book The Start-up of You, “all humans are entrepreneurs”. She says that “to accelerate your career in today’s economy, you’ve got to embrace that spirit and apply the Silicon Valley formula – adapt to the future and invest in yourself- no matter how comfortable in your job you might be.” Especially because being comfortable could change tomorrow.

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The New Year is coming – is it time for New Year’s resolutions or just plain goal setting?

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At the beginning of every new year I would ask my sales team what New Year’s resolutions they had set. I had one team member who hated the idea and always balked at the exercise we went through. I thought he was just being difficult but it turns out he was right, New Year’s resolutions just never seem to work. Fitness clubs are full in January with people’s best intentions of losing weight and getting fit. By Feb every year, the gyms are empty again, much to the chagrin of their owners.

Why do most New Year’s resolutions fail? Because most people are not treating this for what it really is – a true goal setting exercise. You can set goals any time of the year of course but there is something about Jan 1st with a whole new, squeaky clean 12 months laid out in front of you, ripe with potential – and now a whole new decade too. It’s a great time to relook at this year just finished, see what worked and what didn’t, and plan for the year ahead. Read more

What can you do about the ‘Broken Rung”? Helping women to have parity with men with their upward mobility.

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The Lean In Org has just recently released it’s 2019 Women in the Workplace report and some of the results are surprising. It seems that women have a new obstacle to hamper their upward mobility. We have heard for decades about the ‘glass ceiling’ that women face when trying to climb to upper levels of management. Progress has been made with women in senior leadership levels in recent years, though women, especially women of color, are still underrepresented at every leadership level in an organization. However, surprisingly, research has found that the biggest obstacle for women’s progression is not the glass ceiling but the first step up to manager, called the “broken rung.” This broken rung results in more women getting stuck at the entry level and fewer women becoming managers, therefore reducing the pool to draw on for future promotions. As a result, there are significantly fewer women to advance to higher levels and they will never catch up. And women of color are even more likely to be held back by this scenario. Read more

5 steps to jumpstart your career

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Are you where you want to be at this point in your job and your career? Are you happy with your progress so far and do you have a plan to move forward to your ultimate goal? If not, read on.

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Leadership skills for the future, that you might need right now

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The future of work, and how leaders navigate our world as things change exponentially around us, is a hot topic.  The work world is only going to get more intense so it’s important to think about what the leader of the future is going to look like before that future is already upon us. Which it almost is.

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3 Critical Questions to Find Out What Type Of Leader You Could Be

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Great leadership doesn’t happen overnight. Some people are born with a certain type of presence and others have to work hard at it. But we all know a good leader when we see and hear one, and a bad one even faster. As you travel on your leadership journey, how do you want to be categorized by your team (1-10 on the leadership scale) and what do you need to work on to get there? Most importantly, how do you want to show up in your work world? Here are 3 questions that might help you find the right path. Read more

Calling all Superheroes!

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This is the best picture ever because as well as being very cute it holds a great life lesson. My 3-year-old grandnephew wears his superhero outfit proudly wherever he can – day care, the mall, the playground, any chance he can get away with it. He’s not embarrassed or ashamed or shy about dressing up. In fact, he’s not dressing up at all – this is who he is – a living breathing superhero. Read more