Why are professional women still hitting a glass ceiling? Lately I keep finding myself in conversations about how a surprising number of women aren’t moving confidently into leadership within their careers. I’ve heard some worries from my executive coaching clients, but often the topic has come up at social or business events. For me it’s […]
What’s your brand at work? And why does it matter? There’s you, the essential person you are. Obviously related, but not quite the same, is you — the professional who shows up on the job and makes a contribution. And then there’s your professional brand. Originally a “brand” referred to a word or symbol indicating […]
Step 1: Set clear goals. Step 2: Choose metrics. Do you have professional and other goals in mind for the year? For the future? So what’s your plan? It can be motivating to have a broad, enticing vision, but it can also be daunting. Sometimes people put off their biggest objectives and most exciting projects […]
Personal style still matters & dress can boost success Did somebody tell you that if you work hard and do a great job it won’t matter what you wear to work? They were probably wrong. The way you present yourself to other people has an impact on how they evaluate your accomplishments and […]
Want powerful mentoring? Make it reciprocal. The classic concept of a “mentor” is someone who’s older and more experienced. That idea of a wise, generous senior advisor leading us along a career path is wonderful and soothing, and makes us all want mentoring. But the image is so limited, and so dated. Here’s what can […]
To keep the compliments coming learn to accept them gracefully. I grew up believing the proper way to respond to a compliment was with modesty. If somebody said, “What a pretty dress,” my response was something like, “Oh, this cheap old thing?” When I was a young lawyer, if I worked long hours on a […]
Hit by professional rejection? Try these tips for handling it. A highly qualified professional went after his dream job. “Paul” has a solid record of extraordinary career success and he was confident about being the winning candidate. Then he felt devastated when he didn’t get the job. Paul wrote me about the intensity […]
Hey, women professionals: Want career synchronicity? Network with other women! “Synchronicity” is the term psychologist Karl Jung coined to describe those times when meaningful coincidences seem to bring you what you need. When synchronistic events pile up, Jung said, it’s as though you’re being supported by an unseen helper. I can roughly graph the […]
Strengthen your future career by building your leadership brand now Want to start today to prepare for success later? Be methodical about creating a stronger brand. Your brand both shapes and influences how people the talk about you, how they evaluate you, and their willingness to trust you. It says something not only about who […]
Gen. Robert E. Lee, higher ed innovator, inspires encore careers Has the tumultuous job market got you fretting about what to do next? You’re not alone. And among the folks wondering about their next career are millions of Baby Boomers. Many don’t plan on early retirement, but they worry age discrimination or technological shifts might […]