Strategic networking can be quite time consuming and requires commitment to attend various gatherings. Often, this marketing activity isn’t even at the top of women professionals' to-do lists. With a crowded set of appointments on the calendar, adding a networking event at the end of a grueling day with strangers somehow loses its appeal. Yet, strategic networking can be a … [Read more...]
4 Low-Tech Action Steps to Implement When Starting a New Business
Business development and growth is a long-term project. The first thing a leader needs to remember when launching or growing a business is to embrace a healthy perspective and mindset. It’s all about how to use your time being productive rather than simply being busy. Being productive means that you tackled tasks that when completed, improved business in some way. Being busy … [Read more...]
How Are You Balancing Things?
There are times when balancing life responsibilities can become overwhelming. Have you ever felt that setting priorities between work and life can be at odds? The balancing act can feel like you are walking on a tight rope with no safety net below. Also, deciding the best use of your time changes depending on the chapter of life you are experiencing. What matters most to you … [Read more...]
Are Old Habits Getting in the Way of Success?
Our daily living patterns are constructed around the habits we follow—even when we are not aware of them. These habits that we follow often provide a sense of comfort—knowing what to expect as we navigate through our daily schedules. However, these same habits can get in the way of our success if they hold us back from making changes that can bring improvement. There are … [Read more...]
3 Tips to Improve Your Happiness
Many of business professionals seek guidance from business, leadership, and strategic consultants when they are experiencing a personal life transition, or looking for a change in career. In my initial conversations with these business professionals, I've found that a familiar topic arises. Inevitably, we find ourselves talking about happiness, and particularly, how to find … [Read more...]
What’s Your Professional Development Plan?
Employees today have increased bargaining power as the job market is becoming more competitive to retain top-skilled workers. One of the best enticements is to offer a robust professional development plan. Offering a professional development plan that is personalized to the needs of the individual employee allows the company to enhance its current talent pool, and it allows the … [Read more...]
Building Business Systems Improves Your Bottom Line
What are business systems, anyway? Simply put, business systems include any system that can be defined as the way you do things. Any routine that has a process you follow is a system. You may have a regular process for feeding your dog, putting the kids to bed at night, or doing the dishes after dinner. The way you do those tasks becomes systematic. A system adapts over … [Read more...]
Why You Should Document Best Practices at Work
I had the opportunity to help a local humane society animal shelter, not too many years ago. I was filling in after their executive director was fired and was trying to help them right their organizational ship before embarking on hiring a replacement. The shelter housed approximately 100 dogs and cats. There were issues with the operational systems in the finance department … [Read more...]
A Dog’s Advice: Listening Matters
When Beretta, my Great Dane therapy dog, and I visit a hospital on one of our weekly visits, he knows the routine. He walks into the nurse’s station and meets the recreational therapist who works with us. She accompanies us on our rounds. By now, Beretta knows what to expect. He visits patients in about twenty rooms. The hallways are always bustling with activity, but the … [Read more...]
How I Created a Comfortable Work-Life Balance
What do we mean by the phrase, work-life balance? I have found from my years of experience that creating a balance between career obligations and personal responsibilities always seems to be a juggling act. What may seem balanced at one point in life will seem out of kilter at another time. The Early Years In my early years of career development, I was quite willing to … [Read more...]