As a modern business owner, I’ve caught the fever to rely on gadgets and depend on electronic communication in lieu of actually picking up the phone; but I wonder, have I done my company a disservice? As I visit client sites and assess the challenges they face, it becomes clear that sometimes the culprit is not the employee, it’s the technology. Excessive reliance on … [Read more...]
Hey Boss, Your Policy is Stupid!
As business owners we often set policies and procedures from a reactive point of view. Something happened that brought the situation to our attention and then we put things in place to ensure they don’t happen again. But is this the best way to create policies? Can your staff weigh in on their effectiveness and when they do, do their opinions matter? If you have a sense that … [Read more...]
Gloria Steinem and Fear Busters
There were all kinds of sizes, shapes and ages at the Pa. Women’s Conference in October. Close to 4,000 women gathered to listen, compare, critique, and collaborate. It was stimulating. One well deserved standing ovation went to Gloria Steinem, still beautiful in her 70's. With hair pulled back and little make-up, she is a great example of how one can age gracefully and … [Read more...]
The Inside Scoop on Recruiting
Once you strike out on your own, your relationships with recruiters change. When you were looking for a full-time job, they represented a way to get your foot in the door at a company. As an entrepreneur, their roles shift slightly. They still help you get a foot in the door, but now they also bring the ability to provide new projects. The one thing that continually frustrates … [Read more...]
GUTSY WOMEN RELATE RADICALLY at WORK
Knowing the difference between men and women is easy when we look at body parts. It is not so easy when we think about how our brains operate differently, yet they sure do. Let’s just take the example of men and women in meetings. Now, we all know meetings are most likely to have some stress components. Knowing the differences in ways that we respond to stimuli can make the … [Read more...]
Are Women the Adults in the Room?
Post by Jane K. Stimmler, contributing Women on Business writer How many women friends and colleagues do you know who constantly (and with reverence) refer to their mental and written lists, and the importance of regularly "checking things off?" Are you one of them? It seems to me like there's an epidemic of hyper-organized list-making women who aren't happy until they're … [Read more...]
There’s a Little Steve Jobs in All of Us
Five things I learned from the way Steve Jobs lived his practical genius: 1. Put all your assets out there. Genius happens at the intersection of our hearts and minds, that sweet spot where our hard assets (strengths, skills, expertise) and soft assets (values, passions, and creative abilities) converge. Steve Jobs the technologist was at one with Steve Jobs the … [Read more...]
The Anatomy of a Practical Genius
Practical genius is your jillion-dollar personal portfolio of brilliance. It’s the secret code within you that only you can crack. But once you do, the possibilities are endless. Contrary to the traditional beliefs around genius, practical genius is based on the truth that each of us possesses genius deep inside, and it’s just waiting to be activated and set in motion. You … [Read more...]
New Catalyst Study Proves Women Still Lag Behind… and Provides Some Answers
The newest report released by Catalyst, titled The Myth of the Ideal Worker: Does Doing All the Right Things Really Get Women Ahead?, has been released… and it’s disheartening. The goal of the report was to research typical myths involving women’s career development and their chances of being promoted. As a woman who generally feels empowered and that I am capable of doing … [Read more...]
Making Sure You Aren’t The Problem
This article, http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2011/09/08/make-sure-youre-not-the-problem-with-your-boss, gives everyone some questions to ask yourself when you are having problems with your boss. Most times bosses mean well, but if everyone, including the bosses, took a step back and asked a few questions of themselves a lot of office politics could likely be … [Read more...]