At age 53, Sue Heltzel made a major career change that took her 1,000 miles away from home and into a new profession she knew nothing about. A successful car saleswoman for 10+ years in South Dakota, Sue left the comfort of her secure job and surroundings to join her two sons as co-owner of a remodeling company – Putting on the Fix. [Read more...]
Career Coach • Author • Speaker
Playing Nice in Your Career Sandbox
May 5, 2010 By 1 Comment
I have learned that there is nothing stronger than the power of women in community and that women can be inspirational resources in the professional arena. But I also know the reality of being a woman in the professional world and how we often struggle with owning a strong, confident persona while maintaining our authenticity and honoring our femininity at work.
Learning to play nicely in the proverbial work sandbox does not have to be that difficult. Here are some strategies that will help you become a good team player but still empower you to stand out and make your mark on the job to earn the recognition you deserve.
- Preparation = credibility. It’s that simple, be prepared and you will earn the respect of your colleagues and impress the powers that be.
- Pick your battles. There will be difficult situations but don’t fall on your sword for every cause. Be mindful of your values and what is really important to you as well as what will empower you to move up in the organization to achieve your goals.
- Own your confidence. In order to succeed you must believe in yourself and your abilities. By tapping into your humble confidence you can project an image of self-reliance, poise, and assurance that will give your team faith that you can get the job done.
- Be aware of your surroundings but focus on you. On a team you must be cooperative but at the end of the day, you have to be your own best advocate and be ready to take charge of your career future. Don’t wait for a boss or supervisor to groom you for greater things; be proactive and strategize about ways to upgrade your standing in the organization.
- Don’t Gossip. The old adage: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” still rings true. Avoid hallway gossip and treat your colleagues with courtesy and respect. What goes around comes around and you should expect the same professional treatment from others.
- Be aware of yourself and your values. It always comes back to who you are, what you value, and how you want to show up in the world. Take stock of how you want to make your mark and align your personal and professional values so they are validated for you at work.
Madeleine Albright’s Leadership Institute for Women
May 3, 2010 By 4 Comments
Former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright is paving the way for the future women leaders of the world and unlocking the door to the proverbial good old boys club. At Wellesley College, Ms. Albright’s alma mater, a new Institute for Global Affairs named after her will be offering students around the world access to non-partisan lectures, seminars and internships with topics ranging from political science and economics to religion. The goal is to address the issues at the core of international societies and empower women leaders with an opportunity to make a difference.
Albright believes that women see the human part of issues and pursue power in order to do something with it, not just to have power for the sake of having it. With only 600+ women holding cabinet positions worldwide, Albright is on a mission to groom the next generation of women leaders.
At a recent professional development conference, I participated in a workshop with law and MBA students who described their top competencies for leaders. These women are the leaders of tomorrow in the business and legal arena and here is what they believe is important for leadership success:
- Good leaders should foster the potential of others in an organization.
- Optimistic leaders are more effective.
- Effective leaders learn to be assertive and not aggressive.
- Strong leaders are comfortable in their own skin and lead by being authentic and true to themselves.
- Successful leaders understand human motivation.
These emerging legal and business professionals have some great insight about what makes a leader successful. I’ll be discussing leadership in greater detail in a forthcoming blog post and I will share the wisdom of leadership expert, Deborah C. Stephens, my mentor and colleague. Cheers to Madeleine Albright for her efforts in blazing the leadership trail for women and may her new institute at Wellesley be a valuable resource for the future generation of female leaders.
Ellen Covner, Custom Gardens, LLC
May 2, 2010 By 16 Comments
Early on in her career Ellen Covner, like many other professional women, noticed that working with men could be a very mixed experience. She also learned that group and workplace dynamics often had a style and language all their own that did not promote cooperation, creativity and “drive.” She came to realize that as important as it was to be self-supporting and have a good income, money was not a sufficient motivator to stay in a “good job.” After 20+ years practicing health law in major hospitals and law firms, she was ready for new challenges. She wanted a change that would renew her creativity and joy in her work. The call of the outdoors beckoned and enticed her to focus on promoting environments that nourish people and their properties. [Read more...]
