Day 2 (and the first full day) of SHRM 2016 had me jumping around in various directions. Here are some highlights… Power Posing The morning keynote was Amy Cuddy, author of the book “Presence” and known for coining the phrase “power pose” through her well known TED talk. I’ve had the opportunity to see […]
Not that long ago I attended a social function with a mix of friends, acquaintances and professional colleagues. Not so formal an event that it required cocktail attire, it was also not something as loose-hipped and free-flowing as a tailgate party. At one stage as I was exiting a conversational grouping I felt the need, […]
Women, we have a vitally critical role that we must assert ourselves into now and for the long term foreseeable future. This role is hard to label and has many facets. We must take on this role. We must not shy away from it.
What makes the difference in truly powerful leaders? How do they attract and keep loyal, committed followers? Where does their strength of conviction come from and how do we tap into it?
I believe it comes from within each of us, through a state of being I call alignment. So, what do I really mean by alignment? Aligned individuals simply love what they do, they are good at it, and what they do and why they do it are almost always tied to a purpose greater than themselves. Once an individual is truly aligned around their purpose – and thus, they are indeed living their life on purpose – this is when and where true power is revealed and released. Their mind, body, emotions, and spirit are in harmony.
There is simply no substitute for total alignment and congruency within a person or leader.
Do you scare people?
Evidently, I do, on occasion. A male colleague once confided in me that when we first met, “you kind of scared me a little.” That stopped me short. Me, “scary”? It turns out that because I approach my work with a sense of purpose and gusto, I appeared formidable to him. My enthusiasm and ability to move a project forward was, to him, a bit intimidating at first.
I can live with that.
As a recruiter, business mentor and career coach, I’ve spent over 16 years encouraging people to invest time and effort into building their networks.
‘Networking’ was traditionally viewed as a business related activity. Commonly the remit of senior executives in an organisation and, more often than not, male ones at that, networking wasn’t viewed as an integral part of life-working, or, rather of making life work.
Women are natural relationship-builders. We often overlook this strength as it comes so naturally to us. Networking is merely another label for what we do naturally. So, get out there and do what you do naturally and brilliantly – and network.
Recently, Time magazine ran a feature article, Women, Money and Power, about the rise of the female breadwinner in America, and why this phenomenon is good for everyone involved. While at first glance I thought the article was going to simply discuss powerful female earners supporting lower-wage earning men, in truth the main point was […]
The days in which drug abuse was primarily associated with males are well and truly over. Nowadays, an increasing number of women are turning to recreational drugs and alcohol to relieve the pressures of everyday life. But these women aren’t the dregs of society, nor are they “on the streets” they are highly intelligent businesswomen in powerful positions with a lot of pressure on their shoulders.
There are many alternative methods of de-stressing for busy women who are trying to juggle their work and home lives.
You can be authentic and sincere and succeed at office politics. Office politics won’t go away just because you ignore them. Just change the name of the game so you can win – or at least have more fun trying!