Helene Lerner's Blog, page 165

Are you speaking up when you need to?

Are you speaking up when you need to or are you holding back?

We need your voice to be heard.

If you are having difficulty putting your ideas forth, become more aware of your negative self-talk.

Are you thinking that what you are about to say won't be appreciated? What negative belief do you have that isn't allowing you to speak up?

Question that belief: Ask yourself, is it true? It probably isn't. And as uncomfortable as it may feel, let your voice be heard.

We need more women leaders. We need you to speak out when you know you can make a difference.

 

Get a Sneak Peek of Macy's Flower Show

Spring is officially here. The weather is (slowly) warming up, the days are longer, and some early season crocuses are popping up in the parks. What better way is there to celebrate the upcoming season than with a flower show? On Sunday, March 24, Macy's 39th Annual Flower Show will come to life in Herald Square. This year, "The Painted Garden" will feature a kaleidoscope of color that evokes the ornate designs, vibrant customs, and majestic landscape of Asia. A multicolored 10 foot tall painted elephant serves as the centerpiece of the event, decorated with thousands of brilliantly colored flowers. Check out the video below for a preview of the event, and be sure to swing by between March 24th and April 7th to enjoy the sights and smells of the season. 

–Video by Nicolena Basso

Create a Positive State of Mind

There are some days where nothing seems to go right. There's no hot water in the shower, you miss your bus, you drop your coffee on the sidewalk – it can seem never ending. So how do you perk yourself back up in the midst of a bad day? Members of the WomenWorking community share their best kept secrets. 

Keion Martin: I take 5-10 minutes to myself to escape mentally. 

Stephanie M. Barnett: I have pictures of my babies smiling on standby. 

Elana Bethune Brazile: I focus on all the things for which I am grateful. 

Laura Pease: Know that this is happening for a reason and there is a lesson to learn from it. 

Trust in Tricia: Music, a walk with my dog, or food. (So awful that food is on my list! But when doesn't ice cream or chocolate make you feel good?)

Tamra Wade: Upbeat music. Talking with a trusted friend. Take a walk. Put focus on all the good in my life. Perhaps help another. 

Tee Morgan: It's just what it is. I never ever allow a situation to define me. 

Michelle Koepke: I think of going home to my hubby & dog!

The next time you're feeling down, try one of these strategies to turn your day around. Do you have any tips of your own? Share them in the comments below or visit us on Facebook and Twitter for future conversations!

Career Coach: How to Deal with Distracting Coworkers

If you’ve never had to work with someone who is constantly interrupting you, consider yourself lucky. Many of us have had to work with these coworkers in the past, who are a distraction for the entire office. Dealing with them can drive anyone crazy, but the real trick is to know how to reduce their interference without causing long term friction. After all, you have to see that person every single day! Let’s take a look at a few of the steps you can take to keep a distracting coworker at bay. 

Tune her out. If your workplace allows for you to wear headphones, then by all means opt for this simple yet effective maneuver. With headphones on, you’ll never have to listen to your cubicle mate and her complaints about life, the world, or whatever else she may feel has slighted her. If you can exercise the “headphone option,” then even the most oblivious coworker will soon get the hint that you’re not listening. 

Make an exit strategy. If you can’t block out your coworker with music, then you’re next option is to say something to her without causing harm. One approach is to tell her that while you love chatting, you’re getting behind on your work and you are worried about getting in trouble. The universal fear of the boss goes a long way. However, if the person in question happens to be your boss, then it’s a bigger problem. Solve this one by bringing the conversation back to your assignments: “Wow, time really is flying by, I better get back to those proposals you need!”

State your case. If she still hasn’t figured out that you’re not interested in the stories about her childhood pet, then the last step you can take is to be as direct as possible without hurting her feelings. Be friendly and outgoing in your approach, and leave no hint that you are annoyed. Tell her that you’re not getting enough work done and that you can’t chat. If you’re lucky and you like the individual in question, you can always ask her if she would like to get together after all to talk instead. 

–Dr. Madeline Lewis, Career Coach

 

Five Things to Know Before You Start Your Business

[image error]When Natasha Ashton’s cat fell ill just two months after arriving at the Wharton School, she spent $5,000 – a big chunk of her savings – to have him treated. Rather than complain about the bill, she teamed up with her husband, also a student at Wharton, to design a business plan for a pet insurance company. “In the UK, over 25 percent of pets are insured – but in the US, less than one percent of the 160 million cats and dogs receive the same benefits,” Natasha explains. 

The couple officially launched their company, Petplan, in 2003. Since then, Natasha has learned a lot about how to run a business – the company generated $40 million in revenue last year. Here, she shares her insights on starting a business of your own. 

Collaborate with talented people. Make sure you have an exceptional team; it takes many people to build a company, not just one individual. From the beginning, I’ve always focused on bringing the most talented people on board, and then investing in them and giving them the ability to grow with us. Petplan has grown from a staff of 3 to 80 in the last three years and we have been cited by Forbes as one of the 50 most promising companies in the country. This wouldn’t be possible without a creative and reliable team.

Care about the customers. If you put your customers’ best interests first, it will pay dividends. Many people think being an entrepreneur is about making a quick buck, but if you are looking for long-term success, you should focus on doing the right thing and offering exceptional products – the money and the rest will follow. 

Design a culture that speaks to your brand. Culture is something you develop from the beginning. At Petplan, we’re pet friendly – there are always cats and dogs running around the office. We don’t look like an insurance company, we look like a pet company, and we pride ourselves on that. Regardless of the business that you’re building, it’s critical that you focus on what you want your company to convey, because that’s what will make your brand memorable. 

Make decisions, even wrong ones. One of the things I found out early on is that you have to make decisions quickly. Indecision cripples a company. That doesn’t mean you are always making the right choices, but you can correct them along the way. You also have to be willing to learn, be open-minded, and realize that you don’t know everything. 

Be resilient. When we were looking for investors, we had multiple issues working against us – I was a young woman setting up a business with my husband in an industry we’d never worked in. People refused to work with us for those reasons alone. What you come to realize is that it’s not because you’re unprepared or are in the wrong business, it’s just that those aren’t the right people for your company. We eventually found the perfect investors who thought that those qualities weren’t working against us, but that they were actually advantages. You have to persevere, and don’t let your sex or your age play any part. 

–Lindsay Putnam

 

Are You Ready for Change?

Just came back from a morning at the 2013 Catalyst Awards Conference, where three companies were honored for their roles in advancing women and business. Representatives from the winning companies spoke about their initiatives.Congratulations to Coca-Cola, Unilever, and Alcoa.

I was impressed with Coca-Cola’s CEO, Muhtar Kent. I have known Kathy Waller (VP & Controller) and Steve Bucherati (Chief Diversity Officer) for awhile and they are terrific. Walking the walk, rather than just talking the talk.

Kathy said something that was so important during the panel. Yes, we all need to work on changing a company’s culture but that takes time.  We need women to take responsibility for being proactive, creating relationships with sponsors, and going for that next move, even if we don’t have all the skills in place.

Way to go folks! We can all follow your example. Check out some photos from this morning below. 

Representatives from the winning companies gather on stage.

Emily Zuckerman (left), Senior Director, Global Administration, Catalyst; Steve Bucherati, Chief Diversity Officer, The Coca-Cola Company; Gill McLaren, General Manager, Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei, and Member, Women's Leadership Council, The Coca-Cola Company; and Charlotte Oades (not pictured), Global Director, Women's Economic Empowerment, and Member, Women's Leadership Council, The Coca-Cola Company, gather to discuss Coca-Cola's impact.

 

Career Coach: Discover Your Uniqueness

Part of having the success that you want means understanding who you are and how you function. Sounds simple, right? Determining where your core strengths and talents reside can make all the difference between success and failure. 

So where should you begin? You must first recognize your unique strengths, and then you have to discover how to leverage them. Here’s how. 

Identify your expertise. The trick here is to have an accurate assessment of what you do well. If you sit down to write your “strengths list” and discover that you are pretty fantastic at everything, chances are you’re not being honest with yourself. That’s okay, but now is the time to correct your perceptions and determine what it is that you truly do excel at and why. Keep in mind that these talents don’t have to be of an artistic nature, or even something you went to school for. They can include such skills as organization, being a good leader, or many other different characteristics or personality traits.

Find a unique combination. Once you have your list of strengths, see which of them can be paired together to leverage you over other potential job applicants. How will you stand out from the crowd? For example, you might have professional experience in computer networking, and you may also discover that you’re an excellent public speaker. By pairing these two skills together, you could open up new opportunities for yourself. Your different options could include starting a consulting business or working as a computer-networking instructor, just to cite two examples. 

Leverage what makes you happy. Knowing what you are good at is only one part of the equation. Finding success and happiness necessitates that you also understand your purpose in life. How do you determine this? Start by answering the question, “What makes me happy?” Write down your answers, and see how they correspond with your strengths list. Using the example above, if your skill sets are computer networking and public speaking, and educating young adults makes you happy, then becoming a computer-networking instructor would be a great career path. If you can find a way to use your strengths, be happy, and make money all at once, then you truly are on the right path!

–Dr. Madeline Lewis, Career Coach

 

How Do You Deal With People Who Rub You The Wrong Way?

Whether it's a coworker, a family member, or a friend of a friend, there are some people who just irk us no matter how much we try to get along. If you've tried to enjoy their company but it's not working out, members of the WomenWorking community have some tips for properly dealing with these individuals. 

Lorina Kelly: I avoid them. 

Tara Burd: Figure out if it's an insecurity of my own at the root of my feeling toward them and work on dissolving it. Otherwise, disregard them. 

Lauren Espejo: Ignore them and move on. Do you think they're spending their precious time worrying about how to deal with you? Probably not. 

Christina Interiano: Keep my distance from them. 

Aleida Diaz: I try to avoid that kind of poison, but if I must I try kindness and communication. 

Smush Smush: I would tell them that their insecurities are showing. And to do something about it. That they are embarrassing themselves. 

Stephanie M. Barnett: Take a deep breath, refuse to take it personal, and limit interaction to a superficial level. 

British Association for Women in Policing: Sometimes if it's hard to avoid those people, I sing a silly song in my head so I don't get angry! I just end up smiling and making myself feel better. 

Entrepreneur Secrets: I tell them. It's better to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie. Be upfront! If you keep avoiding, this person will never know that s/he has been offending you – and may therefore never make a change for the better. 

How do you deal with these people? Share your own thoughts below, and be sure to visit us on Facebook and Twitter to engage in our next conversation. 

Building Beauty at Besu Salon and Spa

Have you ever made one of your dreams come true? Rebecca Lieberman, owner of Besu Salon and Spa in Manhattan, has. Despite receiving no financial or emotional support from her friends and family, Rebecca became her own cheerleader and took the plunge by purchasing a vacant salon and transforming it into her dream business. Today, Besu is a multi million dollar business, and Rebecca advises other female entrepreneurs to be sure they have a plan before they get their start. Watch as she shares how she helps busy women find the time to relax and pamper themselves. 

Want more tips on treating yourself well? Watch Pamela Morgan prepare a delicious and meal for one, while chef Toni Lynn Dickinson prepares a mouth-watering peach shortcake.

–Video by Nicolena Basso

Fabulous Fun at Macy's

Had such fun last night. I was part of a “Dress for Success” fashion show at Macy’s Herald Square last night. We had a great turn out. Pamela Watson was the stylist extraordinaire. And I talked about strategies to move your career forward. 

They dressed me in an outfit, which is not my typical taste. My girlfriend Fran was in the crowd and she loved the way I looked, and remarked, “Helene would never pick this for herself.”  So I took my own advice and stepped out of my comfort zone.

We had a long book signing line for my recent book In Her Power.  I love personally meeting people in the line. Lindsay Putnam, our web editor was there, and snapped some photos. Enjoy!

 

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