Helene Lerner's Blog, page 206

Courageously, She Made it Happen

The Discovery Channel, expanding on its success with "Planet Earth," has made a new television special, "Frozen Planet," which will make its U.S. premiere on March 18 at 8 p.m. Four years in the making, employing 38 camerapersons working in the harshest conditions on the planet for a combined 2,356 days of filming — this seven–part series is a portrait of earth's polar regions. 

Vanessa Berlowitz (above) was one of the producers of "Frozen Planet." Here are some of the feats this daring woman accomplished while working on the series:

Spent three weeks filming female polar bears and their young cubs — while she herself was five months pregnant — in Svalbard, an archipelago in the Arctic.


Camped on the Greenland ice sheet and flew dangerous aerials — the helicopter was nearly sucked into a giant waterfall in the ice. 


Spent 2 1/2 months filming the most extensive library of Antarctic aerials to date, including flying around the crater of a live volcano and capturing the first aerials of the South Pole base.


Lived aboard a Royal Naval icebreaker, HMS Endurance, for four months to film penguins, whales and spectacular Antarctic scenery.

The Power To Withstand Criticism

How do you feel when you are criticized? And how do you feel when you are given feedback about a mistake or shortcoming even when you have to agree the feedback is reasonable and was given sincerely in an effort to help you?

 Few people handle criticism well, whether the criticism is legitimate or not. Why is it that? Let's look at a real-world example:

Let's say you just gave a presentation to your team and the feedback you received was your presentation was "Okay, but not great." Let's assume this feedback upsets you and you can't get it out of your mind the rest of the day. Why is that? If you say, "Are you crazy? It's obvious why I was upset! I was upset because I wanted to nail the presentation and I clearly didn't."

But is that the real reason you got upset? No, it's not. 

You got upset because the criticism tapped into your already existing feelings of insecurity, lack of confidence and lack of self-esteem and self-worth. That's the cause of your "upset," not the criticism. Meaning, on some level, you agree with the criticism. You tell yourself "I should have prepared better, I should have done better."  Ironically, you take the criticism and begin to beat yourself up.

Otherwise, the criticism wouldn't really bother you.

It's not what someone else thinks or says to you that bothers you; it's what you think and what you say to yourself that bothers you.

How we react to criticism is a reflection of our level of self-acceptance, self-love and self-confidence. The lower it is, the more vulnerable we are to criticism.

If you want to deal with the cause of why you feel bad when criticized, deal with how you feel deep down about yourself. Because it's not really about what someone else says to you or what they think of you. Ultimately, our opinion is the only one that matters. Criticism has no inherent power to make you feel one way or the other.

Only you have that kind of power.

Alan Allard, Career Coach/Leadership Coach/Speaker

http://www.alanallard.com

Always Act With Integrity

When faced with a difficult situation with someone else, sometimes it's easy to let that person get to us. But it's important to have integrity and take the high road. Find this and more inspiration in our video tweets, presented here in video form. Look for more everyday on Twitter!

Animation: Marie Hankinson

Giving and Getting Honest Feedback

I just came back from an event at JPMorganChase. It was a conversation between Sally Durdan, EVP and Head of Strategy and Business Analysis for Consumer and Business Banking and me. Sally is an authentic leader — smart and compassionate.

There were several hundred women attending and several hundred more tuning in from remote locations, along with a handful of men. The conversation centered around my new book, In Her Power: Reclaiming Your Authentic Self.  We talked about honest communication — the importance of honest feedback, building a power web, accepting the discomfort of positive as well as negative change, etc.

It could have gone on an extra hour…

If you haven't already, why not give In Her Power a read? It's filled with inspirational stories and exercises that will help you identify limiting thoughts you may believe about yourself that keep you stuck.  My goal is to support you to step into your power more fully.

Fondly…Helene

You Can Meet Any Challenge You Face

If you come up against a challenge that seems insurmountable, know that you have what it takes to face it. Find this and more inspiration in our tweets, presented here in video form. Keep looking for them everyday on Twitter!

How Are You Celebrating International Women's Day?

Today is International Women's Day. We've found inspirational quotes from three amazing women around the world.

You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.
— Indira Gandhi, the third Prime Minister of India

It's a real focus on women as agents of change, women as leaders, and this is a really courageous group.
— Leymah Gbowee, Liberian peace activist responsible for leading a women's peace movement that brought an end to the Second Liberian Civil War

Don't follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you.
― Margaret Thatcher 

How are you celebrating? The Washington Post has suggestions of 10 ways, from the big — Defeat Sexual Harrassment — to the small — Wear Red Lipstick. Check it out here.

Click here for a story in the Christian Science Monitor about how countries around the world acknowledge this important day.

How To Slow Down, Relax and Still Get It All Done!

 

[image error]Sam, a regional operations manager is feeling the stress and pressure of his new responsbilities. He had plenty on his plate before his boss gave him even more to do but he wasn't exactly given the option to say no. Now, only two months into his new work load, he is wondering how he will handle it all.

I advised Sam to talk to his boss about priorities and his boss's reply was "Everything is a priority, I can't do anything about your work load. I'm sorry, but that's your problem." Ouch! I'm glad I'm not working for Sam's boss!

I also suggested to Sam he begin to delegate what he could and give his team members an opportunity to develop their leadership potential. Other than that, what can Sam do? 

What Sam can do is to slow down. However, when I suggested that, he told me I was crazy; yes, that was the word he used. He wasn't exactly happy with my suggestion, explaining that he could only work in lunch about once or twice a week. On a "normal" day, he would eat in his car on the way to another crisis. Sam wanted to know exactly when and how was he going to slow down.

What did I say to Sam? Of course, I empathized with him and agreed he had a real challenge and that he couldn't count on his boss coming to his aid. Then I told Sam that if he didn't slow down, his body would find a way at some point to make sure he did.

Next, I told Sam how he could slow down without suffering any dire consequences to his performance.

If you need to slow down but don't think that's possible, think again. I suggested that Sam take three times during the day and give himself the break he needed. Call it meditation, guided imagery, self-hypnosis, visualization or just "time to think," it doesn't matter; what matters is doing it.

Start out with two minutes, three times a day: morning, mid-day and end of the day or almost end of the day. Unless you are in a scenic spot where you can look at something in nature that makes you feel good, close your eyes and imagine being in a special place that relaxes and calms you. Give yourself two minutes  to feel calm, relaxed and peaceful.

Another thing you can do is to close your eyes and remember anything or any time in the past where you felt good, for whatever reason. Just sit there and feel good. The payoff will be enormous. Your body, mind and spirit will thank you.

Here is another way you can spend your "slowing down" time: make a mental list or a tangible list of what makes you happy or what prompts gratitude in your heart. End your two minutes with a simple statement of "Thank you!" 

If you need to slow down, it only takes two minutes, three times a day. Or once a day...you can do that; it's a beginning. We often think we have to make major changes to do major good. That's all or nothing thinking and it only creates more stress.

Think small, begin small and you will be amazed at what happens. 

Alan Allard, Career Coach/Leadership Coach/Speaker

http://www.alanallard.com

 

Three Ways To Get Ahead At Work

[image error] A client of mine was just promoted among two other internal candidates. When I asked her why she though she was promoted over her colleagues and what advice she had for others wanting to get ahead at work, here is what she said: 

 (1) "I love my work and it shows."

Jackie (not her real name) said she wakes up in the morning excited about getting to work. Can you say the same? If not, now is the time to identify what you are passionate about and what you have to do to find work that is aligned with your passion. Otherwise, you will be in the same place a year from now. 

(2) "I take responsibility for my own developmement."

Jackie told me she is always reading a book, working on a new certification or going to a conference. She takes the initiative in her career development and has even been willing to pay her own way to business and personal development seminars in the past eight years of her career.

Jackie told me, "One year I even took my vacation time to go to a conference, and while I wouldn't do that regularly, my boss never forgot that and it paid off."

(3) "I work more on my personal skills more than I work on my job skills."

Jackie knows that emotional intelligence is more important than technical skills. She said, "My technical skills got me the job but my people skills and my ability to connect with others and handle stress got me my promotion." 

When is the last time you read a book, took a webinar or listened to a podcast on how to be a better listener, how to influence others or how to thrive in the midst of stress? Do you have a self-development plan in place and are you following it?

There are always opportunities around the corner (or staring us right in the face) but the doors of opportunity don't open themselves; we have to open them. In terms of your career, Jackie has given us three ways to do that. The rest is up to us.

Alan Allard, Career Coach/Leadership Coach/Speaker

http://www.alanallard.com

Honoring the Great Women in History

For Women's History Month, we put together a video of inspiring quotes from famous women in history. It's important to think about not only how amazing these women were, but also how far we've come. Take a look.

Empowering Rural Women on Int'l Women's Day

The first National Woman's Day was observed in the United States on February 28, 1909. The Socialist Party of America designated the day in honor of the 1908 garment workers' strike in New York. In 1975, during International Women's Year, the United Nations began celebrating the day on March 8.

This year, the theme of International Women's Day is Empower Rural Women — End Hunger and Poverty. Rural women play a critical role in both developed and developing nations — they enhance agricultural and rural development, improve food security and can help reduce poverty levels in their communities. In some parts of the world, women represent 70 percent of the agricultural workforce, comprising 43 percent of agricultural workers worldwide.

Healthcare, education, gender inequality and limited access to credit, however, have posed a number of challenges for rural women. The global food and economic crisis and climate change have also aggravated the situation. It is estimated that 60 percent of chronically hungry people are women and girls.

So next Thursday, March 8, recognize the critical role and contribution of rural women in the world. Find an event to go to, if you can. More information here.