More on this book
Kindle Notes & Highlights
Read between
August 6 - August 7, 2022
“Ask for what you want.” That’s the general advice the world gives people (specifically women) when it comes to succeeding in the corporate world, but that’s only half the advice you actually need.
If they can’t get the work done with you, they will get it done without you.
A flexible work arrangement is one in which you can deliver what the company needs without a standard work schedule.
Corporations are designed to take everything you give them and then ask for more.
Understanding what is important to the business and excelling in those areas is more critical than just showing up.
My friend, however, had a different plan. Before I could thank her and walk out, she said words I will never forget. “If you quit, they win. Make them fire you. Make them pay you to leave.”
never let an organizational change slip by without assessing how you can use it to your advantage.
had a job I liked, but he didn’t have a manager—remember, not every position of power in a negotiation is obvious.
A good leader will be able to quickly identify this, and, if they have the ability, will shift the work so that it matches what each member of the team likes (and is in line with their skill set),
Are you being asked to do things that drain your energy, and, as a result, you let them drag on as a form of avoidance or rebellion?
That’s the power of being intentional with your relationships. It isn’t about the amount of contact time, it’s about the quality of the interactions.
People don’t want to look for you, they want to see you.
I discovered that if people see you before lunch and after lunch, they assume that you have been there all day. They
I was unavailable, but, overall, there were very few days that I was entirely unavailable.
are you really ready to do your best work if you are still in your pajamas?
A scarf or pullover can hide your most comfortable t-shirt.
you get to build closer relationships with your coworkers because it is easier to bond with people we see.
You are no longer a disembodied voice or a little motionless icon. By turning
Instead, by leveraging that time to build connections with people, you will actually be making your working time more productive.
Don’t ask a question you don’t want to give an answer to yourself, and make sure that you are engaging with whoever decides to play along with you and volunteer information.
You want to make sure this is a part of the meeting, not the whole thing.
You must be able to deliver on your commitments regardless of your work location, and it is important that you can outline that plan to your leader.
have to eat anyway, I might as well use that mealtime as part of my workday.
Yes, I need status updates, but by letting my employees drive the agenda, the setting, and the cadence, they knew that they were important. When you make people feel safe, important, and
It is at that point in your career that you have the obligation to bring all the messiness that comes along with being you (in my case a working engineering mother) out into
You can either force your team to conform to your needs, or you can adjust your needs to accommodate each individual.
you get your work done (a measure of your productivity), but you also benefit from intentionally managing your presence (to support your brand).
The point is to start from a “yes” and then make sure plans are in place to ensure your team will still be able to deliver the necessary results even when confronted with occasional obstacles arising from this unique work arrangement.
When we focus on parents (specifically mothers), we can quickly lose sight of the fact that everyone, at any stage in their life, has unique needs.
Because I put it in front of them, they felt comfortable sharing stories about their wives, daughters, and sisters, and the struggles that they had encountered along the way.
Remember, the only way to understand and change workplace culture is to talk about it.
In life, as with puzzles, it is easy to compare the way that we do things with the way others do them, and to make assessments about which strategies are good and bad.
If you are a team leader, understanding that work is only one piece of each of your employees’ lives is also critically important.
