Shattering the Myth that Competition Propels the Best and Brightest to the Top
It is a commonly held belief in our culture that competition is good for our professional and personal development, our business growth and our economy. We believe that competition motivates people to work harder and the most talented individuals win out over those...
The Power of Pausing
If you are like me, you are tuned into what other people want and need, and that’s a good thing. That being said, it can also work against you in the workplace. How? Understanding what other people want and need can prompt you to immediately take action to help them...
Mentors Help Create A Sustainable Pipeline For Women In STEM
Women make up about half of the workforce in America, but they only represent 24% of the workforce in STEM fields. Why should we care? First and foremost, this statistic calls attention to an untapped potential; talent that we need in science, technology, engineering...
What If Thinking Sparks Creativity
Being innovative is a great way to differentiate ourselves in the workplace. Offering different solutions to problems and thinking outside the box sets us apart from those who simply show up and do their jobs every day. Yet we can’t force ourselves to be creative and...
When Do You Know It’s Time To Leave Your Job
Mary was out of Harvard Business School for ten years when she took an executive position in Brazil and moved her family there from Texas. She started the job with the best intentions and the highest expectations. She respected the values and mission of the company....
A Focus on Pleasing Your Boss Can Backfire
Linda secured a new position with a consulting company in Texas. From New York, she was an outsider from the onset, but she made it her intention to build a great relationship with her boss who had a reputation as being very difficult to get along with. No one else...
Revisiting the Nice Girl Syndrome
When Lois Frankel wrote Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office in 2004, she had hopes that her message would help generations of women position themselves for career advancement. She recognized then that women’s tendency to be nice and their desire to be liked by...
Are Assumptions About You Sabotaging Your Career?
I am currently writing a book, Anatomy of a Blindside: The Ambitious Woman's Essential Toolkit to Navigate Office Politics. As part of the research on the topic of women and office politics, I have conducted many interviews and these interviews offer valuable insights...
Lessons Learned from Shoveling Snow
I originally wrote this post last February and here we are again with three big snowstorms in one week. It seemed appropriate to repost this! Last week we got 24 inches of snow in Connecticut. My car was safe and out of harm’s way in the garage, but as I witnessed the...