Even when I left Corporate America, I didn't leave. For at least a few years I think I was still caught in the corporate culture trance as I contracted in semi-permanent positions. It was lucrative and fun, but I didn't really experience the freedom of the outside until later. Freedom can be...
I’ve recently chatted with some women that left a “women’s business networking group” frustrated that no one wanted to talk about business issues. Are we getting good at networking, but not using it to build our business and mentoring skills? What I’m wondering is whether many women are missing an opportunity to really mentor each other on the business of business. Are we giving each other a leg up or are we just empathizing and listening sympathetically?
Sometimes we run into people in positions of power who just seem incapable of getting their ego out of the way. Regardless of how “successful” they appear on the outside – and how many rewards they receive for it – it’s a drudge to work for them and the company suffers the inefficiency of a demotivated workforce. Most organizations – especially large ones – that I’ve worked for tend to treat these ego-leaders as a cost of doing business.
What they don’t seem to realize is that by tolerating a toxic boss they are failing to realize productivity and innovation while sending the message to the entire employee base that, “we know this person abuses their position but we care more about them and their results than we care about you and all the productivity we could get out of you if we and the ego-boss respected you.”
Although I don’t think it happens often enough, it does happen that the egomaniac sees the errors of their ways and switches perspective to become the servant leader.
Are you afraid of failure or making mistakes? Where do you think the deepest wisdom comes from? Look to the wisest leaders and know the advice they pass on was earned the hard way and from mentors who cared. Learn from it and develop your own wisdom to pass on to those you work with. Read General Powell’s advice reflectively, pat yourself on the back for the things you’ve internalized and promise your future self to improve where you are still growing into his wisdom. My favorites are #4 and #12. What are yours?
Make your YES mean more by saying NO more often. Saying “No” is hard because we don’t just say the word, we burden it with other – unsaid – baggage on both the sayer’s and receiver’s part. But it doesn’t have to be that way and powerful leaders know how to use the Art of No in ways that leave the listener feeling useful, appreciated and inspired. Learn to practice the Art of No. Your team will thank you for it.
Let’s start with the notion that you are priceless. Next we’ll accept the fact that there are limited resources in any particular situation. One thing my remunatory negotiating experience has taught me was that when it was the right job or project, money has never been the issue. The data tells us that women still make less than men and so I believe that’s true on a statistical and social scale. However, research also tells us that ambiguity is often the culprit, and ambiguity is something we as individuals can deal with. This is a perfect opportunity to turn an unempowering situation – negotiating salary or project fees – into an InPower situation. As an employer you need to make sure you’re InPower also…
When did we give up trying to change the world? When did our dreams of making more people's lives better go to sleep within us? When did we stop believing that we could "beat The System"? When did we allow the jerks and tyrants to run the world simply because we offered no alternative? These...
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