Learn to communicate with confidence and get the respect you deserve in business meetings, with your boss and colleagues. Watch the above video and learn the 3 easy steps to ensure that your voice is heard.
Looking at your current situation differently can help you love your job even when you hate it.
Once a client of mine was in a tough situation. She was frustrated because her team had failed to embrace her and she felt like an outsider. When she started to withdraw from them as well, her boss blamed her for not being a team player.
She was also frustrated because her full potential wasn’t being utilized and her boss started leaving her off important projects. After missing out on developmental opportunities, it didn’t take her long to decide that it was time to leave. She desperately wanted off the team and her negative feelings were starting to show.
Knowing that her reputation was important and she didn’t want to blow it, she came to me for advice. My advice, after helping to assess the pros and cons of her situation, was to plan a perfect exit strategy.
The Exit Strategy Goal: Exit with an abundance of transitional skills, information, and knowledge.
If you are miserable or looking for something new, part of your exit strategy should be to gain as much as you can from your current position before moving on.
The following 5 steps could help you plan for your next move: (before implementing these steps, be sure to assess the pros and cons of your situation. If there are more pros than cons, you may want to stick it out and change your perspective).
| Step 1. | Determine where you want to go next. Every strategy starts with a goal. |
| Step 2. | Outline what skills, experience, knowledge, networks, materials, etc. you will need to be competitive for the next position. |
| Step 3. | Identify what skills etc., you may be able to obtain from your current position and map out a plan to get them before you depart. If you plan on starting a business, try to determine what skills you will need to launch that passion and see if you could get them from your current job. Don’t forget about about the relationships and mentors that may help you prepare as well. |
| Step 4. | Plan how to maintain or repair your relationship with your current boss. Your boss is critical for a future reference, your reputation and credibility. |
| Step 5. | Start a portfolio, making copies of your accomplishments, reports, products, photos, articles, etc. |
I find that when women implement a planned strategy, they feel confident and empowered. Knowing they are gaining from their current experience brings a new positive perspective on their situation; making it easier to stick it out.
Clients whom have tried this approach often find that they have taken for granted the positive things their current position offers. Benefits such as a steady paycheck, flexibility, health benefits, resources, access to information, exposure to networks, etc. are often underutilized. Most were planning on leaving their employer without taking advantage of these benefits.
Learning to love the job you have until you move on, could help to make an unbearable situation, bearable. If you are leaving anyway, you may as well make the most of it. Who knows, you may find out that your situation is better than you thought.
Invite Jocelyn to your group for career guidance, strategies and engaging dialog. Click here to learn more.“I had a good time on Saturday. I look forward to future seminars that encourage me to grow beyond my comfort zone.” -J. Sharp
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© Jocelyn Giangrande and The Confident Woman, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jocelyn Giangrande and Sisters Keeping it Real with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Is Your Hard work Paying Off?
Many women believe that their hard work will get them to where they want to go. Therefore, many of us are working our butts off. Yet, we are not getting anywhere. Why?
Answer: Many of us fall victim to the myth of hard work.
Your hard work means nothing if no one knows how well you are doing, what your accomplishments are and how successful you have been. I often tell my clients that;
“there is nothing worse than being successful and no one knows about it.”
Although we work hard, most of our superiors, networks and business contacts don’t have a clue of how successful we are. We have not told them about our work. Your hard work will not pay off until you let people know what it is you are accomplishing.
If you are successful at your job, there are many ways to let others know. Here are three steps to help you do just that:
1. Take credit for your success:
Many of us down play our accomplishments when someone pays us a compliment. You would be surprised how many times I have heard a woman say, “it was nothing”, or “it wasn’t all me, it was my team”, or “it’s no big deal,” when someone complimented their achievement. If you don’t think it is a big deal, no one else will either. Learning to say “Thank You” sounds easy, but is difficult for most. When you have a success, learn how to take credit for it by saying “thank you”. Try it for a week and let me know what you find.
2. Make yourself and your hard work known.
I bet you are accomplishing many things but the world doesn’t know. You don’t have to scream from the rooftop, but you should come close to it. At a minimum, provide simple project updates that can be presented to your supervisor, department leaders or peers. This is a great way to let others know what you are accomplishing. Just got a promotion, ask your PR department to write a release for you or at least put it in the company newsletter. Have a best practice, ask to have a write-up in the company newsletter about your new process. This will get you recognition within your organization.
3. Ask for feedback.
If you are a bit modest, this may work for you. When you are working on an important project, ask for feedback from others in your network, from mentors or potential clients. This is an indirect way to let them know what you are doing and the complexity and level of expertise you have. People like to be asked for their input. However by doing so, you are also letting them know more about your work.
Don’t fall victim to the myth of hard work. Remember, it means nothing if no one knows about it. Get out and tell them what you are working with!
Never negotiate until you know your worth
Diane S., a seasoned accountant, accepted a job with a large company without doing any pay research. When they made her an offer, she was so excited, researching the salary never entered her mind.
After a conservative counter, she accepted the job.
Two months in, one of the interviewers told her that they were willing to go above the salary max due to her experience. In fact, they were surprised when she didn’t ask for more. It was then she realized, she had “sold herself cheap”.
Have you heard of this story before? The fact that women still earn only $.77 for every dollar a male earns tells me the we are not only underpaid, we are not equipped to negotiate effectively. Our inexperience in negotiations plays a role in this discrepancy.
When it comes to talking money, many women feel inadequate, unprepared and uncomfortable. Knowing how, when or what to ask for is critical if you seek to get paid what you are worth.
To prevent selling yourself cheap, consider taking the following recommended steps:
Step 1. Research the company and industry. Find out the common pay practices for someone with your education, experience and expertise for the company in which you are interviewing. This will help you understand the best way to negotiate and what other types of compensation you may be entitled. There are many horror stories where women have missed out on perks because they didn’t know that they were available.
Step 2. Know what you want. Don’t go into negotiations until you determine what you are willing to take. Write out your minimum salary, your ideal salary and your dream salary ( for me this would be at least 2x my ideal). Knowing this in advance will help you know when you are being paid according to your worth or to jump for joy when you get your dream offer.
Step 3. Know what you are worth based on your qualifications, skills and experience and what the company/industry pays for your credentials. Each company or industry pays differently, so don’t generalize. Look into your network for individuals whom may know more about pay practices and salary ranges for someone with your experience and qualifications.
Step 4. Don’t allow the employer to base your new salary on your past or previous position. This is a common practice not just for employers but for us as well. Your past should not have any bearing on your future role. The new role will require a new set of competencies, scope and expectations and you should be paid for it.
Step 5. Ask for it. Most employers expect to negotiate salaries. Therefore, many leave room for 5-15% above the offer. If they can’t give you straight salary, ask for other perks like time off, car allowance, flexible scheduling, relocation, etc. So, don’t be bashful, ask for it and you may get it.
Don’t sell yourself cheap. Do your homework, know your worth and get paid.
Check out these resources for researching salaries and compensation
How Are You Doing "It"?
When was the last time you took a moment to acknowledge all that you do? If it has been awhile, I bet you feel drained, unappreciated or overwhelmed.
So many of us are doing “it” everyday. Whether your “it” is balancing work/life, single-parenting, going to school, taking care of parents or going through tough times, we are all doing “it”.
Most of us don’t give ourselves credit for getting “it” done. So what is your “it” and how are “you doing it?” I am interested in hearing how you get your “it” done.
How I Get My “It” Done
Right now, my “it” is holding down a full-time job while pursuing my passion of helping women advance their careers or business. Many people ask how I do “it”. Here’s how …
1. Set realistic expectations. There are only so many hours in a day, so prioritizing my work is critical. I always get my full-time job done first. Then, I work on my passion when I can.
2. Schedule time for things that refuel me. Spending time with my family and having “me” time is rejuvenating. Therefore, I carve out designated time and work around it. This keeps me happy, healthy and fresh.
3. Have fun. I allow myself to have fun. I decided not to stress about anything. If things don’t go as planned, I use it as a learning opportunity. I just keep plugging along, doing my best at what I enjoy.
I know you are getting it done too.
So, how do you do “it”?
Exercise:
Take a minute to write out how you get “it” done in the comments below. Not only will you feel appreciated, you will be amazed at what you do to get “it” all done.
This is an exercise I do frequently. It helps me acknowledge how much I am doing instead of dwelling on what I am not. Once I see my list of accomplishments, I feel proud.
Try it by writing how you get “it” done in the comments. The added bonus: you may help other women do the same!
Let’s take time to pat ourselves on the back for getting “it” done. It has been too long. Be proud and share with the world how you do “it” !
© Jocelyn Giangrande and SASHE,LLC, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jocelyn Giangrande and SASHE,LLC with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
It is possible to polish a tarnished reputation
Restoring a reputation.
After my last post, What Names Are You Called?; How What You Don’t Know, Can Hurt, many readers wrote asking how I restored my reputation after earning the name “too nice”.
Therefore, I decide to focus this post on the three steps I took to restore my name.
Step. 1 Decide what reputation you want.
Step 1. Determine what reputation you want and design a plan to obtain it.
Once I discovered that my reputation was in need of repair, I took time to think through what reputation I really wanted. Knowing that I may only get one more chance, ensuring that I was building the right rep was important.
Therefore, my goal was to build a reputation as someone with great leadership, influence and strength. Once I had my goal established I was ready to implement step 2.
Step 2. Seek opportunities to demonstrate the reputation you are seeking.
Step 2. Seek an opportunity to let you demonstrate the reputation you are seeking.
I searched long and hard for the right opportunity that would let me demonstrate my goal of leadership, influence and strength. Knowing that my boss was the keeper of my reputation (as all bosses are), I decided to target projects that would make her life easier and look great. In doing so, I knew I could stand a chance of restoring my reputation.
Then one day, the right project presented itself. My boss had a real problem on her hands. One of her departments had failed the quality assurance inspection for the 3 rd time and she had 90 days to turn it around. This department was known for major challenges like poor performance, many employee issues and complex problems.
I knew that if I could turn the department around, and demonstrate that I could handle the challenges, I would be golden in the eyes of my boss. Therefore, I persuaded my boss into letting me take a stab at leading the area. Reluctantly, she agreed.
In 90 days, the department went from the lowest quality scoring in the region, to the most improved. We passed inspection for the first time in 3 years. Of course my boss was thrilled.
Step 3. Promote your successes.
Step 3. Promote your success loudly
The last step I took was the most important. I made sure everyone in the company and my network knew about my success. Therefore, I asked my boss to endorse my application for the “Presidents Award”, a company-wide recognition for service excellence (which I won). I also submitted the new processes we put into place to the company “Best Practices” newsletter. I even got our PR department to put my name in my college alumni newspaper as well.
Soon, I was known as the “turnaround leader” as coined by our regional Vice President and was asked to join a task force team to help other areas with the same issues.
Those were the 3 steps that helped me restore my name and career. Now, I make sure that I know the names I am called and if the wrong name appears, I know what to do.
Have you ever had to restore your reputation? What steps did you take?
© Jocelyn Giangrande and SASHE,LLC, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jocelyn Giangrande and SASHE,LLC with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
What Names Are You Called?
I grew up believing that names would never hurt you, until I entered the world of business.
Names are everything in the world of business. Decisions involving jobs, promotions, demotions, salaries, perks, etc. are made based on names. So what names are people calling you?
Are you called a people-person or a “B” on wheels, a friend or backstabber, a pushover or ultra powerful, innovative or stuck in your ways, frumpy or professional? If you don’t know, you could be in for a rude awakening.
Years ago I learned that I had been named ”too nice”. I was appalled as I always saw my “niceness” (strong interpersonal skills is what I called it) as an asset that set me apart from others. Little did I know, this name would hurt my career.
Although I was “well- liked, “talented and smart”, based on a “name”, higher-ups were afraid to put me in situations where they thought I may get eaten alive. Therefore, I was not selected for specific promotional opportunities.
No matter how talented you are, it is the names that determine how far you will go.
Why is it important for women to know what names we’re called?
Names seem to stick to us like glue in the workplace and especially if you are a leader. Maybe it’s because we are in the minority in leadership and with fewer numbers, our mistakes or mishaps are never forgotten. Our professional reputations are extremely fragile and we have to handle them with care.
So, how do you find out what names you are called? Simple…You ask.
One day, that ‘s exactly what I did. During a routine supervision meeting with my boss at the time, instead of the usually babble, I asked her frankly why I had hit a career road block. She told me straight; everyone liked me, but I was “too nice” for certain positions that may require you to be tough.
Just like that I had the answer. All the time, I thought it was because I didn’t have the right experience, or credentials. I never thought it had to do with being called “too nice”.
How I became Ms. ”Too Nice”?
To my surprise, my name came from a single incident, when a “B” on wheels (that was her name) challenged me during a presentation. I was so caught off -guard by her rude approach, that I allowed myself to get off -track .
After the meeting, I forgave myself for the stumble and thought that my track record would protect me. That’s where I went wrong.
Big Lesson #1 Reputations are fragile
You can spend years building a strong reputation and it can be shattered by one incident. You and your actions are under constant scrutiny. People are making judgments about you with every encounter and forming new opinions everyday.
People talk and spread names throughout organizations. Therefore, you have to realize that it’s “show time” everyday and you must come with your “A” game.
Now, everyone makes mistakes. However, never let one go without putting forth effort to recover your reputation. If I had not been so self-absorbed after my mishap, I would have realized that I was being judged on how I handled the situation. I did not come prepared for the unexpected.
Big Lesson #2 Be open to feedback and accept what you hear.
It is not easy to hear negative things about yourself. But if you never hear the bad things, you can’t fix them. So when you ask for feedback, stress that you want honest feedback. And then, take it like a woman. Although appalled, knowing “my name”, empowered me to save my reputation. And that’s what I did.
My then boss, did me a big favor. She gave me good, honest , feedback that helped propel me forward. If you don’t feel comfortable approaching your boss, consider peers, mentors and friends as information sources. Sometimes your saboteurs can be a great wealth of information. Most will find joy in telling you what names you have.
In Closing
Every women needs to know her “names” to get a head in business. So, do you know yours? Take our poll and tell us your experience.
Special Note: Although many of you send me emails, please share information, comments and experience here so others can learn as well. We fail each other by not taking the time to share, support and engage with other women. Please contribute and let’s grow together. Thanks
Take care,
Jocelyn
© Jocelyn Giangrande and SASHE,LLC, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jocelyn Giangrande and SASHE,LLC with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
