Take it or leave it...

For christians like me, 8 is the number for "New Beginnings." So I decided the look for & share advice from other successful women like - you & I are or will become. One thing I continually say about advice is that:

Advice is just that: Advice - a recommendation not a command
so you can take it (& live it) or leave it...

  

I'll share 8 lovely (in my opinion) pieces of career & life advice in total - starting with 4 today...you can read them and live by them or leave them...it's up to you.

Anne Lynam Goddard*

President and CEO of ChildFund International, a global child development organization dedicated to helping children in poverty thrive and bring positive change to their communities

What advice would you give women who are considering a new career?

Learn as much as you can about your chosen field from every perspective. Take on jobs or responsibilities that you're not crazy about so you can learn. The more well-rounded you are in your field, the more effective you will be at work and the more attractive you will be to prospective employers. Also, as an employer and leader, I am most interested in the results people produce rather than whether they're working long hours.

What's the most important thing to remember when it comes to your personal life?
It's more important than your job! My relationships with my family are more valuable and long-lasting than any career. It's loving others and being loved in return that gives real purpose and satisfaction in life. Marry someone with the same values as you––it will make critical decisions that you need to make together so much easier.

How did you overcome your biggest career hurdle?
I once got a new boss whom I perceived had a not-so-positive impression of me that was hindering my career. So I asked him to be my mentor; he agreed and we met on a regular basis for three months. Through our discussions he got to know me much better, and when a promotional opportunity came up, he was my biggest advocate and I got the job.

Sharonda L. Britton**

Director of Marketing, Multicultural, African American and Asian, Walmart

“My best advice for women in business would be to always envision where you want to go and once you set the vision, make sure you that you find people who support that vision either who are already where you want to be, or can help you to get there.  Continue to track toward that goal and surround yourself with mentors and great leaders that will ultimately help you with your goals.”

Jan Marini*
President and CEO of skincare company Jan Marini Skin Research, Inc.

What advice would you give to women who want to follow in your footsteps?
The only way that anything is ever accomplished or fully realized is by taking action. You can discuss an idea, endlessly plan and try to predetermine whether or not you will be successful, but, while it is essential to have an overall vision, focus and tenacity, reaching your goal ultimately hinges on jumping in and relentlessly moving forward.

What's the best way to stay focused at work?
Always compete with yourself, not the competition. If you’re constantly using other people as the yardstick to measure your success, you’re not putting your energy and passion where it belongs. You’re the only person who can determine how successful you will be.

How can you have a successful personal life?
Give it the respect you give to your business. If you want to be successful and joyful in your personal relationships, communicate, generously give recognition, inspire, motivate and love fiercely and with all your heart. When I am working, I am intensely focused and in the moment. When I am with my husband, I am just as intensely focused on him and enriching our relationship.

Audra Lowe***

TV Host

"Two pieces of advice ring true to me - remember that failure is a comma, not a period, and always make sure you take advice from someone who's going in the same direction you want to go in."

EW:
Now those are also great pieces of advice to remember when choosing mentors - which we'll talk about soon... 

More advice to come...

Sources

* Career Tips - Successful Women Give Career Advice at WomansDay.com - Woman's Day

** http://rollingout.com/business/executive-suite/top-black-female-executives-share-best-career-advice/2/

*** http://www.shape.com/lifestyle/best-career-advice-ive-ever-received?page=6

Be an EL

There is so much we can learn from the attributes and attitudes of many creatures both scripturally and physically - 2 of my favourite are the eagle & lion. Here are some quotes that sink deep and ring true for me:

BEE

From time to time when I take a "back seat" and perform a self-appraisal, I describe myself as a BEE*

...ever busy, ever buzzing.

(I searched for pictures and liked this the best.)

Can you...

...lean in confidently and comfortably?

I recently bought this book more out of curiousity than interest...I'm looking forward to reading it over summer. 

It's interesting how dots get connected. I was just thinking about my last post: "The essence of dress-sense is ABC:  http://empowered-women-excel.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-essence.html

Taking the book's title literally, it occurred to me that: When you are properly, not sparsely, dressed, you can "lean in" during meetings/conversations and your brains, not your body, will be on display...to your benefit.

Now I'm curious to see if the book has anything to say about dress-sense...hmmm.

The essence...

of dress-sense is

The Power of Attitude - Eagle Story

The nest of young eagles hung on every word as the Master Eagle described his exploits. This was an important day for the eaglets. They were preparing for their first solo flight from the nest. It was the confidence builder many of them needed to fulfill their destiny.

Nine nuggets (3)

The last set of the 9 nuggets are:

Make your own career

If a position you want doesn't exist, create it. Similarly, if you don't have the mentors and sponsors helping you get to the next opportunity, get there yourself.

Carolyn Buck Luce, 59, learned this firsthand when she joined Ernst & Young as a partner in the corporate finance and restructuring group in 1991.

"The common theme is being willing to take a risk and understand the strategic direction of the company," she advises.

Leave to get ahead

Sometimes you can fast track your career by walking out the door. This can be scary and also risky but if you pray about it you will know when God says “Go forward!”

"It's definitely stepping outside the box, but there's something about paving your own way," she said.

Focussing on 4 of these rules that resonated for her, Lisa Quast said: "The key in leaving to get ahead is to always refer back to rule number one; that no matter where you work, you must do excellent work that produces outstanding results."*

Dress well and play golf

The old adage "dress for success" still holds true. "Men of a certain caliber have bespoke suits. Women tend not to be as conscious that dress is part of their professional brand," says Rand Kaspi of LawScope Coaching. You don't need a bespoke suit, but you do need to avoid walking around in flats and khakis with a sweater set. In Lisa Quast's words: "What you wear creates an image or perception of the type of person you are, so choosing the right attire and acting the part is critical. As the old saying goes, “perception is reality” and women wanting to reach executive-level positions need to think about and consciously determine the type of image they want to project at work by choosing appropriate clothing, hair style, and make-up."* Obviously this dressing thing  which I have talked about before,** is fundamental and a key to success – need I say anymore.

Once you dress the part, act the part with both clients and superiors. ...you'll need to delve into hobbies you may not have considered. While I don’t have any plans of learning how to play golf (yet) I understand where this is going.

If all this talk of hobbies is making you think of the one sport through which deals are made, you are correct: You need to learn how to play golf. You don't have to be good, but you have to be competent enough to be invited for quality bonding time. Like I said, at this time, I don't have any plans to learn how to golf - considering that I'm working on learning how to rollerblade for quality bonding time with my children, the point for me is, there must be more about your life than just work. We need to be more social within our own boundaries.

I'd like to wrap this up with Lisa Quast's words: "No matter what the other rules are, never forget the number one rule that must be followed to get ahead is to do excellent work that produces outstanding results." We should work hard - "the only place where "work" comes before "success" is in the dictionary."***

Source:

*Nine Rules Women Must Follow to Get Ahead by Julie Steinberg: http://online.wsj.com/article/SBB0001424052702304723304577365812402273808.html?mod=wsj_share_in_bot

References:
*http://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2012/06/11/rules-for-women-to-climb-the-career-ladder/

**http://empowered-women-excel.blogspot.ca/2012/03/essence-of-dress-sense.html
http://empowered-women-excel.blogspot.ca/2012/03/dress-sense.html
http://empowered-women-excel.blogspot.com/2012/09/next-size-please.html:

***Vince Lombardi