The Holiday Networking Survival Guide

The Holiday Networking Survival Guide The Holiday Networking Survival Guide Make the most of this festive season by networking your way through the holidays.‘Tis the season for  holiday parties, open houses, family get-togethers…and   networking !Whether you love it or loathe it, networking has become a key component in every professional’s career development and job-search strategy. It can help you establish your personal brand, uncover new job leads, and gain valuable insight into a prospective employer.The holidays are an especially great time to put your networking skills to work. Below are some of my favorite articles that cover all aspects of networking, from developing your elevator pitch to incorporating networking into your everyday life.Happy holiday networking!5 tips for networking successStart networking today to take your job search to the next level.How to network without beggingLeverage your professional network during a job search without begging for favors.  Networking anytime, anywhereIncorporate networking into your regular routine t o boost your career.How to pitch your value: Dissecting the elevator pitchDevelop a strong elevator pitch that highlights your key skill sets, passions, and job goals. Mastering the informational interview for your job search If you’re exploring new industries or career paths, incorporate informational interviews into your job-search strategy.Work your next networking eventBuild a strategy to maximize the benefits of every networking opportunity.Want to learn more? Click on the following link for additional information on networking.

10 Smart Moves to Make When Nothings Going Right in Your Life

10 Smart Moves to Make When Nothings Going Right in Your Life 10 Smart Moves to Make When Nothings Going Right in Your Life In the Army, I taught an introductory course on what to do if you became a prisoner of war. I’d start by saying that I hoped this would be the least relevant course the students ever took. That’s my hope here too- although the truth is, things fall apart in people’s lives all the time. Maybe it’s a relationship, a job, a business- something that makes up the bedrock you’re accustomed to standing on. Tuesday, it’s there; Wednesday it’s gone. Thursday, you still have to function. All of which leads us to today’s lesson. When things aren’t going right, how do you keep moving forward? Here are 10 ideas. 1. Nose Down, Do Your Job The top federal prosecutor in Manhattan is named Preet Bhrara (Disclosure: His brother is the CEO of my company). In a speech a couple of years ago, Preet suggested success involves emulating a line from the movie The Departed: Be the guy who does his job. When you don’t know what else to do, that’s a pretty good plan: Strive to be the Steady Eddie that everyone else can count on while you figure out your next step. 2. Look Out for Chances to Be Happy for Other People Admission time: I get pitched all the time by people who are younger than I am and who are making tons of money. Sometimes I can’t help but wonder: Why wasn’t I the one with an internet startup at age 14? OK, the strict answer to that is that when I was 14, internet access cost a dollar a minute. The broader point is that you’ll be happier and learn more if you make an effort simply to be happy for others’ successes- and maybe be willing to learn from them as well. 3. Make Connections for Others An old friend of mine from school is looking for work. It turned out, another friend of mine from a completely different social circle has a connection at a company that my school friend might be perfect for. Will it work out? I don’t know, but making the connection made me feel great. I think it’s important to take these kinds of steps without looking for any kind of quid pro quo. Personally, I can’t predict the future, but I think it’s unlikely I’ll ever be looking for another full-time job again, so that’s not my motivation here. But helping others in any way helps you take your mind off your own problems. 4. Say Thank You Chances are you see someone every day who has a thankless job- literally thankless, as in, nobody ever thanks him or her for doing what they do. Maybe it’s the doorman or the bus conductor. If you can’t think of someone who fits the bill, imagine a traffic cop giving parking tickets. Think about how much it means to that person on the rare occasion when someone actually says, thanks for what you do. Imagine how he’ll feel about you when you’re that person! 5. Prune Your Belongings I have the zeal of a convert on this one. If a physical thing- clothes, books, papers- doesn’t give you joy, the best thing to do is to give it away. 90% of Americans have 2,000% more stuff than they need- or even want. (Hat tip, obviously, to the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo) 6. Share Your Knowledge Nothing makes you feel better or more useful than simply sharing what you know with other people. Much like looking for the North Star when you’re lost, look for chances to teach others when you’re not sure what else to do with yourself. What do I know? Well, if you want to write a book, write an internet column with a million readers a month, or learn how to run a super-effective marketing campaign on Facebook, email me. (Also, I can teach someone to drive a stick shift and parallel park on a hill like nobody’s business.) 7. Visit Someone The scarcest commodity any of us has isn’t money; it’s time. That means sharing your time with others is also your greatest gift. The truth is there are people for whom that gift is more precious than you can ever imagine. We named my baby daughter after my wife’s 90-something grandmother, and one of the most joyous moments we’ve had was bringing her to meet her namesake in the nursing home. 8. Say “I’m Sorry” You don’t need to go through life guilt-ridden, but there are things we’ve all done to hurt others- intentional or not- that we never got around to apologizing for. Taking that step is always a positive move. I woke up recently remembering a class in junior high. We had to write stories each week, and I turned a classmate into a recurring character long after it was clear she was not comfortable with the attention. I don’t want to call her out here- even after all these years- but on the off chance she might read it, maybe she’ll remember. If so, I’m sorry! 9. Say “I Forgive You” Related to the last one, of course, we all have people we need to forgive. Maybe it’s a family member, or a colleague, a friend- or even someone who doesn’t know you well or even know what they did wrong. In my case, at that same school I was picked on by a group of bigger kids. Decades later, I’m not sure if they’d even remember, but I forgive them. (Caveat: That’s not the same thing as forgetting. You can forgive someone but still never trust them again.) 10. Show Up (A.k.a., Go to the Funeral) There are moments when other people need you there, and while I’m fortunate not to have had many occasions that fit the bill for this example, showing up at the funeral of someone’s loved ones is at the top of the list. My friend Griff taught me this lesson, when I went to his father’s wake a decade ago. To my mind- of course I would go. That’s what friends do, no matter what other ways their lives are tangled at the time. Still, to his credit, Griff has never forgotten, and I’m glad it demonstrated how much I valued our friendship. More From Inc. 5 Ways to Navigate When Stuff Goes Painfully Wrong Even the Worst Mistake Can Be Forgiven- If You Do This 10 Mistakes Smart People Never Make Twice Photo of man looking frustrated courtesy of Shutterstock.

One thing bosses can do to strengthen teamwork at the office

One thing bosses can do to strengthen teamwork at the office One thing bosses can do to strengthen teamwork at the office “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”That’s Orwellian logic you may know well if you’ve ever worked at a place where some people get all the perks, and others get all the work.The very American idea of the work family depends on maintaining the truth- or fiction - that everyone is treated equally in the workplace.I learned how quickly friends could become jealous enemies  at one of my previous jobs. When we  found out that a couple  of my co-workers were  able to work from home and  leave early while the rest of us had to deal with the horrors of subway riders and overnights, we seethed.The unfairness of it all kept nagging at me. Why did I have to be  a vampire who couldn’t  socialize or see the sun, while the favored ones kept getting  better  daytime hours? Why was I getting  squished between five subway riders with varying levels of hygiene, while other coworkers got to work from the comfort of their bed? What made those lucky few so sp ecial? What did they have that I didn’t?I never got a satisfying  answer and I’m sure it was a  cause that contributed to some of my co-workers leaving.Unsurprisingly, then, studies show there is one thing bosses can do to improve teamwork and morale: stop playing favorites.Favoritism: the boss’s worst habitThis is the toxic environment favoritism causes, and I’m glad a study has come along to back me up.A recently published  study in the Journal of Vocational Behavior  found that favoritism  increased loyalty and engagement for those who received it- but it was also the root of envy and a competition that tore apart teams.An example the researchers gave would be an employee thinking  that, “my status at works depends on my performance relative to others.”Researchers found that employees who witnessed their co-workers being favored felt especially jealous  when they weren’t the object of favoritism as well - but the envy was muted when their manager showed them favor t oo.The study also found a correlation between being being envied and ostracism. Feeling ignored and isolated at work led to the employees’ decisions to leave.For companies, the employee turnover that results from favoritism by managers is a big reason to stop the practice. Hiring new employees is one of the biggest uses of managers’ time.Younger employees notice favoritism moreYoung employees are quick judges of favoritism. Unsurprisingly, younger employees (like me) are especially sensitive to being denied opportunities that could further our careers. Called  â€œidiosyncratic deals,” these special work arrangements  could include company-sponsored training, exclusive lunches and happy hours, and customizable  hours and schedules.Those are the social and professional developmental resources younger employees crave, in part because they are signs of advancement and respect.Try making special  work arrangements less specialThese special work arrangements for favored employees a re only on the rise. They’re increasingly being used to retain and promote top talent. In a 2011 survey  of 303 senior business executives at U.S. companies, 84% said favoritism happens in their workplace.This latest study doesn’t mean that managers should stop making special arrangements  altogether in the modern workplace. Just don’t let it become so obvious that everyone else feels second-class.Even better, create an environment that’s as equal as possible. We should  follow the lesson of what the researchers concluded: employees  felt less envious when they believed  that the deals were  â€œnegotiable and available to everyone.”

What Makes a 21st Century Woman Executive - FlexJobs

What Makes a “21st Century Woman Executive” - FlexJobs What Makes a “21st Century Woman Executive” 34NewsOnWomen.com, which holds over 6000 women in its search engine, works for more women in management, more women on boards of directors, and more women interested in Math and Science. NewsonWomen.com has also been named one of the top 100 women blogs and it is the largest search engine of women achievers available on the internet.   A woman executive in the 21st century understands: How to Change with the Times Let’s start with Ginni Rometty, now CEO and Chairman of the Board of IBM, the traditional bastion of Corporate America. And what did Ginni do there? Ginni changed it! Earlier in her career when she was Senior Vice President of IBM Global Business Services, she successfully integrated PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting into IBM, forever changing the culture and the direction of Big Blue (do we all know that’s what they used to call IBM?). The acquisition of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting by IBM was the largest in professional services history! So, right off the bat we see that this 21st century executive knew IBM needed to change with the times. Ginni also realized that business is global. She pioneered IBMs expansion in the emerging economies, establishing IBM’s “Growth Markets” organization. Ginni recognized the need for change and for a global approach to business and as a leader was able to persuade her co-workers that her strategy was right, and time has proven it so. I wonder if anyone at Northwestern University recognized the greatness in this electrical engineering and computer science major when she was in school. Let‘s recap. The 21st century woman executive is aware of the need to change with the times, takes a global approach to business, and is a persuasive leader ready to implement the strategies she believes in. But what else is she? How to be a   Source of Help and Guidance to Other Women Amy Schulman is a good example of this. An innovative leader in healthcare, Amy is Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Pfizer, President of Pfizer Nutrition, Business Unit Lead for Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, and the Executive Sponsor of Pfizer’s Global Women’s Council. Amy has been repeatedly honored for paving the way to success for other women. She is passionate about helping women and finding creative ways to increase opportunities for them. “There are various things that derail women institutionally,“ said Amy. “Unconscious bias, gender fatigue. You get nearly to the top and then you don’t get a sponsor over the finish line. I want to ensure that doesn’t happen to people in my organization. ” Amy excels as a lawyer, and when her company was purchasing Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Amy played a key role negotiating what was the largest pharmaceutical acquisition in history. How to Demand Flexible Work Options Now we can add being innovative and a good negotiator to our list. Innovation is everything in the 21st century and  leads us to our next set of skills technology. The 21st century women leading the technology charge include Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo!, Susan Wocjicki, Senior Vice President of Product at Google, and Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook. What do these women have in common besides all the skills mentioned above? They are all mothers. And how do they manage? One way is to set family time.  Susan Wojcicki tells her team she will not answer emails from 6 to 9 pm. Sheryl Sandberg tries to always go home for dinner. Marissa Mayer took maternity leave almost immediately after starting a high visibility and extremely difficult job. All these women are telling the world women need time for their families, whether its flextime, or part time or dinner time, families need to come first during certain phases of a 21st century woman executive’s career. And technology allows it to be possible. How to Ask to Get She must be good at “The Ask. We all have good ideas, but if we don’t ask, we don’t get. A good example of “asking” is Christy Ferer, CEO and Founder of Vidicom. Christy had some great ideas about videos early on. She taped fashion shows, and made videos of what’s happening in her city. And she asked if people wanted them. Now she has a hugely successful business in Vidicom, which not only keeps you up on what’s happening with CityBuzz, but also helps brands reach their customers in new and exciting ways. All because she asked! Asking is one of the hardest things for some of us to do, but practice makes it easier, so take advantage of events and meetings and practice asking! The 21st century woman executive is, as we have seen, full of skill and tenacity innovative and tech savvy, flexible, able to change with the times, able to take a global approach to business, able to be a persuasive leader and implement strategies and, of course, good at “The Ask. While we all can’t be CEO of IBM or General Counsel of Pfizer or COO of Facebook, we can learn how to develop our abilities and learn how to be better at these skills which would most certainly help us make our way to the top.

Learning Ladders

Learning Ladders Learning Ladders Ladders’ philosophy is something we live and work by and can be expressed in various ways: Get professional support for your personal goals. Make technology and top resources meet your needs. Consider your real value and reach for it. So let’s see if you recognize any of these. Lifetime employment with one company is no longer a viable goal. A single company deciding your career development is no longer desirable. Adapting to a new vision of self-growth can be both intimidating and liberating. Ladders Philosophy RealitySo the question is: How do I manage the multiple disciplines required to succeed?And the answer to that is Ladders.Why?Because you work with teams to achieve your daily goals.And there’s a good reason for that. The time and ability needed to focus on various critical details of your career isn’t a spare-time thing.Ladders Philosophy ResultsBesides, you’re smart enough to know this is the information age.So how do you turn all that power in your own favor, while placing a dollar value on: Continuously developed talent. Hard-won skills. Your experience as a whole. And that’s why Ladders created a rarified space where businesses and their recruiters can focus on top talent.With a view to paying them top dollar.Therefore this is a targeted, market-based space that pays both ways. Recruiters focus on a database of top talent. Members showcase themselves and their achievements. Every time they come together that next step up moves closer. All while you focus on your day-to-day work. Great.And your Ladders’ lifestyle insurance works in the background, keeping you up-to-date and connected.With serious options being sent directly to your inbox.Because at Ladders, we work hard to make things easy.And our unbeaten growth in our industry backs that up.So are you ready to step up?We’re rooting for you.Ladders TeamLearning LaddersPopular member questions with actionable answers. One question at a time. One step at a time.How does “Recommended Jobs” work? Why should I add my online contacts to Ladders? How do I write a Resume that gives me an edge? Why should I upgrade to Premium Club membership? So how do I make simple updates and changes? How do I search and sort my jobs page for great results? What’s Scout all about? Should I be concerned? How do I make sure I get job matches I want? Why has Ladders become so successful? What is Ladders’ Profile for Professionals?

Want to transform company culture Start with diversity inclusion

Want to transform company culture Start with diversity inclusion Want to transform company culture Start with diversity inclusion A recent item on my ever-growing reading list was the Boston Consulting Group’s Gender Diversity Report. This research is chock-full of interesting nuggets, but here’s one of the most striking: 91% of surveyed companies had invested in gender diversity programs â€" yet only 27% of women said they had personally benefitted from those efforts.Time and time again, I’ve witnessed that leaders have the best of intentions. They extoll the virtues of diversity and inclusion (DI). They put together official DI programs. Yet somehow, they end up â€" as in the case of some of my clients â€" with senior management teams that still don’t have enough women, include only those who went to elite colleges or only have one person of color. You see where this is going.What gives?The building blocks of intentional cultureLet’s widen our view for a moment. Organizational culture, or “the way things are done around here,” is the everyday expression of your corporate values. Culture will eme rge no matter what you do, but you need to be intentional with it to reap positive results. Business leaders are taking notice with 87% of organizations citing culture and employee engagement as a top challenge to be urgently addressed, according to NACD.Follow Ladders on Flipboard!Follow Ladders’ magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and more!A healthy culture is no longer icing on the company cake, but a key differentiator in this tight job market. What’s more, many corporate scandals can be traced back to dysfunctional cultures. (Boeing and Netflix come to mind). We’re not talking about places that failed to host lunchtime yoga classes or install video game consoles in their break rooms.If culture is paramount and an expression of company values, it follows that no one wants to go on record as not supporting women, people of color, or other underrepresented segments of the workforce. That’s just one reason why if your gro up’s culture isn’t where you want it to be, diversity and inclusion programs are a worthy place to start.The case for DI is overwhelmingThis is not about political correctness. Your company’s long-term outlook depends on having employees from a variety of backgrounds. In fact, that BCG report states that companies whose management teams had above-average diversity boasted innovation revenue of 45 percent, compared to 26 percent for those with below-average leadership diversity.I mean diversity in all senses of the word: gender, age, race, religion, family structure, and so on. There are endless combinations to the human experience, and they all come with valuable perspectives.“Diversity and inclusion” are often used in the same breath, but those words aren’t interchangeable. You can hire a diverse group of people and throw them together in an office, but that doesn’t mean they will feel comfortable speaking their minds. Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusio n is being asked to dance.Over time being asked to “dance” breeds employee satisfaction and retention. When your teams feel valued and included, they’ll return the favor by being more engaged and productive.Four ways to foster DI right nowHow do you move the needle? Organizational culture is not one-size-fits-all, and therefore there is no one right plan for DI. But here are a few reliable places to start right now. Begin at the top: Culture takes shape at all levels of your company, but any major shift needs to begin with leadership. Demonstrate your authentic commitment to DI and others will follow suit. Employees will take particular note of any policies or actions that affect how they are rewarded on the job. Check your unconscious bias at the door: Perhaps you favor women because you are one yourself. Maybe you gravitate toward people who share your extroverted personality. Whatever they are, know your biases so you can detect and suppress them. Ideally, this will involve formal diversity and unconscious bias awareness training as a start. Listen up: Remember, you set the tone for your organization. Welcome others’ opinions and let them do the talking sometimes, no matter where they fall on the org chart. Don’t debate or pivot away how they feel or what they are expressing. Everyone on your team is there for a reason, right? Make sure they feel that way. Mix up your teams: It takes time for hiring practices to alter a company’s demographics. Meanwhile, there are plenty of ways to encourage diversity. Project assignments, seating arrangements, ice breakers, company-wide presentations are all chances to mix up your staff and encourage new connections. That moment when two people who have worked in the same building for years finally shake hands? When a young person of color sees a version of herself on the board of directors? When someone from IT swings by the corner office to share an idea?That’s when the magic happens.Shaara Roman is founder of The Silverene Group, a boutique management consulting firm that aligns people programs with business goals to help companies create dynamic workplaces. The Silverene Group works with leaders to eliminate toxic stressors in their workplaces, build engaging cultures, and design effective organizational structures to maximize the employee experience. Find Shaara on Twitter and LinkedIn. You might also enjoy… New neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happy Strangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds 10 lessons from Benjamin Franklin’s daily schedule that will double your productivity The worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs 10 habits of mentally strong people

8 Signs Your Boss Sees You as a Leader- The Muse

8 Signs Your Boss Sees You as a Leader- The Muse 8 Signs Your Boss Sees You as a Leader- The Muse It’s natural to wonder “What’s next?”- or, more accurately, when you’ll climb to the next rung on the ladder in your career. In an ideal world, your boss would just tell you whenever you’re making moves in the right direction. But it’s not an ideal world, and for a variety of reasons, a manager doesn’t always tell a direct report he or she is a rising leader. So, you may have to find other signs that your company believes in you and your potential for growth. Sure, being assigned a leadership coach or getting invited to attend a specialized program for management are obvious indicators. But there are other, more subtle signs that might be equally telling. 1. You’re Asked to Do Weird Jobs Every organization has a set of core tasks that people at different levels perform, but most companies also get one-off projects that they willingly do to satisfy a key customer or as an experiment in a new category. Being asked to work on something without a roadmap is often a vote of confidence. Keep in Mind If you’re asked to do a task that falls outside your job description, say “yes” and show you’re willing to take on additional projects. (Unless, of course, you don’t have the expertise, support, or bandwidth.) But if you can, and fitting it in will just be a little outside your comfort zone, see this as opportunity to show how you can stretch. 2. You Notice That People Come to You for Help There’s a big difference between being good at your job and good at helping others do their jobs- and a lot fewer people are good at the teaching and mentoring aspect. If people are coming to you, they either figured out you excel at something , or they were sent to you as a knowledgeable resource. Either way, it’s a good sign. Keep in Mind When people do ask for your assistance, don’t do the job for them- instead show them how you think about the task and help them find their own path to be successful. This approach demonstrates that you’re management material, someone capable of making good people great. 3. You’re Sent to Help Others This move is a frequent favorite among some managers. Let’s say your colleague is trying to untangle a complex mess and it looks like he won’t make a looming deadline. Your boss asks you to “help out,” which is really shorthand for “this person is struggling and I don’t have time, would you please make his problems go away?” Keep in Mind Again, don’t just roll up your sleeves and fix everything. Listen to your co-worker’s perspective and then report back to your supervisor with a constructive solution that gets the work done- and allows your colleague to keep his job. 4. You’re Invited to More Brainstorming Sessions Behind just about every successful initiative or program is a group of people who were invited to think about it before it began. Being invited means your manager values your opinion. Keep in Mind These aren’t problem-solving sessions, they are thinking sessions, so don’t assume your job is to know all the answers. In a thinking conversation, it’s more important to help zero in on the important questions than it is to have all the answers. 5. You Get More Direct, Critical, and Precise Feedback These comments says a lot. If you work in a feedback culture and have been flagged as a leader-in-training, expect people to be more attentive to how you work, not less. Keep in Mind You might find that some of your manager’s critiques feels too picky or hard to act on. Don’t worry (yet), just take it in and listen to it. This kind of conversation is almost always a gift, so receive it that way. Look for the kernel of truth that you can learn from and use. You don’t have to agree with everything you hear, but you do need to avoid getting defensive. Practice listening and saying “thanks.” 6. You Feel More Neglected I know, this is the polar opposite of being inundated with feedback, but you might experience both pretty close together. You’ll feel flooded with critical comments one week, then completely ignored for the next month. Sometimes, bosses want to see how proactive and self-starting their future leaders are. Those who need less care and feeding may have the edge over those who need constant reinforcement and direction to be productive. Keep in Mind If this situation sounds familiar, make a point to provide your manager with semi-frequent but very brief updates that convey the message “I’m doing fine, but I wanted to keep you in the loop on important projects and milestones I’m working toward.” 7. You’re Invited to Join a Team That Doesn’t Have a Boss Boss-less teams are more the norm today than ever before, but that’s because management has usually seen someone- or multiple people- on the team with strong leadership skills. So, they know that leadership will show up within the group when it’s needed. Keep in Mind Be the person who knows how to work well with others and who can act like a boss or a follower. Assume there are others in the group who are doing the same thing. 8. You See Shifts in Your Relationship With Management Your boss may be moving away from spending as much time with you because you’ve been slated for a promotion and are leaving her group, or her manager may be spending more time with you to get to know you before you are moved into a new role that’s closer to her. The shift means something. Keep in Mind You don’t necessarily need to know what’s happening, just roll with it and if you are confused, mention it as an observation that needs clarification- not a complaint. The best training comes from doing real work, in real life and real time. It’s difficult and potentially dangerous for your boss to say, “Hey, you are a leader-in-training” because of the expectation and pressure it sets-up. But if you are being noticed for your managerial skills, there will be signs: All you have to do is notice them.