Career Women Coaching

Turn Your Passion into a Profession

Before you take the chance to make a career change, to quit something you don't like in order to pursue something you love, you need to find yourself.

Not only is it critical to know where you are before you jump, you must also know who you are.  The question at hand is one of identity.

Why is this issue so important?  Because your identity lies at the core of who you believe you are and what you think you're capable of.  It's the truth that generates your self-confidence, and it's inextricably linked to your dream.  It goes something like this: Who You Are > What You Want > How to Get It. 

Who you are --- or, more specifically, who you think you are --- affects everything else in your life. 

Who are you?

It's a simple question, weighing in at just three words.  It's probably one of the most basic questions in the entire world.  But it's also a question that is a lot harder than it seems.  And only you can answer it.  You can't outsource this identity thing.

First, What Makes You Unique?  This is an easy place to start since it can be a little more concrete.  Think about your experiences, your quirks, your unconscious habits, or even physical traits.  Our personalities are shaped by genetics and life experiences.

Second, What Do You Love?  What makes you happy or gets you excited?  What can't you stop talking about?  What thoughts do you keep coming back to?  What warms you up inside?

Third, What Are You Good At?  It's important to recognize when you feel strong and when you don't.  Whether you want to believe it, you have certain skills, talents, and gifts that set you apart.  Our "life signature" is the tracing of the talents we are given and how we express them in our lives.

Fourth, What Do You Believe? Our assumptions and beliefs drive our behavior.  What we believe we can achieve, we achieve.  Yet, when we believe we are not good enough to achieve something, we don't.  Only you know what's important in achieving your vision of success.  However, we all seek shared outcomes to provide a foundation for where we want to be. 

In the business world, we don't speak much about the heart. Yet, since all businesses are ultimately people serving people, our life's work should come from the heart.  Long after your products or services have been delivered, the feelings and knowledge shared during the business relationship remain.

JUMP SHIP by author Josh Shipp is a step-by-step handbook that guides you through one of life's most difficult changes.  Leaving behind an unsatisfying job and embarking upon a new career can open up a world of fulfillment, but it isn't easy.

Sources:  Josh Shipp: Jump Ship: Ditch Your Dead-End Job and Turn Your Passion into a Profession

 

  Women, Know Thyself: The most important knowledge is self-knowledge.

 

 When Doing It All Won't Do: A Self-Coaching Guide for Career Women

 

What Men and Women Wear Matters

Do women actually judge you on a first date based on the pants that you wear to the bar or the restaurant? 

To answer this question, Barley & Britches (and their Everyday Chinos) conducted a survey representative of 1,300 respondents.

Some interesting findings on men and their "first date pants" include:

* If you want women to think you're rich, responsible and a perfect long term partner, wear khaki colored pants.
* If you want to seem like a wild, adventurous, offbeat, or creative date, wear colorful pants like dark red or bright blue - but you also run the risk of being seen like just a hookup.
* If you want ladies to think you like the finer things in life, wear dark but still colorful pants - such as dark purple.
* Wearing green pants will communicate that you're a world traveler - but that you also may live with your parents.

Which raises the question, "How are career women perceived by what they wear at work?"

 

“The women are thinking fashion, but the men are thinking team ... to many men, work clothing is nothing less than a team uniform.”  Pat Heim, “Hardball for Women”  

 

If you are serious about being promoted … then take heed. 

 

There is one problem that career women face that often goes unaddressed.  It is what it means to be wearing the right clothes. 

 

A woman’s wardrobe is an essential component of her presentation. It is as important as her handshake, her eye contact and her attitude. 

 

The faux pas many women make is that they believe their wardrobe is a reflection of who they are. They are attempting to project their distinctiveness and their individuality. Others prefer to wear what is comfortable thinking that this is appropriate since they’ve noticed others in the office also dress this way.  And then there are those who want to be known for their style and creativity. They want to stand out from the crowd.

 

All these women, instead of sending the right message they are signaling to those above that they are not a team player, that they are not ready for promotion. 

 

The mistake is that they don’t view the clothes they wear to work as their corporate uniform. 

 

If you’re like most women, this is eye opening. Don’t lose the point that the real purpose of “the uniform” isn’t for erasing your identity; its purpose reflects the symbolism that “you’re part of the team.”  It creates a visual representation of a common goal and a shared purpose. 

 

In the corporate world, the business suit is still viewed as the uniform.  This means that, when its leaders are representing the firm, others are not distracted by what they wear but rather the intent is to keep them focused on the message.

 

 

  Decoding the Executive Woman's Dress Code (FREE)

 

 When Doing It All Won't Do: A Self-Coaching Guide for Career Women

 

 

Women Working Today

Women have recovered all the jobs they lost during the recession. Men have not.

A record 67.5 million women are working today, up from the prior peak of 67.4 million in early 2008, according to the Labor Department's latest tally of payrolls that captured the full rebound for the first time. By comparison, 69 million men currently have jobs, below their high of 70.9 million in June 2007.

 The primary reason for the labor-market milestone: Women tend to hold jobs in health, education, hospitality and retail, all sectors that have weathered the economic turmoil of recent years comparatively well.

Male-dominated sectors like construction and manufacturing suffered the brunt of the recession, and men lost more than six million jobs in the recession and its aftermath. Women lost 2.7 million jobs.

About 56.9% of American women are either working or looking for work, versus 69.2% of men.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, November 18, 2013

 John Agno: When Doing It All Won't Do: A Self-Coaching Guide for Career Women

 

What can happen when Working Moms face Burnout?

We are expected to accomplish a great deal in today's 24/7 world. 

Multitasking has become a byword for success these days. We scan the Internet while talking on the phone, then get interrupted by call-waiting. We make cell phone calls to schedule appointments when caught in traffic.  We text message friends while standing in line at the bank. While waiting for dinner to cook, we help kids with their math and jot down a list of things to do the next day. The myth that multitasking works has never been stronger.

Managing two mental tasks at once reduces the brainpower available for either task, according to a study published in the journal NeuroImage. Up to 30 percent of U.S. automobile crashes are caused by driver distractions involving mobile communication devices. 

 

Understand that you can choose to do several things at the same time, but know that you are kidding yourself if you think you can do them without cost. People who multitask are actually less efficient than those who focus on one project at a time, according to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.  There is also the possibility that others above you will view your behavior as easily distractible and inconsistent.

What is burnout?

Burnout is a familiar term these days: it's the physical or emotional exhaustion that results from long-term stress or frustration. Chronic fatigue is a major symptom of burnout: one feels physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted. Behaviorally, the burnout worker becomes cynical, indifferent and increasingly ineffective in the job.

According to Herbert J. Freudenberger, the New York psychologist who coined the term in 1972, burnout describes a specific condition. It is an emotional state characterized by an overwhelming and enduring feeling of exhaustion or aggravation. Burnout is a condition that develops gradually as the person's creativity and effectiveness erode into fatigue, skepticism and an inability to function productively. 

Burnout is costly to both the individual and the organization

For the individual, burnout can lead to poor decision-making and a drop in work quality, productivity and morale. Studies show that the individuals most likely to develop burnout are well-educated, self-motivated and attracted to demanding jobs where the risks and rewards are high. This person is also the type who enjoys fostering change and adds value to a business. 

For the organization, costs include higher medical costs, increased employee turnover and higher absenteeism. It is estimated that in the United States more than half of the 550 million working days lost each year to absenteeism are stress-related. 

Source:   John Agno: When Doing It All Won't Do: A Self-Coaching Guide for Career Women 

  John G. Agno: Women and Time Management

 

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Women, Work and the Will to Lead

Despite its subtitle, “Women, Work, and the Will to Lead,” and its being cataloged in Amazon’s “Women & Business” category, the book Lean In, which has been perched on the best-seller list since it was published in March, is finding a significant number of male champions, some in high places. Over the summer, Ms. Sandberg discussed her message with Shinzo Abe, the prime minister of Japan, who said he was looking to encourage more women to join the work force as part of Japan’s growth strategy.

In America, John Chambers, the chief executive of Cisco, and Bob Moritz, the chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers, have led efforts to bring Lean In Circles, self-organized groups that use free materials provided by Ms. Sandberg’s foundation, LeanIn.org, to their companies. The Circles cover topics like “Creating a Level Playing Field.” There’s even a father-daughter Circle. 

Ms. Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook, did not seem surprised at this development; indeed, she suggested it was part of her grand plan. “Early on, I was thinking of having one chapter just for men, but then I decided to have all the chapters speak to men,” Ms. Sandberg, 44, said, adding, “We have to tell men why equality is good for them, at any income level.”

In the age of the two-career couple, “I need these tools as much as my wife does,” said Matthew Slutsky, 32, the managing director of business development at Change.org in New York, who borrowed the book from his wife, Patty Pina Slutsky, senior director at an education nonprofit in New York, and was suitably impressed.

“Lean In” has also spoken to men in minority groups who say they have wanted more empowerment in company cultures dominated by whites. “It was like she was talking to the Asian community,” said Mark Feng, 32, a second-year student at Harvard Business School, who said he did not always feel as if he deserved a place in meetings in previous positions at Intel and the Boston Consulting Group.

Most men interviewed who had absorbed Ms. Sandberg’s message, however, emphasized that it was more to be on the same page with their female peers than to advance their own interests.

Source: The New York Times, November 3, 2013

 Sheryl Sandberg: Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

  John Agno: When Doing It All Won't Do: A Self-Coaching Guide for Career Women 

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