Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign aound his or her neck that says “make me feel important”, not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life.

- Mary Kay Ash

The Right Way To Sell Yourself At Work

Forbes.com had a great article on selling yourself at work. Here are some great tips from the experts: 

• Peggy Klaus, leadership coach and author, recommends perfecting a “bragalogue”–a short, pithy story that incorporates a few bits of information about who you are and what you’ve done. Use it as an introduction when you meet people for the first time. When I flinched at the suggestion, she offered a convincing counter. “If you were asked to describe someone you care about, you could wax poetic,” she said. “Why can’t you do the same thing for yourself?” She encouraged me to think of a few positive things that I could say about my work, and be prepared to share them during fly-by encounters with my boss.
• Create a Word document to keep track of your achievements. Every time you accomplish something, jot down an entry. Include what you did and why it was important. When possible, show how that achievement helped your company. Include positive comments that other people have made about your work. Review your “brag bag” before sitting down for your performance review. In doing so, you may actually be helping your boss. “At this time of absolute chaos in the workforce, bosses are often doing two or three jobs instead of one,” says Peggy Klaus. “They don’t have the bandwidth to remember what you do every day.” Plus, bosses like good news. Klaus says that when you have a great success at work, you should send your boss a short, enthusiastic e-mail with the news.
• William Arruda, the president of Reach Personal Branding, says that the first step in artful self-promotion is performance. “Building a strong personal brand isn’t about telling people how great you are,” he says. “It’s about showing people how great you are.” He adds that employees should understand where they can contribute the greatest value, and then demonstrate those things that make them exceptional. If you’re creative, then draw on that creativity in team meetings. If you organize spreadsheets for every aspect of your personal life, then share your Type-A habits with your colleagues and become the office Excel whiz. Take on your organization’s biggest problem. No one else wants to do it, so if you embrace that responsibility and succeed at it, people will notice.
• If you’re an introvert, enlist other people to toot your horn. “Rather than tell everyone what you did, find other people who are comfortable describing your role,” says Arruda. The strategy works both ways. If you spread the word about your colleagues’ accomplishments, they should do the same for you.
• Accept recognition. When someone compliments your work, don’t belittle your achievement by replying, “It wasn’t that hard” or “It only took me a few hours.” Instead, practice saying, “Thank you.” Even better, show that you appreciate the recognition by saying, “Thank you. That’s nice of you to notice.”
• If you work hard, you need to make sure that people notice.

Office to Evening Grey

for more information go to Polyvore.com

When thinking about a job and a career path, the goal is to be mindful. That means being as intentional as you can about who you are, what you want to do, what you want to be, and where you want to work.

-Dr. Ella L.J. Edmondson Bell

Career GPS
Strategies for Women Navigating the New Corporate Landscape
By Dr. Ella L.J. Edmondson Bell

OK, I am biased about this book. Dr. Ella Bell is my mentor and advisor. Recently, I had the opportunity to laugh, talk, hug, and have dinner with her during her recent trip to NYC. We met up at the Moody’s Diversity Event. Her speech and book signing was again an AWESOME experience.  Now that you have the background, I think you should RUN to buy the book,  download it to Kindle, order it online IMMEDIATELY, and send books to your friends.  This book is a sacred papyrus for any professional women needing to improve her savvy to navigate and avoid landmines in today’s competitive workplace.

The workplace is constantly in flux, and even now there are new opportunities open to women. But to take advantage of these possibilities, it’s essential to know the current rules for corporate success. This isn’t your father’s or your mother’s workplace anymore!

Whether it’s the CEO seat, an executive manager slot, or a more intrapreneurial position, women who follow Career GPS will have what it takes to gain their professional goals.

Dr. Ella L. J. Edmondson Bell, Ph.D., an authority on career development, has worked with women across a variety of fields and in different kinds of corporations, from Fortune 500s to start-ups. Here she offers guidelines to help women forge their own pathways to professional ascent, providing tips for maximizing a review, networking in a relevant way, and much more.

According to Dr. Bell:

•  Think working hard is enough to be recognized? It’s not enough to assume your effort will speak for itself. You have to socialize with the decision makers. It might not mean you have to pick up the golf clubs, but you do have to figure out what works in your own organization.
•  Parlez-vous Françis? Learning Mandarin? If you work for a global company and aspire to an extreme job or higher, make it known that you would take an overseas assignment to advance your career.
•  Nowhere to go right now? Even in hard times there are options. Learn a lateral skill—such as accounting—so when the company is firing on all engines again, you will impress through the breadth of your knowledge.

 Drawing from her work as a consultant to some of the country’s most prestigious Fortune 100 companies, Dr. Bell helps readers succeed at every level in a dynamic corporate marketplace. Career GPS combines Dr. Bell’s academic knowledge and expertise with dozens of heartfelt first-person stories from smart women who rose through the ranks. Here is a book that will guide women of all cultures, ages, and levels of experience to their career goals.

- Book Description by Harper Collins

Navigating Corporate Culture and Avoiding Career Breakdowns

Do you really know what kind of organizational culture will make you thrive and succeed? How well does your “ideal culture” match that of your current company?

It’s not enough to be doing the right kind of work (e.g., sales or finance) in the right sort of industry. Those two are absolutely necessary ~ like being on the right highway traveling in the right direction ~ but they’re not enough. You also need to be in the right lane on that highway or else you’ll be going too slow or too fast. In other words, you also need to be working in an organizational culture that fits you.

The culture of the organization which you work for is very important to your success, as is the culture of the industry as a whole. An Internet or high technology startup, for example, with its extraordinarily fast rate of change, would be terrific for someone who desires creative opportunities, variety, and prefers to work independently. It would be a bad fit for someone who is looking for job security, or who wishes to work for a well-known prestigious employer.

CultureMatch™ a self-assessment test that is part of the CareerLeader™ , can help you answer these questions. CultureMatch™ assesses where you fall along four critical elements of corporate culture, and to make any relevant observations of things you’ll need to keep in mind.

• Cooperation and Harmony
• Openness and Imagination
• Social Assertiveness
• Structure and Attention to Detail

Here’s My Personal CultureMatch™ Profile (Very Telling):

Social Assertiveness: High range
Your score on this scale is high. You have a definite orientation toward more outgoing, assertive and action-oriented organizational cultures. You¹ll prefer work cultures that provide busy interpersonal contact during the day and that reward people who take initiative, build extensive networks, and assert themselves in establishing new business opportunities. Work groups that are “outward looking” toward the customer, such as sales and business development, are likely to have cultures that are a good fit for you. You¹re going to be naturally attracted to organizations whose cultures reward self-confident, assertive risk-taking and that are aggressively oriented toward discovering and creating new market opportunities.

Social Assertiveness: what does it mean?
Some people are naturally more assertive, gregarious, and active. They enjoy large groups, and are often dominant figures in their social circles. In work settings they are unafraid to push their work agendas forward ~ both in seeking budget resources and results from the people working with them. By contrast, other people are more reserved and have a few close friends rather than larger social network of acquaintances and business contacts. They are less “forward” and may be uncomfortable with people who are more aggressive.

Similarly, some organizations are more densely populated by ~ and their cultures characterized by ~ more aggressive give-and-take in daily activity, and by a high level of activity overall. These are cultures where pushing is seen as a good thing, not in order to make someone else lose but to get things done. Meetings and talking things over are not viewed as a distraction from doing work; to a large extent they are the work, and are seen in this light. The sales and trading group of an investment bank would be likely to have this kind of culture.

Other work cultures are more reserved and independent. Work is done behind closed doors ~ or at least, with some privacy and allowance for focus and concentration (picture the actuarial group in an insurance underwriting firm). Boisterousness and aggressive behavior are definitely counter to the norm in these cultures. Social and business “networking” are seen as a chore to be avoided or minimized, rather than as a fundamental ~ and fun ~ part of work.

Social Assertiveness: what to look for in Organizational Cultures

• Do people at this organization frequently use sports metaphors (especially high-contact sport metaphors taken from football, hockey, etc.) in describing business situations?
• Does this organization have a reputation for being aggressive in its approach generally and for attracting individuals with an aggressive style?
• Does the office architecture allow for some form of privacy that will let you concentrate on your work?
• How much is success in this culture or role a function of the size (and composition) of your “network” of people?
• What is the ratio of work-done-with-others to work-done-alone?
• How much does “pushing” for things account for success in this culture?
• How much business entertaining goes on in this culture?
• How much time is spent analyzing and thinking vs. discussing and persuading?
• How much is success in this culture dependent on professional training and expertise?

Openness and Imagination: what does it mean?
Some people by nature are imaginative and curious, and always like to stay open to new ideas and ways of doing things in their approach to life. Other people are more pragmatic, practical, and “down to earth.”

Similarly, some organizational cultures place a premium on trying new approaches: “If it isn’t broken, break it and see if you can put it back together better than it was before.” These cultures are willing to risk mistakes in the service of possible innovations. They’re more intellectually venturesome but often don’t have as clear a plan to achieve their business goals.

Other cultures embody savvy, time-tested pragmatism: not making a mistake is more important than trying something new that might result in a small gain. Getting things done well, and demonstrating competency in fundamental skill areas ~ these are the keys to career success. These cultures are characterized by stability and consistency.

Openness and Imagination: High range
Your score on this scale is high. This indicates a preference for more open, creative and intellectually venturesome work cultures. You will be attracted to a culture that places premium on originality and idea-generation. You’re more comfortable than most business professionals with the unconventional and the unexpected, and cultures that are rich in these elements will be positive for you. You’ll find more conservative or “steady-state” cultures where the most important goal is just to keep things going well to be unrewarding. You enjoy working in the early phase of projects where creative thinking and imagination are called for. An ideal organizational culture would allow you to do a lot of this early phase creative work. You need a culture that respects free-thinking innovators

Openness and Imagination: what to look for in Organizational Cultures

• How much are new ideas and creativity in general valued and rewarded in this culture?
• Is the group you would join charged with keeping something running well that is already successful?
• Is there a lot of variety in the work you would be doing (and are there lots of new things happening)?
• On balance, does this organization have more to lose by trying something new that fails than it does to gain by trying something that might succeed?
• Does the organization include people who are clearly “free thinkers”, creative or unconventional in the way they talk, dress or express themselves?
• Do people generally tend to “speak up” with their ideas, regardless of their position in the organization?

Cooperation and Harmony: what does it mean?
Some people prefer environments where friendliness, trust, and mutual helpfulness are essential elements of the culture and interpersonal conflict and competition are minimal. These individuals often have a strong altruistic motivation ~ the social value of the product or service they’re providing is very important. Other people really enjoy competition (including competition within their own group) seeing it as a virtue, and take a somewhat more skeptical view of human nature and motives.

Similarly, some work cultures have a spirit that emphasizes cooperation, interpersonal sensitivity, assuming the best of people, and a have a certain level of altruism in the organization’s goals (even if the business is definitely private sector and for-profit). These cultures tend to be run by consensus (when possible) and to minimize conflict and internal competition. Other cultures establish norms valuing a competitive spirit (internally as well as against industry competitors) and encouraging healthy conflict. They encourage skeptical and critical examination of ideas as a normal part of the assessment of a business situation. People who thrive in this culture tend to be comfortable with conflict and are comfortable challenging co-workers when they think it will shed light on a business process ~ or will increase their advantage in a negotiation or debate

Cooperation and Harmony: Very high range
Your score on this scale is very high. This indicates a strong preference for organizational cultures that foster a friendly, cooperative and “warm” atmosphere. Work is a place where you make friends as well as business associates. You are very likely to have altruistic sensibilities personally and will feel more comfortable in a culture where this outlook is shared by a majority of your coworkers. You will prefer a culture that minimizes conflict and contentiousness and that encourages mutual respect and polite, mutually supportive, “collegial” relationships among people. Internally competitive, aggressive cultures will definitely not provide the environment you need to thrive and succeed.

Cooperation and Harmony: what to look for in Organizational Cultures

• How much do people in this culture know about each other at a personal level?
• How much does this culture embody “social Darwinism” (people who succeed do so for good reason, and winnowing out of the weaker players is a good thing)?
• How “warm” does the place feel overall? As you walk down the hall are people friendly and eager to greet you?
• Do people genuinely seem to care about each other (look not at how they treat you, but how they treat each other‹and especially at how they treat staff assistants and others below them in the hierarchy).
• How much of a role does aggressive internal competition play in who succeeds and who fails in this culture?

Structure and Attention to Detail: what does it mean?
Some people approach their work in a disciplined and careful manner, planning methodically and paying careful attention to details. Other people are less methodical and don’t take such an organized, and planful approach to their work ~ regardless of the ultimate quality of their work.

Similarly, some organizational cultures place a very high value on people taking a structured approach to work and on disciplined attention to detail. These cultures are marked by predictability in processes, systems and scheduling. They value the efforts of a perfectionist ~ not the “80-20″ rule. These cultures can be found in many industries but good examples are often found in science and engineering work or in certain areas of operations management (e.g. “just in time” inventory management and the scheduling of freight deliveries and airline flight patterns).

Other work cultures are less focused on attention on detail and structure. They may value spontaneity and interpersonal persuasion above the drive for precision. A culture that requires immediate action to be taken on limited information (the trading floor of a commodities exchange, for example) would also be at this end of the continuum, (as would a culture that relies on people to create their own structure and discipline ~ such as external sales). Groups that do a lot of their work on deadline, without all the “i’s” dotted and “t’s” crossed will have strong elements of this culture. The “creative” area of an advertising firm would be likely to have this kind of culture.

Structure and Attention to Detail: Low range
Your score on this scale is low range. This indicates that you have a preference for work cultures that are less structured and that don’t require a high level of precision and constant attention to details. You’ll prefer an environment where you’re expected to set your own goals and deadlines and have greater say in defining how you do your work (setting your own schedule, for example). You may be someone who depends on your intuition and spontaneity more than on meticulous planning and scheduling, and you’ll want to choose a work environment where this approach is respected and accepted. People-oriented cultures, immediate action/reaction cultures, and high-independence cultures ~ all of these are likely to make for a good fit for you.

Structure and Attention to Detail: what to look for in Organizational Cultures

• How much time would you have to “polish” your work in this culture, to get it just right?
• How important is “getting it just right” in this culture?
• How much work is done under tight (and unpredictable) deadline pressure?
• How much would you be able to set your own schedule, working at times and rates that suit you best?
• Do decisions often have to be made and actions taken with little time to process all the relevant information?
• How much does this organization seem to plan ahead, anticipating different scenarios and being ready for them?
• How neat and orderly is the work environment generally?

For more information go to Careerleader,web-based comprehensive career assessment tool based on over 20 years of scientific research. CareerLeader measures your interests, your abilities, and what you find most motivating in work

Savvy Movie - G.I. Jane

Lesson #2 – Learning to play politics to keep an opportunity

To make the grade, Jordan has to survive a grueling selection process, often called “hell week,” in which 60 percent of all candidates wash out. Soon she must contend with trumped-up charges of fraternizing with other women. O’Neil is told that she will be given a desk job during the investigation and, if cleared, will need to repeat training to earn SEAL status. She decides to “ring out” (she rings the bell three times, signaling her voluntary withdrawal from training) than accept the desk job. It is later revealed that the evidence of her fraternization came from Senator DeHaven’s office, who never intended for O’Neil to succeed, but only pushed for her training to use her as a bargaining chip to prevent military base closings in her home state (Texas). Jordan threatens to expose DeHaven, who then restores O’Neil’s SEAL trainee status. ( Please excuse the profanity)

Here is a Professional Savvy Chic look that I created on Polyvore. I hope this gives you some ideas for the week.

Shopping Guide

Red Drape-back crepe top

SEWSING by ZAMPA Faux Fur Bolero

Gargyle Pencil Skirt

Edith Velvet Boots

Brown Faux-Suede Round Toe Pumps

Vintage 1960s mock croc bag

Linked-tube brass necklace

Red Patent Chain Belt

Diana Vincent – Yellow Gold and Platinum Diamond Sphere Earrings

Chanel Radiant Glow Highlighting Powder [LIMITED EDITION] – Bronzer

tarte cosmetics – double-ended lipgloss (shade-johnny & baby)

La Vernis Chanel nailpolish

Halle by Halle Berry – 1.7 oz Eau de Parfum

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

- Marianne Williamson

Politics makes strange bed fellows

G.I. Jane

Movie Lesson# 1 – Sometimes your opportunity comes because you simply FIT the profile

G.I. Jane begins with the public interview, by the Senate Armed Services Committee, of a candidate for the position of Secretary of the Navy. Senator Lillian DeHaven (Anne Bancroft) from Texas criticizes the fact that the Navy is not gender-neutral. Behind the curtains, a deal is struck: If women compare favorably with men in a series of test cases, the military will integrate women fully into all branches of the Navy. The first test case is for the training course of the U.S. Navy Combined Reconnaissance Team (similar to U.S. Navy SEAL BUD/S). Senator DeHaven hand-picks Lt. Jordan O’Neil (Demi Moore) because she is physically more feminine than the other candidates. 

Stay tuned for Lesson #2 next week!

Movie Background:

G.I. Jane is a 1997 action film that tells the fictional story of the first woman to undergo training in U.S. Navy Special Warfare Group. The SEAL/CRT (Combined Reconnaissance Team) course depicted in the film is offered at Coronado Naval Amphibious Base in California. O’Neil is hand-picked by U.S. Senator Lillian DeHaven (Anne Bancroft) to go through the rigorous training right along with the men. O’Neil faces sexism and physical challenges as well as the horse-trading by the Senator who selected her for the experimental program.