Women's Leadership Blog

Metaphors Lie at the Heart of Change

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:10:00 GMT

In the case of every historic scientific discovery and invention that is researched carefully enough, we find that it was imagery, either in dreams or in a waking state, which produced the breakthrough.  - John Curtis Gowan

Creative individuals mentally play with images all the time, no matter what field they work in. But research shows that all of us are embedded in the world of mental imagery all the time... and our cognitive systems are based in metaphor. Even individuals who define themselves as "less creative" are at their most creative when they actively engage with images. While we may think of metaphors as tools to enrich our speech, the truth is that we are always looking through a metaphoric lens. We teach, learn and make changes through metaphor.

The metaphors that we subconsciously hold shape and define us; they give us the lenses through which we look at the world around us. Seeing the world as a hostile force, viewing other cultures as “enemies.” or believing that life is about making lemonade out of lemons are all examples of metaphoric lenses.

Last year I attended a prestigious conference that is one of the premiere leading-edge forums in the world for social and cultural change. While most of the conference was quite inspiring, I was shocked to hear one of the keynote speakers consistently speak of his work in the Amazon rain forest as a battle against the large corporations who are destroying it. He was pumped up and aggressive, literally describing his mission as one of amassing “guns” and “tanks.” This man may have thought his message was rebalancing the ecosystem in the Amazon. But on a much more penetrating level, his message was war.

Metaphors are much more than interesting or quirky forms of expression. As the ground of our thinking, they are the “medium” through which we filter our thoughts and ideas. By extension, they play an important role in both individual and social change. It’s likely that real change happens on a metaphoric level, only later becoming evident on the physical level in the occurrences of daily life. Thus, when we notice and change our metaphoric pictures, we subsequently alter our thoughts and actions.

As George Lakoff has elegantly described, for most of us, the Republican party tends to conjure up images of security and family, while the Democratic party brings to mind protest marches and rallies for individual rights. Which images are more compelling to you? The politicians who are able to master metaphor are the ones who make an impact. Here are some reasons why metaphor has such an important role for initiating change:

Metaphors provide concrete imagery. In his book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, Chip Heath writes that a primary quality of an idea that sticks is that it embodies a concrete image. For example, in religious proverbs abstract truths are often encoded in metaphoric language, such as the phrase: “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” “Sticky” ideas are full of concrete imagery.
Metaphors make something universal. We live in a somatic world—we all have bodies that feel and senses that see and smell and hear the world around us. When someone says, “he was as cold as ice” we immediately understand what is meant in a visceral way. Metaphors facilitate our understanding.
Metaphors suggest a story and/or felt emotion. Advertisers know that if they want to sell us something, they need to make us feel something. Deep down, we all want to feel life moving through us.
Metaphors satisfy our heart’s longing for beauty. Metaphors are aesthetic; they’re like little pieces of art. Wouldn’t you rather hear about a “bird in the bush” than hear a series of projected numbers?
Metaphors offer shades of gray. When you frame something metaphorically, it can be interpreted in multiple ways. It is likely that what the world needs now is not black-and-white ideas like capitalism and communism, but more creative combinations of ideas and methods. Metaphors take us into a creative realm.
Metaphors “work” us. Metaphors are fuzzy and open to interpretation. Meaning is communicated in a less precise way, which in turn initiates a process of learning in the listener. Since metaphors are not literal, they force us to search for meaning.
Metaphors surprise us. Eckhart Tolle called metaphors a way to "awaken us from the old grooves of repetitive and conditioned thinking." A good metaphor offers something fresh and renewing.
Metaphors are inherently democratic. A good metaphor is not "flat" — it invites us to participate in it and offers a gamut of possibilities. We can find our own interpretation within it—there is no single “truth.”
Metaphors are powerful. Metaphors are capable of creating new understandings and therefore, new realities.

For most of the thorny social issues that confront us in modern society, it’s useful to shift our focus to the metaphoric level. Every idea or solution that you propose embodies a way of seeing. Reality is always coming through a pair of glasses, a point of view. Reality is inherently creative.

About the Author:

Kim Hermanson is core faculty at Meridian University, and currently serves as adjunct faculty at Pacifica Graduate Institute, the Sophia Center at Holy Names University, and Esalen Institute. She is also the Arts Education Writer for the San Francisco Examiner.com. Previous teaching engagements include the Chaplaincy Institute, Book Passage, Berkeley City College,Flathead Valley Community College, University of California Berkeley Extension, and the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. You can visit her website at: http://aestheticspace.typepad.com/aesthetic_space/

What Is It About Love?

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:50:00 GMT

If one wishes to know love, one must live love, in action. Leo Buscaglia

We are all born from Gods’ love – we die with Gods’ love and we do all we can do to find love in between our birth and our death. Searching, seeking and longing for that true love……we were created to LOVE....

What is it about LOVE and why is it so hard to find?

I’m certain there are thousands upon thousands of stories written on the subject of ecstacy and longing. Music galore about rising in love or falling out of love and many sonnets written about the heart connection.

We find love, we spend time with love, and know this must be LOVE, and then we do all we can to sabotage love, and walk away from it, in order to go find a more suitable love, for we think the grass is greener on the other side.

I really don’t get it – Do you?

Is love an emotion, a feeling, a verb or noun? The road to love can be long or not so long, can be lovely, can be adventurous, can be filled with joy or pain, can be a multitude of things. I looked up the definition of love and this is what I found. Love is a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. When I Googled, “What is it about love,” I found: QUIZ: Is it Love? WOW – now you can take a quiz to make sure it’s love! (I’m not sure if I want to do that)…..

Scientists say that the brain chemistry of infatuation is akin to mental illness - which gives new meaning to “madly in love.”

Love is about how the other person makes you feel. The fact of the matter is that love involves non-verbal reactions – synaptic (chemical) connections within our brains. Since I love to research, I did some research on LOVE.

I discovered that the species that stick to one mate usually have a rich flow of another chemical called vasopressin, the “monogamy” chemical. Experiments done with males injected with this chemical brought out all the evidence needed. Isolating males before and after mating, he was indifferent to all females. But 24 hours after mating, he is hooked for life. The jealous husband syndrome sets in too.

Another chemical is oxytocin, the “cuddling” chemical. It promotes the need to be physically held, have close contact with the mater, and makes the sexes more caring. It can be released simply by a lover’s look, smell or even a fantasy.

When infatuation subsides, another chemical takes over which is responsible for intimate relationships, these chemicals are created by endorphins. They make a relationship steadier, intimate, dependable, warm and a great sharing experience. They do not induce a giddy high, but calmness and stability….hence the reason why people stay married. This chemical is addictive so the longer a couple stays married, the longer two people stay together. It is endorphins that trigger grief on a spouse’s death or long separation, those yearnings for togetherness. Adrenaline love is being in love with the idea of being in love. With endorphin love, we like loving someone.

There are foods that can intensify love.....

We eat aphrodisiacs (named after the Greek Goddess of Love – Aphrodite) to enhance love: chocolate, oysters, turtle eggs eaten raw with salt and lime (haven’t tried this one yet); asparagus, almonds, avocado, bananas, basil, figs, garlic and honey. It was suggested by a very "special man" in my life - "Why not prepare a dinner to include each of these foods?"

Now that we know about the chemicals and foods involved in the “love” process:

What is it about love and the longing to have it in our lives?

There are so many dating sites to meet the “ONE” but yet we are lonelier and lonelier as a society. Here are a few statistics from Match.com: People over age 50 makes up Match.com’s fastest growing segment of users, with a 300% increase since 2000.

WHAT is that all about?

Is it because our biological clocks of younger years is ticking away and we wake up one day with more wrinkles and the reality that we are not getting any younger and no one to share our golden years with…..

I WANT A PARTNER/MATE NOW SYNDROME?

75% of women and 81% of men in their 50s experience a serious, exclusive relationship after a divorce. (this to me is great news)

There really are a lot of fish in the sea: According to the Census Bureau, 29% of adults age 45-59 are now single, compared with only 19% in 1980.

I listen to so many single women and I hear, “Where are the men?” I listen to so many single men and they say, “Where are the women?” They must “NOT” be out there since I’m hearing the same thing from both sexes; or are they and the real reason we haven’t found the ONE for us is because we have been so busy in dating so many men and men women, that it’s been a distraction in truly discovering ourselves out and working on US? I read in Don Miguel Ruiz book, The Mastery of Love that we must be 100% complete in ourselves in order to attract that perfect one for you. Once you accept yourself just the way you are, the next step is to accept your partner.

It makes sense to me, does it you?

If you have the eyes of love, you just see love wherever you are, even in the imperfect – Wabi Sabi. When you perceive with the eyes of love, you can connect your will with the will of another dreamer, and the dream becomes ONE. Then you can see with the eyes of an eagle or transform into any kind of life. With your love you connect with the eagle and you become the wings. But to do this, you need to clean the mind of fear and perceive with the eyes of love. If you can open your heart completely to your partner, you can reach heaven through your love.

When we fulfill the needs of our mind and our body, our eyes see with love. We see God everywhere. I love what Don Miguel Ruiz says, “But when we know that our heart is a magical kitchen, we are always generous, and our love is completely unconditional.” I love the anology of our heart being a magical kitchen.....

I believe we have this "Jerry McGuire" notion of love in the famous line from the movie where Tom Cruise tells Renee Zellweger , “You complete me.” Are you kidding me – why did they not edit that line from the movie? Hey, it’s Hollywood and they can say anything to make us say, “AWWWWWHHHHHH – why doesn’t anyone say that to me????” So we look for someone that can say to us, “You complete me.” I believe a better term may be – “You compliment me.”……. It truly is a beautiful gift to us when we compliment and not complete. I much rather use the term from the movie, "As Good As It Gets" where Jack Nicholson tells Helen Hunt, "you make me want to be a better man."

Once we awaken to self and clean up our houses (our temples -mind and body), then the awakening is like being at a party where there are hundreds of people and everyone is drunk except you. You are the only sober person at the party. Most humans see the world through their emotional wounds, through their emotional poison. Here lies the problem of not being awake and aware.

When in the awakened state, your heart is an expression of the Spirit, an expression of Love, an expression of Life. It’s being aware that you are Life. When you are aware that you are the force that is Life, anything is possible. Miracles happen all the time, because those miracles are performed by the heart. The heart is in communion with the human soul, and when the heart speaks even with the resistance of the mind, something inside you changes; your heart opens another heart, and TRUE LOVE is possible. It’s in opening another’s heart there lies the chemicals, the passion, the Love that we are ALL either trying to find or keep.

My girlfriend Giovanna stated it so eloquently to me this past week, “almost all relationships start with what can I "get" from it rather then what can I "bring" to it; I believe that we have to be selfless and selfishness abounds us these days….the other part is to choose wisely. We tend to choose what is familiar to us whether it feels good or not because it is what we know…we change it by our thoughts about ourselves, our actions and constant vigilance of those thoughts…..BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!

WE MUST FEEL WORTHY OF LOVE FOR LOVE TO COME…..

Love enables you to stand for yourself in an honorable and gracious way; with no hidden agendas; with no room for negativity. In its purest form – UNCONDITIONAL! My friend Jimmy has a website Life Architects and stated it this way on my guest blogger Angie's comments on, "Only Time Can Reveal If It's Real": "true love is attached to us with invisible ties. These ties connect our spirits and souls that only we can understand."

For the MAGIC of love and the volumes written and sung about it; it continues to afflict us generation after generation.

So the bottom line in all this LOVE talk is we are put on this earth to experience LOVE in its purest form – to get closer to our GOD for HIS love is unconditional – and in so doing we discover that HE is LOVE, LIGHT and TRUTH – all the things that we search for in a lifetime are all wrapped up in our Divine. We crave all these things in human form – so it is in acquiring the eyes of GOD and having your eyes fixed on HIM, then this should make the love process easier to find and keep, for love never fails.....

Where there is GREAT LOVE, there are GREAT MIRACLES…..

L’amore vince tutto (Love conquers all)…. (Italian)

I invite you to share your thoughts on this?

Remember, may the possibilities of today excite us all!

Nancy Shields has a passion to create a better world by connecting and inspiring women! She is the creator of www.makeGirlfriends.com, a social networking site designed for women to meet.share.inspire one another through the adventure we call life! Nancy's inspiration came 3 years ago when she discovered that her husband was having an affair. She had two choices; become a victim or turn a negative into a positive. So she positively packed her bags and landed in the farthest state she could choose, California. Once home, Nancy vividly recalls a conversation she had with a girlfriend about the nightmare of dating. The concept of MakeGirlfriends.com was born and in action. "It really works!", says Nancy. Here, women can connect with other “girlfriends”, because without our “girlfriends” in life, it can get tough out there! Nancy encourages women to share their inspirational stories on the homepage called “YOUR VOICE”. You never know how many lives you will touch by sharing your story...she can be reached via email at nancy@makegirlfriends.com.

Become a Tech Mentor: Bay Area Informational Meetings Feb 13th

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 20:29:00 GMT

Harnessing the power of business, technology and innovation, TechWomen brings emerging women leaders in technology sectors from the Middle East and North Africa together with their American counterparts to take part in a professional mentorship at leading technology and innovation companies in Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area, and to experience American society and culture firsthand.

The Department of State is partnering with the Institute of International Education (IIE) and the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI) to implement this initiative and are in need of women mentors in the following areas: technology fields including ICT, renewable energy, engineering and others to serve as professional Mentors as well as those working in other professional fields to serve as Cultural Mentors to women coming from the Middle East and North Africa. This is an incredible opportunity you won't want to miss!

Two informational meetings are being held in the Bay Area on February 13th in San Francisco and Mountain View where you can learn more about the program and how to get involved as a Technical or Cultural Mentor. The Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Professional and Cultural Exchanges will speak at the events to share the Department of State’s vision and objectives for its TechWomen initiative. The events will focus on providing current and prospective TechWomen partner companies and Mentors with an overview of the TechWomen 2012 program. They will have a panel of TechWomen 2011 Mentors at each event. This will also be a great networking opportunity!

San Francisco Event
When: 8 a.m. – Breakfast reception
8:30 – 10: 30 a.m. – Program
Where: Commonwealth Club, 595 Market Street, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105

Silicon Valley Event
When: 4 p.m. – Reception
4:30 – 6: 30 p.m. – Program
Where: Microsoft Conference Center, 1065 La Avenida St.
Mountain View, CA, 94043

Please RSVP as soon as possible at: http://techwomenmentorevent.eventbrite.com/
Space is limited, so please register as soon as possible. Registration will close once capacity is reached.

About TechWomen:

TechWomen is a very high profile initiative launched by Secretary Clinton in 2011. Last year many of the most innovative companies in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area participated. You can learn more about the program here: http://www.techwomen.org/

Work/Life Balance: Who Has It & Tips On Achieving It [Infographic]

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 08:22:00 GMT

Stress, headaches, tension, weight gain, and depression are all signs of a work/life balance that is out of whack. Sadly, the figures show that women tend to suffer more from overall lack of work/life balance as recently illustrated in Capitvate Network's poll of 673 professional workers.

The following infographic shows the results of Capitvate Network's survey as well as tips on how to regain balance:

A New Angle on Productivity

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:44:00 GMT

The trend of productivity has changed over the last several years in the workplace due to the accelerated technology expansion and companies strongly valuing problem solving teams, information sharing and innovation. The highest growth in the last 25 years appeared in occupations that require nontraditional, problem solving skills. In organizations, expertise now lies in “thinking.” Women play both a direct and indirect role in productivity by their work in business, child rearing practices (teaching children problem solving for their future careers), and investment in communities.

Typically, women are deemed as team players, relationship builders, and so forth. Women leaders foster commitment and creativity, serving as more of a teacher or coach rather than the more masculine, managerial role consisting of a hierarchy where rewards are given out to those who beat out the others. So, if the workplace has changed in terms of new trends in productivity which actually seems to give women an advantage, why are women statistically less productive than men and supposedly lack motivation or desire to change it? Or is it that the definition of productivity is out dated and missing key components to make it a whole definition?

Are women unimpressed and uninterested with the traditional definition of productivity?

Generally, productivity is deemed as a competition or a race of who can work the hardest and the longest hours to get as much work done as possible. It’s seems that it is not about working smarter or more efficiently, it is about running ourselves into the ground almost mindlessly to crank out the numbers. Productivity is synonymous with the most profit, interesting product/service, usefulness, and more, compared to other businesses. This masculine definition views everything in terms of numbers, money, tasks and lists. Even spending time with family and friends has become just another job or task to be tackled or is not even put in the category of being productive. But what is the outcome? Is it quality?

What is the answer?

In my opinion, there needs to be a new structure of productivity that takes into account how to use the most of our time to produce our best work and collaborate with others to do the same. Numbers will always be necessary in meeting goals and new technologies that aid in getting work done more efficiently are quite helpful, but quality should also be significant. In addition, being productive should also include quality time with family, kids, friends and doing things that make you happy and thrive. You cannot measure these things in numbers, but they are equally important for most women, and people for that matter.

Women feel constantly torn between being productive and taking care of their families. Instead of two separate concepts, productivity should have a broader definition including all aspects of people’s lives and how they can manage their time and resources most efficiently to accomplish goals and do the things that bring joy and passion.

The Solution

I have found a mind mapping tool, called MindMaple, to manage my work and personal life, and it has made a significant impact on my productivity, creativity and stress level. Mind mapping is a software that offers a method of organizing complex information on a map, visually representing information and relationships in a way that encourages understanding and creativity. Yes, I know it sounds a bit vague, but I will show you examples, so you can get a better sense of it. The great thing about MindMaple is that it’s for both beginner and advanced users. There is a nice balance between structure and creative freedom. With the many features available, you can design your maps how you like and share them with others as well! It has helped me with brainstorming, note taking, presentations, and more. Here is an example of a map I just did for the holidays.

Also, check out the video! It shows how to create mind maps.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPS3qk0skDo&feature=mh_lolz&list=HL1317720324

4 Reasons to Attend Your Company Happy Hour

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:22:00 GMT

It’s the eternal debate you have with yourself every Friday afternoon, whether or not should attend your companies’ happy hour. I am sure you can come up with professional and personal reasons you may think you shouldn’t. But this day in age it’s all about who you know and a little about what you know. You can still attend company happy hours and maintain your professional and personal standards. Here are some reasons you should hit happy hour next week:

Free Drinks

First and foremost, this is probably the most financially responsible reason. Free adult beverages and yummy food. And good news, you don’t have to run to the grocery store that night, who could pass that up?

Meet New People and Network

Company Happy Hours are very popular, most likely there will be several other companies at the same restaurant/bar location. This is a perfect time to network and meet new people in a social setting. No office walls to pressure your evening. Plus you never know when you could possibly find new business or a new client or know someone who knows someone. So don’t be shy, broaden your horizons and bring lots of business cards.

Build and Maintain Relationships

Your career depends on your quality of productivity and your productivity most likely comes from a co-workers help. With that said, if you can’t get along with your team members you may not be able to produce. This is a good environment for your co-workers to see you in a different light. If they can trust you outside of work and they can for sure trust inside at work.

Fun Stress Relief

It is perfectly acceptable to have a cocktail or two with co-workers and (even bosses) and have fun. You spend your whole week trying to meet a deadline and it’s enjoyable to celebrate with co-workers. You work hard and it’s ok to play hard. It’s good to socialize and it’s a bonding experience for the company to know that you all can work and play nice together.

Now it’s time to get out there and start mingling. Just keep a few good tips in mind to make sure it is a true ‘Happy’ hour. Be sure to eat, empty stomach does not mix well with alcohol. Don’t overdo it; set yourself a drink limit to prevent possible negative occurrences. And remember what your mother told you,’ If you have nothing nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.’ Be safe and happy socializing!

Author Bio
Melanie Slaugh is enthusiastic about the growing prospects and opportunities of various industries and writing articles on various consumer goods and services as a freelance writer. She writes extensively for internet service providers and also topics related to internet service providers for presenting consumers with the information they need to choose the right Internet package for them. She can be reached at slaugh.slaugh907 @ gmail.com.

Wonder Women: A Look At The Forbes World's Most Powerful Women

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 08:53:00 GMT

Did you know that 88% of the women on the 2011 Forbes list of the World's Most Powerful Women are mothers? Or that the U.S. is one of only three countries that does not guarantee paid maternity leave?

Below is an infographic of the most powerful women according to Forbes and key statistics about them:

Courtesy of: OnlineSchools.com

Three Inspiring and Influential Female Characters from Television

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:54:00 GMT

Television doesn't always provide us with the best of role models. With characters that become successful drug lords who use their sexual influence to manage the people in their lives (Nancy Botwin from Weeds), it's not hard to look to primetime television and see a slew of corruption and misbehavior by powerful lead characters. That's part of what makes TV so engrossing. Shows create these characters that are flawed and interesting in ways that real life just can't support. These flawed characters somehow receive our sympathy and our encouragement. However, among the numerous negative role models on television, there are also numerous characters that display strength, tenacity, and passion that is both inspiring and influential to our generation of TV watchers. These three female characters on television today are wonderful role models that demonstrate strength, intelligence, and determination in their own ways on the silver screen.

Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation
Running for four seasons now, Parks and Recreation has become a sitcom that approaches political satire and comedy in a fresh and interesting way. The show's central protagonist, Leslie Knope, is endlessly optimistic, smart, and successful. Knope is dedicated to her job, demonstrating the drive and determination it takes to succeed in today's professional atmosphere. Though this character is, just that, a fictional character, she is nonetheless inspiring and influential as a positive female role model in the world today. Knope is ambitious and hard-working almost to the point of flaw (almost). Dedicated to her job as Director of the Pawnee City Department of Parks and Recreation, Knope uses her intelligence and unending spirit to reach her noble goal of creating a better city. Fiction or not, we can learn a lot from Leslie Knope as a female leader in today's society.

Lisa Cuddy from House MD
Lisa Cuddy has been followed and supported by thousands upon thousands of fans for seven seasons of the hit television series House. As the Dean of Medicine at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, Cuddy displays astounding strength in difficult situations of all sorts, superior intelligence, and endless dedication to her job and her employees. Though many aspects of Cuddy's character are flawed, they are so in a way that demonstrates some very real issues in today's society. Cuddy's personal, romantic, and family life suffer under the pressures of her job and due to her dedication to her career. It would seem that Cuddy's character communicates that professional success is unattainable without sacrificing all other aspects of your life. However, Lisa Cuddy manages to run one of the most successful hospitals in the nation, manage one of the most brilliant and challenging doctors in history, raise a child as a working single mother, and maintain her own personal integrity through it all.

Catherine Willows from CSI
CSI Las Vegas is not known for its great writing (though I adore it) or for its particularly unique point-of-view, but nonetheless the show has managed to create several dynamic and engrossing characters. Catherine Willows is the Senior CSI Shift supervisor for much of the series, leading her team of CSI's through challenging cases and personal struggles. CSI Willows is smart, good at her job, a strong leader, always calm, and morally upright throughout. As a single mother and strong career woman, Willows demonstrates some the best qualities a modern day woman can possess. If there's one thing we can learn from each of these fictional characters on the silver screen, it's that professional success comes with dedication and hard work.

Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education where she writes about education, online colleges, online degrees etc. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

The Duck Syndrome

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:19:00 GMT

Recently, I learned about the duck syndrome from a friend of mine at Stanford University. The duck syndrome is apparently running rampant at many colleges (and from my research) at many high schools as well. What is the duck syndrome? Well, think of the duck gliding along the water. S/he looks very serene, calm and pleasant. Then, look under the water and s/he is paddling frantically.

That is the duck syndrome.

Too many students on the outside are appearing calm, cool and collected while on the inside they are completely stressed out. As women, we want to see ourselves being able to have it all. To be the great student, great athlete, and well-liked by her peers, which typically means being social. But what price do we pay? Proving we can do it all has transformed into an ugly state of unattainable expectations and extremes, which are unhealthy for any girl at any age.

This is a recipe for disaster that really goes against what feminism truly stands for.

I believe high school is where this syndrome starts to formulate. Many of the girls that suffer from the duck syndrome in college were probably “big fish in small pond” at their high school. Most teens want to be popular, and to be popular these days means that you can do it all. I see high school students staying up ridiculously late doing homework, always wanting the A, playing on one if not two sports teams, and also expecting to go out every weekend. All this can lead to anxiety, depression, and unhealthy habits. When they get to college, which could have 12 to 20,000 students, being big fish is not so easy anymore so the stakes get higher.

During college, the classes (typically) are more difficult with more homework, papers and tests. If they see their peers staying out late and still getting good grades, they feel the peer pressure to attain the same and compete among the top percent, to be popular, to be perfect. This means more competition and pressure for top grades with less sleep. We need to teach our teens that setting limits for themselves never means failure, but in fact it means a healthy and happy life with realistic and attainable goals.

Paddling frantically is literally for the birds.

Bio: Dr Carol is a former Associate Provost and Dean, trained therapist, researcher and soon-to-be-author.

Presently, she hosts a blog to offer practical advise and guidance on self-esteem issues as a tool for teen girls and young women.

Connect with Dr Carol

Dr Carol's Blog: http://dr-carol.com

Dr Carol's Twittter: http://twitter.com/selfesteemdean

Dr Carol's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/selfesteemcoach

Dr Carol's Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/drclanglois

The Changing Role of Women [Infographic]

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Created by: Educational Leadership

Become an Entrepreneur; Become a Role Model

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:00:00 GMT

A recent study for the Journal of economic Psychology finds that a lower preference for becoming self-employed can partly explain why less women are opening their own businesses.

Is it just that women are under-motivated, or is there a lack of role models leading the way for young female entrepreneurs? Women make up only 3% of CEOS on the Forbes list of 500 biggest companies. As a female entrepreneur you are in a unique position to become a role model for the generation of women in business.

What can you do as an entrepreneur to inspire the next generation?

Share your story: I remember in the Girls Scouts being visited one day by a sales manager, architect, and local politician. Seeing women in a wider range of career than usually depicted on TV really broaden my ideas on who I could be when I grow up. You can share your story as well. Blogging is a great way to do this, as well as visiting a local girls scout group or getting involved in a women's philanthropic club like Zonta.

Emphasize new models of leadership: In the current climate of economic uncertainty, unemployment and dissatisfaction in the workforce, many are calling for a new type of leadership. In a study by Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute they found that women owners and managers tend to be more receptive to input and guidance from internal and external advisors, proactively customer-focused, and More committed to creating opportunities for others. Rather than changing your leadership style to fit a masculine world emphasize how a more cooperative management style can be a positive change.

Give Practical Help: Have you ever asked for advice and instead received platitudes? Don't just tell other women to reach for the stars, tell them how you made it. Take the time to grab lunch with a young entrepreneur or attend networking events with the goal of finding another woman to reach out to. You can go the extra mile by becoming an angel investor, but just solid practical advice from the field can be a huge asset.

Be confident: Remind other women that it's not about acting like a man, but rather demanding that others not treat you worse because you are female. Demand respect for yourself as a business owner and it will encourage other women to do the same.

What inspired you to start your own business? Who were your role models?

Bio: Becky Canary-King is an Account Manager and Press Contact at Direct Incorporation, a company focused on providing a more economical and efficient alternative to using a law firm for common legal/entrepreneurial issues. She is passionate about women's empowerment and blogs for personally for Happy Bodies, and professionally for Direct Incorporation's Blog, offering tips for the first 6 months of your small business.

A New You for a New Year

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:02:00 GMT

As January approaches (and passes), the same old New Year's resolutions can seem pretty tired. You already take weekly classes at the gym, you're happy with your personal life--it's your work life that's in a slump. Make this year the year you change your career for the better. Use the seven professional resolutions below as a jumping off point to get you on the path to greater success.

Join a networking group

No matter what industry you're in, there is almost certainly a networking group you could join. Look into professional organizations in your field. Some may be specific to women, others could be aimed at young professionals in general. Either way, you're certain to meet people thriving in the field who may be a valuable source of advice or opportunities down the road. [click here for FWL Membership information]

Take a leadership role in a volunteer setting

If you aren't being given the opportunity to shine at work, take it upon yourself to develop leadership skills outside of the office. Head up a Habitat for Humanity team or find a charity that speaks to your personal interests. Not only will you gain experience that looks great on a resume, you'll learn first-hand how to deal with a wide variety of people in an uncontrolled environment. [FWL volunteer opportunities: email president @ futurewomenleaders.net]

Consider further education

Sometimes a career is just not going to advance without an outside push. A masters degree can make you more valuable to your employer, and a second degree can open the door to a whole new field of employment. If you can't afford to take the time off work or have other obligations, consider an online degree program. Hundreds of degrees are offered by thousands of schools, and you can take classes on your own schedule.

Branch out

This year, decide to take on projects outside of your comfort zone when they become available. Volunteer to maintain your company’s website, or help a swamped coworker manage and organize an event. You'll increase your own skill set by learning on the job, and you'll prove that you are a quick learner and up for a challenge.

Refresh your resume

Even in the few years since you got your job, you've accomplished a lot. Make sure your resume is sharp and aesthetically pleasing. Don't bother labeling your email (what else would it be?) or phone number. Consider shifting around your experience to include awards and honors. Incorporate up-to-date industry keywords, for example, any phrases that pop up consistently in job descriptions within your field.

Befriend your coworkers

As obvious as it sounds, you don't want to be an island at the office. Try to get lunch with a new coworker each month, or at least stop by to chat. It never hurts to have one more person on your team.

Study a language

Spanish, Japanese, German--find a language that will help you connect with new clients and business partners and hop to it! Expanding your skills also gives you an excuse to travel.

Jesse Langley lives near Chicago. She divides her time among work, blogging and family life. She advocates for online mba programs and has a keen interest in women's leadership roles in contemporary society. She also writes for www.professionalintern.com.

How Female-Owned Small Businesses Are Faring [Infographic]

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 07:49:00 GMT

via: Women Flex Big Muscle in Small Business [INFOGRAPHIC]

A Strengths Based Approach to New Year’s Resolutions (That Actually Works)

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:17:00 GMT

Oh yes…it is that time of year again when people begin to reflect on the previous year (maybe years), and what they would like to accomplish moving forward. We laughingly joke about the ‘resolutions’ we absolutely will accomplish this year....knowing that majority of them will slide into the following year to be restated over and over and over again. So what does it take to make resolutions that stick?

Play To Your Strengths

I recently attended an offsite focused on Strengths and Strengths Based Leadership that is, what I consider, my launching pad for achieving my resolutions this year. If you have not taken the Clifton Strengths Finder 2.0 assessment I highly recommend it. To follow along with this blog post please be sure to purchase the book ‘Strengths Based Leadership’ and the accompanying survey access code as it will provide you with more information than the ‘Strengths Finder 2.0’ book.

The StrengthsFinder assessment is the culmination of more than 50 years of Dr. Clifton’s (and a team of scientists) work surrounding Strengths-Based Psychology. After a semi-brief survey it provides you with a report on your top five strengths out of a possible thirty, along with suggestions on how you can apply your stengths. Understanding your unique personal strengths, and reflecting on how you apply these in your life TODAY to accomplish your goals is critical to understanding how you can accomplish your goals for the future.

There are several fundamental concepts regarding your Strengths:

You are a unique combination of strengths and even when someone has the same Top 5 strengths they will have different meaning and application. Yes, we are all truly unique.
A strength is something you are both good at and passionate about.
A strength is not something you are good at but hate doing.

Applying Your Strengths

Once you have completed the survey you will be provided with a report outlining your top 5 strengths as well as what themes these strengths fit within (again, please be sure to use the survey access code from the ‘Strengths Based Leadership’ book). Your strengths will fall within four themes:

Executing
Influencing
Relationship Building
Strategic Thinking

The next step is to create a table with your resolutions and applicable themes. Your resolutions should follow the SMART method (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely). A reasonable goal is not to become a World Class athlete in 2 months! More information about this method of setting goals can be found at ‘Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals’.

The following is an example resolutions table:

Resolutions	Strengths Themes
Resolutions	Executing	Relationship Building	Strategic Thinking	Influencing
Resolution 1 – Walk 30 minutes every day	[Achiever] – Track using a FitBit and achieve a goal of 8,000 steps per day by March		[Learner] – Research the best walking programs to achieve maximum fitness by end of January
Resolution 2 – Expand professional network by 50 people outside of my current company	[Achiever] – Decide on 2 certificates I would like to achieve this year (& when) and professionally connect to class participants on LinkedIn	[Individualization] – Join a mentoring program where I can act as a Mentor for people at other companies	[Strategic] – Join Advisory boards for organizations & issues I care deeply about [Learner] – attend FWL events each month and professionally connect to participants on LinkedIn
Resolution 3
Resolution 4

For each resolution reflect on how you can use the Strengths and Strengths Themes to accomplish your goal. Your individual report from the StrengthsFinder Assessment and the book can help you with ideas on how to apply your particular strengths. Write in examples of how you will use your natural strength to accomplish your resolution. It is o.k to combine strength types, as well as strength themes to get the job done. The more you apply your natural strengths…the far more likely you are to achieve your resolution.

Wishing You Success in Your Resolutions & A Happy New Year!

About the author: Celeste Paradise is an award-winning Silicon Valley Professional with 10+ years IT experience in media, advertising, operations management/optimization, social media & marketing. You can connect with her via:

Evelyn Lauder: Remembering a Leader

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 03:09:00 GMT

Big things often start out small. Like the little pink ribbon, which was created by Evelyn Lauder, who endured breast cancer treatment herself. Lauder and her friend, Alexandra Penney, former editor-in-chief of SELF magazine, created the Pink Ribbon campaign in 1992 to increase breast cancer awareness and remind women to get regular breast exams.

This was a cause Evelyn cared about enough to finance herself; initially she and her husband paid for the small pink bows handed out to women at department store makeup counters. Her efforts added up. She continued to hand out Pink Ribbons, promoted the color pink as a breast cancer awareness symbol, received media attention, used the advertising Estee Lauder placed in popular magazines, and persuaded many influential friends who were also in the health and beauty industry to promote breast cancer awareness.

In 1993, Evelyn founded the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, establishing the Pink Ribbon as its symbol; it has raised more than $350 million.

Responsible for international breast cancer awareness, today the “Pink Ribbon” makes headline news. It’s a brand strategy, and it’s responsible for raising millions of dollars for breast cancer research. It’s even spun off some backlash.

Activists talk about “pinkwashing,” and several media outlets have suggested that “Pink fatigue” has set in. Concerns include whether or not “pink products promote a false sense of doing something about breast cancer, the funds collected are directed effectively, the pink campaign fosters gender stereotypes, and if some pink products are actually harmful to women's health,” according to medpagetoday.com

Whether the buzz is good or not-so-good, the Pink Ribbon has done exactly what Evelyn Lauder intended: increase breast cancer awareness, and help fund breast cancer treatment research.

In a way, the Pink Ribbon campaign’s rise to success and popularity replicates that of Evelyn Lauder herself.

The daughter of Austrian immigrants who fled to the U.S. from war-torn Europe in 1940, Evelyn grew up in Manhattan. She met Leonard Lauder in college, married him, and helped with the then-small family business wherever she was needed.

"We had five products in the line,” she told cable news channel NY1 in 2005. "It was a baby company." The Estee Lauder Companies grew in popularity, prestige, and profits. Fulfilling many different roles, Evelyn eventually became the Senior Corporate Vice President and head of fragrance development worldwide.

Evelyn Lauder didn’t start out as a leader, and her Pink Ribbon didn’t start out as an icon. She started out working hard, doing whatever she could for the causes in which she believed. The Pink Ribbon started out as one ribbon handed to one woman at a cosmetics counter.

Evelyn Lauder lost her battle with ovarian cancer this month, but the campaign she launched continues. The Pink Ribbon is everywhere. More than 115 million Pink Ribbons have been handed out worldwide. Breast cancer treatment is being researched internationally. Survival rates have increased significantly, and the messages that breast health and early detection saves lives are prevalent.

Like the Pink Ribbon, it’s the small things in life that make a difference.

Leadership Studies: A Woman’s Best Weapon

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 03:01:00 GMT

Understanding the ins and outs of the economy or the fundamentals of business like the back of your hand is sure to land you the career position you want, right? Or maybe it takes a little bit more than knowing what makes your industry tick and being able to execute necessary tasks with your eyes closed.

As education becomes more accessible and the number of Bachelor’s degree holders increases, the pool of educated candidates in the job market expands. Suddenly the Master’s is the new Bachelor’s and the Bachelor’s is worth little more than a high school diploma. But there is a way to get a leg up on the equally-educated competition by adding invaluable skills to your resume.

Leadership studies majors and minors are growing in recognition and popularity as they spread to college and university campuses across the United States. While some schools offer the program as a stand-alone major, many more offer it as a concentration or a minor to complement an extraordinary range of majors. Whether your long-term career goals include CEO of a major corporation or small business owner or homemaker, firmly understanding the principles of leadership and the tools for successfully navigating your herd will prove to be the key to your personal and professional success.

Courses in leadership studies give women even more ammunition to break down the long-protected image of men running the operations as women claw their way to the middle. The stereotypes that plague women in the workplace become nullified as the images of CEOs and corporate presidents are reconstructed to include educated, knowledgeable, powerful women with valuable attributes, such as strong leadership skills, that rival those same skills in any company’s leading man.

Leadership studies programs allow learners to identify their strengths and weaknesses and fine-tune skills essential to professional and personal growth. Programs explore current and historical trends in businesses and habits of effective leaders, while students learn to understand the implications of such trends and habits.

In addition to undergraduate majors and minors, many colleges and universities offer Master’s programs in varying facets of leadership studies. Have you been working in your industry with a Bachelor’s degree and find your ultimate goals to still be out of reach? Are your on-paper credentials lacking the proof of your capabilities to lead? Explore educational opportunities in leadership studies today and see your opportunities grow.

About the Author: Alyssa Ammirato is a content writer for College.com touching on various education topics and issues. She is well-versed in the topics she writes about and is always looking for the next feature article to produce.

Top 5 Most Powerful Women in the World

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 02:51:00 GMT

It is a fact, that women make extremely effective leaders in various industries. There are hundreds of women in top positions—both governmental and entrepreneurial—across the globe. The following is a list of the top five most powerful women in the world.

Angela Merkel

How would it feel to have the fate of an entire union of countries resting in your hands? Just ask Angela Merkel. Elected to the German Bundestag in 2005, this Chancellor has been on quite a ride since the start of this global economic crisis. Given that Germany is one of the few financially stable countries in the European Union—and thereby one of the few capable of bailing out the at-risk nations such as Greece and Italy—Merkel is in quite a prominent position. After all, Germany has remained a heavy export nation during her time as Chancellor, and is the only European country with the means necessary to bail the bankrupt countries out.

In addition to her current role, she served as chairwoman for many years in various political parties, and in 2007, she became the second woman ever to chair the G8 summit. She is staunchly focused on health care reform and future energy policy for her country, but right now, she is most focused on ensuring the collapse of the EU doesn’t occur. Because the fate of several nations’ economies and an entire currency could be in her hands, Merkel lands the #1 position of most powerful women in the world.

Hillary Clinton

Next up on our list is Hillary Rodham Clinton. She is currently the Secretary of State under the Obama administration, but this is just one of many outstanding achievements she has accumulated in her extensive political career. Before becoming Secretary of State, she was a US Senator for the state of New York from 2001-2009. She ran against Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, but even though she didn’t win the nomination, Obama realized her resourcefulness and appointed her as the Secretary of State in his presidential cabinet.

Before she became a senator, Hillary Clinton was the First Lady from 1993 to 2001 under her husband’s administration. Here, she was actively involved in the public policy process, and aided her husband in making several important decisions in regards to the presidency and his executive duties during this term.

Dilma Rousseff

As the first female president of Brazil, Dilma Rosseff garners the #3 slot on this list. Before getting into the arena of politics, she protested against the then-military dictatorship and was even arrested on one of these occasions. She later delved more into her own education and found a strong interest in economics. She helped to found the Democratic Labour Party, which would later be her platform for running for the presidency. She also served as a Minister of Energy in an administration prior to the resignation of Jose Dirceu. In 2010, she took a leap of faith and ran for the presidency and won the election.

Indra Nooyi

As Chief Executive Officer of the second largest food/beverage business in the world, Indra Nooyi takes the #4 slot on the list of most powerful women in the world. PepsiCo, the company she oversees, operates in dozens of countries across the globe, and it has been positively flourishing under her administration. Nearly every list—Forbes, Fortune, Time Magazine, Wall Street Journal, etc.—have listed her as one of the top women in business for several years running. She was responsible for many mergers, including one that brought popular sports drink Gatorade under PepsiCo’s jurisdiction. Revenues have been dramatically increased ever since she was promoted to CFO and later CEO, and the future only looks brighter with Nooyi in charge.

Sheryl Sandberg

This is a woman that has served in governmental roles and private sector positions. As current chief operating officer for the popular social networking site, Facebook, Sandberg lands #5 on the list of most powerful women in the world. Before landing her new position at Facebook, she worked for many years at Google. She was VP of the Global Online Sales and Operations division and primarily responsible for the creation of Google.org, a philanthropic organisation headed by Google. The sky is the limit for this ambitious internet entrepreneur, and we will be seeing much more of Sandberg in the coming future.

Merkel, Clinton, Rousseff, Nooyi, and Sandberg prove that women can handle vast amounts of power and exercise it wisely. Whether it’s heading an entire country or running an important division in an internationally-run company, these women are responsible for some of the most important tasks in the political, economical, and business communities.

This article was written by Justin Toladro from Life Insurance Finder. He blogs about different policies and affordable life insurance for you and your family.

How Do You Live Your Life To The Fullest?

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 06:34:00 GMT

Hello Girlfriends – This post was sparked by a random seat that I happened to take at a local restaurant bar counter. As I took my seat, I noticed a young man in his 20s sitting there with a bunch of note cards in front of him. I immediately thought he is studying for something and needs to memorize. I later found out that he was a helicopter pilot for the U.S. Marine Corp. I was there with my daughter and as my daughter got up to step outside for a few minutes, he turned to me and asked this question….

How do you live your life to the fullest?

At first I was taken by surprise and didn’t really think he was talking to me. In fact, I glanced over my back to make sure there wasn’t anyone else there. I thought pretty deep question for a bar counter discussion with a total stranger….I even asked him if he was talking to me? Of course he was!

I paused and allowed my heart to speak from my TRUTH. I looked within for a moment and answered:

“By living in the moment…...”

My girlfriend Marci Calantonio has an eloquent way to bring people back to the moment and realize we truly ONLY have the moment. She states, “look down at your feet – where are they planted right now”? They are right in front of you and since you can actually see them then you are in this moment. This is the only place you can be right now. If your mind is someplace else, bring it back to where your feet are – you must be aligned with your mind, body and spirit.

You are only living where your feet are.

By focusing in the PAST you bring the past to the moment and the past doesn’t serve the moment. We learn from the past and then we release it to the…..

Proverbial Past Abyss. Ciao for now baby!

To live in the total fulfillment we must stay focused in the HERE AND NOW…..

To be focusing on the FUTURE – not such a good idea either, for the future is not right here and right now. It has it’s fair amount of uncertainty and why even go there unless you are into stressing about the future. Of course, don’t get me wrong – we must plan for the future and have it in our peripheral vision – not the same as worrying about the future and living in the future.
I had the opportunity to be on a 80’ yacht very recently and the name on this dream cruiser stated, “Seas the Moment.” Do you think they understand a little about living in the moment?
I chose to live in joy and gratitude for all my experiences (good, bad or indifferent) and I meet each new day with a smile. Look into each experience which comes to you for some grain of happiness.

Be your own best friend and let the world know you’re happy to be alive!

If you ever get asked the question:

“How Do You Live Your Life To The Fullest?”

How will you answer?

I invite you to share your thoughts on living your life at its fullest……….

Remember, may the possibilities of today excite you!

3 Reasons Why You Should Get An MBA

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 06:05:00 GMT

If you’ve been thinking about going back to school, consider your options carefully. You should have an end-goal, whether it’s advancement or striking out on your own as a small business owner. No one takes the leap of enrolling in a college without having a strong motivating factor.

Chances are good that you can reach your goal with an MBA. It’s a flexible degree that may be able to take you to whatever you’re dreaming about.

Gain a leadership role:

Many fields, especially service industries, don’t have a specific college degree requirement. Instead, there’s a vague notion that an advanced degree of some sort is helpful to advance in the company. An MBA is a perfect solution since it will teach you managerial skills and show the higher ups that you’re invested in advancing through the company.

If you’re already working full time at a company, they may even have a plan in place that will help you pay for college courses. Many of these companies are specifically looking for people with college degrees for upper management, so inquiring about any programs will also let them know that you’re serious about your career and that you’re serious about advancement. An online university may be a great choice for someone who already has a full time job.

Find a new job:

MBAs teach the backbones and the core skills of running a business and working in management. Whether it’s an art gallery or a hospital, every manager and senior-level employee must have the same skill sets to thrive in their environment.

If you’re itching for a change of pace, having a flexible degree like an MBA may facilitate the switch between industries quickly. Because MBA grads have are qualified to work various jobs in various companies, they can fit in in non-profits, large companies and small businesses. MBAs are powerful degrees because every company needs management staff. An MBA may help you get your foot in the door in a company, and help you navigate to another role within the company.

Start your own business:

Starting your own business is a perilous adventure. You need to know about tax laws, setting up health care for any potential employees, and how to actually run your business. Chances are good that your high school economics class didn’t teach you enough—if any—of that sort of thing, so you’ll want to educate yourself somehow.

Many local libraries offer information for burgeoning small biz owners, but once again, it isn’t as comprehensive as you’ll probably need. Taking classes toward your MBA may prove invaluable. If your company grows and you find yourself with more and more employees, you’re also going to find that having classes in management will go a long way toward keeping employees happy and productive. Management requires several soft skills that you will learn to cultivate through business classes.

The Art Of Patience

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:42:00 GMT

Hello Girlfriends – The two most powerful warriors are patience and time….Leo Tolstoy

We want things “NOW!” We have been conditioned over time that we live in a society of instant gratification. With the upgrade of technology and our instant society we expect ANSWERS NOW! We’re hungry we drive through fast food restaurants to get our food quickly. (No waiting – well except if everyone else in that city decides on the same thing – FAST FOOD – then there’s a long line and our patience gets tested).

It’s said that Patience Is a Virtue – so I researched this a bit because I know for myself I struggle with having so much patience in some parts of my life but then having ZERO patience in other parts of my life. On Answers.com it states, “The phrase “patience is a virtue” is just a way of expressing the importance of being patient. A virtue is a trait or quality deemed to be morally excellent and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. Patience can make us better people. The definition of the word is to tolerate delay implying self control and forbearance. When we say “patience is a virtue” we are exposing our moral values and expressing importance of patience as a foundation of principle. So to answer the question patience is not a virtue until it truly becomes a virtue and knowing how diverse the spectrum of individualism is I’m sure patience is a vice (opposite of virtue) to some. Patience is a necessity for a happy existence and that is why the phrase is so often used.

So with all that stated and knowing that patience is a necessity for a happy existence why do we fall out of patience? We all do it – look around at the grocery stores, when you have to wait in line somewhere, in traffic and someone cuts you off, in the blog world and your traffic is not up from you last blog post. In relationships we display impatience with our partners. Isn’t love to be patient. So I reflect inward and I ask, “Okay if I love myself and love is patient then patience is love and I love myself enough to be a patient person with myself.” To have patience for others we must be patient with ourselves and there lies the battle. The internal struggle with self! Thus, the reason why we want everything “NOW” – answers to our challenges that arise in our daily lives – “NOW!” By getting our answers “NOW” then we don’t have to deal with any pain, fear and the unknown. Instead we don’t have the answers “NOW” – we don’t understand why the waiting? We don’t understand the dessert moments in our lives. These are the moments of being “STILL” – when I say STILL, I don’t mean we keep thinking and worrying about the issue we are battling – STILL to me means – Letting The Issue Go and getting out of the way of GOD – DIVINE- SOURCE – UNIVERSE. There’s work to be done so get out of HIS way! In my own life it’s the moments when I let go and move out of HIS way that the MAGIC happens.

These are the moments when we get clarity and sometimes you can even look back at a situation and have an “AH-HA” moment and say, “I know why I had to WAIT and be PATIENT.” So next time you’re in traffic, a long line or your partner is testing your patience – BREATH – in and out slowly – remind yourself that you are LOVE and BE STILL!

Patience breeds happiness, love, and peace while impatience breeds anxiety, stress and fear….

Remember, may the possibilities of today excite us all!

Positive Steps Toward Career Goals

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 00:24:00 GMT

Women make extremely effective leaders. The traits that we have are a natural fit for a leadership model that promotes empathy and consensus building. But moving through the mid-level ranks and into corporate boardrooms is still going to present a greater challenge to us. Figuring out how to maneuver smoothly and successfully toward leadership positions requires a strategy.

Education
Women have been graduating high school and receiving undergraduate degrees in greater percentages than men, and that trend looks like it's growing. But we need to encourage more of us toward MBA's and JD's to capitalize on our educational advantage and sharpen our competitive edge. We also need to encourage more business-track Ph.D.'s in areas that aren't strictly academic. Any gains in education among women are an intrinsically positive step for advancing in the workforce. But exploiting our educational advantage will require more advanced degrees in business, marketing and law.

Networking
Finding advancement opportunities is always the unspoken but hoped for outcome of networking. That doesn't mean you're shamelessly opportunistic. It's just common sense pragmatism. Given that the best-case scenario in networking is leveraging a contact into a better job, it makes sense to pursue a strategy of increasing your current contacts to include individuals that exercise power. It's not always possible to have frequent lunches with the CEO—though you might be surprised at how often that could happen if you pursued it—but a lot of networking opportunities go unrealized just because people never think to ask. Going out for lunch or drinks after work can be an extremely effective way to get to know people in your organization whom you rarely socialize with in the workplace. This can be a far more effective tactic than you might think. It just requires the willingness to step out of your immediate comfort zone.

Mentoring
It's hard to overstate the importance of mentoring in the work place, and it's especially important for women. In many corporate environments, the good old boy environment of informal mentoring among men has existed since time immemorial. But women in leadership need to make a special effort to reach out and mentor younger women. If formal mentoring programs exist in your organization, use them to groom younger women with leadership potential. And if you don't have formal mentoring programs, make the extra effort to introduce informal mentoring.

Reach Out
If you're in a leadership position, take the time to interact with younger women in a sort of inverted power dynamic networking fashion. Rather than reaching upward as one tends to do with traditional networking, approaching informal mentoring in the opposite fashion means that you reach down through the ranks and give women the tools they need to move up into leadership ranks. Nobody is going to step aside and just give us a seat at the table in the corporate boardroom. We have to make sure that we make a conscious effort to use all the tools at our disposal to make it happen.

A Radical Approach to Organizational Transformation: The Practice of Personal Excellence

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 19:28:00 GMT

Every year companies spend billions of dollars on training and
development, trying to help their people become more engaged, more innovative, and better leaders. Training programs excel in introducing new ideas and perspectives, delivering feedback and assessment data, and teaching basic skills. But many organizations still face a conundrum: how to inspire learning and development that is truly transformational and lasting?

Developing a person is not the same as building a product or delivering a project on time—human beings grow in organic, dynamic ways. What is needed is a process for human development that actively teaches people how to learn and grow.

The Challenge: Creating a Culture

In 2006, Pamela Weiss, an executive coach and founder of Appropriate Response, was teaching meditation and mindfulness to employees in Genentech’s Information Technology department. Classes were consistently full and had created a buzz within the department. Todd Pierce, then Senior VP of the department, saw an opportunity. “We are a company dedicated to discovery and innovation,” he told Pam, “I want to create a culture of human development within my organization. Let’s build on the principles of coaching and mindfulness to create something really diﬀerent.”

The challenge was clear: to translate the wisdom of meditation and mindfulness into a pragmatic set of principles and practices that would radically transform the fast-paced world of corporate technology. PEP was developed in response to this challenge.

"PEP has brought sustained individual growth and a vibrant learning culture to my organization. Through PEP, we are now smarter, more agile, and more responsive. There is greater collaboration across functions; customer relationships have improved, employee engagement is noticeably higher, and we are better positioned to respond to change and lead technological innovation."
Todd Pierce, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Oﬃcer, Genentech-Roche

Join FWL on Thursday, October 13th, when Heather Neely an expert in generational diversity and leadership development will speak on the topic of personal development and how to increase our awareness, confidence and ultimately our own satisfaction. Heather will be speaking about PEP and taking us through an accelerated version of the program so we can start integrating the skills into our own lives.

Register Today!

About Heather:

For more than a decade, Heather has been helping organizations gain a better understanding of generational diversity. Heather provides key insights to organizations looking to better understand both their internal teams and their external customers. She has helped hundreds of managers hone their skills that bring greater ease and efficiency to their leadership roles. Heather has coached and facilitated workshops in a variety of organizations including Cisco Systems, Genentech, IBM, and The United States District Court. Heather has an MA in Organizational Psychology from JFK University, CA, and a BA in Spanish from University of California, Santa Barbara.

Changing The Leadership Paradigm

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:31:00 GMT

We've known for a long time that women make effective leaders. It's not a big secret. So why is it that every time we're considered for a very visible senior position, so much news coverage is devoted to our gender rather than our qualifications?

When Christine Lagarde was being considered as a potential candidate for managing director of the International Monetary Fund earlier in the year, I found myself gritting my teeth during most of the coverage. As the IMF scrambled to find a replacement for Dominique Strauss-Kahn—who had been charged with sex crimes in New York City—Ms. Lagarde's name rapidly rose to the top of the list.

In spite of her stellar career as a high profile lawyer and later as France's first female finance minister, much of the news coverage emphasized her love of skirt suits and silk scarves. Even NPR devoted an inordinate amount of time to her wardrobe instead of her track record. And I still don't know what Mr. Strauss-Kahn's sartorial preferences are. Is he a Brooks Brothers guy, or does he favor Italian suits and English wingtips. Frankly, I don't know and don't care.

Bela Szandelszky / AP Photo

Considering our lengthy track record of effective leadership, why are we still viewed as something of a novelty when we break into male dominated boardrooms? It has to do with leadership stereotypes and about what makes effective leaders. As long as leadership selection rewards aggressiveness and a certain amount of recklessness in decision-making, we will either tend to imitate that behavior to bridge gender differences or risk standing out. Changing the leadership paradigm could go a long way in moving more women into leadership positions.

For women of my generation, getting ahead sometimes meant acquiring a certain masculine ruthlessness in the workplace. And even though that was an effective tactic at times, it now does us a disservice by sacrificing what some of our best leadership attributes may be. In imitating men, we often gave up some of our most effective leadership tools of collaboration, compassion and empathy.

A look back at the economic bubble of 2008—and the resulting fragmented economic landscape we still inhabit—should be an indication of how effective our current leadership paradigm really is. Bringing real collaboration and empathetic understanding to boardroom decisions isn't just a postmodern fuzzy notion either. Every bad decision leading up to the financial meltdown could have used some collaboration and a measure of empathy in addition to cold financial calculation.

It's not as if the financial calculation proved correct anyway. But the pay packages that are offered to CEOs reward individuals with bad track records of risk-taking without matching accountability. Unnecessary risk taking ties into the aggressive male leadership paradigm and it hasn't been especially useful as a leadership attribute for anyone—least of all investors and the American middle class. If we want to move toward a more cautious and risk-averse corporate culture that avoids monumental economic collapses in the future, changing the leadership paradigm to reflect the innate skills that women offer makes sense.

Exciting new FWL Membership Benefit: FallFest 2011 - Oct 9th, 2011

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 21:25:00 GMT

If you're a true local, you like your food and wine that way, too. Taste all the Bay Area has to offer at FallFest 2011—a celebration of the Bay Area's best in local food, wine, and cocktails. See San Francisco magazine's award-winning food editorial come to life at the hands of local restaurateurs, winemakers, epicurean artisans, eco experts, and mixologists (for a complete list, visit sffallfest.com).

Tickets benefit Meals On Wheels of San Francisco, so snag a pair and join more than 1,500 locavores for eats, drinks, and live music. As a friend of Future Women Leaders, we are extending a special promo code to save 10% on tickets! PAY ONLY $85 (regular price: $95/$110 at the door) when using the special FWL promotion code located in the FWL Promotions - Members Only Area.
 
Local Winemakers • Leading Restaurateurs • Epicurean Artisans • Eco Experts • Mixologists • Live Music • and More

Event date: Sunday, October 9, 2011  
Time: Noon to 4 p.m.  
Location: Justin Herman Plaza at Embarcadero Center    

If you are not a FWL Member you can still join! Visit our Membership area for more details. Even if you are not a member you can visit www.sffallfest.com between now and October 3rd and save! 

MORE WAYS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR MEALS ON WHEELS OF SAN FRANCISCO

Buy Raffle Tickets at www.sffallfest.com

$10 each or $50 for six. Enter to win one of three great getaways. (Winners will be announced at FallFest—need not be present to win). 

Make a donation:

 Help provide hope for homebound seniors. A donation of just $10 provides two nutritious meals that are essential for the health, self-sufficiency, and well-being of older adults. Donate now at www.sffallfest.com.  

Bid on a silent auction item:

 At FallFest, stop by the silent auction area and bid on more than 40 wine, food, and travel packages. 

Donate a silent auction item:

 For more information on how to donate an item to the silent auction, contact Charlene Del Muro at 415.343.1280 or cdelmuro@mowsf.org.

Twitter Trending for Entrepreneurs

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 13:15:00 GMT

Social media has allowed us to explore expanding our businesses and forming networking connections in ways we never even conceived were possible. A good example of this is by utilizing Twitter, and more specifically using Twitter hashtags, which have the incredible ability to bring people together that may have never interacted before. Twitter does this by “trending” through its hashtags, which allows people to click on the hashtag and find anyone and everyone also tweeting about the same thing. So which hashtags can you utilize to further your entrepreneurship ventures?

1. #SocEnt
Short for Social Entrepreneurship, this hashtag is heavily used by
entrepreneurs looking to seek input or network with other entrepreneurs.
You can also utilize #SocEntChat, which is a monthly chat forum that occurs
on the first Wednesday of each month from 4-6pm EST.

2. #NPTech
This is the hashtag that follows non-profit technology and is used to promote
non-profit technology and non-profit technology news, as well as other
social media and enterprise ventures.

3. #SocialGood
The Social Good hashtag came about because of the Summer of Social Good
and Mashable venture. They were promoting creating a better world through
enterprise and nonprofit projects. You can frequently find it trending for
philanthropy and global endeavors.

4. #smNPchat
This chat forum stands for Small Nonprofit Chat, which is a chat forum
that “meets” every other Friday from 12-1pm EST. The #smNPchat is
defined on Pamela’s Grantwriting Blog as being, “designed especially for
you, the smaller nonprofit organization looking to create maximum impact
in your marketing and fundraising efforts – in minimum time”.

5. #NPCons
Short for Nonprofit Consultants, this hashtag will connect you with people
looking for nonprofit consultants for things ranging from personal use to
speaking at different events.

While each social media site has their own perks, hashtags and trending are two of Twitter’s biggest assets. They connect people in ways that aren’t done on any other forum, and encourage people to get involved with one another. So if you’ve been holding off the Twitter bandwagon, now is a great time to hop on and give it a try. You’ll be pleasantly surprised with how many you are able to connect to that share similar interests, value, and even questions as you.

This Guest post is by Christine Kane, a graduate of Communication and Journalism. She enjoys writing about a wide-variety of subjects including internet providers in my area for different blogs. She can be reached via email at: Christi.Kane00 @ gmail.com

Awesome cupcake twitter image via The Pioneer Woman Cooks