Posts

Women as Business Leaders: Advice from the Top

How can women, as business leaders, help ourselves get ahead? You might wonder how studying exemplary business women translates to applicable lessons for executives in the field. Well, there are some female business leaders inspiring change—and they’re working in a wide variety of industries and roles. We can follow their lead and keep up the momentum they’ve started to continue to make progress in areas that need attention, for women in the business world. There are also some behaviors and habits we can cultivate, according to female leaders who have already done the hard work of climbing to the top.

Exemplary Women in the Business World

There are many prominent leaders in the business world whom we can look up to, as examples. Shonda Rhimes is a writer at ABC for shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, where she writes about controversial subjects and casts a good number of women in dynamic roles. Kara Swisher and Debbie Sterling are two women related to the tech industry who are making an effort to change the status quo. Swisher is an investigative journalist who has pointed out glaring gender and race gaps in Silicon Valley; and Sterling is encouraging young girls interested in STEM by creating engineering-related toys for girls via GoldieBlox, helping to narrow the gender gap in the engineering field. Lastly, Marissa Mayer, President, and CEO of Yahoo, is well known for increasing the length of maternity leave and fighting for more transparency in the NSA’s data collection policies.

Another woman making great strides in the business world is Lisa Petrilli, founder of C-Level Strategies. According to Petrilli, executive leaders should create and maintain a vision—and, moreover, they should have a passion for that vision! She emphasizes the importance of communicating and explaining your idea clearly, so people understand it. Also, don’t feel the need to go it alone: make an effort to hire and promote those who share your vision and understand their role in realizing that vision. Because of the specificity of your goals, it’s also important to implement some way to evaluate your employees’ work. That way, you have a system for measuring your progress, and you’ll be able to develop ways to help your staff to improve, if necessary.

Traits & Habits of Successful Business Leaders

In a recent Forbes article, Lisa Song Sutton discusses a few ways women can become fearless leaders, starting with getting rid of any fear you might have about being “the only female in the room.” In the business world, being the sole woman in a roomful of men will probably be a frequent occurrence. However, you should realize that the only thing you can control is how you choose to react to negativity; it’s possible for a positive attitude and strong performance to assuage and largely eliminate your colleagues’ doubts.

Surprisingly enough, more often than you might expect, some of the most critical members may include other women. There has been substantial research examining why women compete with each other—including a literature review by Tracy Vaillancourt in 2013 that found women express mostly indirect aggression toward other women in the form of both self-promotion and derogation of rivals. Rather than choosing to compete with your female colleagues, however, it would more greatly benefit all parties involved if, instead of participating in cutting other women down, you chose to mentor each other. Sutton argues that mentoring other women “supports a social revolution and the realization that we aren’t in competition with each other, but more so with ourselves.”

In Competition With Ourselves

Speaking of being in competition with ourselves, sometimes we truly are our own worst enemies. Pat Olsen wrote a piece in Diversity Woman recently about ways women can be more assertive and overcome the tendency to apologize, and the first tip she gave was to believe in your self-worth. Quickly following on the heels of her call for doing “self-work,” however, was the reminder that it’s more important to be respected than to be liked. In other words, you should focus more on liking yourself than in trying to get others to like you.

If you’re concerned about others’ opinions of you, you may hold yourself back from speaking your mind during meetings or introducing an innovative idea during a presentation. The importance of speaking of your mind assertively and genuinely, without fear, can’t be stressed strongly enough. It’s an extension, of sorts, of the adage, “Fake it till you make it.”

If you come across as impressive and carry yourself with confidence, you will earn your colleagues’ respect. If you come across as impressive and carry yourself with confidence, you will earn your colleagues’ respect.

However, beyond a positive attitude, it’s crucial to network with influential colleagues and senior-level leaders who have influence in your company. If that necessarily denotes male counterparts at the management level, so be it. “Don’t be afraid to be a pioneer,” says Kerry Doyle, CEO of the Heart Foundation. Of course, it can be scary to find oneself in the front of the line without any other women with whom you can relate, as a peer; however, the potential gains and opportunities usually outweigh the risk. And if you consistently find yourself along at the top of the ladder, make an effort to pull other women onto the ladder with you. Studies have shown that a ‘pipeline’ of female managers, rather than merely a female CEO, is necessary in order to help more middle management-level women attain executive positions in the business world.

To get to a more utopian, gender-balanced version of the corporate world, in the U.S. don’t be afraid to dream big. Studies show, in fact, that there’s reason to be optimistic about the future of business models when it comes to a more philanthropic, socially-conscious corporate world: Jean Tang reports in a recent Forbes article that “compared with men, women are doubly likely to create social impact ventures.” Therefore, women should embrace their tendency to want to “do good” and use the instinct to their advantage, when searching for entrepreneurial inspiration.

Encouragingly, Tang reminds us, the Dalai Lama said, “The world will be saved by Western women.” This bodes well for the future of corporate America, which is sure to be populated by more women than in the past. Furthermore, business leaders, more than ever, are striving toward socially conscious causes that exist to benefit humankind, rather than simply to make profits. As women, we should be optimistic about this trend, and be bold in our visions as leaders. We have plenty of good company when it comes to other women who can serve as role models and examples to us of what we can do when we put our minds to it. Let us go forth, then.

Image credit: StockSnap.io

#TChat Recap: Finding Your Business Vision

Finding Your Business Vision

Have we lost trust?

People don’t trust the idea of vision these days. What some organizations call vision is no more than a cleverly disguised marketing message.

Having a vision is extraordinary, but it will require key elements to turn it into reality for your organization. Vision takes serious work and continuous investment to keep it alive.

This week, Dr. Jesse Lyn Stoner, Founder of Seapoint Center for Collaborative Leadership, shared 3 essential elements to a compelling business vision: purpose, values, and a clear picture of a desirable future.

People get lazy on vision: it takes a long-term plan. Leaders must live the vision consistently and integrate it into the organizational infrastructure.

Creating strategic visions doesn’t lie just with leadership. Visionary leaders involve everyone in the process. 

Give your talent a voice. That takes vision itself, but what is that vision about?

Purpose and values matter, especially when there is trust.

Create an authentic vision. Give the words of your vision life by involving others. People will rally behind the visionary leaders they believe in and trust.

See What #TChat-ters Said About Business Vision! 

What’s Up Next? #TChat Returns Wednesday March 4th! 

TChatRadio_logo_020813-300x300#TChat Radio Kicks Off at 7pm ET / 4pm PT — Our weekly radio show runs 30 minutes. Usually, our social community joins us on Twitter as well. The topic: 6 Steps To Building A Remarkable Workplace.

#TChat Twitter Kicks Off at 7:30pm ET / 4:30pm PT — Our halfway point begins with our highly engaging Twitter discussion. We take a social inside look at our weekly topic. Everyone is welcome to share their social insights #TChat.

Join Our Social Community & Stay Up-to-Date! 

The TalentCulture conversation continues daily on Twitter, in our LinkedIn group, and on our Google+ community. Engage with us anytime on our social networks or stay current with trending World of Work topics through our weekly email newsletter. Signing up is just a click away!

Passive-Recruiting

Photo credit: Viktor Hanacek via Picjumbo 

10 Reasons Why Your Business Should Be On Google+

Editor’s Note: Google+ Is in the news today due to its most vocal internal champion leaving Google. Many tech pundits are wondering what will happen to the social network, with most postulating it will shift to more of a platform for Android devices and less of a social network. It is an interesting time to be using the service and TalentCulture will continue to watch its evolution closely. Read more here and join our Google+ Community.

1. Be Discovered. Google is the most used search engine in the world. In 2013 Google search averaged 5,922,000,000 searches per day. Google helps people find what they’re looking for.

2. Be Seen. YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world averaging three billion searches every month. Google owns YouTube. G+ Hangouts On Air stream on G+ and YouTube at the same time.

3. Be Friendly. G+ has 540 million active users and 1.15 billion users. (Don’t think that the active users to actual accounts ratio is way off. Twitter has 883 million accounts with 232 million active users. ) You can use G+ to post, plus one, instant message and video chat.

4. Be Found. Google Maps is the most popular smart phone app in the world A verified G+ local business page insures that you show up on Google Maps, along with photos, reviews and ratings. Showcase your business with a virtual interior and exterior tour and connect your customers to your G+ page and your website.

5. Be Widgeted. Gmail is the most widely-used email provider. Ever. If you enable the G+ Gmail Widget, your clients/customers can follow you on G+ and engage with your brand/business there as well.

6. Be Strategic. G+ Local Business Pages can connect their Adwords Express account to their G+ page. Your business will be marked with a blue pin on Google Maps and your ad can connect to your G+ business page or your website. Adwords Express is truly designed for local brick and mortars such as restaurants, service providers, hotels and retail outlets.

7. Be Authoritative. Activating Google Authorship confirms that you are the originator of your post content. Authorship grabs your G+ profile photo, includes a portion of your post, and displays how many people have you in their G+ circles.

8. Be Plussed. Add a Google plus one button to your business website. As those plus ones add up so does your visibility. Remember, Google favors Google. Having your business website plus-oned can facilitate your spot on the coveted Google Local Carousel.

9. Be Charismatic. Use the Hangouts On Air to provide content for your YouTube channel, all your social media channels, and your website. You get a shareable link. You can display your logo, list your website and answer questions from those watching the event live. You can even edit and repurpose the video. Plus, you can advertise your HOA within G+ as an event and events are now searchable.

10. Be Patient. You aren’t going to know every nuance of G+ overnight. If you think you can post on The Plus in the same manner you post on all your other social media, you can’t. G+ requires finesse. It is a game changer.

photo credit: manfrys via photopin cc

TalentCulture’s Greatest Hits: 2013 Edition

Lists! Lists! Lists! As we close the chapter on 2013, there’s no denying — the “best of” list season is in full swing.

And who can blame blogs for sharing top picks from the past year? After all, lists are incredibly easy to create, and there’s a certain seductive power in a headline that promises to deliver all the goods in just one single round-up post.

But for me, picking “best” blog posts is like picking “best” children — an impossible task. I’ve spent hours helping to envision, edit, implement and promote every one of the 200 posts we produced last year. And to me, each is uniquely relevant and valuable in its own right.

So please consider our showcase of 2013’s most popular content more than a “best of” list. It’s also our way of recognizing ALL of the many “world of work” experts who have contributed to our blog, our weekly radio shows, and our #TChat Twitter chats. For example:

Business leaders like Chris Boyce, CEO, Virgin Pulse; Richie Etwaru, Group VP, Cegedim CRM; Todd Owens, President, TalentWise; Dr. Janice Presser, Founder, The Gabriel Institute, and Jason Averbook, Chief Innovation Officer, Appirio.

World of work observers and educators like Josh Bersin, Angela Maiers, Dr. Marla Gottschalk, and Dr. Nancy Rubin

Best-selling authors like Bob Burg, Stan Phelps, Marcia Conner, Jamie Notter and Ekaterina Walter.

To these contributors, and to the many others who participate in our community of purpose, thank you. We’re all better because you share professional insights that are relevant today, and will clearly stand the test of time. Need convincing? Check out the items below, and let us know what you think…

Top 10 TalentCulture Posts (Most Popular)

1) Employees Quit Leaders, Not Companies — by David Hassell, CEO, 15Five

2) Want Engaged Employees? Tell Them Why — by Meghan M. Biro, CEO, TalentCulture

3) Are You a Good Fit? 3 Interview Questions — by Razor Suleman, Founder + Chief Evangelist, Achievers

4) 5 Social Skills Business Leaders Must Master — by Meghan M. Biro, CEO, TalentCulture

5) Considering a Career Change? Take a 360 Snapshot — by Dorie Clark, marketing strategy consultant, branding expert and author, Reinventing You

6) Brainstorming is Broken: Rethinking Group Dynamics — by Razor Suleman, Founder + Chief Evangelist, Achievers

7) Gen Y at Work: Feedback Changes Everything — by David Hassell, CEO, 15Five

8) The Steep Cost of Poor Management — by Tatiana Beale, Achievers

9) Want To Be Your Own Boss? Try This First — by Hans Balmaekers, Founder and Director, sa.am

10) Hiring Culture: Creating A Recruitment Ecosystem — by David Smooke, Director of Social Media, SmartRecruiters

Top 3 #TChat Radio Shows  (Most Popular)

TChatRadio_logo_020813

Listen to #TChat Radio replays

1) How Collaboration Unifies Polarization — featuring Jesse Lyn Stoner

2) The Big Deal With HR Data — featuring Andrew Courtois and Christene Pantalone

3) How Open Leaders Win Employee Hearts and Minds — featuring Dan Pontefract

Top 3 #TChat Event Preview Posts (Most Popular)

Featuring G+ hangouts hosted by Tim McDonald, Community Manager, TalentCulture + Director of Community, Huffington Post.

1) Leadership + Influence, From The Inside Out — featuring Steve Gutzler

2) You 2.0: Reinventing a Personal Brand — featuring Dorie Clark

3) Should Work Be Fun? Really? — featuring Dan Benoni

Top 3 #TChat Recaps (Most Popular)

1) HR Data: What Really Counts? — by Kathleen Kruse

2) Mindfully Managing Your Personal Brand — by Kevin W. Grossman

3) Face-to-Face With Brand Humanization — by Megan Burkett

Of course, this is only a slice from the TalentCulture archives. There’s much more inside — over 500 posts with helpful ideas and guidance on workplace culture, innovation, leadership, learning, career strategy, HR and talent management. So feel free to stop by anytime.

And no matter what your professional interests may be, we hope you’ll continue to bring your ideas and opinions to the TalentCulture table throughout 2014. Because, no matter how “popular” our blog or events may be on any given day, it’s our community’s collective energy that will truly shape the future of work. So, together, let’s discover how we can be even better.

Your Turn

What topics were your favorites in 2013? And what issues would you like to explore in the year ahead? Share your ideas in the comments area — we’re listening!

(Editor’s Note: To discuss World of Work topics like these with others in the TalentCulture community, join our online #TChat Events every Wednesday, from 6:30-8pm ET. Everyone is welcome at events, or join our ongoing Twitter conversation anytime. Learn more…)

Image Credit: Stock.xchng

TalentCulture’s Greatest Hits: 2013 Edition

Lists! Lists! Lists! As we close the chapter on 2013, there’s no denying — the “best of” list season is in full swing.

And who can blame blogs for sharing top picks from the past year? After all, lists are incredibly easy to create, and there’s a certain seductive power in a headline that promises to deliver all the goods in just one single round-up post.

But for me, picking “best” blog posts is like picking “best” children — an impossible task. I’ve spent hours helping to envision, edit, implement and promote every one of the 200 posts we produced last year. And to me, each is uniquely relevant and valuable in its own right.

So please consider our showcase of 2013’s most popular content more than a “best of” list. It’s also our way of recognizing ALL of the many “world of work” experts who have contributed to our blog, our weekly radio shows, and our #TChat Twitter chats. For example:

Business leaders like Chris Boyce, CEO, Virgin Pulse; Richie Etwaru, Group VP, Cegedim CRM; Todd Owens, President, TalentWise; Dr. Janice Presser, Founder, The Gabriel Institute, and Jason Averbook, Chief Innovation Officer, Appirio.

World of work observers and educators like Josh Bersin, Angela Maiers, Dr. Marla Gottschalk, and Dr. Nancy Rubin

Best-selling authors like Bob Burg, Stan Phelps, Marcia Conner, Jamie Notter and Ekaterina Walter.

To these contributors, and to the many others who participate in our community of purpose, thank you. We’re all better because you share professional insights that are relevant today, and will clearly stand the test of time. Need convincing? Check out the items below, and let us know what you think…

Top 10 TalentCulture Posts (Most Popular)

1) Employees Quit Leaders, Not Companies — by David Hassell, CEO, 15Five

2) Want Engaged Employees? Tell Them Why — by Meghan M. Biro, CEO, TalentCulture

3) Are You a Good Fit? 3 Interview Questions — by Razor Suleman, Founder + Chief Evangelist, Achievers

4) 5 Social Skills Business Leaders Must Master — by Meghan M. Biro, CEO, TalentCulture

5) Considering a Career Change? Take a 360 Snapshot — by Dorie Clark, marketing strategy consultant, branding expert and author, Reinventing You

6) Brainstorming is Broken: Rethinking Group Dynamics — by Razor Suleman, Founder + Chief Evangelist, Achievers

7) Gen Y at Work: Feedback Changes Everything — by David Hassell, CEO, 15Five

8) The Steep Cost of Poor Management — by Tatiana Beale, Achievers

9) Want To Be Your Own Boss? Try This First — by Hans Balmaekers, Founder and Director, sa.am

10) Hiring Culture: Creating A Recruitment Ecosystem — by David Smooke, Director of Social Media, SmartRecruiters

Top 3 #TChat Radio Shows  (Most Popular)

TChatRadio_logo_020813

Listen to #TChat Radio replays

1) How Collaboration Unifies Polarization — featuring Jesse Lyn Stoner

2) The Big Deal With HR Data — featuring Andrew Courtois and Christene Pantalone

3) How Open Leaders Win Employee Hearts and Minds — featuring Dan Pontefract

Top 3 #TChat Event Preview Posts (Most Popular)

Featuring G+ hangouts hosted by Tim McDonald, Community Manager, TalentCulture + Director of Community, Huffington Post.

1) Leadership + Influence, From The Inside Out — featuring Steve Gutzler

2) You 2.0: Reinventing a Personal Brand — featuring Dorie Clark

3) Should Work Be Fun? Really? — featuring Dan Benoni

Top 3 #TChat Recaps (Most Popular)

1) HR Data: What Really Counts? — by Kathleen Kruse

2) Mindfully Managing Your Personal Brand — by Kevin W. Grossman

3) Face-to-Face With Brand Humanization — by Megan Burkett

Of course, this is only a slice from the TalentCulture archives. There’s much more inside — over 500 posts with helpful ideas and guidance on workplace culture, innovation, leadership, learning, career strategy, HR and talent management. So feel free to stop by anytime.

And no matter what your professional interests may be, we hope you’ll continue to bring your ideas and opinions to the TalentCulture table throughout 2014. Because, no matter how “popular” our blog or events may be on any given day, it’s our community’s collective energy that will truly shape the future of work. So, together, let’s discover how we can be even better.

Your Turn

What topics were your favorites in 2013? And what issues would you like to explore in the year ahead? Share your ideas in the comments area — we’re listening!

(Editor’s Note: To discuss World of Work topics like these with others in the TalentCulture community, join our online #TChat Events every Wednesday, from 6:30-8pm ET. Everyone is welcome at events, or join our ongoing Twitter conversation anytime. Learn more…)

Image Credit: Stock.xchng