Author: admin1

  • The Great American Alligator Slayer

    I first wrote about the Great American Alligator Slayer © in 1991.  I got the idea from thinking about how I was told to distinguish myself and get ahead at work.  It is a very male concept.Alligator Slayer

    As a woman, you don’t want to embrace this concept for yourself but it is important to understand it because it is still relevant.  In a humorous way it explains what your male peers may be aspiring to.

    As I often talk about, the male workplace produces a slew of problems and crises it must deal with and make go away.  If we go back to the old analogy and equate problems to alligators, a company that is plagued with problems is “up to its waist in alligators.”  So what do they do?

    They hire – The Great American Alligator Slayer! (more…)

  • How To Use The Power Seat

    I introduced the concept of the power seat and told you how to find it in your conference room in my article Understanding the Power Seat.  Now it is time to learn how to use it so you can take lead a discussion and lead your collegues to better solutions. (more…)

  • How Men Are Taught To Solve Problems

    From the example on the “Your Best Leverage” page, poor Bob has to build a wall but has no material.  There is a crisis!  And in the male workplace that is a cry for action!  But will the male approach really solve the crisis or just lead to new problems?

    Let’s look at how the guys solve the problem: (more…)

  • High Heels

    I was working at an on-site construction office and I kept hearing rumors that I wore high heels to work.  I had 2 pairs I wore, one black and one brown.  To me they were  boring 2″ heels and definately not sexy.  They were “office shoes.”  If I went out on site, I had another pair of site shoes that I wore.

    One day while sitting in my office I heard another PM on the phone whispering “She wears high heels to the office.”  OK time to correct that misconception. (more…)

  • Understanding The Power Seat

    One of the most difficult things for most women to do is get their ideas heard when they are in a room full of men.  Men can be loud and assertive, if not aggressive, in order to shut down the ideas of others.   At the extreme a discussion can turn into nothing more than a competition to see who will win – where the original objective – to find the best solution – is lost.

    What is a woman to do in these situations?  Can she get all of this ruckus back on track?

    YES!!  (more…)

  • Systems-Thinking is Critical to Our Success

    If you work in manufacturing you know all about LEAN or as it was once known Total Quality Management (TQM). In other industries, it may just be one of those management initiatives you heard about that came and went.

    As a woman it is critical that you have a basic understanding of the principles of LEAN and systems-thinking. (more…)

  • SAC Missile Comp

    In the military the lowest of all ranks is 2nd Lieutenant.  As a 2nd Lt. you are given every crappy project that no one else wants to do.  But sometimes in these assignments you learn something that is so significant it provides the foundation for every success in your career. (more…)