I was watching the Dylan Ratigan show and he was interviewing Dylan Evans who wrote a book called Risk Intelligence. Ladies, you need to understand this concept! We are told that we don’t exhibit enough self-confidence at work. Well, what Mr. Evans proves is that those who have all the answers, who project that they know what to do, are…ready for this…usually wrong!
Wow, doesn’t it make you feel good to know that?! (more…)
There is a great divide between managers and the average worker which is once again gaining attention. Have you ever wondered how this came about, why there is so much animosity between the two?
The following is an explanation that I read nearly 25 years ago. What I find so interesting is that at the time this was written, there was a belief that companies were moving past these attitudes – that we were “developing a new theory of management suitable for a new era.” But as we look at the issues in Wisconsin, the 99ers versus Wall Street and accusations of class warfare, you might wonder what happened to the new theory of management.
Have we moved beyond this theory or is the split even more entrenched than ever? (more…)
I read another one of those articles on a post from the Harvard Business Review stating that women often don’t get what they want or deserve because they don’t ask for it. Does anyone else feel like me after I read these types of articles – here’s another thing I’m doing wrong. Here’s another article that makes it sound like women aren’t cut out for the business world.
But who decides what is and isn’t right?
I read all this stuff about what I am supposed to do and get the impression that when I go to work I am supposed to be all about Me. Me, Me, Me, Me, Me. But those aren’t my values – being all about Me, isn’t Me. (more…)
I worked in an office where we expanded to occuppy two floors. It just so happened that when we split the office the first floor was occuppied by men and one woman. Likewise, the second floor was occupied by women and one man.
I found some humor in this – finally, in the testosterone rich company environment, there was a space where estrogen dominated! So, I made a sign and put it up at the top of each stairwell and at the 2nd floor elevator exit. (more…)
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.
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…)
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…)
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…)
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…)
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…)
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…)