For last year’s words belong to last year’s language
And next year’s words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
T.S. Eliot, “Little Gidding”

Have you decided what your new beginnings are to be made of in 2010? For me, I find it difficult to hone in on just one aspect of my life that I wish to improve. There is so much to focus on in just 365 days! I want my resolutions to be purpose-driven, realistic, yet challenging. So, as the New Year is upon us, I am pledging to fine-tune several parts of my life. In fact, I have already started! Here are a few pointers to keep us committed to our resolutions.

Commit your goals to paper, say them aloud, and then actually do them. “I wish” and “I hope” are not at all synonymous with “I am.” There is a huge difference between saying that you will do something and actually doing it. The first step to actually achieving your goals is to make the commitment itself a reality. If you keep your goal to yourself, locked away in your own mind, it is easy to forget and postpone. It also inhibits you from gaining outside support, a vital key to bolstering your efforts when you lose your willpower and get discouraged. For example, if I secretly pledge to lose that dreaded five (hopefully not ten) pounds gained from holiday gluttony, how will my husband know not to keep temptations like sugar cookie cut-outs around me? If we are both aware of my goal, then he can help keep me on-track and be my shoulder to lean on when I need him.

Another great example of this is my actual, current resolution that I am actively fulfilling in 2010. Last year I found myself repeatedly saying, “I hope to one day go back for my master’s degree.” My wishing, hoping, and postponing, I soon realized, was a lot of hot air getting me nowhere. Then, I actually committed by gathering and completing admissions materials, taking the dreaded GREs, and enrolling! So now in 2010 (starting January 12, to be exact) I will find myself back in academia—maintaining my position at Ivy House by day and pursuing my master’s degree at North Carolina State University by night. It is a life-changing, challenging commitment that much planning has gone into. Without my actual commitment and without my husband’s support, I could still be my old 2008 and 2009 self, but I am not!

Remind yourself of the benefits of the better you. Understand the motivation behind your resolution and know why you are about to embark on the journey to where you want to be. Keep these benefits in focus at all times, especially if you are tempted to go off-course. I have a friend that aspired to confidently fit into a bikini by beach season. To keep her focused, she put a photo of her dream bikini on her pantry door. Anytime that she wanted to sneak some sweets, the cute, little bikini would scold her.

Reward yourself for meeting benchmarks. Rewarding yourself for each milestone met will help keep you motivated through your journey to the better you. This is not to say that you should light up to reward yourself for not smoking for a month, or that you should eat a cupcake to celebrate weight loss. Find ways to pat yourself on your back without compromising your goals. When I handed in the last of my admissions materials, for example, my husband and I celebrated by going out on the town for a fun-filled date night. It feels great to be cheered on!

Don’t overwhelm yourself with too many goals and keep your goals realistic. As I said, there is much that I want to focus on in 2010! I would love to start the master’s program while simultaneously reading more books for pleasure, decluttering my guest room (quite the feat!), volunteering more often, journaling and blogging a page per day, becoming more active, and being an all-over Superwoman. However, I have to remind myself that I can’t spread myself too thin. Focusing on too many goals will just make anyone frustrated, miserable, and stressed out. When your goals aren’t manageable, it’s likely that they’ll be stuffed in the “I wish” pile like last year. Think about maintaining the quality of your life, while also maintaining your goals, and creating an environment conducive to success. If you absolutely loathe jogging and your goal is to be more fit, find an alternative, realistic route to get there. Perhaps yoga or kickboxing would be more appealing.

Hopefully these tips will keep us on track in 2010. I’d love to hear back from you about your New Year’s resolutions, including updates on your progess. In the meantime, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and good luck!

Recently, I was an invited to attend the eighth annual General Hugh Shelton Leadership Forum, offered through the General Shelton Leadership Center at North Carolina State University. The annual seminar series focuses on the importance of leadership development and brings together great leaders from the arenas of academia, civil service, the military, and the corporate world. The forum’s mission is “to inspire, educate and develop values-based leaders committed to personal integrity, professional ethics, and selfless service.” In attending this year’s forum, I truly was inspired and learned so much. This year’s focus was “Leadership, Ethics and Accountability,” and the day was overflowing with great discussion and collaborative thinking. The concepts fostered within these seminars can be applied to any industry, by any employee, by any employer. Since my attendance, I have further internalized these concepts and hope that you will too!

John Allison, chairman of BB&T Corporation and featured speaker, addressed how the lack of ethical leadership is related to problems we are globally encountering today. He shared principles that helped BB&T survive and thrive that can be ushered in to all industries to generate success. He explained that there must be purpose in the work we do—by helping clients achieve success and security, by making the world a better place through our products and services, and by making use of our own lives by doing what we want to do for ourselves. Our values, he explained, enable us to achieve our purpose and mission, defining values as practical habits enabling us as individuals to live, be successful, and achieve happiness. The following ten principles, he explained, must be implemented to ensure that values are upheld and success is achieved:

• Reality: In order to be better, we must understand what the facts are. If we are out of focus with reality, nothing can be achieved. Wishing for something does not make it so. Reality is fact-based and must be preserved in order to obtain and hold authority and ultimately accomplish our goals.
• Reason: Survival is dependent upon the ability to reason logically from the facts of reality. Sound premises, induction, deduction, and integration are all tool of clear reasoning. All concepts within any organization should be logical and fact-based, and all should be able to be traced back to reality. Good teachers develop concepts to be better decision makers and all experimental learners make mistakes and learn from them.
• Independent Thinking: All employees should be challenged to optimally use their individual minds in order to make rational decisions. In this context, we are each responsible for what we do and who we are. Creativity should be strongly encouraged and can only be possible with independent thought.
• Productivity: There should be commitment to the objective and a strong work ethic in order to reach a goal.
• Honesty: Being honest is simply being consistent with reality. To be dishonest is to conflict with reality and is ultimately self-defeating. Keep agreements and mean what you say and know what you mean.
• Integrity: Because we have developed principles logically based on reality, we should always act consistently with our principles.
• Justice: Justice is a sense of fairness. Individuals should be evaluated and rewarded objectively based on their contribution to accomplishing the mission and their adherence to the set of values. Those who contribute most should receive most.
• Pride: Pride is the psychological reward we earn from living with values, being just, having integrity, etc. Pride and a strong work ethic go hand in hand and both feed productivity.
• Self-Esteem: Positive self-esteem should be earned from doing work well. Strong self-esteem enables us to accomplish goals within the context of our mission and, again, feeds productivity and a strong work ethic.
• Teamwork: Teamwork is a mutual supportiveness that allows work to be accomplished. Each individual must consistently act to achieve team objectives with respect.

Each of these ingredients to organizational and individual success was reiterated again and again throughout the forum. Sherron Watkins, former Vice President and whistleblower of Enron Corporation, referred back to these concepts when reflecting on how the lack of ethics and accountability formed the ultimate demise of Enron. James E. Coleman, Jr., Professor of Law at Duke University School of Law, dissected the pitfalls of the Duke Lacrosse case. He shared his perspective on how the role of leadership should address ethics and accountability with public service and how responsible citizenship within local communities will assist to direct out society toward community accountability. Several leaders featured in Secrets of Success: North Carolina Values-Based Leadership, a unique coffee-table book that the General H. Hugh Shelton Leadership Center published through Ivy House Publishing Group earlier this year, discussed their personal experiences and what made them successful leaders. Again and again, these key concepts were driven home with enthusiasm. The lesson to do what is just and right, even if it is not a popular thing to do, was certainly a strong motif of the day.

Overall, the 2009 General Hugh Shelton Leadership Forum was an educational and motivating event that made me reflect on my purpose as a leader, as a mentor, as an employee, and as a citizen to my community and world. It was an honor to be invited to such an inspirational gathering of great minds. For more information on this outstanding event and the General H. Hugh Shelton Leadership Center, please visit http://www.ncsu.edu/extension/sheltonleadership.

What do you believe in?  I don’t mean to ask which religion you ascribe to, or whether or not you believe in the supernatural.  I’m talking about the core, basic principles that drive and motivate the decisions you make in your daily life.  For many, this is a difficult question to answer, but when we stop to really examine our beliefs, they can provide revelatory clarity for how we define our dreams and goals.

First and foremost, I believe in treating others with the same respect, kindness, courtesy and compassion that I would want them to treat me with if our roles were reversed.  It’s amazing how far a smile, or a small gesture that brightens someone’s day, can get you.  This really holds true in the business world, where first impressions can mean the difference between a sale and a “No, thanks.”  In the case of disagreements, I try to remember that others are just as entitled to their opinions as I am to mine, so I believe in giving everyone the chance to speak their mind.

Secondly, I believe in putting 100% effort into each and every job I am assigned– whether or not I’ll be getting credit for it or I know if anyone is looking.  If I’m not satisfied with the work I’ve done, then how can I in good faith expect my boss or co-workers to be happy with it?  If I can’t fully commit to a task, then I would rather defer it to someone else who can.

I’m interested to hear what beliefs you ascribe to that guide you in your professional career.  Were these instilled in you at an early age, or have they developed as the result of experience throughout your life? 

You might find some inspiration at ThisIBelieve.org. 

The old me’s desk was often an organized array of chaos. By the end of the workday, it would appear to be straightened up, only to save myself the embarrassment of what my colleagues and the cleaning staff would think if I let it all hang out. Check my top drawer and you would have found my stash of Earl Grey tea and stack of miscellaneous notes-to-self. Evidence. I’m sure most of you can relate. Recently, however, I gave my workspace a belated spring-cleaning. I have found that instating a better sense of organization has done me a world of good. I have created a better system for fulfilling my day-to-day tasks, and found that when I am not wading through desk clutter and stunned by the disorder, my productivity is peaked. I hope that the following tips help you rediscover your desk’s Feng shui and sharpen your professional life overall.

Start small.  If you build up the chore of reorganizing your workspace into a major project, it will most likely end up as another notation on your to-do list (and may never get checked off). So, compartmentalize what little tasks need to be done to achieve your goal and take one step at a time. This will keep you from feeling overwhelmed, and won’t result in a full day of business getting pushed aside thanks to your untidy ways.

Create routines. Mental clutter can be defeated by structure. If you feel bombarded by everyday tasks, it is time to implement a method to your madness. Check your email and voicemail first thing in the morning to address urgent matters. Then, ask yourself what your priorities are for the day. We can’t always predict what will come up during a typical business day, but having the structure of a routine can keep you poised and on-track.

Use both to-do lists and calendars. Multi-tasking is an essential skill in the workplace, but even the sharpest mind can forget a detail here and there. It may seem simple, but keeping a pen and notepad handy can keep you reminded of details that could potentially get lost in the mix. Likewise, as soon as you learn of a long-term project or commitment, add it to your calendar. On the first of each month, revisit your calendar and make note of what needs to be taken care of in the following weeks. That way, nothing comes as a surprise as time flies by.

Not using it? Put it away. There should be a place for everything. When jumping from project to project, physically wrap up one project before mentally starting another. Clutter carried over from one project to another only creates frustration and subtracts from productivity.

Don’t packrat. It is human nature to hold on to things with sentimental value. However, in my recent reorganization, I found that I hold on to things that do not need to be kept. For example, one of our authors sent me a beautiful personal note of thanks many months ago. With appreciation, I kept this on my desk—to collect dust and create more clutter. He’s thankful. I’m thankful. Message received. Why does the physical card need to be held on to? Quite simply, it doesn’t. Let go of items that you don’t need. If you are too sentimentally attached to something to discard it, perhaps it belongs in a memory box instead of your workspace.

Create a system and stick with it. Inboxes don’t work for everyone. Before my reorganization, my inbox became just another receptacle to stuff things. If you are a fan of the inbox system, routinely empty it and utilize it as an organizational tool to separate present and future projects. I have found that a well-labeled filing system works best for me. It keeps papers off of my desk and allows me to immediately locate an item when I need it. No matter what system works for you, maintain it to prevent yourself from being back at square one.

Good luck and happy clutter busting!

There are two exciting events taking place in March that focus on women. First, March is National Women’s History Month, and second, the International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8^th. Continue Reading »

As a woman in my twenties, I feel very fortunate and grateful to my female predecessors in the working world. I am keenly aware of the struggles that women of my mother’s and grandmothers’ generations went through in the name of equality for women. I know that I am lucky because I haven’t had to deal with inequality in the ways that they did.

Because of all the progress we’ve made, though, I think I sometimes take for granted that the world is more fair than it really is. So it’s always surprising to me when I hear news like what was recently reported about the “Career Wage Gap.” The Center for American Progress Action Fund released a report this past December that examines the cumulative effects of a woman’s lifetime of lost wages in comparison to a man in the same job, at the same level of education. What they found is that, on average, an American woman will make $434,000 less than a man over her lifetime. The career wage gap is evident in all professions, ethnicities, and levels of education for women all over the United States. The wage gap is even higher for women with the most education; a woman with a college degree or higher will lose $713,000 over a 40-year period, compared with a $270,000 loss for a woman who did not finish high school.

So what accounts for this astounding discrepancy? Is it a blatant case of sexism in the workplace? Have modern feminism’s accomplishments lulled us all into a false sense of security, meaning we are really no more equal than we were in the 1950’s?

Or is the career wage gap a little more complicated than that? Perhaps it is the result of a combination of reasons– reasons that are more products of circumstance than devious intent or neglect on the part of employers. One possible reason that comes to mind is the effect that motherhood has on a career. Many women make the decision to take significant time off work to bear and raise their children, which, over a lifetime can add up to quite a few dollars lost. Another could be a difference in how women approach salary negotiation– perhaps women are less aggressive or willing to take risks.

This is not to put the blame on women. It’s just an observation about the way things are– circumstances caused by being female. So how do governments, employers, and the public address these aspects of womanhood that, by their sheer nature and existence, reduce our bottom line take-home pay? Does the fact that women are “separate but equal” demand that women be treated differently so as to prevent unintentional sexism in the workplace?

What are your thoughts on why the career wage gaps exists, and what can we do about it? How have you seen it play out in your personal experience? Does the career wage gap exists in countries other than the United States?

This time of year I get many greeting cards from my friends and colleagues around the world. Yesterday I opened one from a colleague here in the United States. The card was beautiful but it was what she wrote that touched me. She said, “Thank you, Janet, for providing us with the opportunity to serve a global community.”

I hope to be more charitable during the coming year. And it starts with the obvious - giving and volunteering. It can also mean saying a kind word to someone who needs a boost. A kind word, a hug, or an ear to listen are very precious gifts to give. This season and everyday do a kind deed and take the time to listen to your family, friends and colleagues. You might be surprised at what you learn, and you will be offering them a special part of you.

It’s not about the job you have, it is about the job you want. Dressing for true success means presenting the image of the position you are striving towards in your career. If your desire is to be the CEO with the corner office of an international company, the way you speak, what you wear and the way you carry yourself should all support that image. Here is an example:

This is a classic suit that exudes a professional, powerful image for any woman. Just because your current position within the company is more manager than executive doesn’t mean the higher ups aren’t paying attention, looking for that next standout employee to promote.

A classy wardrobe can help even the youngest professionals to get ahead at work. It’s easy to fall into the comfort of a casual work environment, but employees beware! You would be surprised what people notice about you, even in larger corporations.

You could be the hardest worker at the company, but if your boss thinks twice about the impression you make on customers, he or she will also think twice about offering you a promotion.

What are your thoughts on dressing for success? Can a nice, tailored suit really be the difference between a promotion and a corner office?

If you haven’t heard of personal branding and its importance in today’s marketplace, you need to start here. If you have heard of it, but don’t think it applies to you, then start here.

Now that we are all on the same page, let’s discuss what personal branding can do for your career or business. Personal branding, like corporate branding, is based on how others percieve you. It is the idea of how all of your “marketing messages” work together to create an impression of you. These messages can be delivered intentionally (resumes, personal website, business cards, etc.) or unintentionally (blog posts, email messages, voice mail greetings, etc.). Think of a typical work day…how many impressions is your brand making? Probably a lot more than you realize.

Continue Reading »

It’s no secret that times are tough financially for everyone right now, the world over. Companies are cutting back, jobs are being lost, and stock prices are falling. So how do you stay motivated and on track with your career or business when it feels like the world is against you?  Continue Reading »