Assertive women face sexual harassment
From canada.com:
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=6895aaf0-620d-4c19-beda-99370aaf3bae
Everyone is interested in diversity lately
Why? Because the economy has turned around. When business is slow we lay people off and hold off promoting people. Indications are that this has disadvantaged our diverse (women, minorities) groups more. I have seen this as more and more of my clients have asked me about the “diversity issue” in recent weeks. I just read a recent report from PAR (Project for Attorney Retention in DC) that seems to confirm that we have taken a step backward.
“San Francisco, June 3, 2011 – There is not a lot to celebrate when it comes to the gender composition of the new partner classes. According to a survey of the new partner class of 2011 released by the Project for Attorney Retention (PAR), law firms slid two percentage points in promotions of their women attorneys since last year, 32% compared to 34% in 2010.” http://attorneyretention.org/
When the economy improves, we get back on track with our diversity initiatives so this year many organizations have a lot of catching up to do. How do they catch-up? Give an extra “leg up” to your diverse groups by coaching them as individuals and in teams. Figure out what these people need to do to be promoted and give them a coach to help them close that gap. Then take a leap of faith and put them in the more senior job. The coach can help them be successful even if they have a few gaps. There are few better uses of coaching.
Posted by Sandra Oliver on June 20, 2011
Leadership, Strategy Development & Execution, Workplace Issues
People are not Cogs
The “peoply stuff” drives growth (as in Google, Facebook and Apple). It is not an “add-on”. Time to make it core. We are, after all, a service economy.
From Harvard Business Review:
http://goo.gl/l3ogL
Use “networks” and not just hierarchy to run organizations and drive change
By John Kotter one of the masters on change:
Women and Leadership: Delicate Balancing Act
The best article I have seen on how women leaders are perceived and how difficult that makes it for women leader (from Women's Media)
http://www.womensmedia.com/lead/88-women-and-leadership-delicate-balancing-act.html
Stuck in the negative
My husband told me the other day that I was being negative a lot lately. I, of course, argued with him. "I am not. I am just stating facts." He argued back. You know how it goes.
I left the argument having made my points but then I thought about it. "He's right. A lot of little things are bugging me lately." Why? Probably because I am really busy and my back hurts all the time. But that doesn't really matter. What matters is that it is no fun being negative. So I stopped.
It is that easy. Every time I thought about the monster house going up next door, I instead thought, "It doesn't matter. It will raise property values." Every time I thought I would lose it when our children left clothes and hockey cards on the floor, I instead took a deep breath and politely took one of them by the hand and took them back to the scene of the crime and helped them fix it. Every time I started to get annoyed at our banker sending me emails asking me to call him, I instead took a deep breath and sent him back an email telling him when I would be available for a call.
The point? I feel better. I am no longer negative. All I had to do was focus on it.
IMPACT Update: Spring 2011
Spring is a good time to reflect on all things new. New growth. New challenges. New issues. New people.
It’s also a good time to change things up. Over the course of the past few months we have been doing some things differently. We’ve been privileged to partner with a number of clients to launch new approaches to coaching. We thought we’d share some of those stories with you.
There’s a fresh way to develop high potentials.
Recently Claire, supported by Wendi and Sophie, worked with one client to design and deliver a customized high potential program— “a Shadow Senior Management Team”— that includes a combination of peer coaching and one-on-one coaching. Now, five months into the program, we’ve seen incredible growth in both the individuals and the group. They’ve developed tremendous comfort with one another and with their IMPACT coaches. They’ve developed new strategic skills, raised their professional profiles, and have become more confident leaders. They are acting like a senior management team. They are a source of inspiration to us as well as a reminder of how well peer coaching can work!
Don’t just test. Onboard effectively.
You can use personality tests to help you hire and onboard employees effectively. Sophie is a specialist in the Birkman Method. She worked closely with a client to help choose the right new hire for that client. Sophie also met with the client and her new hire and used the Birkman to have a practical dialogue around how they can best work together starting from day one. Both the client and the new hire have reported that the experience was rewarding, practical and game- changing for them.
Speaking of new things, we’re excited to launch the new and improved IMPACT website. We’ve made simple changes to the site to keep it fresh, make it even more user-friendly and include exciting new information and resources.
We’ve poled our coaches for their best tidbits of advice and we’ve begun to post them on Twitter. To receive our tips, follow us on twitter:www.twitter.com/impactcoach.
And in the spirit of the season of new growth, if you like our work, please tell your friends and colleagues.
Happy spring.
The IMPACT Team
The Marshmallow Project
A 6 minute video (ish) that describes the marshmallow experiment. It promotes the idea of using a prototype approach to teamwork and design (build it, get feedback, refine, build again…). I think teams can take the same approach to building a meeting format that works for them. Try it, see if it works, refine it, and try again.
Posted by Claire Carver-Dias on June 1, 2011
Communications, Engagement practice skills, Strategy Development & Execution, Team Effectiveness, Workplace Issues
How do you know you will love a career choice?
You don’t really until you do it. But there is a quick and relatively simple way to tell. Find out what a “normal day” looks like. Seek out people in the profession you want to work in and ask the question, “When you come in to work each day what do you normally spend your time doing? What does a typical day look like?” Once you have the answer to this question. Ask yourself, “Is this the kind of thing I want to do every day for the rest of my working career?” If not, keep searching for your new career.
I will give you a very personal example. Many years ago, thought I would like a career change and that I would like to become an interior designer. I love interior design and could spend hours perusing decor magazines and talking about design. I love looking at fabric swatches and touring great architecture. I mentioned this possible career change to some friends and low and behold, they asked me to help them with their design challenges. Here’s the hitch. While I think I did a pretty good job, I didn’t love the process. I learned that designers really need to love shopping. I don’t. I couldn’t imagine spending all my days driving around looking in shops.
Design for me continues to be a “passionate hobby” but will not be my chosen career. I much prefer coaching.
Free Download - Mentoring: Necessary But Insufficient for Advancement
Check out this free pdf download from Catalyst:
Make sure your career fits your desired lifestyle
A client of mine should be an equestrian. He loves horses. He loves being outdoors. He is instead, a successful lawyer. Has he “settled” do you think?
We recently conducted a Birkman test on him. The Birkman indicated that he indeed would love being a equestrian. We joked about this—quitting and riding horses for a living. Here’s what he said, “Sandra, you know I would love to be in a barn with horses every day. There is only one small hitch. I also really like having a cottage in Muskoka and I love going on nice trips. So riding will always be a passionate hobby.”
I love this concept of “passionate hobby”. I often tell our kids, figure out what you love and do it for a living. The fact is you can and do love doing several things. My client also loves “lawyering.” He loves helping clients solve problems. Being a lawyer allows him to live the lifestyle he wants and allows him to pursue riding. When thinking about a career change remember there is no simple answer. You should choose something that you love that supports the lifestyle you want to live. You can still pursue a passionate hobby on the side.
Where Good Ideas Come From
Steven Johnson on where good ideas come from:
...and a summary of Steven Johnson's thesis:
Posted by Claire Carver-Dias on May 11, 2011
Leadership, Personal Effectiveness, Strategy Development & Execution
Leaders: It’s About Competence, Not Dominance
Good, quick simple tips from All Things Workplace:
http://www.allthingsworkplace.com/2011/05/leaders-its-about-competence-not-dominance.html
Difficult Conversations: 9 Common Mistakes
This slideshow is excellent. I have never seen such a complete picture of how to deal with a difficult conversation. I particularly like slides 5 and 6 but it is all excellent.
From Harvard Business Review
Help Support Your Community and Clean Out Your Closets
We need your help!
Join the Bay Street Suit Challenge as a sponsor and help members of your organization clean out your closets for a good cause!
The Bay Street Suit Challenge will kick off again on May 16, 2010. I strongly encourage your firm to join us in this worthwhile event which will run from May 16, 2010 to June 3, 2010.
Registration forms and logos required, please, by Friday, May 6th.
In support of the three “Rs” - Recycle, Reduce and Re-use - this is an excellent opportunity to allow for persons in need to re-use gently used business attire. Dress For Success needs “gently” used business clothing, accessories and shoes. The clothing that is donated should be clean and appropriate for an office environment. Please help to make this year’s clothing drive a success. Just a few articles of clothing can go a long way.
Sponsorship Levels:
Title Sponsor: SOLD - KPMG
Silk Suit $10,000
Wool Suit $5,000
Cotton Suit $2,500
Or if your firm is small, please help at the:
“Participant Level” $500 (helps to defer the adminstrative costs associated with handling and sorting donated business attire)
Confirmed sponsors include: Gowlings, RBC Capital Markets, BMO Capital Markets, Desjardins Capital Markets, Stifel Nicolaus Weisel, Mercer & Direct Engergy
If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor, download the sponsorship kit and registration form for participants.
About Dress for Success Toronto
Dress for Success Toronto is a registered Canadian Charity that changes the lives of Canadians and New Canadians by providing low income individuals with the necessary professional attire and career development tools they need to achieve success. Our unique wardrobe service helps clients look impressive, feel confident, and find employment.
Founded in 2000 by Jessica Roelink, the organization is volunteer-driven, utilizing the skills of many talented people. Since its inception, Dress for Success Toronto has outfitted over 8,000+ clients with over 50,000 professional garments and accessories.