10 actions to close out the year.

There is no doubt that this is a very busy time of the year. There are the projects to complete, end of year functions to attend, shopping malls to navigate and the odd family drama to attend to.

I am sure you don’t need me to add anything more to your long “to do” list.

But I am going to… because it’s time to close out the year.

It’s time to celebrate your achievements and recognise the struggles. Acknowledge and appreciate your growth and start preparing for next year. It’s time to clear the clutter, close this chapter and create space for a fresh start and fulfilling new year.

Here are 10 actions to add to your “to do” list to close out the year

1. Create a “small tasks” list. We all have those pesky little jobs that are non urgent but really should be done. Make the most of this time to give yourself a deadline to get them done. You will feel satisfied and accomplished once they are finally checked off your to do list.

2. Set aside time for big picture thinking. For much of the year it is about putting your head down and getting the job done. Use this time for some big picture thinking. Grab some textas and some flip paper and map out your strategy for next year. Get clear on what are the big priorities for next year and identify the outcomes you want you and your team to achieve.

Think about whether you have the right people on your team, what resources you need and anything else needed for the strategy to be a success.

3. Have the hard conversations. If you have been putting off having a difficult conversation, schedule it in and get it done. Performance issues don’t generally go away. By having the conversation now, you are allowing them to process the feedback over the break and return with a new and improved approach in the New Year.

4. Set up for career success. Take some time to reflect on the year that was. Acknowledge your growth, big wins and the successful projects completed. Pause to consider where you want your career to head next year. Think about your professional development and determine what skills, knowledge or experience will aid your career progression.

5. Say thanks. Showing gratitude and appreciation goes a long way. Take the time to write a hand written note to clients, colleagues and mentors who have supported you throughout the year. Acknowledge what you appreciate … the more specific you can be, the better.

6. Write a January to do list. I love to create an action list prior to taking leave so that, on my return, I can hit the ground running. It also minimises the risk of important jobs falling off the radar over the break.

7. Clear your desk. I am sure this one is not on the list just for me. I have to confess that my desk is chaos much of the time but I LOVE the sense of clarity that comes from an uncluttered desk. And don’t just stop at tidying up your desk. Plan a total clear out. Give the shredder a workout, ditch old files and fill your bin with anything that’s no longer needed. It is time to purge the old to allow space for the new.

8. Empty your inbox. Next it’s time to tackle your inbox. For me, this is often a big job – while all my emails have been read, they now need to be deleted or filed.

And while you are at it, take a look at your electronic filing system. Now’s the time to archive, reorganise and tidy up!

9. Set your out of office message. You are almost there. Identify back up plans and who will manage queries in your absence. And then walk out the door, slip into a holiday frock and sit back with an ice cold drink.

10. Unwind, recharge, refresh! NOW… the most important step of all. Disconnect! If at all possible, make a commitment to unplug, switch off and go technology free. Take this time to fully let go, unwind and recharge. Be present with your family and allow the busyness to subside. It’s time for you fill your cup and allow your mind to be still. Enjoy.

NEXT STEPS?

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December 2, 2015November 2, 2020

5 career moves to make now… and get set for success in the new year.

With only a few weeks to go before Christmas and the summer break, now is the perfect time to start thinking about your career and where it is heading next year.

Yes… I know it’s a busy time and career planning may not be right at the top of your “to do list” but imagine if you were to go into the new year with a really clear vision of what you want to be doing and what you want to achieve.

Imagine hitting the ground running and being ahead of the game while everyone else is still shaking the sand out of their shoes.

All it would take is to put aside a little time now to reflect, ponder, plan and connect.

I have heard from many women this year that they feel stuck, disengaged and underwhelmed by the work they have been doing. They know they want something different and are capable of more but are uncertain about what they need to do to create change.

Here are 5 actions to take now to set you up for career success in the new year.

1. Look back. Here’s the thing, so often we get caught up in what’s next and looking forward we forget to look back and reflect. Before the year is out, look back on your accomplishments, the big projects, the big events and the goals you achieved.

What are you most proud of?

Think about the things you have learnt and the new skills you mastered. Reflect on the people within your network who have contributed to your career this year. Have you let them know how important they have been to you this year?

Also, look back on what you had hoped to achieve this year and ask yourself – did I achieve those things. If you didn’t – why not? Are those goals still relevant?

2. Decide what you want. So many people leave their career up to chance. For some, that works just fine. But, for most people, what usually happens is that at some point in their career they realise they have ended up some place they would rather not be!

It is time to consciously create your career. A good place to start is to decide whether you want to stay in your current role or to start your search for something new.

If you decide that staying in your current role is perfect for you right now, then think about what new skills and experiences you will focus on in the new year.

Remember – if you are not growing, you will start to stagnate.

If it’s time for a new role it’s likely, intuitively, you already know it. Yes, I know it might be easier or less effort to stay where you are but, too often, I see women staying in roles that have gone way beyond their use-by date. In the long run, this only leads to dissatisfaction, disengagement and unhappiness.

3. Update your LinkedIn profile. Oh my gosh! It frightens me to discover how many people continue to neglect LinkedIn. Believe me when I say, LinkedIn is a goldmine when it comes to career opportunities. OK… I hear you saying, I’m not looking for a new job right now so I don’t need to be on LinkedIn.

The truth is – we all need to be on LinkedIn, with an up to date photo, a bit of information about each of your roles and a summary section that makes you sound like a real life, interesting person.

Creating a presence and relationships through being on LinkedIn is like having insurance for when you are looking for a new role!

4. Nurture your network. This is pretty easy at this time of the year with the festive silly season in full swing. Utilise this social time to nurture your relationships or create new relationships with key influences.

Pick up the phone and check in with people you haven’t spoken to in a while, organise a coffee or lunch date or send an end of year hand written note (yes, snail mail will have a huge impact) to express your appreciation for their support throughout the year.

People do business with and will support the careers of people they know, like and trust. Think relationships first, business second. The effort you put into nurturing relationships now could pay real dividends for your career next year or the year after that.

5. Identify learning opportunities. All of the successful leaders I work with are committed to ongoing learning. They take the time to identify areas of growth and invest in themselves. They are very aware that they can’t always rely on their organisation to provide the opportunities that will really make the difference to them personally.

What are your growth opportunities and what can you put in place next year to fill those gaps?

NEXT STEPS?

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November 19, 2015November 2, 2020

How to maintain your leadership mojo when things get busy

Got too much on your plate? Feeling overworked, overwhelmed and stressed out?

You are definitely not alone. In our busy world of multiple demands, at work and at home, life can get hectic. Throw in some work travel, extra commitments outside hours or tight deadlines and we can sometimes push it too far and lose our leadership Mojo.

To make matters worse, we women too often put the needs of everyone else before our own. We say yes to that extra commitment, work our butt off to get things “perfect” and “right” or take care of what needs to be done because no one else seems to doing it.

We put everything and everyone ahead of our own needs.

Doing your best work, remaining productive and focused, keeping your mood and emotions in check; these are all vitally important to any leader. To achieve this we need to feel fresh, energised and on our game….. not stressed out and tired!

My question today is “What are you doing to take care of you?”

What are you doing to allow your brilliant best to shine every day at work, even when things get a little busy?

We all know what we should be doing… but are we doing it?

These are questions I have had to ask of myself more than once over the past couple of months with an increasingly busy schedule involving plenty of interstate travel. Early morning flights, long days of workshop facilitation and living out of a suitcase can really disrupt my regular routines.

Too often, when we get busy, the first thing we drop off the to do list is our self care. But it is exactly these times when maintaining our self care rituals and routines are most important.

Here are my personal rules for maintaining my leadership mojo even when things get busy.

1. Keep moving.

Ok… you don’t need me to tell you that exercise is important. It is important for your health and brain function to maximise productivity, creativity and general mood. No one likes a grump around the office!

With my busy schedule, I like to have options. When the weather is fine there is nothing better than an early morning walk to get me set up for a productive day. But the thing that has made the biggest difference to me this year is a regular Pilates and Yoga practise.

Have you tried CLASSPASS to access thousands of different classes at studios and gyms in your city and around the world? I LOVE it. It gives me choice and flexibility and is perfect for my busy lifestyle

When we get busy it is all about keeping it simple, having options and being ok that doing something is better than doing nothing at all.

2. Quality refuelling.

If you put poor quality fuel in a racing car it doesn’t go well. We are the same. We can’t expect our mind and bodies to perform at their best if we don’t pay them the respect with high quality fuel.

This is about quality whole foods. But of equal importance is keeping hydrated. I had let this one slip over the last couple of months. The easiest solution for this is to always have a water bottle on hand or, my personal favourite of late, a jug of water infused with mint and lemon. Yum!

3. Still the mind.

There is now proof – thanks to recent research – that meditation and the powerful state of “mindfulness” is good for leadership. Not that I need proof. Intuitively I know that when I make time for even 10 minutes of meditation, I feel calmer and my thinking expands allowing ideas to flow, creative solutions to appear and projects to be completed without quite so much effort.

If you are looking to get started with a little guided meditation, I can recommend the Deepak and Oprah 21 day meditation experience.

4. Say NO.

Learn the art of not automatically saying yes to every request. How often have you said yes to something, only to later wonder why you did or, worse still, feel resentful and trapped into doing something you don’t want to do or is not your responsibility? Instead, take you time. Think it through and only commit to those things that are part of your job, of real interest to you or will help you to achieve your career goals.

5. Schedule You time.

Ladies…. I know many of us are hard wired to put others before ourselves. However, if we don’t take care of ourselves, we can all too easily end up feeling depleted, burnt out and exhausted. And when this happens we end up with nothing left to give anyone.

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November 3, 2015November 2, 2020

Are you playing the game by the rules?

Are you playing the game? Do you even know the rules?

The game of career success within the corporate environment is run by some very subtle but very important rules. If you have felt that your progress has been blocked leaving you feeling stuck and disillusioned it may be because you have neglected the rules.

But it’s not your fault.

No one ever mentioned that there were rules to play by!

Many corporate cultures continue to be dominated by a masculine paradigm and the old boys network. Lets face it; it has only been in recent years that women have entered this space in large numbers. Big business was created by men and continues to be dominated by men. It should then not come as any surprise to us that the guiding principles that underpin large organisations continue to be masculine in nature.

What this means is that success is viewed in a primarily masculine framework where position, power and results are paramount and the generally held ideals for leadership qualities such as assertiveness, decisiveness and being goal driven are recognised and rewarded more often.

This is not about fixing women and hating men!

My passion and mission is to help more and more women gain a seat at the leadership table and for more men and women to work side by side, bringing a shift in our corporate culture. We need both to achieve the best results, to create engaging and harmonious working environments and capitalize on all the talent that is available.

It’s about bringing diversity of thought to the decision making table.

A recent study by Credit Suisse where they examined the performance of 3000 companies in 40 markets over 9 years found that companies where women occupied half of the top jobs did 50% better than those that didn’t.

So… we really do need to harness the power of women! But first we need to be taught the rules so we can play the game, to have more influence and to path your way to advancement.

Here are just a few of the rules to be mindful of and to master if you want to increase your influence and impact.

1. It’s Not About The Work

As women many of us have been conditioned through our school years and early years of employment to believe that if we work hard and do good work that we will be rewarded. Not True!

Working hard and getting results will get you through the door but its your power and influence and your ability to connect with the people with power and influence that will help those results to be recognised, celebrated and ultimately rewarded by things like promotions.

So ladies, stop putting in hours and hours of work to make your presentations or reports 5% better. Focusing that time instead on understanding the power dynamics within your organisation will get you so much further.

2. Have an opinion

You will never earn the respect of the boys network if you are uncertain, wishy washy and remain firmly planted on the fence. It’s time to take a position and own it. Having an opinion and being willing to defend that position is really important when it comes to gaining respect of your peers and influencing up.

And be willing to engage in the moment and speak up in meetings. I hear from many women who feel like their ideas are brushed over or the conversation moves too fast to get their opinion heard. The secret here is to be intentional about the way you show up at meetings.

One woman who I have worked with admitted that she rarely spoke up in meetings. By simply going into each meeting with the intention of speaking up just once each meeting has changed the influence she has within the team and has ultimately resulted in a promotion.

3. Language is power

Our language is powerful but sometimes we undermine our own worth by the words we use. To position yourself as a strategic partner it’s paramount that you deliver your ideas with power and certainty.

For example: Replace “I think this might work” with “I recommend….”

By voicing your ideas with strength, certainty and authority you will position yourself as an expert and a problem solver. Allow your voice to be heard and own your opinion in your unique authentic way.

4. Be Bold

Fortune favours the bold! Be bold when it comes to accepting career opportunities. Did you know that studies have shown that men will accept a new role provided they believe they can fulfil about 60% of the requirements where as women will wait until they believe they can satisfy closer to 90% of the requirement?

Ladies it is time to step boldly into job opportunities as they come up. Say yes and then work our how. Surround yourself with a team of people who can support your transition and learning and trust that you would not have been considered for the role if others didn’t think you were capable.

Unfortunately every time you say NO to an opportunity you are sending a signal that you are not capable or interested in promotion.

The evidence is clear.

We require more women to be working side by side with men to promote thriving workplaces. By understanding the unspoken rules that currently dominate many organizations, we can become part of the game. Eventually with more women participating at the highest level we will gradually change the game but right now we need to be playing by the rules to advance in greater numbers.

NEXT STEPS?

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October 14, 2015November 2, 2020

Shatter Your Inner Glass Ceiling?

Women continue to struggle to make their mark on the corporate landscape with the numbers of women securing leadership roles remaining stagnant at unacceptably low levels.

For many women, the glass ceiling is real although often subtle and hidden.

Those seeking leadership roles talk about bumping up against the many barriers to securing a seat at the table, including unconscious bias, lack of access to internal networks of power and influence and the need or desire for greater flexibility.

But it is not just the external barriers that are hampering women’s advancement. Of equal importance is the inner glass ceiling holding many smart, capable and talented women back from the top jobs.

In conjunction with learning how to overcome the external barriers, women need to work on clearing the gunk and smash through their own self-imposed, unconscious limits.

What is the Inner Glass Ceiling?

The Inner Glass Ceiling is the incessant self talk going on in a woman’s head. Yes, men experience this too but it seems to be to a lesser extent. Women internalise what’s going on around them and are more susceptible to patterns of overly critical self talk; the need to be perfect, fear of not being good enough or of not being worthy, just to name a few.

Because how we think determines our actions and behaviours, the internal inner gunk gets in the way of many women being seen as strong leaders. The negative self talk often leads to fear, inaction and shying away from doing what it takes to achieve their potential and to be seen, heard and valued as a leader.

Everything starts with what we think!

Your inner world shapes your outer world.

If you don’t fully believe in yourself, your brain isn’t able to visualise your goals or motivate you to take action. If you have any self-doubt, hidden fears or uncertainty, you’ll sabotage your efforts and be prone to procrastination or perfectionism.

Doubts and self-limiting beliefs can hold us back from voicing our opinion, speaking up in meetings, saying yes to the big opportunities, presenting with confidence or generally showing up as a strong decisive leader.

We all have an inner glass ceiling…

It’s created from our experiences, parents, teachers, thoughts, fears, beliefs, perceptions, and internal brain patterns from a very young age. What we believe and think affects us at EVERY level of our leadership and life success!

I have worked with many women who come to me saying they know they are capable of so much more but are frustrated that they are stuck and holding themselves back for no apparent reason.

Sarah was a great example of this. She was achieving ok results as a sales manager but no matter how hard she worked she couldn’t break through to make serious improvements for herself or her team. She knew she was sabotaging herself and that she wasn’t living up to her full potential.

Sarah’s inner glass ceiling was showing up as a lack of confidence, self worth and beliefs around her ability to make sales. We worked together on breaking through these limits, replacing old, disempowering beliefs and generating new habits to reinforce a new way of thinking and acting.

And the result; Sarah has recently been recognised as the top performing sale person within the business. But the benefits don’t end there. She has also achieved some personal goals that up to now had only been a dream.

To shatter the inner glass ceiling …

Sometimes I would have liked to take a massive swing at mine with a big sledge hammer!

Seriously… it’s as simple as learning how to release the old patterns and the self-imposed, unconscious beliefs and replace them with new, empowering ones.

It’s about retraining your brain to get rid of negative limiting beliefs, habits and behaviours and reinforce the right positive beliefs, habits and behaviours to support the achievement of all you are capable of.

The good news is that brain scan studies have proven that you can re-wire and strengthen the key areas in your brain that control your conscious thoughts and unconscious feelings and emotions influencing every decision you make and action you take.

Once the glass ceiling is shattered, the transition to achieving a new level of success happens with much less effort. While before it may have seemed like you were constantly pushing up hill, suddenly doors open and opportunities show up.

So, for just a moment, imagine what would be possible for you if you were to shatter your inner glass ceiling.

The answer to getting that next position, promotion or pay rise may not be to work harder or to learn more. It may well be to invest in shattering your inner glass ceiling.

Sometimes it only takes the smallest adjustment to totally alter the course of your life!

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October 1, 2015November 2, 2020

Are you networking in the right rooms?

Having the right people in our network can help us to up level our income, open up career opportunities and elevate our personal impact and influence. Some people seem to do this with ease but many of women I speak to either do it poorly or not at all.

We women are generally good at using our networks for friendship but we are not so good at using connections for influence and power, asking for help or positioning ourselves for the next perfect opportunity.

It is time for us to stop waiting for the right connections to land on our doorstep and waiting for the phone to ring. It is time to start taking action. For more on this check out last weeks article “Who’s on your A Team?”

The time you spend creating and nurturing relationships now, will pay off in the long run. Networking is not about the quick wins. It is not about having hundreds of passive connections on Linked In or fleeting conversations of 180 characters or less on twitter. It’s about developing quality relationships with people who, over time will have your back and care about your future.

I was reminded of the power of connections recently at the CBA Women In Focus Conference. Firstly, this was a rich melting pot of power, influence, generosity and warmth. These women cared about the success and growth of everyone else in the room.

The photo below is a representation of just some of the powerful connections that emerged during the conference in previous years; women helping women to grow their careers and their businesses. It is a reminder that there are countless opportunities out there and at the core they are all connected to people.

The best and most exciting opportunities are not being advertised on Seek or in the Saturday papers. They are discovered through having conversations. We must be brave enough to let people know where we are at and what are goals, dreams and aspirations are.

I heard recently that putting yourself out there is a bit like putting your business card out to the universe. I have seen this in my own work with a stream of opportunities coming my way in recent weeks after a jam packed diary of conferences, courses and breakfast events over the last month or so.

So my question today is “Are you networking in the right rooms?”

Are you attending conferences and events, getting involved in the high profile projects or being part of a committee etc where you get to meet, connect with and form robust genuine relationships with people who will propel your career forward.

You are in the wrong room if there aren’t people who are smarter than you or have the influence to help you achieve your goals and aspirations

Is it time to get into some new rooms? It is through these rooms that you can form powerful new relationships to make things happen for yourself and for other people.

Here are 5 Keys to creating powerful connections

1. Be strategic. Networking and nurturing relationships take time and energy, something that many women don’t have much to spare. So let’s be strategic about this.

Get clear on where you are heading and types of people who have the power and influence to help you achieve those goals. Although this might sound a little icky or inauthentic for some… I know as women we have the skills and care to think relationship first – business second.

2. Pay to play. Networking is an investment in your future. Seek out conferences and trainings where you will not only learn and grow but also where you may meet the types of people who are likely to open new doors for you.

One of the most rewarding elements of the events I run is to see relationships develop throughout the event and to receive emails and phone calls long after the event is over to thank me for introducing them to someone new that has now resulted in securing a new role or opportunity. The generosity of women to help, support and offer up solutions and opportunities always brightens my day!

3. Up close and personal. We build stronger relationships, more quickly when we meet people in person. We can look people in the eye and see their heart and soul, feel their energy and build a deeper level of trust. It is time to get out from behind your computer and into face to face meetings and events.

4. Play the long game. Just like dating, good relationships take work and strengthen over time. If you have aspirations of being on boards or want to head down a new career path some time in the future, start to nurture connections now with people who have influence in this area.

5. Kick fear to the curb. Many women use the excuse of “I don’t have time” when I ask about the strength of their networks but deep down I think it is more closely linked to fear. Fear of rejection, fear of asking for help, fear of not being good enough to do it alone, fear of letting go of their fiercely guarded independence, fear of … insert here any number of unfounded terrors.

Career growth comes from taking bold action, putting yourself out there and being courageous enough to allow your network to support your aspirations.

NEXT STEPS?

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September 15, 2015November 2, 2020

Who’s on your A team?

Who do you have to hold your hand, believe in you, hold you steady when you slip into moments of self doubt, push you, challenge you, tell you when you are off course, clear the path for you and advocate for you in the right circles?

Our career success has as much to do with the relationships we create as it does with doing great work.

We need other people in our lives if we want to do our best work, to sharpen us, challenge us, help us to see the world in different ways, spark our creativity and innovation and to celebrate the wins.

I have noticed the highly successful leaders I have worked with all have strong networks and relationships that underpin their professional success.

Therese is a great example of this. She is an in-demand senior executive who, within weeks of arriving back in Australia after working in the US for 10 years, assembled her A Team to support her transition, get the word out about the type of work she is looking for and to advocate for her.

This A Team is made up of long time friends and colleagues as well a collection of powerful new connections and partnerships with people who helped her to fast track the process. And fast tracked she did – with a new job offer.

It’s all about relationships.

Too often when we get busy, it is our relationships that suffer. I understand… because I have fallen into this trap too. We prioritise “getting the job done” over building and nurturing relationships. But the time we invest in our relationships will always pay dividends down the track.

And ladies… lets face it, we are hardwired to connect and collaborate. It’s time we reconnected with this super power and put it to good use as we step into having a greater influence at the leadership table.

Who is on your A Team?

Todd Henry from the Accidental Creative Podcast has identified 3 key types of relationships we all need to nurture.

1. Mirrors

These are the people who are willing to hold up a mirror for you and to tell you the things you don’t want to hear… but need to hear! They will challenge you, push you beyond your comfort zone and expect even more from you than you expect from yourself.

Who do you have in your network who will speak the truth, provide honest feedback because they are genuinely invested in you and want to see you succeed?

My challenge to you today is to find someone who can be your mirror and ask them;

“What’s something that I don’t see and you think could be holding me back.”

You might be surprised by what you find out. It might be a little painful. And it will always be valuable if you choose to listen.

2. Circles

We all need an inner circle of like-minded confidantes with who we can hang out, have inspiring conversations, bounce ideas around. They lift us up when we are down and dance and sing with us when we achieve great things.

I love my inner circle.

I have a collection of proactive, inspiring, beautifully soulful women in my life who have undoubtedly contributed to many of my proudest achievements and, without them, many of these achievements would feel somewhat hollow. These women have been my sounding board, they have pushed me, held me accountable and most importantly shared a glass or two of bubbles along the way.

3. Guides

These are people who have achieved what you want to achieve. They may be just a few steps ahead or they may be people who have already scaled the mountain you want to climb. They will share with you the shortcuts, guide you on what steps to take and steer you away from the pitfalls that you are not yet able to see.

Over time these people will likely clear the way and open doors for you; advocate for you and shine a light on opportunities that you may not have noticed.

And, most importantly, all relationships are two-way.

As your career progresses think about who you can bring along with you. When you go beyond yourself and help others, it opens you up to new pathways of passion, knowledge and self understanding.

Who can you be a mirror or guide for?

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August 31, 2015November 2, 2020

Massive change ahead. Are you ready for the ride?

Massive change is ahead (or maybe it is already here.) Change in our workplaces, change in our society, change in how we live our life, change in how business operates, change in the type of jobs that we will be doing. You name it … we are living within a time of massive change.

We have a choice; to get on board and reap the rewards that are available to us by being part of this change… or resist and be left behind.

This is the primary message I took from the Wired For Wonder conference held in Melbourne last week.

My brain is tingling from the fresh ideas, the innovation and out of the box thinking, from taking a peak into the future and from the fabulous conversations with many forward thinking people.

The team at Wired For Wonder fired up my wonderings from the moment I stepped into the reception area of the venue. They had set the scene with a team of white coat clad mad scientist types serving tomato infused tea amidst the theatre of smoking dry ice. At morning tea there were gorgeous flavoured donuts on plates suspended from the ceiling. And a magical table laden with sweet treats of all types that resembled a fairy’s garden greeted us at afternoon tea.

Clearly this was not going to be any ordinary conference.

Here are just a few of the ideas that have remained swimming in my mind over the last few days

1. Don’t be a zombie Technology pioneer, Nolan Bushnell warned us not to be part of the “zombie apocalypse,” that is taking over many workplaces. He reminded us that we were all once creative, curious and willing to give things a go but somewhere along the way we have been trained to regurgitate the “right” answers and follow the status quo.

Innovative employers such as Apple and Google are regularly hiring people straight from high school who are passionate, self taught and making things happen. They are hiring on credentials, experience and merit rather than university degrees and marks.

2. Embrace Entrepreneurial Thinking. Successful 21^st Century leaders will be those people who can develop entrepreneurial thinking. To get ahead and stand out from the crowd, leaders must develop the ability to innovate, create and engage teams. Most importantly they must have clarity of vision and always be striving to do great work, focused on building trust with their community of customers.

Rachel Botsman made this clear in her presentation on the power of collaboration and sharing. The leaders of both Uber and Airbnb have done this brilliantly, rallying a tidal wave of loyal followers to their businesses. Regardless of the resistance from the traditional players in these industries, “the genie is now out of the bottle” with customers embracing this new way of business. There is clearly no going back from here.

3. Persistence. Failure and rejection is the norm. The awe inspiringly brilliant Jack Andraka who at only 15 invented an inexpensive early detection test for pancreatic, ovarian and lung cancers had his request for lab space rejected by dozens of institutions before convincing an eminent cancer researcher to let him use his lab to develop his theory.

What a great reminder. If we want to achieve great things we must be prepared to back ourselves and to persist in the face of rejection and failure.

You will win some. You will loose some… that’s life.

And then there was Cindy Gallop who is on a mission to disrupt the way we view sex with her Make Love Not porn Website. Given that this website is all about showcasing real sex (rather than sanitized, commercialized and acted out porn sex) she has encounter a range of obstacles; including difficulty securing funding, finding a video platform that would allow her to show adult material and identifying a payment system that was prepared to be associated with her product.

This is a great example of new business thinking bumping up against old world standards and rules. Persistence will definitely be required to find new world solutions!

4. Focus your mind. Within our mind is untapped potential. Tapping into that potential is ever so simple…. but not at all easy in the busyness of our world.

Aleks Krotosk shared with us that we do our best work when we are in “flow.” But more often than not we get into the state of flow not with important work but with responding to the constant disruption of emails. She asked “Are you focusing on emails because it is useful and productive or because you have been drawn into the vortex through trance?”

We all know that exercise is important. The fabulously high octane Libby Babet bounced onto the stage to get us out of our seats and moving. After 90 minutes of sitting our minds were starting to wander. But did you know that just 20 minutes of walking will increase your focus? And that a 20 minute nap will increase our effectiveness by up to 30%?

And one of my personal favourite moments of the day was being guided through a meditation by Hindu Priest and Mind Coach; Dandapani. Meditation has recently become a regular part of my day. Dandapani reaffirmed that meditation is not something we will get instantaneous gratification from, but the positive effects will come over time, through consistently including as part of our lifestyle.

The challenge from here….

We have no choice. Change is upon us and resistance will be fruitless. Lets embrace the new world and get on board for the ride. I know for one, I am excited about what the future holds.

Thank you Women In Focus for the opportunity to attend this event that has changed the way I think and see the world as it now is.

NEXT STEPS?

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August 19, 2015November 2, 2020

Why This Job?

Why is it that you do what you do? Of all the jobs and all the companies; why this one?

If you were to think back to when you said YES to the role that you are now in, what was it that excited you? Can you remember?

Interestingly, research has shown over and over again that it is rarely about the money. Provided our remuneration is OK, money rarely drives leaders to excel, to engage more authentically with their team or dare to venture into unchartered waters seeking the results they know are possible. What drives us is way more personal than that.

All too often we get so caught up in the day to day, busyness of our work, we loose sight of why we are here and what it was that sparked our interest in the role in the first place.

So why here, why this job?

This is the question I asked the leaders at a team retreat last week. There is no doubt that the question caught many of the leaders off guard. It is not something that we often think about.

For one it was because they loved the idea of working with a progressive innovative business, another saw it as a great opportunity for growth, while for a another it was that the role gave him the opportunity to continue to work in the retail industry without working weekends and so allowed him to get involved in his kids sporting activities for the very first time.

Why we do what we do is deeply personal to each us and drives a sense of purpose and meaning. It connects our work with what is most important to us while keeping us engaged, even when the going gets tough. It directs our actions and helps us to stay focused and committed.

And one of the added benefits is that if fuels our passion. When you do work that is aligned to what is important to you it is easy to love your work. Your excitement will excite others who will want to get involved in what you do. As Simon Sinek in his book Start With Why and his block buster TED talk has said, “people don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.”

Understand Your Why To Land Your Next Ideal Role

So how do you answer that sticky first question so often asked in a job interview; “Tell us a little about yourself?”

It is one so many of us have stumbled over in the past. I know I have. It is all too easy to fall into the trap of regurgitating a bland summary of our CV. When we do this it doesn’t give the interview panel anything new or substantial to help them see why we are the ideal candidate!

This question is the perfect opportunity to share with the panel what drives you at your core and how this matches with the goals and values of the business.

Recently I assisted a leader prepare for a job interview for a senior marketing role. By tapping into her WHY, Susan was able to not just speak about WHAT her skills were and HOW she had demonstrated them in the past; she was also able to clearly articulate WHY she was so passionate about the businesses primary product.

And did it help her land her dream job… absolutely. She received feedback it was one of the primary reasons she was chosen for the role.

The power of being connected to “WHY this job” is truly compelling.

It will drive outstanding performance, gently nurture you through fear and uncertainty and fuel your passion. It will stand you apart as a leader and have you recognised as the type of leader the organisation feels lucky to have on board.

So stop focusing quite so much on WHAT you do as a leader and start reconnecting WHY you do it.

Take some time to reflect on the following questions;

What drew you to your role in the first place?
Why did you say YES to the role and not some other role?
Does the role still meet your personal WHY?

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July 30, 2015November 2, 2020

5 Questions To Ask To Get Unstuck

Has your career come to a grounding holt, where you are no longer being recognised, rewarded and promoted? Perhaps you are feeling bored, lacking challenge and missing the opportunity for growth. Are you wondering why it is that your career progression has plateaued over the last few years, leaving you less than excited about going to work every day?

Becoming stuck at the same place in our career usually dosen’t happen over night. It creeps up on us until one day we wake up and say how did this happen??

So how does it happen?

The simple answer is that you have been playing way too safe!

Too often we do what feels comfortable. We take the familiar route; doing what we know without question we can do well. We say yes to the projects that are similar to the ones we have had success in previously. We take the path of least resistance, avoiding “risky” innovative solutions and do what we can to fly under the radar to avoid the possibility of even more work coming our way.

The comfort of what we know is all too alluring…. but often not at all satisfying. When we think about the things we are most proud of, they are very often those things that stretched and challenged us.

If you want to achieve new results, hit new targets, be seen, heard and recognised for all you are capable of, then you must be willing to do what you have never done before. And yes! That means stepping outside your comfort zone.

Our growth, joy and fulfilment comes doing the things we have never done before. The magic happens beyond our comfort zone!

One of my gorgeous clients, Katherine, discovered this recently. She had an opportunity to speak and share her story at an event but felt that it was beyond her. She had an amazingly inspiring story of courage and achievement to tell but felt too scared to step out onto the stage. After a little work to raise her confidence, sense of self worth and belief in her abilities, she accepted the challenge and quite simply must have been brilliant.

By accepting the challenge, she has now been asked to speak at 3 more high profile events. And as you can imagine, opportunities have opened up for her because of that one brave move.

Everything that you want is available to you too. All that is required is for you to do the things that you have not yet done. This is true for my life and for so many of the women I work with. We must be willing to shift the status quo in our own lives, shake things up a little and to step into the unknown, where, yes, there is risk, but also so much more opportunity.

Here are 5 simple questions to ask to help you get unstuck.

1. Where in your work are you playing safe? Are you shying away from speaking up in meetings? Are you keeping your innovative ideas to yourself out of fear of ridicule or rejection? Have you passed up opportunities or failed to apply for a promotion?

2. Where have you have been doing the same thing over and over? Are you doing what you have always done and hoping to get a different outcome? Better results come from trying new ways, innovative strategies, extending the boundaries of what has been done before.

3. What would happen if you began doing the things that felt scary or outside your comfort zone? Imagine if you did muster up the courage to take on a bigger role, greater responsibilities, a challenging project, the opportunity to speak at an event or simply to broaden you network.

4. If you could not fail, what would you attempt to do? We all have dreams! What are yours? In the busyness of the day to day to do lists, both at work and at home, we get lost in the minutia of the same old same old. But it is for this very reason you have lost the spark for your work. Dig into your past swag of dreams and bring them to life again.

5. What is it costing you right now to stay stuck? Ok this one might hurt a little, but lets get real for just one moment. What is it costing you to stay stuck? Is it your health, your mood, your connection with those you love, your sense of fulfilment, career progression or is it quite simply that you want more from life and your work than you what you have right now??

The good news is that change can happen quite quickly once you realise you are stuck and begin doing some things differently. Even the smallest changes can create momentum towards a more rewarding career. The only question for you now to answer is “What are you prepared to do to create that change?”

NEXT STEPS?

Click below to…

Join “Leading Ladies” – a private FREE Facebook group of over 1600 other mid-career professional women to inspire and support

Join the newsletter list for weekly tips and strategies showing you how to ignite your career, lead your way and accelerate your success.

Watch The Next Level Training to breakthrough to the next level of leadership, impact and recognition.

Get my best tips on working smarter not harder

Read my latest blog post.

Book a FREE leadership support session with me.

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Contact my team.

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