A couple of months ago, I was watching a Dr. Oz re-run and he made the point that to maintain a healthy mental outlook we should have regular social contacts. It may seem obvious, but it can be so easy to get preoccupied with work and home projects that we can go for days without stopping long enough to just pick up the phone to say "Hello" to a friend.
Well, I took Dr. Oz's advice to heart and have been connecting and re-connecting with friends and people I care about this summer.
Yes, life can get busy, but in my experience, the best leaders are the ones who don't lose their human side and connect with others.
This month, I challenge you to reach out to others and make the time to connect.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
The Power of a Mastermind
I'm encouraged and motivated about my goals today because I just got off the phone with my Mastermind group. We had an incredible session. For those of you who don't know what a Mastermind group is, the concept is discussed in the book 'Think and Grow Rich' by Napoleon Hill. Napoleon Hill describes a Mastermind as: "The coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose." So, in other words, in a Mastermind group you set goals, share ideas, and develop strategies for success. But, most importantly, you find the encouragement you need to succeed from people who share your vision.
If you are not part of a mastermind group, I encourage you to find one or better yet, start one.
Are you or have you ever been part of a Mastermind group? How has a Mastermind helped you attain your goals?
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Summer is in the air!
Happy Summer!
I'm just getting back from vacationing in Turks and Caicos. It was a great time of resting and relaxing. It was also a great time to reflect on how 2011 has evolved. I have some exciting projects that I am working on and I'm grateful for the great mentors and coaches that are helping me to get focused around achieving my goals.
Yes, I have a coach. Even coaches need to be coached. I'm on the road a lot with my work and when I am home I am trying to balance work, commuting, family, grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning etc., etc., etc. It is nice to be able to schedule a dedicated hour every two weeks with a coach whose job is strictly to help keep me focused on achieving my goals.
I am also grateful to be kicking off the summer on such a wonderful note. I am looking forward to all the fun this summer will bring.
What are you looking forward to this summer?
Ellie*
I'm just getting back from vacationing in Turks and Caicos. It was a great time of resting and relaxing. It was also a great time to reflect on how 2011 has evolved. I have some exciting projects that I am working on and I'm grateful for the great mentors and coaches that are helping me to get focused around achieving my goals.
Yes, I have a coach. Even coaches need to be coached. I'm on the road a lot with my work and when I am home I am trying to balance work, commuting, family, grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning etc., etc., etc. It is nice to be able to schedule a dedicated hour every two weeks with a coach whose job is strictly to help keep me focused on achieving my goals.
I am also grateful to be kicking off the summer on such a wonderful note. I am looking forward to all the fun this summer will bring.
What are you looking forward to this summer?
Ellie*
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Communicating effectively across your organization
One of the most important skills you can learn as an emerging woman leader is how to communicate across your organization. When I coach emerging leaders, I find that they are fairly comfortable communicating with those on their level or below. But, they find it increasingly more challenging to speak to their boss, their boss' boss or higher. If this is the case for you, you're not alone. But you must understand that if you want to get ahead, learning how to communicate across your organization is essential. Here are three strategies to help you communicate effectively across your organization:
1) Understand the culture: Every organization has its own culture and dynamic. Learn what the culture is in your organization and get familiar with your boss' management style. For example, some organizations value a high level of management oversight. So, your manager may require that you cc: him / her in your substantive e-mail communications. Other organizations promote more independence and your boss may be less concerned about your day to day communication and more concerned about an end result. Whatever the culture is and whatever your boss' management style is, learn it, respect it, and adapt to it. Approaching your company's culture in such a way, is the first step to being an effective communicator within the organization.
2) Speak their language: The higher up someone is in an organization, the more they are concerned with the big picture and the bottom line. While your immediate manager may be concerned with the day to day details of how you perform your job, your boss' boss is more concerned with how the job that you do contributes to your organization's overall goals. Therefore, as you prepare to communicate with an individual in your organization, consider the person's role and position. Learn how to speak to the person's concerns from that person's perspective and provide only the level of detail that person requires.
Note that "speaking their language" may require that you develop a more advanced skill. For instance, if you have to give regular reports to a CFO, you will need to be comfortable with numbers. In such a case, consider attending a continuing education course or getting an advanced degree. Not only will it help with your communication, but it will boost your opportunity for advancement within your organization.
On the other hand, if you're speaking to someone in your organization who may not be familiar with your topic, keep things simple. Break information down to manageable concepts that are easy to digest.
3) Be prepared to answer questions: When you present on a topic that pertains to your organization, be prepared to answer questions with regard to that topic. Look at the subject matter from different angles. What are the pros and cons? What is the other side of the argument?
When you're presenting to senior level managers, also consider the competitive landscape and how external factors influence your organization.
If you put these strategies into practice, you will find yourself communicating more effectively across your organization.
Ellie Nieves is a women's leadership speaker. Through her keynote presentations, breakouts, retreats and workshops she helps women to develop leadership skills, set strategic goals, bolster effectiveness and create a personal brand. For more information visit www.EllieNieves.com or e-mail ellie@ellienieves.com.
© 2011 by Ellie Nieves. All rights reserved. Reprints must include byline, contact information and copyright.
1) Understand the culture: Every organization has its own culture and dynamic. Learn what the culture is in your organization and get familiar with your boss' management style. For example, some organizations value a high level of management oversight. So, your manager may require that you cc: him / her in your substantive e-mail communications. Other organizations promote more independence and your boss may be less concerned about your day to day communication and more concerned about an end result. Whatever the culture is and whatever your boss' management style is, learn it, respect it, and adapt to it. Approaching your company's culture in such a way, is the first step to being an effective communicator within the organization.
2) Speak their language: The higher up someone is in an organization, the more they are concerned with the big picture and the bottom line. While your immediate manager may be concerned with the day to day details of how you perform your job, your boss' boss is more concerned with how the job that you do contributes to your organization's overall goals. Therefore, as you prepare to communicate with an individual in your organization, consider the person's role and position. Learn how to speak to the person's concerns from that person's perspective and provide only the level of detail that person requires.
Note that "speaking their language" may require that you develop a more advanced skill. For instance, if you have to give regular reports to a CFO, you will need to be comfortable with numbers. In such a case, consider attending a continuing education course or getting an advanced degree. Not only will it help with your communication, but it will boost your opportunity for advancement within your organization.
On the other hand, if you're speaking to someone in your organization who may not be familiar with your topic, keep things simple. Break information down to manageable concepts that are easy to digest.
3) Be prepared to answer questions: When you present on a topic that pertains to your organization, be prepared to answer questions with regard to that topic. Look at the subject matter from different angles. What are the pros and cons? What is the other side of the argument?
When you're presenting to senior level managers, also consider the competitive landscape and how external factors influence your organization.
If you put these strategies into practice, you will find yourself communicating more effectively across your organization.
Ellie Nieves is a women's leadership speaker. Through her keynote presentations, breakouts, retreats and workshops she helps women to develop leadership skills, set strategic goals, bolster effectiveness and create a personal brand. For more information visit www.EllieNieves.com or e-mail ellie@ellienieves.com.
© 2011 by Ellie Nieves. All rights reserved. Reprints must include byline, contact information and copyright.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Ten commandments for women in the workplace: An interview with Dondi Scumaci
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing the author of the best selling books, Designed for Success and Career Moves, Dondi Scumaci.
Dondi Scumaci is an international speaker, author and expert in professional and personal development. Her best-selling book Designed for Success: The 10 Commandments for Women in the Workplace empowers women to be more effective, successful and satisfied at work. Her signature 10 commandments, designed to mentor women, are a result of a seasoned business career spanning more than 20 years, including tenure as director for two top U.S. financial institutions. In 1995, she founded an advising firm, where she currently serves as president.
During our interview, Dondi provided a number of notable leadership strategies and walked me through her signature “Ten Commandments for Women in the Workplace” as follows:
1) Manage your message from the inside out: What you believe about yourself leads to how you present yourself and how others ultimately perceive you. Do you have empowering or limiting beliefs about yourself?
2) Empower yourself: When it comes to our careers, many of us wait for recognition or we wait for permission rather than take initiative to make things happen in our careers. Are you waiting? Where do you give your power away?
3) Equip yourself with awareness: Become more aware of yourself, of others and of the situations around you. The more aware you are, the more grounded and able you will be to face situations when they arise.
4) Learn to negotiate: Women in particular perceive negotiations as conflict. Reframe what a negotiation really is in your mind and develop effective negotiating skills.
5) Personal leadership: Take the initiative and lead from where you are.
6) Build a bridge to the future: Have a plan for your career future and support it with relevant and impactful action that will get you to where you want to go.
7) Think like a project manager: Learn how to manage time, people, and strategies. Begin to treat your career like a project.
8) Invest in the success of others: Help to equip others and invest yourself in their success.
9) Break through the barriers: Acknowledge that office politics and conflict exist in the workplace. Think about how you can begin to address obstacles that may be getting in the way of you getting ahead in the workplace.
10) Add value to everything that you do: Your contribution to the projects you work on play a role in developing your personal brand. Increase your value so that you can increase the career opportunities available to you.
These ten principles are sound advice for the women looking to get ahead in the workplace. Dondi Scumaci’s book, Designed for Success: The Ten Commandments for Women in the Workplace is available wherever books are sold.
You can listen to the full interview at: www.BlogTalkRadio.com/Ellie-Nieves.
Dondi Scumaci is an international speaker, author and expert in professional and personal development. Her best-selling book Designed for Success: The 10 Commandments for Women in the Workplace empowers women to be more effective, successful and satisfied at work. Her signature 10 commandments, designed to mentor women, are a result of a seasoned business career spanning more than 20 years, including tenure as director for two top U.S. financial institutions. In 1995, she founded an advising firm, where she currently serves as president.
During our interview, Dondi provided a number of notable leadership strategies and walked me through her signature “Ten Commandments for Women in the Workplace” as follows:
1) Manage your message from the inside out: What you believe about yourself leads to how you present yourself and how others ultimately perceive you. Do you have empowering or limiting beliefs about yourself?
2) Empower yourself: When it comes to our careers, many of us wait for recognition or we wait for permission rather than take initiative to make things happen in our careers. Are you waiting? Where do you give your power away?
3) Equip yourself with awareness: Become more aware of yourself, of others and of the situations around you. The more aware you are, the more grounded and able you will be to face situations when they arise.
4) Learn to negotiate: Women in particular perceive negotiations as conflict. Reframe what a negotiation really is in your mind and develop effective negotiating skills.
5) Personal leadership: Take the initiative and lead from where you are.
6) Build a bridge to the future: Have a plan for your career future and support it with relevant and impactful action that will get you to where you want to go.
7) Think like a project manager: Learn how to manage time, people, and strategies. Begin to treat your career like a project.
8) Invest in the success of others: Help to equip others and invest yourself in their success.
9) Break through the barriers: Acknowledge that office politics and conflict exist in the workplace. Think about how you can begin to address obstacles that may be getting in the way of you getting ahead in the workplace.
10) Add value to everything that you do: Your contribution to the projects you work on play a role in developing your personal brand. Increase your value so that you can increase the career opportunities available to you.
These ten principles are sound advice for the women looking to get ahead in the workplace. Dondi Scumaci’s book, Designed for Success: The Ten Commandments for Women in the Workplace is available wherever books are sold.
You can listen to the full interview at: www.BlogTalkRadio.com/Ellie-Nieves.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Your vision of success
As you have probably figured out by now, my approach to leadership is not just about helping you get ahead in the workplace. I approach leadership from a more holistic perspective. For me, leadership is about succeeding in your personal life, your relationships, and your career. It takes leadership to develop your vision of success and to invest the time, energy, and resources to make that vision a reality. So, what is your vision of success? Do you associate success with material items?
The Dalai Lama once said that the principal source of success in life is to care for the happiness of others. He said that since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all of our hopes for happiness on external development alone.
Today, I encourage you to think beyond those things that we often associate with success; the material items that we wear as badges of achievement: the house, the nice car, the fancy clothes, and the exotic vacations.
Instead, I challenge you to think about who you want to be. Who is the person that you want to become? What contribution do you want to make? What kind of impact do you want to have on the lives of others?
Ellie Nieves is a women's leadership speaker. Through her keynote presentations, breakouts, retreats and workshops she helps women to develop leadership skills, set strategic goals, bolster effectiveness and create a personal brand. For more information visit www.EllieNieves.com or e-mail ellie@ellienieves.com.
© 2010 by Ellie Nieves. All rights reserved. Reprints must include byline, contact information and copyright.
The Dalai Lama once said that the principal source of success in life is to care for the happiness of others. He said that since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all of our hopes for happiness on external development alone.
Today, I encourage you to think beyond those things that we often associate with success; the material items that we wear as badges of achievement: the house, the nice car, the fancy clothes, and the exotic vacations.
Instead, I challenge you to think about who you want to be. Who is the person that you want to become? What contribution do you want to make? What kind of impact do you want to have on the lives of others?
Ellie Nieves is a women's leadership speaker. Through her keynote presentations, breakouts, retreats and workshops she helps women to develop leadership skills, set strategic goals, bolster effectiveness and create a personal brand. For more information visit www.EllieNieves.com or e-mail ellie@ellienieves.com.
© 2010 by Ellie Nieves. All rights reserved. Reprints must include byline, contact information and copyright.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
How to get promoted in 2011
A new year is upon us. This is a time when many of us reflect on the past year and we set goals for the year ahead. As you set your personal goals, consider what action steps you will take to move your career to the next level in the new year. Here are three leadership strategies to help you get promoted in 2011.
1) Align your performance goals with your company's goals. One sure fire way to kick things up a notch in your career is to align your performance goals for the year with your company's goals. Make it a point to become familiar with your company's goals for the coming year. Think beyond the everyday routine of your job and take the time to think about how your role and function within your organization can best support your company's initiatives. Work with your boss to measure your progress against your goals on a quarterly basis. This approach is just one positive step you can take towards attaining a promotion.
2) Invest in your personal development. Take a moment to think about a professional goal that you want to achieve and commit to making an investment to attain it. I always find it interesting how many people are quick to spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars on tickets to sporting events, fashionable clothes or the latest electronic gadgets, but hesitate to spend money on their personal development. Here's a good rule of thumb to test whether you're committed to your personal development: a commitment will show up on your calendar and in your wallet. You can begin by setting a personal development budget. For example, let's say you dedicate $250 towards your personal development for the year. You can invest $125 on a coaching session, $50 on a set of audio CDs, $50 on a seminar and $25 on a book. It's that simple. Remember, it's an investment with an expected return. If the investment helps you develop new insights and skills that lead to a promotion, your investment will more than have paid for itself.
3) Develop your network: Make a list of key people within your organization that you want to connect and reconnect with. As you identify these people, be sure to include people who are influential within your organization. Connect with "movers and shakers." Include someone who can help introduce you to others as well as someone that can create opportunities for you. Your goal is to be strategic and intentional about who you want in your circle. Then, purposefully build those relationships. If you apply these leadership strategies, you will set a strong foundation for a promotion in 2011.
Ellie Nieves is a women's leadership speaker. Through her keynote presentations, breakouts, retreats and workshops she helps women to develop leadership skills, set strategic goals, bolster effectiveness and create a personal brand. For more information visit www.EllieNieves.com or e-mail ellie@ellienieves.com.
© 2010 by Ellie Nieves. All rights reserved. Reprints must include byline, contact information and copyright.
1) Align your performance goals with your company's goals. One sure fire way to kick things up a notch in your career is to align your performance goals for the year with your company's goals. Make it a point to become familiar with your company's goals for the coming year. Think beyond the everyday routine of your job and take the time to think about how your role and function within your organization can best support your company's initiatives. Work with your boss to measure your progress against your goals on a quarterly basis. This approach is just one positive step you can take towards attaining a promotion.
2) Invest in your personal development. Take a moment to think about a professional goal that you want to achieve and commit to making an investment to attain it. I always find it interesting how many people are quick to spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars on tickets to sporting events, fashionable clothes or the latest electronic gadgets, but hesitate to spend money on their personal development. Here's a good rule of thumb to test whether you're committed to your personal development: a commitment will show up on your calendar and in your wallet. You can begin by setting a personal development budget. For example, let's say you dedicate $250 towards your personal development for the year. You can invest $125 on a coaching session, $50 on a set of audio CDs, $50 on a seminar and $25 on a book. It's that simple. Remember, it's an investment with an expected return. If the investment helps you develop new insights and skills that lead to a promotion, your investment will more than have paid for itself.
3) Develop your network: Make a list of key people within your organization that you want to connect and reconnect with. As you identify these people, be sure to include people who are influential within your organization. Connect with "movers and shakers." Include someone who can help introduce you to others as well as someone that can create opportunities for you. Your goal is to be strategic and intentional about who you want in your circle. Then, purposefully build those relationships. If you apply these leadership strategies, you will set a strong foundation for a promotion in 2011.
Ellie Nieves is a women's leadership speaker. Through her keynote presentations, breakouts, retreats and workshops she helps women to develop leadership skills, set strategic goals, bolster effectiveness and create a personal brand. For more information visit www.EllieNieves.com or e-mail ellie@ellienieves.com.
© 2010 by Ellie Nieves. All rights reserved. Reprints must include byline, contact information and copyright.
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