What Can Mad Mens Joan Peggy Teach Women About Careers

What Can Mad Mens Joan Peggy Teach Women About Careers When I was assistant regional manager at The Gillette Company in the early ’80s, I tried  explaining to the president why I was not going to relocate across the country again when the  step up position was available in my region. I had already moved from St. Louis to San  Francisco to Boston to Chicago for the company in less than six years. He listened to me, then  said, “We don’t listen to excuses.” I moved on to launch my second career in marketing, working with many of the great brands and  got to stay in Chicago, a city I loved. This is a lesson that comes through loud and clear in Sheryl Sandberg’s book, “Lean In:  Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.” Ms. Sandberg’s point is aside from the many gender  biases that still operate all over the workplace, excuses and justifications won’t get women  anywhere. Instead, believe in yourself, give it your all, “lean in” and “don’t leave before you  leave”â€"in other words, don’t doubt your ability to combine work and whatever else is important  to you which for many young women means having a family. I was the first woman to work for The Gillette Company’s flagship safety razor division. I was  just out of college, single, and an apartment renter, not homeowner. I was an anomaly in the  male-dominated, married with children and a home workplace. Gender biases were everywhere. From no relocation policy for apartment renters (I changed that) to winning trips for you and your  spouse that meant you worked just as hard, if not harder to win the prize but won a trip for one  instead. (I did fight to win the cash value of the second person. Take that!) When they said  move and I said no, I believed in myself and what I had accomplished that I resigned but only  after I found a new position and  career path. Even looking for a career change, recruiters told me that I would have to start in an entry-level  positionâ€"I had seven years of experience at this pointâ€"and would have to accept a pay cut.  Again, I knew the value of my experience and had enough belief in the value I offered that their  scenario was not realized; quite the opposite came true. I leaned in.  Joan and Peggy Lean In  Mad Men is now up to the ‘70s, exactly when I started with The Gillette Company so the week’s  episode, Lost Horizon” had all the gender biases I had known and fought. Peggy grew up at  SCP, where she was known and loved. Being mistaken for a secretary by McCann (oh, come  on) after a decade of proving herself was a huge hit to her confidence. Although it took getting  smashed with Roger, Peggy leaned inâ€"she finally got that wherever she roamed, there would  always be a place for her. She believed in herself. She could do the work. They can never take  that away from her. Joan’s lean in moment was true to her image as the woman who does not let the world get her  downâ€"at least not for too long. She’s a believer. She’s got confidence. She does indeed juggle  work and family and makes no excuses. She shows up. Joan has put up with various forms of  harassment for her entire career, and in this episode she has to live with a fresh round of  injustices and sexual advances. This is the era of feminism and although Joan would never say  she’s one, she finally said enough. Although she has to leave $250,000 on the table when she  quits, to me, she leaves when she wants to leave. Leaning in for Joan elicited, how dare she  stand up for herself? How dare she threaten us? She’s bold. I love her for that. Here is what Peggy and Joan teach us about what it means to lean in. It’s incredibly difficult to manage both career and motherhood or whatever else is important to  you in your life. Men still run the world. People with powerâ€"menâ€"will not give it up, or even share it willingly.  It must be seized by those who do not yet have power. Seize your opportunities. Negotiate like a man. You don’t have to accept the first offer salvo; make a  counter offer. Do not let your own expectations of what you can achieve get in your way. Personal motivation  is an incredibly complex thing, molded by our internal will but also strongly influenced external  forces such as the parenting we receive, the peer group that surrounds us as we grow, the  educational opportunities we get, the connections we make, as well as the expectations and  prejudices of those around us. Women are going to have to be in this struggle together, and genuinely support each other through it. There is no room for self-sabotage among women, no room for sabotage of women  by women. Peggy doesnt get it. Joan does to some degree. I don’t think I got it back in my  Gillette days but I do now.

Procrastination

Procrastination Procrastination is, hands down, our favorite form of self-sabotage.”    Alyce  P. Cornyn-Selby What did you put off today?   In Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill says: “Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday.” He goes on to say, “Procrastination is one of the most common causes of failure.    Most of us go through life as failures, because we are waiting for the time to be right to start doing something worthwhile.    Do not wait. The time will never be just right. Start where you stand, and work .” So back to our original question:   what did you put off today?   You may have had good reasons; you didn’t feel well enough to tackle it; you found another issue to work on; you might have put someone else’s needs first today.   If you’ve been in the job market for a while, you might be procrastinating because you’re afraid what you planned to do won’t work.   The employer will tell you that you didn’t get the offer; the business person you’re reaching out to will decline to meet with you.   You dread a “no” so much that you hang on to toxic “maybe” way too long. Salespeople tell us that it takes a certain number of “no” responses to get to “yes.”   Sales is a game of numbers, and any good salesperson understands how many no’s it takes to get to yes in his industry.   So every “no” is one step closer to “yes.”   “Maybe” is viewed with disdain; it’s not a sale, and it doesn’t get you closer to “yes.” Job hunting is much like sales; you can’t get to yes without going through a few rejections (unlike the salesperson, you just don’t know in advance how many.)   Recognize that, and try to embrace the rejections.   Each one is a mile marker moving you closer to the “yes” that’s out there somewhere.

7 ways to manage up

7 ways to manage up Managing up is the best tactic for getting more interesting work, more responsibility, and more sane work hours, because your boss is the one who can give you this stuff. Some people think managing up is brown nosing, but in fact, a lot of it is about humanizing the workplace. Managing up is about you caring for your boss, and the result will be your boss caring for you. Here are seven ways to make that happen: Know what matters to your boss. If your boss is a numbers person, then quantify all your results. And know which numbers matter most to him. All numbers people have their pet line items. If your boss is a customer-is-first kind of guy, frame all your results in terms of benefits to customers. Lets say, though, that you are working on a project that is impossible to frame in terms of the customer. Then ask yourself why youre working on it for a customer-oriented boss. It probably isnt a high priority for him, so it shouldnt be a high priority for you. Say no. Say yes to the things that matter most to your boss. Say no to everything else and your boss will appreciate that you are focused on her needs. Remember that your boss doesnt always know everything youve got on your plate. So when she asks you to do something that you dont have time to do, ask your boss about her priorities. Let her know that you want to make sure you finish what is most important, and this will probably mean saying no to the lesser projects. Talk like your boss. If your boss likes daily e-mails, send them. If your boss wants a once-a-week summary, then do that. Convey information to your boss in the way she likes so that shes more likely to retain it. Be aware of detail thresholds, too. Some people like a lot and some people like none. A good way to figure out what your boss wants is to watch how she communicates with you. Shes probably doing it the way she likes best. Toot your own horn. Each time you do something that impacts the company, let your boss know. Leave a voicemail announcing a project went through. Send a congratulation e-mail to your team and copy your boss, which not only draws attention to your project success but also to your leadership skills. Whatever the mechanism, you need to let your boss know each time you achieve something she cares about. Lunch with your boss. If all things are equal, your boss will cater to the person she likes the best. So go out to lunch and talk about what interests her. Connect with her by asking her for advice on something about work. If you are very different than your boss, work hard to find common ground in your conversations. Everyone has common ground if you hunt hard enough. Seek new responsibilities. Find important holes in your department before your boss notices them. Take responsibility for filling those holes and your boss will appreciate not only your foresight, but also your ability to do more than your job. (The trick, of course, is to make sure you do not shirk your official job duties while taking on more.) Be curious. Remember to make time to read and listen. Then ask good questions. You will make yourself more interesting to be around, and you will elicit fresh ideas from everyone around you. Your boss will feel like having you on the team improves everyones work, even his own, and that, after all, is your primary job in managing up.

How Can You Spot the Boss Who Isnt There

How Can You Spot the Boss Who Isn’t There Even successful companies can’t avoid the chore of filling open managerial positions. Usually, it’s easiest to promote somebody from within. That high-performing salesperson looks like a strong choice â€" he’s bringing in a stream of new clients and blowing past his sales goals every month. Since he’s among the best of your employees, he’d be an obvious pick for that managerial role â€" right? Well, not always. Many organizations run into trouble when they don’t realize it often takes different skills and characteristics to succeed as a leader than it does to succeed in a non-leadership role. By hiring based on previous success alone, you could turn that top salesperson into the worst boss your employees have ever seen and wind up derailing your department or your entire company. He might have been a dynamic salesman, but he could turn into an absent leader. Absentee leadership â€" also called non-leadership, or a destructive form of laissez-faire leadership â€" is often overlooked in business and academic studies, even though research shows it is the most common cause of job performance degradation. But employees are all too familiar with the concept. Many negative Glassdoor reviews show absentee leadership in (in)action. In summary, absentee leaders are people who hold leadership positions even though they’re not fully engaged in the role. Their lofty and well-paying job titles and descriptions may include some form of the word “management,” but their teams suffer without direction or feedback. Usually, this drain on morale and motivation lingers for years because the consequences are difficult to detect.   Absentee leaders generally don’t draw attention to themselves with ethical violations or bad behavior that result in complaints to HR. Instead, their negative influence is deemed low-priority at worst and continues to quietly build and wear away on their team’s effectiveness. If absentee leadership isn’t addressed, here are some of the specific ways it can harm your organization: Employee stress. Absentee leadership can cause an array of day-to-day frustrations for employees, including uncertainty about their role, physical stress, burnout or even bullying from fellow team members. Lingering job dissatisfaction. The cumulative effects of the lack of engagement can ruin employee morale even more than your stereotypical angry and overdemanding boss. Destructive leadership will immediately affect employees, but the effects will become milder over six months. The negative effects of an absent leader take longer to appear, but they tend to last for at least two years, or four times as long. Talent drain. Since most employees will feel demotivated without leadership or evaluation, they will soon start looking for another place where their efforts and skills will be rewarded. Greater costs. Absentee leadership isn’t just annoying, it’s expensive. Because absentee leaders destroy job satisfaction and increase ambiguity and turmoil on teams, they cost organizations millions of pounds in terms of turnover and lost productivity. So what’s the solution? How can you recognize you have an absentee boss in your team before the damage is done? Absentee leadership, by its nature, can only be spotted through the vacuum it creates. As of now, personality assessment tests, which can otherwise determine workforce personality traits or predict future performance, don’t automatically measure the warning signs of an absentee leader. However, leading assessment companies are working to change that. For example, the accredited psychologists at Hogan Assessments have identified absentee leadership as a key area of study and is carrying out extensive research. The company is looking at characteristics of absentee leadership by identifying personality attributes Hogan’s core assessments already measure, such as high levels of caution and low levels of assertiveness or decisiveness. In the absence of formal assessments for absentee leadership, you should be on the lookout for what a leader doesn’t do, instead of what they do. Another way is to keep an eye on how their subordinates are doing. If you see any mysterious increases in turnover or drops in job satisfaction or productivity with seemingly no logical cause, your company might have a leader who isn’t really there. About the author:  Scott Gregory, is the CEO of Hogan Assessments.

Multi-Generational Workplace - Are You Ready [Updated] - Career Pivot

Multi-Generational Workplace - Are You Ready [Updated] - Career Pivot The Multi-Generational Workplace The multi-generational workplace is here and will not be going away! Are you ready? With the vast majority of baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) will not be retiring as planned we will likely see many multi-generational workplaces with baby boomers, generation X and Y in the same office or workplace. There are some discussions that baby boomers need to stick around because there are not enough of Generation X (those born between 1965 and 1982) to replace baby boomers. Generation Y, or Millenials (those born between 1983 and 2000), have entered the market in huge numbers. In fact, there are suggestions that Millenials will make up over half of the workforce by 2020. For many baby boomers, this is a pretty scary thought. This multi-generational workplace will only get bigger. Note: The post was originally published November 2013 and was updated in December 2018. Generational Echo Effects When just about every one of us leaves home we do one of two things, we either do what we were told by our parents or we do the exact opposite. Let me give you some simple examples. The greatest generation, those born between 1900-1924, just about every man served in the military, believed in the security of the big government, experienced the great depression and saved money. Their children baby boomers experienced Watergate and the Vietnam war and were the first generation to easy credit. Baby boomers rebelled against the status quo and spent money like crazy. The silent generation, born between 1925-1945, suffered from extremely high divorce rates largely due to a technological change in 1965, birth control. Their children, generation X, have the lowest divorce rate. Almost half of generation X grew up in single-parent households and therefore, many either do not get married or delay marriage. Let’s look at the generational difference between baby boomers and their children Gen Y. Listen to the most recent episode Looking at Gen Y through Baby Boomers Eyes One of the real challenges that baby boomer managers have is they look at employees of Generation Y like they are baby boomers. The reality is they do not look like us. They are the opposite of baby boomers or another generational echo effect. In fact, we created them the way they are. They are our children! Let’s compare Baby Boomers and Gen Y. Characteristics of Baby Boomers Competitive â€" There were so many of us, we had to compete for everything. There were so many of us, that we had to compete, compete and compete. Work Ethic â€" We were raised by the Greatest Generation to go to work. Work was there to provide for our family, put food on the table, pay the mortgage and put our kids through college. We did not look at work like it was fun but a necessity of life. Private â€" In general, we are a pretty private generation. We learned not to discuss how much we make at work. This is a downfall for many baby boomers today because we do not discuss our career issues. Many think they are the only ones struggling. Characteristics of Generation Y Team Oriented â€" Everything they did in school was oriented around groups. They were raised to be good team players. Altruistic â€" We told them to follow their passions and do what is right. What they do is more important than how much they earn. Gen Y volunteer more than any generation. Social â€" Generation Y share everything. They created Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. As baby boomers, we were trained to be employees and to be loyal to our employers. We raised Generation Y to follow their passions and to ask for what they wanted. Therefore, when they ask for the promotion and do not get it they are likely to move on. We raised them to do this! Most baby boomers had their first job in their early teens. We were raised to get an employment resume. Most of Generation Y do not get their first job until after they graduate from high school. Why? We wanted them to focus on their studies. We raised them to get a college resume. Many of Generation Y Enter the Workplace for the First Time after College For many baby boomers, theyexpect generation Y employees to understand the workplace, the politics, the processes, and the unwritten rules. (You know what I am talking about, like giving two weeks notice, never discuss how much you make, being on time at work, be in the office even when you have nothing that needs to be done there,….) We expect them to understand what we did when we entered the workplace. Many do not! Having worked in the high tech industry in Austin I have seen the following scenario play out: Baby boomer or Gen X manager comes in and tells a Gen Y employee to be a work at 8 AM. The Gen Y employee responds “Why?” The manager says “Because I told you so”. The young employee responds “No but why?” Thingsdeteriorate from there. We taught our children to question authority. If there is not a good reason to be in the office at 8 AM then they will likely not show up. My own son, who is an old Gen Y, as he graduated from high school in 2002, was handed a laptop when he went to college. He could study and learn from anywhere. This generation grew up connected and therefore, telling them to be someplace without a reason is not going to cut it. We look at them through our Baby Boomer glasses and we wonder why they are the way they are! The Multi-Generational Workplace is Not Going Away With many baby boomers with insufficient retirement funds to retire at a traditional retirement age, most will keep working into their 70’s and beyond. At the same time Generation Z, born after the year 2000, is starting to enter the workforce. The challenges will center around: Work expectations Communications styles Technological sophistication I wrote this first post to give you something to think about. You can read the entire series here â€" Multi-Generational Workplace Series. This series is being updated in 2018-2019. What if you had a Generation Y boss in a multi-generational workplace? Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Medical Interview Questions And Answers Top Tips

Medical Interview Questions And Answers Top Tips Medical interviews can be notoriously difficult to pass. In order to gain a job as a medical professional, you will need to be amongst the most elite of candidates, and conduct extremely thorough preparation. In this blog, we will provide you with some top tips on how to pass medical interview questions and answers.How do I prepare for medical interview questions and answers?As you might expect, when attending a medical interview, there are a huge variety of questions that you could be asked. Given the difficulty of the role, it’s integral that the interviewers question you as thoroughly as possible. You could be asked questions on topics such as:Medical personal qualities and attributes.Leadership questions.Workplace and situational medical interview questions.Clinical governance questions.Research and organisational interview questions.Teaching and training questions.Dealing with difficult people.Whilst preparing for medical interview questions and answers, the above key areas wi ll act as a good basis for you to start. One of the most important things to consider when preparing for a medical interview is to make sure you provide lots of EVIDENCE when responding to situational interview questions. With this in mind, let’s now take a look at two sample medical  interview  questions and answers,  to help you prepare:Sample Medical Interview Questions And AnswersQ. How would you deal with a colleague who was continually late for work?Take a look at the following response to this question: Whether  I  was responsible managerially for the work colleague or not  I  would still take action.  There are two issues here.The ?rst issue is that the work colleague may need help or assistance in their personal or work life, and this may be the root cause as to why they are continually late. The second issue is that this type of problem can have a negative impact on the team and the wider organisation.To begin with  I  would speak to the colleague in a quiet place away f rom any distractions, and at a time when there were no pressures of work. Depending on the situation  I  may consider meeting them outside of working hours for a coffee or quiet drink, depending on how well  I  knew them. I would ask them if they had any problems outside of work that were impacting on their ability to make it into work on time. I would listen carefully to what they had to say before making any judgements or decisions. Once  I  had gathered all of the relevant facts, i would offer up a number of solutions to the problem. It may be that they are ?nding it dif?cult to get to work on time due to external issues such as family problems, or it may be that they are ?nding it dif?cult to come to work due to an internal issue.Either way  I  would offer my support and work with them to come up with a solution to the problem. If, at any time during our conversation  I  felt that the situation was out of my control or in?uence, then  I  would look to involve either a supervisor y manager or other relevant person. Q. A patient mentions to you that they have smelt alcohol on the breath of a nurse on two separate occasions over the last 2 weeks. What do you do?Take a look at the following sample response to this question:“Before making any decisions it is essential to gather the facts. The priority here is patient safety, both immediate and long term. I have a duty to act quickly in order to protect the patient, and that is what  I  would essentially do. Good medical practice also dictates that  I  should be willing to deal openly and supportively with problems in the performance, conduct or health of team members. I would share my concerns with an appropriate senior person such as the clinical director, making sure  I  adhered to trust procedures and guidelines. At all times however  I  would offer my support to the nurse and  I  would be aware that he/she may have personal problems that need addressing. The level of support  I  offer and the assistance   I  provide would very much depend on the nature of the problem and also how well  I  knew the person. It may be that the team would need to be ?exible if the nurse needed time away from clinical duties in order to rectify the problem.  At all times  I  would be supportive but patient care is paramount.” This entry was posted in Education, Interviews. Bookmark the permalink. Richard Midwife Training UK: The Complete Guide!University Revision: Top Five Exam Tips 2016

Why You Should Hire a Professional Resume Writer

Why You Should Hire a Professional Resume WriterThere are many professionals and website developers who will advise you to hire a professional resume writer for the job of writing your resume. Why would they suggest you hire someone when you can create a stunning one on your own?There are two reasons why you should hire a professional resume writer. The first reason is because they are able to write for a different audience. A resume will be used for employers and it will be used by employers to help decide whether or not to consider the applicant.This is especially important for people who have just started a new career. It is hard enough starting a new career. It is even harder when you already have clients that could potentially disqualify you from your new career. By using a professional writer to write your resume, you eliminate this potential disqualification.The second reason why you should hire a professional resume writer is because they are capable of generating attractive looking resumes. Resumes are seen as an asset by employers and when a resume is professionally written, it will look better and more appealing than the generic resume you get from a college course or an online course.Because of the amount of competition between applicants, employers want to read only the best resumes. One of the ways to do this is to use a professional to write your resume. A professional has experience in doing this type of work and they will know how to write resumes that will make employers really notice your skills.Another reason to hire a professional for your resume is because they can give you samples. A resume is a living document and it needs to be updated on a regular basis. A resume needs to be updated with current data that might be in your resume and there will be instances where you need to add or change information on your resume.A professional resume writer will be able to quickly tell you what areas of your resume require changes. They can also give you examples of other positions in which you might like to change the information on your resume.As you can see, there are many reasons why you should hire a professional resume writer. If you need to hire a professional resume writer for the job of writing your resume, then you should use one.