Wednesday, October 31, 2007

A Roadmap for Emerging Leaders: 5-week Webinar Series

We are often asked if there a roadmap for women who want to break into leadership.

Finally we can answer with a resounding yes!

At Women’s Leadership Coaching Inc. we have interviewed over 1,000 corporate women about their leadership aspirations and the internal and external roadblocks they face.

We discovered a specific skill set necessary to get there (…that traditional corporate leadership programs do not teach), and validated them by successfully coaching hundreds of emerging women leaders worldwide.

Those principles, processes and case studies are now packaged together into a step-by-step program, A Roadmap for the Emerging Leader, a 5-week webinar series, launching November 12.

Registration is $295. Be one of the first 25 to register, and save $50.

For more information and to register >>

Friday, October 26, 2007

Ask Jo: Emotion vs. Passion in the Workplace

Every month on the Anita Borg Institute's site, I answer a new career or leadership question.

Question: In many leadership seminars, we are told to not take things personally at work and not get emotionally attached to our projects and not communicate “emotionally.” In the same seminars, we are told to be passionate about our work and convey that passion to our peers. How does one convey passion without emotion in the workplace?

Read the column at AnitaBorg.org

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Interview with Sallie Krawcheck

My friend Penelope Trunk was blogging at the Forbes Executive Women's Forum when Sallie Krawcheck, CEO of Citigroup's Global Wealth Management, was interviewed. Krawcheck gave this stellar tip on how to become a visionary business leader:

"I tell all young people to become an analyst after school. You pull out bits of information and put together a picture. Sometimes it looks like a dog or sometimes a cake. Then you make decisions with imperfect information. And when you get another piece, you say oh it's not a cake. So its practice making decision with imperfect information. This is what you do as a CEO every day."

Visit Penelope's blog to read the interview.

Become an Everyday Visionary

OK, so it's probably too late to reboot your career and begin again as an analyst, but you can weave Sallie Krawcheck's advice into any job.

Next time you need to give a status update or report on results, don't just present the data -- make decisions with that information -- even if the information is imperfect.

Take your presentation one step further. Engage your inner visionary, and:

- Draw conclusions
- Describe why it is relevant in the broader context of the business
- Link your findings to current trends, or business strategy
- Make decisions
- Make predictions
- Assert your recommendations, and
- Put forward PROPOSALS.

Pitch Proposals, and Pitch Yourself Too
Are you ready to take on a bigger role? Make proposals, and do it often.

Make a habit of putting forward your ideas, solutions, or value-add projects. Get used to finishing every presentation with:"My proposal is that we... a, b, c".

But don't just pitch your proposals -- remember to pitch yourself too! Let them know you are the ideal person to lead the charge. Too often I hear women describe how they suggested a great idea, but forgot to pitch themselves as the person to lead the initiative. Someone else assumed the idea was up for grabs, and took the lead role on the initiative.

Complete your proposal by stating why you are the best person for the job:"I am uniquely qualified to lead this initiative because... a, b, c".