From the Article Archive: How Can I Break Into Closed Networks?

Question:

Given that I have always worked in a male-dominated industry (very often I am the only woman in the room or one of very few), in an engineering capacity, how can I break into the closed networks? It seems that people are just not treating me as one of the "guys". With my most recent layoff I get the opportunity to start from scratch, so I want to do it right from the beginning.

Jo Miller answers:

Viewing workplace coalitions as a "closed network" or "boys' club" will only disempower you.

Resist the temptation to write it off as a "boys’ club". Instead, you may gain a lot by understanding what drives and sustains all of the informal social networks around you.

When starting a new job, one of the most valuable exercises you can undertake is to understand those informal networks in your new workplace. Do this well in your first few months and you will find that navigating the "networks" and office politics become much easier. Consider acting as though you are a "cultural anthropologist", closely observing the communication and relationships playing out around you in your new organization.

Aim to identify:

• Individuals who have formed strong one-on-one working relationships
• Groups that have formed tight coalitions, where everyone works well together and looks out for one another.

Observe closely and you may discover that all not guys get along with all other guys. Often what may have appeared to be a "male network" includes some women and excludes some men.

Try to figure out how these relationships and coalitions formed, and what the glue really is that keeps these relationships and groups tight. For example, do they have a common academic background or interest? Did they work together for a previous organization or leader, or are they of a certain personality type?

Identify the key people of influence in your new workplace. If you make a point of cultivating good working relationships with them first, others in the group who respect those influencers may come to accept and respect you too.

Whether you decide you’ll attempt to break into the club or not, gathering this information will give cues as to how you can work most productively with those individuals and groups.
You may ultimately need to decide, what’s more important: to be liked or to be respected? Having cordial, respectful, productive working relationships may be just as effective as being treated as “one of the guys”.

Jo Miller is CEO of Women’s Leadership Coaching Inc. which offers women’s leadership seminars and coaching programs.

Emerging Leader Spotlight: Lily Moua, USDA-APHIS

Name: Lily Moua
Current title: HR-Classification Specialist & Asian American Pacific Islander Program Manager
Company: USDA-APHIS
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Favorite quote: “How you do anything is how you do everything”.


1) What key steps did you take to get to the role you are in today?

It is nearly impossible to “get in” to work for the federal government now-a-days. I made it through right before the hiring freezes began. Having a master’s degree in public policy, great supporters, and knowing how to communicate with different groups of stakeholders (I’m very involved in community work) was key in getting me the credibility to start in good position. I must also acknowledge the professional growth and experiences I gained from my manager at Target Corporation.

Also, I am a Hmong culture/language teacher, facilitator, and mentor in the community; it’s my passion. My community trusts that I will inspire and encourage others to pursue higher goals and bridge gaps between cross-cultural generations.

2) What is your leadership style? (Self-described and/or how others might describe you)

I set high standards for myself and the individuals I work. I love coaching, mentoring, and challenging others to think outside of the box. Transparency, communication, integrity, teamwork, and having fun are a part of my core values.

3) What tools or resources have you used that have been crucial to your success?

a) Studying my own culture and defining how I want to live and leave my legacies. Distinguishing myself, knowing my goals, and understanding my passion so that I can leverage my strengths.

b) Building relationships, getting to know successful leaders and ask to be mentored by them. I enjoy learning about people’s successes and missed opportunities. This helps me foresee what potential pitfalls are ahead and what I need to develop to be a stronger leader.

c) Not just reading, but meeting inspirational people like Maya Angelou and Zig Ziglar—taking their wisdom, modeling it, by inspiring and teaching others about what I’ve learned.

d) Being hands-on and active in my communities.

4) What steps are you currently taking to improve yourself, professionally?

a) I have a personal board of directors, with whom I consult with about my development. They coach and mentor me in many ways.

b) Enhancing my communication skills. I’m learning how to express and articulate myself when the stakes are high. In my culture, Hmong women are not supposed to voice or raise their opinion with men—especially to men of higher authority.

5) What is the next step you plan to take in your career to develop your leadership skills?

One area I need to strengthen is my ability to navigate politics and improve how I communicate in professional terms (I’m still young so sometimes I just want to act my age). This spring, one of my mentors will coach me about the game of golf and the business strategies behind it. My goal is to learn a different perspective about the sport, life, and success.

I have also taken on my newest role as a co-chair to help Hmong elderly veterans define their goals and achieve new legacies. This is a new opportunity for me to reshape and preserve the Hmong community.

6) What are some top tips you can recommend to other women who want to be recognized as a high potential emerging leader?

a) When you help others succeed, you will receive double or triple the reward. Help others reach their potential and you will reach yours faster and be even more successful!

b) Surround yourself with motivated groups and individuals. Be inspired and don’t forget to always inspire others too!

c) Diversify your portfolio! Always be prepared for the next best option.

From the Article Archive: Funds Are Not Available for Training

Question:

Funds are not available to send employees to training, but training is needed. What options are there? How can I learn more about my field of work without spending money?

Answer:

The economy has put travel, conferences, and training on hold; creating an unexpected opportunity to throw out the old model of learning and replace it with one that really works.

Neuroscientists have found that our brains learn most effectively when training is broken into small chunks. HR Magazine’s award-winning March 2008 cover story, “The Brain at Work”, points out that a series of 1-hour workshops spread over time would result in a dramatic increase in learning retention when compared to a traditional eight-hour day of training.

Here are six low-cost or no-cost options for training your employees and deepening your own expertise, with the added benefits of being easier to schedule during working hours while building your professional network of colleagues, leaders, and mentors.

Learning Exchange
Set up a learning exchange within the team. Schedule a regular coffee, lunch, or a conference call to share knowledge gained in previous trainings. That conference or training you paid for your employees to attend last year? Ask them to pull out their notes, review what was learned, and teach it to their colleagues.

Lunch ‘n’ Learns
Task an employee with scheduling a series of lunchtime workshops. They can create a workshop in their area of subject matter expertise and invite colleagues to do the same. Or they could invite leaders or experts from within your company to present.

Speakers
Find a speaker who is marketing a book or program. Invite them to present a workshop, teleconference or webinar to your team in exchange for raising their profile in your organization.

Volunteer
Volunteer as education coordinator for a professional association and you’ll get to choose the speakers.

Submit a proposal to be a speaker or panelist at a conference. They may or may not pay for your travel, but most will give you your registration.

Webinars
Many organizations offer training programs in webinar format and there are numerous options under $100. Buy a registration and gather the team in a conference room to watch together. Follow up with a discussion on how to apply the principles in your work environment, or meet a few weeks later to review progress.

Mentors
This is also a great time to engage a mentor (or two or three) and encourage team members to do so too.

Jo Miller is CEO of Women’s Leadership Coaching Inc. which offers women’s leadership seminars and coaching programs.

From the Article Archive: How Do I Become a Visionary?

Question:
My biggest question/challenge is on establishing vision. This feels a lot like uncharted territory for me. I am a good “executioner” but don’t see myself as being a visionary and would appreciate information in regard to that.
Jo Miller Answers:

Nilofer Merchant, a corporate director and Harvard Business Review columnist, described a visionary as one who “identifies a direction that can awaken and direct the inner passion and strength of people because of its appeal.”A visionary has ability to recognize and articulate a brighter future, in a way that engages others, and is committed to making that future happen. So committed, in fact, that Merchant says “A visionary never gives in, or gives up.”

Pay attention to the business environment
Becoming a visionary begins with paying close attention to what’s going on around you.
Visionaries have a finger on the pulse of what’s going on within the business and in the larger business environment. Whether you like to gather information by talking to others, reading business news, industry networking, or delving into company reports, you should challenge yourself to think about what it all means in terms of future trends. Make your hypotheses about the future.

Set time aside for creative visioning and planning
The C-level women leaders I know try to take time out on a regular basis to reflect on the overall direction and future of their organization. They come to appreciate this quiet, creative time to focus on the big picture, future direction, and plans. Leaders find this exercise renewing and re-energizing.

Become an everyday visionary
To establish yourself as a visionary, first you must start by solving the problem of world peace.

Just kidding!

When we talk about “being a visionary” it often sounds as though you need to dwell on gigantic, lofty issues — it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

But you can start by being visionary about smaller things than solving global warming.

For example, when mid-way through a project, try to predict roadblocks to its successful completion. Bring colleagues together to brainstorm and encourage agreement on a preemptive plan.

Or identify a problem, search for information about new processes or best practices that could be applied and present a proposal to management.

Once you have succeeded on this initial scale and gain confidence in your ability to establish a vision, you can take on bigger problems like a finding a profitable new product, or leading innovation, or solving an endemic problem.

Then move on to negotiating peace in the Middle East.

Jo Miller is CEO of Women’s Leadership Coaching Inc. which offers women’s leadership seminars and coaching programs.

Emerging Leader Spotlight: Jacobia Solomon, VP, Engineering, Mimeo

Name: Jacobia Solomon
Title: VP, Engineering
Company: Mimeo
Location: Memphis, Tennessee

Favorite quote: "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams




What is your leadership style?
Leadership style is situational. Most would say that I am naturally supporting and empowering and I would agree.

What tools or resources have you used that have been crucial to your success?
Leadership competency and Lean Six-Sigma tools have both been crucial to my success. Leadership competency tools guide me in leading and influencing, constantly enhancing. Lean Six-Sigma provides a strong foundational method to understand problems, analyze, and resolve with confidence.

What steps are you currently taking to improve yourself, professionally?
Learning more about the Printing Industry through research and conferences. Also, seeking an executive coach to improve professional style and leadership competences to support current and future roles.

What are some top tips you can recommend to other women who want to be recognized as a high potential emerging leader?
Continue to raise their VIP status, V- by being visible at all levels, I- get involved in activities outside of your role and influence positive change; P- present a professional presence at all times.

Being Strategic: Three Components of a Good Strategy

QUESTION: I tend to be tactical but am now in a position in which I am being asked to be more strategic. What is the action plan for transitioning? Is being strategic a learnable skill?

JO MILLER ANSWERS:
“How can I be more strategic?” is a question everyone asks, but what does it mean? And what is strategy, exactly, anyway?

Ellie Pidot is Vice President of Strategy at Medtronic, where she works closely with the CEO and senior management team to lead the development of corporate strategy and improve the quality of strategic decision-making company-wide.

So what is a strategy, according to a seasoned executive strategist? In a style refreshingly free from business jargon, Pidot explained that “Strategy is a fancy word for coming up with a long-term plan and putting it into action.”

In addition to developing corporate strategy at the highest level with the senior executive team, Pidot also works with Medtronic’s eight business units and various regions worldwide, helping to facilitate their strategic planning process. One of her top tips for being strategic is “collaborate, collaborate, collaborate,” and her approach to strategy creation involves serving as a thought partner to executives across the company. Pidot begins by asking questions that provoke the type of deeply reflective thinking that enables a business or region to develop its own strategy. Typical questions she recommends asking when formulating a strategy are:

• What are your customers’ unmet needs? How should your strategy address them?
• How will your markets be different in the future than they are today?
• What can you do to position yourself for the future?
• What is the business case for your investments?
• How will you measure and track performance to ensure impact?

But what if you are not leading a business but are an individual contributor who is trying to be more strategic?

Pidot recommends asking similar questions while imagining your boss as a customer “Ask yourself, what are your customer’s unmet needs, meaning what is it that your boss wants and needs,” she advised. Reflect on your job description and what you know about your boss, and how you could make their life easier. “Look for ways to better predict the kinds of things that they want you to do” she said. “By coming up with a list, you can probably anticipate those needs better. Have a bias for action and get things done. Have milestones. Check them off and follow through. Come up with a plan, and think ahead in a way that is proactive. Being strategic is about having a long-term plan, and putting it into action. It almost sounds silly to think of that as a strategy, but it really is.”

Three components of a good strategy
To anyone who is hoping to develop the skill of being strategic, Pidot recommends that any good strategy needs three characteristics: to be forward looking, aspirational, and grounded in facts.

1. Be focused on the long-term and forward-looking
Pidot advises would-be strategists that to be effective, their strategy must be forward-looking.

“To move from getting caught up in the day-to-day responsibilities of the job and become more strategic, you need to be looking ahead.” Pidot recommends asking yourself “What is the world going to look like, five or ten years from now? How are the dynamics that I am operating in going to change over time? How can I put into place a set of actions to get me to where the world is going to be?”

2. Be aspirational, while recognizing constraints
A good strategy needs to be aspirational, while recognizing your starting point and constraints.

Pidot explains, “You need to be bold enough in your aspirations that you can get excited about it, because you are going to spend a lot of time working on your strategy, but at the same time recognize where you are today, and what constraints you might have on the potential actions that are at your disposal. It is a careful balance. You can’t get too far ahead of yourself but at the same time, you don’t want to limit yourself.”

3. Be grounded in facts
A common misconception about strategy is that it requires thinking at the ‘high level’ and not digging down into the detail. When asked by a would-be strategist “How can I get out of the detail and be more strategic?” Pidot advises, “One of the common reasons that strategies fail is that they are not grounded in facts, data and a deep understanding of your customers and business environment. One of the most important elements of strategy is moving away from ‘managing by anecdote’ and developing a much more systematic approach using facts, data and analysis.”

Take time to think
A final key to becoming more strategic is to take the time to think.

“We all have challenges and our days are jam-packed. We are running from meeting to meeting, trying to accomplish more in less time,” observes Pidot. “It feels sometimes like we don’t even have the time to get our job done, let alone have time to step back. But I can’t over-emphasize how important it is to have unstructured time with yourself or with your team, just to think. An agenda-less hour or two is critical for generating creativity and different thinking.”

Jo Miller is CEO of Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc. You can hear Jo’s interview with Ellie Pidot when you join the Emerging Women Leaders series. Learn more or register at www.womensleadershipcoaching.com/webinars.htm

From the Article Archive: I Just Got Laid Off

Question:
I just got laid off. I know I am supposed to network, but what are some other things to do to secure my next position?

Jo Miller answers:

Jerri Barrett, Vice President of Marketing for the Anita Borg Institute, is a walking encyclopedia of common and uncommon tips for marketing yourself during a job hunt.

Jerri says, “Remember that your job when you are unemployed is finding a job. Carry your updated clean resume with you everywhere. And mention to everyone you talk to that you are job hunting.”

Jerri used this approach to find a job through a friend in book group. “I told the whole group I was looking and gave them copies of my resume. One person went home, checked her company’s corporate job postings, found a job, and sent in my resume to both HR and the hiring manager. I had a job in less than two weeks—it’s how I moved to California.”

Seize the opportunity to reinvent and reenergize
Taking a flexible approach allowed Nehal Mehta, now Director QA at Netapp, to capitalize on a layoff as an unexpected opportunity. She immediately seized on the situation as a way to reenergize her career and move into a new area of focus. Within three weeks of leaving her previous employer, Nehal landed a consulting gig in a turnaround so fast that she had barely had time to update her resume.

Stay resilient and optimistic
Jerri Barrett recommends planning time to do something that you enjoy every day or week.

“During one period of job hunting, my boyfriend and I would make a date to walk up to our local library each Saturday. We’d browse through books, check out the houses in the neighborhood—it was like going shopping but not spending money.”

Set targets and hold yourself accountable
While we all know the importance of networking, Jerri and Nehal held themselves accountable by setting targets while job hunting.

Jerri Barrett advises those in transition, “Set a 'work' schedule and stick to it. Create goals for yourself—sending out 10 resumes a week and making 5 phone calls per day, for example. Remember it’s your job so if you get the job done feel free to go do something fun.”

Nehal Mehta described a similar level of focus. “The week after I was laid off, I had lunch and two coffee meetings every day. I made ten LinkedIn connections a day. I approached my contacts and told them what I was looking for.”

Conventional wisdom says you can’t find a job in December or over the holidays, but Nehal found that her contacts were readily available to meet for lunch or coffee during the break.

Know what the market wants
Going against the advice of some well-meaning supporters, Nehal said, “I did not spend all my energy looking for that next full-time position. I pursued something that many people may not be willing to settle for—consulting.”

Her reasoning was that approaching companies as a consultant reduces barriers to starting work rapidly, benefitting both herself and the employer.

“For every job, there were 100 other candidates just as well qualified, and you must really then negotiate much harder for the job, level, and salary. So I approached a company with an opening for a full-time position and said, 'I’ll take this on as a consulting assignment'. This allowed them to take me on right away. It was less of a commitment on their side and on mine. This got me into a new space, working with a completely new technology, and loving it!”

Jo Miller is CEO of Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc. Women's Leadership Coaching, Inc. provides a roadmap for women who want to break into leadership positions in business, with individual coaching programs, seminars and webinars.

Emerging Leader Spotlight: Nicole Doebert, Marketing Strategist, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Name: Nicole Doebert
Title: Marketing Strategist
Company: Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Location: Appleton, Wisconsin

Favorite quotes:
“You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try.”
—Beverly Sills

“Don’t block the blessings.”
—Patti LaBelle


What is your leadership style?
I lead very collaboratively. Relationship building is my number-one strength. I love people, and I try to acknowledge others as people first, professionals second. I believe in inspiring trust in others by always, always, always doing what I say I will do. And I also believe in trusting others to do the same. So I do my best to lead with trust, support, and a little fun thrown in. I love to laugh!

What tools or resources have you used that have been crucial to your success?
One thing that has really helped me in my career development is using tools to help me identify my “sweet spot” or unique ability. It means that I’ve taken a hard look at what I’m great at, what I love doing, and what my organization needs. And I try to find ways to work in that place, rather than doing things outside of that. It’s not always possible, of course, but by trying to work in that sweet spot it lets me succeed and helps the company.

I also find great value in tools like the Kolbe A Index and Strengthsfinder 2.0. Knowing your strengths, your innate style, yourself, really, helps you also know how to relate to others. By knowing who you are and what you need to work well, it’s easier to then be able to know how to work in ways that support the needs of others.

What steps are you taking to improve yourself professionally?
I’m the chair of our Thrivent Women’s Leadership Network. In that role, I am amazed, delighted, honored, and humbled to work with fantastically talented women throughout our organization. Being able to connect and network with these women helps me increase my business acumen, learn through their examples and share in a support system where we all help each other be better leaders—and people.

I also continually take on stretch assignments that will let me work cross-functionally in the organization and that will let me learn new skills and lead teams. There’s always that hint of fear taking on things like that—leaping into the unknown and pushing yourself beyond what you think you might be capable of. But I’m grateful that I’ve had good opportunities and leaders willing to coach me and help me learn. Sometimes I surprise even myself!

What is the next step you plan to take to develop your leadership skills?
I would like to find a mentor. I am blessed to have many informal mentors who help me when I have questions or need coaching and support. But I think creating a more formal mentorship with someone could help me advance to the next stage of leadership. I think having someone with a more external perspective could be a real benefit.

What are some top tips for other women who want to be recognized as a high-potential emerging leader?
Network, network, network. Make connections and build relationships with people inside your organization and within your community. Take leadership roles on divisional projects, organizational committees, or non-profit boards. Take advantage of opportunities to present your work to leadership teams—and put your name on any presentations of results for your projects. Be a resource for those looking to learn more about what you’re doing—and give them a reason to want to talk to you! You need to deliver results to be recognized as an emerging leader.

2012 Emerging Women Leaders Webinar Series starts February 14th.

Over the course of this six-part webinar series, nine senior-level women leaders will reveal their top tips on how to grow and develop as a leader while building a thriving and satisfying career.

The first webinar in the series, 'Being Strategic' is on Tuesday, February 14th with guest speaker Ellie Pidot, Medtronic's VP of Strategy. Ellie has a great talent for taking complex business concepts and breaking them down into simple steps. She will de-mystify what it means to be strategic and share the three components that every good strategy must have. She will address ways to communicate your strategy effectively to others and how to translate a strategy into action that delivers results.

Other topics in the series include:

• Sponsors: Advocates for Your Advancement , 4/24
  
  
• Building a Career Around Your Values and Strengths, 6/12
  
  
• Alternate Career Paths: Up is Not the Only Way Forward , 8/23
  
  
• Work-Life Integration, 10/30
  
  
• Working with Virtual and Global Teams, 11/27

Guest speakers include:

• Amanda Martinez, VP Manufacturing Operations - US Grocery at Safeway
  
  
• Jennifer Pope, VP, Member Interactions, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
  
  
• Cindy Kent, Vice President & General Manager, Gastro/Urology Therapies at Medtronic
  
  
• … and six other outstanding women leaders from Medtronic, Siemens, Hewlett-Packard, eBay, Moss Adams, and JDSU.

Learn more or reserve your place now for $189