When we’re starting a business it’s too easy to get swept up in new logos, images, brochures and the general marketing of our products and services. But remember that YOU are the most important and influential element of your company brand.
As with any brand your personal brand is a collection of the powerful and clear ideas people have about you when they think of you. It’s the emotional hook that the thought of that brand stirs up. Yet few of us really think about projecting a consistent brand image, therefore many perceptions about us are often left to chance
Our brand reputation often precedes us in business and certainly builds without us always being aware of exactly how. Wouldn’t it be helpful to know what people say about us behind our back – for this is exactly what your personal brand is – a collection of perceptions others form about us.
Walking TALL has 7 Big Strides to Personal Branding; the important point is that your brand is not seen as superficial and that you build it based on true authentic values.
Stride 1 - Who You Really Are
Start by discovering your authentic brand and what you stand for - your motivators, drivers, values and strengths. Be honest, what do you really stand for? Think about your personality, your core values, your strengths and talents, and your natural style.
Stride 2 - the 1st 7 Seconds
We all know that first impressions are important but I wonder if you’ve really thought about how powerful they really are. Research suggests that it can take around 20 further experiences with somebody to change a first impression. Sounds a lot, however we do keep coming back, sub-consciously, to that first time we met somebody, we hang onto it and it stays with us.
A negative first impression will cause us to associate other negative thoughts with that person, and vice versa with a positive one. It goes a lot deeper than that initial impact
Stride 3 - Dress Like You Mean It.
Clothes are the external clues to your personality, dressing appropriately is vital for creating the desired impact in business. The Walking TALL guidelines to consider are:
· The client/audience and their expectations
· The situation and environment
· Your objectives
Considering these will ensure you come up with a suitable outfit.
Stride 4 - Silent Indicators. Body Talk speaks volumes about your thoughts.
Have you ever come out of a meeting for example, and been asked why you were distracted or not agreeing with what was discussed? Only to find out your eye contact was not engaging or you had a frown on your face as you processed information?! Sometimes we give others perceptions about how we're feeling by our sub-conscious body gestures and we need to be more aware of these to manage our brand effectively and positively.
When did you last check your handshake - we all recognise a bad handshake when we get it, but what about yours?
Stride 5 - Speak Easy. Are you being heard? Voice quality matters!
Voice is a big part of your personal brand, we know we sub-consciously judge people on their voice but how often do we test ours out? Have you ever phoned into your voicemail message to listen to how professional you sound? It’s is often not to do with WHAT you say but HOW you say it.
Stride 6 – Be Interested and Visible
Your social skills are always on show, simply being interested in others makes you a more interesting person – people love you to be interested in them. Remember key snippets about your customers to retain a feel good factor from them to you.
What can you do to be more visible in a conscious and positive way? Have a visibility plan to reach your target market in a way that reinforces who you really are rather than leaving your visibility to chance.
Stride 7 – Each Time all of the Time
This is the crucial one and this is where the effects of selling yourself can let you down big time. Unless you take control of the perceptions that others have of you your brand will be inconsistent and you will dart around trying to remember which versions of you, you want to be.
Written by Lesley Everett and Sue Liney – Walking TALL International, contact
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Press Release Tips
While I’m not a PR specialist, I’ve had some success recently in getting press coverage and just thought I’d share some of the key factors of putting a press release together with you. PR is cost effective and a great way of getting publicity, but you have to remember a few things.
Journalists aren’t interested in promoting your product. They ARE interested in a story that will interest their readers ... so put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself “why is this interesting?”
Have one main point to your press release. Don’t detract from the main story by adding in extra details. For example, if you’re celebrating 10 years in business, have launched a new product and have moved premises, pick ONE of these things to focus on. See point 1 to help you decide which!
Make your headline enticing and relevant to the audience – what will make them want to read on?
Get the point across in your first paragraph. You can elaborate later, but the first paragraph should capture the essence of your story.
Research the publications & websites you will write to and compile a list. It could be local press, trade press, lifestyle magazines, specialist websites. Which places already feature stories within your industry?
Phone them up and get contact details. Be ready to give a quick overview of what your story is about and make sure you send it to the right person. While you’re on the phone, check publication dates and deadlines.
Include contact details & your phone number on your press release. Journalists may want to contact you for more information & phone is the quickest way to get answers.
Jane Brocklebank ... |
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How To Deal With Toxic Clients
What do you do with a client who doesn't respect you, won't acknowledge your e-mails, treats you like dirt and then refuses to discuss their issues with you?
You could of course get a gun out and shoot them [not recommended], and that might be going just a little too far (even though you might feel that's the only solution when you've just taken another ear bashing or are reeling from the latest e-mail bombardment).
Occasionally the person in a key decision-making role or at the helm of an organisation, sometimes forgets how important their behaviour is. It is like they are immune and can do exactly what they like - leaving a trail of destruction and low morale in their wake.
Take the recent case of the Police Commander, who was recently given a 4 year prison term for framing an innocent man over a personal dispute about money. He used his position to bully and intimidate others, and in so doing turned himself into a 'Criminal In Uniform'.
I find it strange that some highly intelligent people in positions of responsibility could be completely inept at dealing with other people, despite their credentials.
It's the 'my way or the highway' brigade; e.g. the senior manager who never sends an e-mail in their own name so that can't be held responsible for any of their own decisions, the boss who's fixated with digging up the shortcomings of their colleagues in an attempt to divert attention away from their own.
The key decision-maker unable to discuss any issues with their suppliers in a civilised manner, leading to a complete breakdown of communication.
Meanwhile their colleagues and clients spend their time avoiding them, complying or ending up on long term sick leave because they feel powerless to do anything about it. Occasionally these problems arise because the person in charge has a personality profile which doesn't make them the best person to handle staff issues or talk to suppliers for example - and should never have been given the responsibility of managing others.
I've worked alongside more than one person who were technically brilliant but were hopeless at their handling staff - but they were the last person to realise this. It took a staff crisis of mammoth proportions for the issue to be faced head on.
But what if you're a supplier or business which is stuck with a toxic client who's on a power trip and feels the need to assert themselves and in so doing is using you as a punch bag?
· Firstly, even if it goes against the grain of "providing 100% customer satisfaction" make it your chief aim in life from now on, to get rid of them as a client. The energy expanded in keeping them sweet just isn't worth it. It will wear you down and destroy your enthusiasm and confidence.
· Resolve not to get drawn into any petty mind games or fights. Talk adult to adult and don't fall for the parent/teacher control drama - some individuals relish humilating others - don't give an inch if you suspect that this is their game.
· Remember, the only person you have any control over - is yourself. Trying to appease or cater to the giant ego screaming down the phone will only make them grow stronger. Focus on yourself and your response and what you value. If you know you're doing a great job - keep reminding them of that. Stick to the facts as you find them. If you start to make allowances in the beginning - what next?
· If a client is unable to express their concerns in an adult way - it's their problem. You don't need those kind of clients because their toxic influence will eat away at you.
· Learn from the experience, i.e. the next time take time to explain to your clients what your terms of service are - e.g. incorporate regular reviews or face to face meetings. Explain that you are in the business of building long term relationships and you encourage and expect your clients to be up front and honest about any issues. You are not a mind reader and are always there to help when problems are brought to your attention early enough.
· Follow your gut instinct. If something doesn't feel right about a client in the beginning - or they demonstrate bad behaviour - walk away. Stand up for yourself and your values. If you compromise right from the start you are setting yourself up for more problems later on.
· State your terms clearly in writing - so if they start to muck you around at least you've got some recourse should things turn nasty - tell them what their responsibilities as a client are.
· Make it clear that all your clients are happy with your terms as a rule, and remind them that it is actually OK for them to bring their concerns to your attention, because you pride yourself in delivering quality. So, it's actually in their interests to be honest and up front with you.
· Find out what their previous experiences of working with consultants or supplier has been like and if they have any concerns arising from this. You will be able to address any concerns up front which they may have from previous experiences to help build the trust between you.
What has been your experience of dealing with toxic clients? Did you do anything differently? What would you do if it happened to you? Discuss in the Forums!
Wendy Dashwood-Quick is an Executive Coach and founder of Resolution Coaching and The Ultrapreneur Academy. She helps Small Business Owners and Executives overcome the problems that keep them awake at night. She is the author of “Discover Yourself On the Yellow Brick Road – 7 Core Principles of Career Success” and “Ultrapreneurs Unplugged – What They Don’t Tell You About Building A Successful Micro Business”
Visit her website at http://www.resolutioncoaching.co.uk
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Managing Change
Businesses usually fail for one of three reasons:
Poor Leadership.
Poor Processes.
Poor Service.
But behind each of these reasons lies the same root cause.
People.
People typically resist change, especially if they have been working within a comfort zone - a zone that they have been in for some time. If you or your employees do not accept the need for change and are unwilling to change any transformation project that you undertake is likely to fail.
In fact I’d almost guarantee that it will fail.
Unfortunately - most do fail, simply because the people are left out of the equation.
To bring people out of their comfort zones ( including you!) you must lower inbuilt defence mechanisms by introducing gradual changes, using non threatening situations and most importantly bringing them with you.
For the majority of people when change is forced upon us we tend to rebel against it. We challenge it. We seek the security of the status quo.
If we feel that we are part of the force behind the change and we can understand the benefits of it we are much more likely to participate and accept it.
Leadership
This is the first stage of the process. Before considering anything else you must be certain that the Leader(s) of the business are strong enough and competent enough to carry out the transformation. You must be honest and objective about this –even if the only leader in the business is you!
If the Leader(s) of the business does not display the right attributes and do the right things there is almost nothing that will prevent absolute failure. If you don’t have the right Leader(s) in place – get some help / support.
Changes should be explained to all employees, they should be involved in the process and in the discussions as much as possible / practical.
It is the Leaders responsibility to help them to see and understand both the need for change and the implications of failure.
The Leader(s) must also be seen to be involved not only in the theory –which employees will assume has been cobbled together behind a closed door - but also in the implementation.
Most importantly the Leader(s) must be able to display and communicate the vision honestly and convincingly.
Culture Building
Only once you are happy that the correct Leadership is in place can you move on to the key component of successful business transformation - building a culture which accepts and even thrives on change.
Employees must learn to accept personal ownership for everything that they do, they must have the confidence to make decisions and they need to understand the benefits of building strong and trusted relationships with your customers.
This is the foundation stone of any change programme however large or small and it is where I always focus the majority of my time and energy.
With this in place - Process Change will follow naturally, and the employees will help you to drive those changes.
The Real World
Unfortunately the real world is not like the pictures painted in the books. Issues can rarely be solved with a model or a buzzword.
In the real world, there will always be hurdles. I have never been in a situation where there have been no obstacles to change, whether the company employed two people or twenty thousand.
There may be organisational obstacles, technological constraints, poor culture, lack of resources - before you even get to the people.
The key to successfully implementing change is to be aware of the obstacles that you are likely to face and plan for them. You must prepare your Company and your people as far in advance of the change as is possible.
If it is possible to do so - changes should be implemented gradually; this allows you to minimize any negative morale issues and helps you to identify particular barriers and to change and deal with them,
So in Summary:
Leadership: Ensure that the correct leadership is in place. All Leaders must be involved, they must be seen to be involved and they must be seen to be supportive. They must be able to eloquently communicate the vision of change.
Communication: is essential. The backdrop to and consequences of change need to be clearly and concisely explained.
Feedback opportunities must be introduced to allow employees to discuss fears / reservations and to give you the opportunity to hear and dispel the rumours which will circulate around the organisation before they become poisonous.
Employees must be involved as much as possible – this is will help them to feel as though the change is not being forcefully imposed upon them and to feel a part of the process.
Adequate time and effort must be put in to supporting the change required from the employees. Again if skilfully done this is neither time consuming or expensive. It is however the difference between success and failure.
Bringing about change is never easy – we can all be guilty from time to time of getting set in our ways, many of us fear change and the implications of change.
However no business can evolve or survive without change and when it is skilfully done the results can exceed even the most ambitious of expectations.
Carol Burns
Do you have any tips for managing change? Visit the Forums to share your experiences!
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Procrastinating? 3 Key Strategies for Getting On With It!
Motivated or Procrastinated?
Motivation, simply defined is the inner energy, thought or vision that makes humans act.
You do things for a purpose. And, when you are clear on that purpose, and like it, you act with such effort that gets a good result.
This usually makes you happy, and so more motivated to do more things. Upward the motivation spiral goes.
But sometimes it’s not like that. Sometimes humans sometimes just don’t do. When this happens, you might find yourself thinking too much, or feel bad about not doing stuff, or just can’t see yourself succeeding.
Motivation can turn into procrastination, and then feelings of stuck-ness or guilt emerge.
Kick Start Your Motivation!
At some time or another, I am imagining that everyone reading this has a list of things to do. Write one now, or get out the one you already have.
For some of you, this will be a detailed, and numbered, list. For others, it’s a vague feeling of knowing there is stuff that need doing, with short notes.
And the stuff can be mundane items like the tax return, book-keeping or more complex items like sorting out your marketing plan.
Women in business usually have domestic stuff on their list too – recycling, shopping, school run, that kind of thing.
Then there are the good stuff lists, which have items like phoning good friends, or doing the things in business that you really enjoy and find easy.
There are many theories about motivation and what gives us that special thing inside us that makes us do what’s on the list.
Maslow’s theory says that needs drive motivation. When we have a basic survival need, we eat, and take steps to protect ourselves. Most people in the western world don’t need to do that much though, so Maslow also says that there are ‘higher needs’ like education and self-fulfilment, that drive us.
And when we have these needs met, there is no motivation to do more. So, if you already have a good life, are very fulfilled, you may lack motivation to achieve.
But hang on, most motivated people I know are fulfilled and do loads, so there may be other reasons why we lack motivation.
Victor Vroom’s theory says that to be motivated, we need a balance of wanting to do the task, with enough belief that it is achievable.
And going back to those lists, some things may not be achievable right now, and putting them all together on one list, usually with timescales that are a bit challenging, may actually be de-motivating and cause you to give up. All those things in one place might just be adding to the problem.
So this leads us to the first key strategy for being more motivated:
1. Ruthless List Management (RLM)
However you do your life lists, be ruthless about what is on them. Take a long hard look at the things that need doing. Ask yourself if every point is absolutely necessary and within your control. Categorise your list into must do, might do, and maybe if I have time.
Then look at your list. In the must do category, consider how balanced it is with mundane items and good stuff.
If your list is over-balanced with mundane stuff, and just by looking at it, it makes you miserable, no wonder you are having problems.
This is because humans are programmed towards good feelings, and if you have stuff on your list that you believe should be, or aught to be done, then this could be creating negative feelings, so you back away from it.
Hence the list becomes a burden that makes you feel bad because it’s there, and because you can’t get enough positive motivation to do it.
So, the second strategy is to:
2. Take Control
We all know that there are things we need to do that are mundane. However when your life list is full of these items, reconsider if they are really necessary.
Women in business have this habit of wanting everything to be perfect – they want to be superwoman. The most organised and successful business, tidiest house, perfect well fed and entertained children.
With each item, on your list, ask yourself if you want to do it, or if you believe you should or aught, to do it.
If the latter words, or something similar crops up, then ask yourself who says that you need to do these things.
An easy example of the type of things that can crop up are tidying a messy cupboard, or calling a long forgotten friend.
These type of things can be on your list because you believe you’d be a better person in some way, if you did them, but, by loading yourself with things you believe you aught to do, you can forget the things, and the people, that really matter.
Some things on your list might be things you imagine others would encourage you to do.
Business is full of people telling us what we should be doing – but is it all applicable to your business?
Who is in charge, after all?
So if you have things on your list that you believe you should do, give them the should or aught test, and if inside yourself you have a sense you don’t really want to do them, let them go.
Take control of what you believe is important to you, your business and your personal life.
With a bit of practice, this can be very liberating. Then you end up with a list of key things that you really believe need doing, because they are important to the maintenance of your life, or you really want to do them.
The next step is getting there:
3. Bring the future to now
Make some quiet time. Close your eyes, and have a sense of you doing the stuff you have decided is important.
Imagine you being motivated. Notice in the future one thing about yourself that is making you motivated: a feeling, a thought, whatever it is for you. Really focus on this. Everyone is different, so it could be a way of doing things, setting realistic timescales, or just a feeling of being in control.
See it, think it or feel it.
Once you have a sense of what it is that makes you motivated, bring it back with you, come all the way back to now with the thing that can make all the difference.
Open your eyes, and keep that difference within you as you do the things you want to do. And do them well!
Sue Roberts
Cognitive Hypnotherapist & NLP Life Coach
www.freedomfinders.co.uk
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A short guide to: Colour Psychology in business
Do you find yourself constantly drawn to certain colours? Do you feel repelled by others? Intrigued to know why? Read on….
RED: CONFIDENCE
This is the “marmite” colour during my colour analysis sessions – clients love it or hate it. Wearing it can bring you the confidence that you may lack.
It may also show the world that you feel super confident that day. No wonder red lipstick has been in demand during times of economic downturn or hardship. When the concentration camps were disbanded, red lipstick was the first thing female inmates requested in the start to rebuild their lives.
However, it can come across as being aggressive – like you are “shouting”. Whenever an Apprentice candidate wears red lipstick to the boardroom showdown I just know that there is a taxi outside with their name on it.
YELLOW: POWER
The hardest colour to wear and the least popular choice of my clients. Is this the one that repels you? It is likely that you need to bring more of this into your life. Dressing head to toe in yellow would be downright scary but it works well as part of a print.
It also can be utilised as a colour for a coat or handbag. It’s logical that small amounts of “power” can be beneficial but who would have thought that the colour of sunshine and daffodils could send nervous types into frenzy? Perhaps one for dentists to avoid too.
GREEN: EMPATHY
Linked to the emotions and most often used in treatment rooms, holistic industries or beauty salons – anywhere whose objective is to calm and relax. This will work well for coaches, councilors and nurses but not necessarily for Bank Managers or lawyers.
Naturally empathetic people can come across as weak or too sensitive. Adding a touch of yellow can be a way to bring balance. Use it as your secret weapon when required.
BLUE: COMMUNICATION
Great for public speakers, teachers, trainers and presenters. It is also the most common colour used for uniforms. It brings with it implied trust worthiness and reliability – especially navy blue. British Airways have favoured a navy uniform with a touch of red whereas Virgin Airways have gone for the reverse.
What core values do you associate with each? Which do you prefer? Which would you say is the most successful?
PURPLE: ENLIGHTENMENT
Often associated with Royalty, Religious leaders or Mystics. It can be a sign of an individual nature or free-spirit (hence the book “When I grow old I shall wear purple”). It can also come across as “eccentric” so this is a colour to be used with care in any business setting that requires conformity. It is great choice for creative professions.
We select colours not only for our clothing and interiors but also our marketing literature. What colours have you chosen?
Katherine Blyth
Katherine B Image & Style www.katherineb.com
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Coffee Machine Coaching
Coaching is recognised as a highly effective method of creating change in individuals for both personal and corporate results.
The growth in the number of organisations providing coach training and qualifications has been explosive in recent years as organisations realise the impact of these tools over more conventional training courses.
Professional coaches are often externally sourced, and there is an increasing trend for companies to utilise their own employees as coaches, so where are they being trained and how are they gaining experience?
Not everyone has the time to attend a coaching programme and those that do need to build a reputation through experience. We were speaking to a senior learning and development manager recently and he was concerned at the number of coaches who return from coaching programmes and want to immediately be ‘given’ clients.
Their excitement and desire to help is commendable but credibility is invariably an issue.
Large companies sometimes try to fit coaching into a highly structured programme, like organizing a formal training matrix. Some companies apply this same kind of rigidity to the process of coaching and fail to get results.
The best time to coach is when it is needed, by a person you respect and feel comfortable with.
Here’s a solution –
Reframe the way you think about coaching:
If you think of coaching as a ‘formal session between coach and coachee’ with a designated time limit, think again. If you genuinely want to help people move forward then develop a ‘coaching way of being’. You will be surprised at the opportunities which present themselves. Stay focused and the energy behind your coaching skills will gather momentum whatever the time or place.
Build a reputation.
Good project managers are invited to lead projects, people who demonstrate great leadership skills become leaders, people who are great speakers take part in corporate presentations and so on. The secret to being a great coach is to build yourself a reputation by demonstrating great coaching in the work place. Over time you will be sought out for your abilities to help people move forward.
Use your integrity.
There are plenty of opportunities to coach in the workplace. A step by step measured approach will enable you to identify appropriate opportunities, sense the appropriateness of what you want to do and deliver effectively without the person even realising they have been coached. This way you will develop a reputation as someone who listens and asks great questions. People will find themselves gravitating towards you.
In summary – develop the Art of Coffee Machine Coaching
Step 1 – Identify with the qualities of a coach –
· good listener
· genuinely interested in helping people to overcome issues and achieve outcomes
· accept that people have all the personal resources they need to solve their own issues
· able to ask the one targeted question which will create a shift in thinking
· able to walk away without people even knowing they have just been coached the courtesy to ask if someone needs help with a particular issue before you offer it
Step 2 – Go about your daily work with your ears open and choose your moment well.
Remember to build rapport and pace the person elegantly.
Here are some examples of coffee machine coaching (CMC) in action –
Example 1
Sue – I really don’t understand Dennis – every time I ask him about the layout for the new marketing brochure he goes off on one about how we need to make sure that all our materials are aligned.
CMC – I know what you mean but isn’t it great that he can think so strategically?
Without knowing it Sue’s mind has been focused on Dennis’s strengths and at an unconscious level she will take this on board when next communicating with him.
Example 2
Jen – Tom really isn’t interested in my project.
CMC – Oh what makes you say that?
Jen – I went in to update him on Wednesday morning and he really wasn’t listening. I could have been talking about flying to the moon for all he cared.
CMC – Any idea what was in his diary for Wednesday?
Jen – Yes, he was attending the board meeting where they are going to discuss …………. Oh no! No wonder he was preoccupied. I must ask him how it went.
It is very easy for people to become so wrapped up in their own agenda that they forget about other people’s. Jen has fallen into this trap and put a meaning on Tom’s behaviour which is completely untrue. Simple questioning allows the CMC to open Jen’s mind to other possibilities.
Have fun with coffee machine coaching – its called being human!
Pat Hutchinson
Quadrant 1 International
www.quadrant1.com
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How to Write a Successful Sales Letter
At Brighter Directions, we understand the importance of first impressions, as established marketing consultants we help you make the right first impressions!
They say that first impressions can last a lifetime, and the truth is it takes only 5 seconds to form an opinion, and over eight more positive prices of information to get back to that same stage after a bad first impression.
So it’s worth giving each new encounter your best shot, with a little extra thought and preparation, you can hone your intuitive style and make every first impression not just good but great.
Writing sales and promotional letters can be a daunting task, a poorly written promotional item can be disastrous, but with our guidance and support, you’ll be writing like a pro in no time:
How to write a successful Sales Letter:
Ø Plan your letter and ensure you apply enough time to it so that it’s not rushed; it’s an investment and should be treated as such.
Ø Research your target market, what are their needs?
Ø The headline must be an attention grabber, so make it catchy or you’ve lost them already
Ø Your opening paragraph must be relevant to your readers and the heading and luring them to read on
Ø Benefits, Benefits, Benefits – why should they choose you.
Ø Ensure you close your letter correctly – it is as important as the opening line.
Ø Always be polite and professional
Ø Add a personal touch to your letter, it makes all the difference
Ø Use your imagination to capture the readers interest
Ø Follow the sales principle throughout the letter
Ø Read it back to yourself, then repeat this process to check for mistakes and amendments before sending it out
Now you’ve got the basics - Good Luck!
Brighter Directions offer professional marketing and copywriting skills for a variety of businesses, so if after reading my tips, you still feel you need some support, then please get in touch!
www.brighterdirections.co.uk
Suggested reading from Amazon : How To Write Sales Letters That Sell - by Drayton Bird. This book has great reviews and is a good place to begin.
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Women – Not Second Best! Written by Jane C Woods www.changingpeople.co.uk
A recent study, ‘The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness’ said that women are unhappier now, after 40 years of feminism, than they have ever been before.
It received a lot of media attention in the popular press giving a platform for the old chauvinists to surface with remarks from the like of Stuart Rose, (C.E.O. Marks and Spencer,).
He claimed that the ‘girls’ in his company have no glass ceiling to worry about. I think the clue is in the disrespectful and patronising use of the term ‘girls’, Sir Stuart!
Sir Stuart’s comments were made in the Observer newspaper but they are contradicted by The Fawcett’s Society’s (an organisation campaigning for equality) Dr Katherine Rake. She said there was still no flexibility for women at higher levels of business and that the top strata is generally white and male and does not encourage women’s participation by being more flexible in their working styles.
Women Must be Like Men to Succeed
I think educated women are rejecting the idea of equality currently on offer. On the surface it looks like we have been offered equality; in fact, we have been offered places at a table designed and set by men for men.
Think about it, in my lifetime (I’m in my early 50s) workplaces were inhabited almost exclusively by men. Women had very secondary roles, in a supportive capacity. My school primarily offered girls secretarial and teaching options and the concept of equal pay was laughable.
Try this experiment in your office. Just ask any group of working women how many of their mothers had careers, by which I mean worked full time for a significant period of time. There will be a quite a few, I suspect, maybe as many as half in any office.
Then ask how many of their grandmothers had careers. I suspect that there will be hardly any.
In just three generations the gender make up of the world of work has changed dramatically. But women are still making their way in a world designed by and for men.
And we’re in a catch 22 because if women behave like men they are often described as aggressive and unfeminine but if they exhibit their more feminine side it is generally not valued in the male dominated world of work. Male characteristics and styles are still more highly valued. Is it any wonder than many of us are opting out and the highest number of small business start ups are coming from women?
On Being Gender Bilingual
It is true that equal opportunities legislation has meant that most companies now have an equalities policy in place. And some of them are fantastic. There is a huge trend towards diversity and most large organisations use this term to mean a wide range of areas, covering complex issues of difference in the workplace, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, physical difference, cultural diversity and in this they also put gender.
It is interesting to note that over half the population is put into this category with women being incorporated within the diversity tag. The implicit assumption is that women need help in becoming more like the dominant class, (white males) in an organisation, and if we can be coached to behave like the dominant culture all will be well. The expectation is that women must change.
But women are not a minority culture and we don’t need diversity support. We need to be in organisations that treat women like women and men like men, of whatever diverse background they come from. We need organisations that value the contributions from both genders equally and are not implementing policies to ‘allow’ women to behave like men.
The Economic Case
Women and men have differing leadership styles. It stands to reason. We are different in so many other ways so why not in leadership styles? Organisations that enable both genders to flourish will be the organisations that thrive.
For example, women make 80% of all purchasing decisions. And women do not respond to the same marketing strategies that men do. And they do not respond to the one dimensional approach of let’s do it the same as we usually do but just in pink!
Responsive companies are adapting their style of working to be gender bilingual. The car manufacturer Volvo is a case in point. They used an all female team to research and design a concept car based on what women wanted, and said, ‘meeting women’s expectations makes us exceed the expectations of men’.
If women are underrepresented at a senior level in your organisation maybe it’s time to ask the following questions:
At what grade or level do women stop applying for/being promoted to senior jobs?
Has an analysis been made of the reasons why?
Is there a clearly non gender specific ideal leadership profile for the organisation?
Is there succession planning with a pool of both gender high potential employees?
Is the progress of women monitored and questions asked of managers when there is an discrepancy in numbers of female employees and numbers of female managers?
Recommended reading, available from Amazon ( just follow the link!)or your local library:
Why Women Mean Business by Wittenberg-Cox & Maitland published by Jossey-Bass
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One question I ask women in business - are you happy? Why do I ask this? And sometimes, they ask me -what has this to do with business?
Because being happy can lead to Success. And Profit.
Now I can hear the sceptics shouting from here … ‘you can’t be happy all of the time.. success is about hard work, not having fun…we haven’t got time for this…
But, what if happiness did improve performance? Yours, or people who work with you?
And that it was quite cheap to implement?
Studies* have shown, that happy people are more;
- · Creative
- · Tolerant
- · Constructive
- · Generous
- · Undefensive
- · Lateral
Happy People tend to look for solutions to problems as well.
( *MEP Seligman ‘ Authentic Happiness’)
How would you like to work for someone with those personality traits? And if you had them, how would your business life improve?
So if you had just a little more of these traits, it might help your business life?
Perhaps with colleagues, customers, suppliers.
And how would it be if you were just a little bit happier with yourself?
Most of us are happy some of the time, or most of the time, or not really, or a combination, depending on what’s going on.
How can we get happier, though? A group of psychologists who focus on ‘positive psychology ’ believe they have the answer.
By having more money, time, less work, better family life?
Probably a bit of all of those…but how do we get them?
The first step is simple;
Understand what is going to make you happy.
What does happiness mean to you? Make a list, a realistic one. Not rocket science stuff this, as we all perhaps have a sense of when we are happy, and when we are not. So just apply what you already guess.
This gives you something to aim for. Make sure you include a mix of big life stuff and the smaller things.
The second step is about doing the things that make you happy
Hold on…I hear the sceptics again… ‘we can’t always be doing what makes us happy..
And of course they may be correct – however this is about doing what makes us happy, most of the time. And having that as a life aim.
Consider…
If you like administration and numbers, and it gives you a buzz to organise it ( this is all you Accountants, Virtual Assistants and Book-keepers out there!) your paperwork will be neatly organised, in files, up to date, etc – you will be successful at it.
If you hate admin, then I’m guessing the papers will be piled up in boxes somewhere and come January you’ll be searching for a book-keeper to sort it out before the tax office fine you – so not so successful.
So, in business, if we spend more of the time doing what makes us happy, we have more chance of success.
I can sit with paperwork and stare at it for hours…the days I do my admin are the ones where the house is cleanest too…as I procrastinate by doing non urgent jobs to avoid doing those I don’t like.
Much easier to accept that this job does not make me happy and give it to someone else.
Then I can play to my strengths and spend time (rather than wasting time!) doing what I’m good at, and usually successful at. Better time management, better results.
How do we work out our strengths? We can take a little test.
You may have a sense of what your inherent strengths are, such as customer contact, numbers, creative things etc, however Positive Psychologist called Martin Seligman has invented an online test.
You complete the test,( it’s free!) and then you get an instant report, on what he calls your ‘Signature Strengths’ – the personality traits that, when you use them, you are your most happy, and so are most likely to succeed at.
There are 24 Signature Strengths, and included in the bottom ones are traits that make you least happy. The idea is to consider the top 5, and focus your efforts into doing these, and delegate those that are your least favourites.
Here is an example, one of my top strengths is Social Inteligence, which as a therapist I use all the time. Another is Creativity ( hence this article!) . When I use my strengths, and monitor my dislikes, I get things done.
So;
- · Take the test ( details below), and assess to what extent you use your strengths in your job or business
- · Evaluate the need to change or modify your role or behaviours
- · Get happier
- · Be more successful with more time used effectively and less procrastinating!
So, make time to do the test , consider how happiness can add to your success, and make the changes you need. After all, you are your biggest asset!
Happy success hunting!
Here is the link to the VIA Signature Strength Test ( I've given you the link to to the homepage of Martin Seligman, scroll down for the VIA Signature Strength Test)
Featured Books:
Authentic Happiness - Martin Seligman - learn the secrets for yourself!
Business NLP for Dummies - learn the power of NLP and how it can improve your business success.
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