What Does It Mean to Manage Up? The concept of managing up can be a bit tricky. For a simple definition, we can look at it in two related ways: on the one hand, it’s taking action to make leadership’s jobs easier, and on the other, it’s about managing your manager with feedback and solutions. Both sides of this definition look pretty much the same. As a valuable team member, it’s important to be proactive, to follow through, and to adhere to organizational policies. The closer team members follow management’s vision, the more neatly they fit together like cogs in a machine…But is that always a good thing? Putting too much focus on managing up, and thereby satisfying the wishes of the leaders of your organization at any cost, can quickly turn you into a pushover – a proverbial “yes wo/man” who doesn’t resist against bad ideas, or speak… Read More
Author: Daisy
The Wisdom of Depression
A client recently shared that she was working a lot of hours on the very work she wanted to get away from. ‘The projects just keep coming so I can’t get away from them’, she shared. I can’t walk away from the work. ‘I feel like I’m getting further away from my creativity,’ she sighed. ‘It’s making me depressed.’ Yep. That’s right. That’s exactly what happens when we aren’t being who we really are. Period. The best thing any of us can do when that feeling of dark dread shows up is to get curious, to pay attention and then get down to creating our real strategy for movement from what’s taking us down, towards what really motivates us. I’m very familiar with depression, and I’ve learned a lot from mine. Those days when I went to work feeling myself armored in clothing that didn’t feel like me,… Read More
Ready for a September Re-Set?
Ready or not, summer is officially over with the upcoming Labor-Day Weekend. I remember when I lived in NYC years ago, and had a share in a summer house on Shelter Island; I remember the slow, hot crawl of a bumper-to-bumper trafficky drive back into the city on Labor Day’s Monday night. We were all feeling the so-called Sunday night blues…knowing that we were going back to work the next day… those summer days behind us. Maybe you’ve had your pedal to the metal all summer long, but even so summer just has a different vibe. So now it’s time for that September re-set. How about a re-set that inspires you so that as September glides into place we come back to school (it always feels like school again, right?) and regular schedules feeling re-energized, with our sights set on ending this year with personal and professional goals accomplished?… Read More
Ready to Move Up? You Might Have to Move Out
We all want to move onward and upward. New job titles, pay raises, increased responsibilities – most of us that are growth minded seek these things out, but they can be hard to find in your existing workplace. Even if there’s some upward mobility at your current job, the research is pretty clear that people who change companies see bigger raises and bigger “jumps” in title, even if the actual responsibilities of the job don’t change much. It makes perfect sense, too. If you’ve been at one company for a while, and percentage-based raises are the norm, you’ll eventually stagnate (or close to it). The average raise rate in 2018 was 3.1%, and inflation was 2.44% – which isn’t a whole lot more money in your account. On the other hand, changing jobs means starting over with a new rate/salary, usually one that’s higher than your previous… Read More
What’s Your Story?
When you’re presenting yourself in social, or more formal, situations- in an elevator or at those mythical cocktail parties – you have the choice, and the power, to help listeners learn what’s really important about you. How you talk about yourself, what you start with and where you go with your story, is always up to you. This requires, first, that you know who you are, what you want, and where you’re going. Sound like pressure? It might. A lot of people feel kind of queasy when they work on their elevator pitch. They try to memorize a catchy, pithy statement to use when meeting people, making sure they don’t trip on their words. Personally, I prefer that my clients think more about having a conversation with someone in a way that genuinely conveys who they are – hitting the key points that are important. You can call that an… Read More
How to Make Great Connections and Build Your Network this Summer
Make the most of your summer fun by meeting the people who can help you grow in your career! Maybe it’s a residual from being kids going on summer vacation, but most of us, as adults, tend to take it a bit easier during the summertime. Yes, you are still working away, but the longer days just seem to spell ‘vacation.’ You can’t not want to head to the beach, take some time off, and enjoy the long, sunny days. Thankfully, this is a great time to take advantage of your summer mindset by reaching out to connect with new contacts while you’re also taking it easy! Here are a few ideas how to use the long days of this summer so you’re ready to make the career moves you want post-Labor Day. Connect at Summer Events One of the best things about summer is all of the relaxed, outdoor… Read More
How Are You Resisting Change?
Nobody likes Change. Period. I’m pretty good with change. I think. But when I really, really think about it, I see that I’m pretty good with change that I initiate. Move the furniture, shift my eating habits, start a new exercise routine, buy and wear new glasses…all good! But what about the other stuff that makes up most of life? You know, the real stuff of life: anything from the tiny ‘papercuts’ we endure… those incessant schedule changes, delays in flights departures, or wacky changing weather patterns, to the more profound changes of loved ones changing ~ any part of growing up, moving away, dying. Maybe, for better or worse, someone enters your work or personal life who you didn’t see coming. In these cases, how do you move with, or against, the changes? Most of us are going to resist change…change is inevitable but we humans aren’t really wired… Read More
What Stage of Mom Life are You In?
I’ve lived through many stages of life as a Mom. Right now I’m the Mom of a guy who’s almost 23 years old; he’s launched into a life he thrives in, doing work he finds challenging and rewarding after graduating from college a year ago. Luckily, I get to see him about every 6 weeks or so. And we text now and then. Believe me…I’ve had to adjust to this amount of contact, and this new stage of life as a Mom. The Mom Juggle Begins When my son was 4 I started my side-hustle…working with career coaching clients at home while I worked with MBA students during my day job. At that time, I wanted my own business so I’d have a flexible working life, and be available for my son’s day-to-day life. We all know that being a Mom is a full time gig – whether… Read More
Managing Your Career Path: Use The Bridge Job to Take You Where You Really Want to Go
The Real Career Path It’s so motivating to see yourself making it to your dream job—having that vision that propels you forward; it’s that inspiration that keeps driving you even when you have a bad day or week. But sometimes the path to get you where you want to go isn’t as straightforward as you might have thought. Maybe you think that path has a straight line trajectory, but reality tells you that things aren’t quite so simple. My experience with thousands of career transition and executive clients makes me certain that the uninterrupted upward, straight line to success isn’t what most people experience. Once you have a vision, think backwards. Life often doesn’t go as planned so I want you to think as flexibly and creatively as possible. If you become too fixated on what you expect the next job needs to be you may end up… Read More
How to Stay Calm When Things Go Wrong
You know the feeling. Somehow something important slipped through the cracks and now your boss is looking for someone to blame. No matter what your title is, all eyes can be on you. You feel the heat rising in your body. Maybe you’re feeling a little trembly. Or there’s literally a sinking feeling in your stomach, like you’ve been punched. The adrenalin rush, the WTF confusion thoughts…How did this happen… runs through your mind. Your mind is rushing to remember where the gap was that allowed this gaff to happen. You might not even be able to see – the adrenaline floods the brain with stress hormones so fast. Now’s the time to slow it all down and gain your composure — but how? I want you to know how to recover when everything is in fast motion causing an anxiety attack and mental blur. I’ve worked with a lot… Read More
