Networking is More (and Less) Than You Think
Laura Okmin
Sometimes, the most valuable lessons come from the most humbling moments. At least, it was one of those moments that gave FOX NFL reporter Laura Okmin one of her greatest insights in what not to do when networking.
As a young reporter, and the first woman to be covering TV news in Alabama, she had gotten to know Charles Barkley, the NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist.
“One day, I called Charles and he answered the phone and said: “Well, well, well. Laura Okmin, what do you need?” And I went: “Well, can’t a girl just call and say hello?” “A girl can,” he said. “You just never do.…I know when you call, you need something. So, what do you need?”
Register one of the biggest networking mistakes: always having an agenda. From then on, Okmin made sure she reached out to offer something—such as, congratulations on wins and condolences on losses—more often than she asked for something. She’d learned that networking is really about relationship-building.
Here are 3 more tips from Conference for Women experts: Read More
The Real Road to the C-Suite
Shoma Chatterjee
There’s an image many of us have of who makes it to the C-Suite: Think square-jawed, 6’4″ tall, Ivy League educated, followed a linear road to success. No mistakes. Right?
Well, not exactly. According to a study of 18,000 executives who were finalists for C-Suite positions, conducted by GhSMART, a New York-based executive advisory firm:
- 45 percent got there after surviving at least one big career blow-up.
- 33 percent took a giant leap that they didn’t feel ready for. “They went through all the imposter syndrome gremlins that said, ‘You shouldn’t do it.’ But somehow, they did; and that was the pivotal moment for them,” said GhSMART’s Shoma Chatterjee.
- 66 percent started small—beginning their own business, or taking on a project in another country or region where they could see a business through end-to-end.
The Q&A
Tech leader Carolyn Herzog: “Anyone who makes us want to be a better person is the very definition of inspiration.”
Carolyn Herzog, EVP and General Counsel at Arm (the world’s leading semiconductor IP company) shares five surprising insights about leadership, women’s progress in the workplace—and what she’d want a mentor to tell her if she were just starting out.
Read More
You Asked. She Answered.
Q: Is there a good comeback for when someone repeats your idea and takes credit for it? I usually just sit there and think: What just happened?
A: Charmaine McClarie, leadership expert and executive coach says: You can simply say, ‘Excellent idea. I’m really glad that you agree. And I have three strategies that will make a difference as we move this forward.’ Then send out an email and identify what they are so that everyone knows it’s you.
Tired of Feeling Invisible? Here’s How to Be Seen and Rewarded
“Do you feel sometimes like there’s a person inside that’s screaming to jump out?” asks leadership expert and executive coach Charmaine McClarie. “I want you to let that person out because that person is really the truth of who you are.”
But to be recognized and rewarded for who you truly are, it’s essential to use the language of leadership that makes people turn their heads and listen, says McClarie, who says her strategies have helped 98 percent of her clients be promoted within 18 months.
Here are her top five: Read More
4 Proven Strategies that Will Help You Get a Raise
The gender pay gap became front-page news last month after presidential candidate Kamala Harris announced a proposal that would require companies to prove they pay women equitably—or pay a fine.
But if you don’t want to wait to see what comes of that, here are four tips that expert Conference for Women speakers say have helped them negotiate salary increases: Read More
5 Smart Steps For Future Entrepreneurs
Ann Miura-Ko, a founding partner of Floodgate
So you have a great idea for a business. What’s your next move?
First, take an honest assessment of your personality. Claire Lee, head of early stage banking at Silicon Valley Bank, has noticed three traits in successful entrepreneurs.
“Number one is adaptability: the ability to pivot, really be open to feedback and advice, knowing which to take and which to ignore,” Lee says. “Number two, and perhaps as important, is resilience and grit—you’ve really got to develop a thick skin. And third is resourcefulness—being able to leverage your network, know where to get help and not be afraid to ask for help, is critical.”
Did you check all three boxes? Great! Here are five more starter steps to help you forge a path forward: Read More
9 Mantras to Help You Turn Your Idea into a Business
Nathalie Molina Niño, CEO of BRAVA Investments
While starting a business, you’ll find yourself talking yourself into, and out of, a lot of choices. From idea to full-fledged enterprise, these mantras from real founders and executives will help you stay strong along the way. Pick and repeat the ones that speak to you the most.
#1. Corner yourself with courage—and go. Read More
Helping You Talk the Talk on Trademarks and Copyrights
By Alison D. Frey, Member, Dickinson Wright PLLC
Whether you have launched a startup or are working your way up in your company’s marketing department, this easy-to-follow article will have you feeling more competent and conversant on the topics of trademarks and copyrights by providing a roadmap to trademark and copyright protection and dispelling some common misunderstandings along the way. Read More
‘The 4 Pledges That Have Helped Me Find Balance’
By Dipti Vachani, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Automotive and Embedded Line of Business, Arm
Several years ago, at bedtime one night, I was cuddling with one of my daughters when she said something that broke my heart. “Mom,” she said, “I think I am ugly.” She was just seven at the time.
I was working then as a general manager at Texas Instruments, running a multi-national business, and it was a rare night that I was home. I had been traveling internationally, quite extensively, leaving my kids with my very loving and committed husband. I was running myself into the ground traveling multiple weeks in a row, stressed out and sleep deprived from the multiple time zones.
And now I was failing at my most important job: teaching my children self-confidence, self-respect and self-reliance. Read More