“Working Mum” Does Not Define Me

Returning to your professional role after maternity leave is a challenging personal transition.  There have been some very big changes in your life since you became a mother.  It is only natural to feel anxious about whether you are doing the right thing, or if the timing is workable or any number of other reasons. 

Back at work, you feel a bit out of it because things have changed in your absence.  There are new colleagues, new processes, perhaps a new senior manager.  Even the job is not quite the same as when you left.  You may have new responsibilities or you have been placed in a different team.  Home, work, life, parenthood:  the Universe has spun around a few times.  Most likely you will feel out of alignment for a while as you negotiate your way through all this change.

 

 

Define it and Manage it and You will be in Control of your Professional Brand.

Perhaps you decided to come back part time for the first few months.  But part-time hours does not mean part-time effort and dedication to you.  You expect to be regarded as a full member of the team.  You are an experienced professional with loads of confidence and energy, yet you are picking up some signals that you are being perceived in a different light.  These signals include comments like “Well, we can’t get Mandy on that project because she’s not here all the time.” Or “Didn’t you receive that email?  I thought I sent it to everyone.” 

People appear to be stereotyping you as a Mum first, professional second.  These individuals may not be consciously aware of their thought patterns or have ulterior motives.  They automatically think “Working Mum” before they think of you in as a professional in your field.  Working Mum has become a dominant part of your Brand at work. 

While you love being a mother, you don’t want your managers and colleagues to put “Working Mum” ahead of everything else about you.  Here are a few ideas on how you can swing your professional brand back to where you want it to be:

·        Consciously segment your life as you walk through the office door each morning.  Switch your mind over from your parenting role to your professional role.  Can you think of yourself as an actor taking a different part on a different stage?  Give your complete focus to this role for the next seven hours until you leave at the end of the day. 

·        Define your Professional Brand.  How do you want others to perceive you at work?  By defining your key brand messages it will be easier for you to express and project them every day.  When you reinforce brand messages of “serious, committed, proactive, creative, professional (amongst others)” you are defining who you are and how you want others to “see” you. 

 

·        Pay particular attention to your personal presentation.  Refresh your wardrobe with a couple of new outfits and shoes.  Don’t forget the jacket trick.  Pop a jacket over your dress or blouse/skirt ensemble when you attend meetings for an instant corporate look.  Perhaps it is time for a new hairstyle and colour?  When you look good, you feel good and your confidence will soar. 

·         Be consistent and stay within your Professional Brand at all times at work.  Don’t share too much or express doubts to work colleagues about your ability to fulfil your dual roles.  Reserve any such conversations to have with trusted friends and family members.

·        When someone asks about the baby, be polite and answer her/him briefly (no more than a couple of sentences).  Then immediately swing the conversation over to a work topic, e.g. “Thanks for asking about Joshua.  He is going really well.  Bob, I wanted to ask you about the remuneration report…”  Do not give into your (only natural) instincts to talk on about your child or children and go through all the cute things he is saying and doing.  This is reinforcing the “Working Mum” tag which will get even stronger.

·        Do not turn your work-station or desk into a baby wonderland of multiple photos and memorabilia.  Again this display is reinforcing that you are Mum first, professional second.  Also do not volunteer your latest digital photos of your child to everyone on the team.  You are giving the “Working Mum” tag lots of oxygen and it will only grow bigger.

 

·        If you believe you are not being treated as a full member of the team, step in and correct any misconceptions quickly.  For instance, if you haven’t been included in a group email, have a quick word with the colleague involved, “I didn’t receive that email.  Would you please make sure I am on the distribution list?” 

·        If you have been overlooked for an interesting project, say to your manager, “Tom, I would have liked to be involved with that one.  Is there any reason why you didn’t think of me?”  If Tom replies, “Well you’re not here all the time…”  You could reply by reminding Tom that you have a full-time dedication and commitment and that you can take on such a project by managing your time and other commitments, etc.” 

 

·       Ask for what you want.  Don’t leave your manager in any doubt of your serious commitment to developing yourself and your career.  Take control of your Brand and let your manager and others around you know how you wish to be perceived, what projects you would ideally like to be involved in and what and how you can contribute.

It is really up to you!  When you continually reinforce the brand messages you want to be known by, you will break through the stereotype of the “Working Mum” tag in a relatively short time.  Quite simply, at work you will become your Professional Brand.

 

To your brand-new Professional Brand!

 

Lynne Lloyd

Managing Director

People Results

Telephone 1300 167 981

enquiries@peopleresults.com.au

www.peopleresults.com.au

 

 

p.a. Need help with creating your Professional Brand?  People Results provides executive coaching and a number of talent development programs for women managers and professionals:  two of our popular workshop are Executive Presence for Women and WomenSpeak.  According to your needs, we facilitate workshops in-house exclusively for our clients' team members as well as offering public workshops regularly throughout the year.

 

 

Who are the Heroes in Your Life?

Do you have heroes in your life?  Who do you look up to and admire for their fine qualities and exceptional character?

We expect our heroes to be exemplary in how they behave.  It comes with the territory.  We idealise them, putting them up on the highest pedestals inour minds.  We feel that we could never be that brave, that clever or that fearless.  We could never reach their heights of achievement and glory.

We do not need to slavishly follow or idealise anyone or anything.

 

Yet our heroes do topple and fall into the dust of reality from time to time.  We must re-evaluate them with the evidence of their fallibility.  Our heroes are mortal and flawed after all. 

Australians love our sporting heroes, the home-grown ones and the international sporting stars.  Not a big sports fan, I nevertheless have been caught up in the cult of hero worship.  Two men in particular were up on the pedestal for me and the rest of the world:  Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong. 

We all adored the good-looking Tiger who could do no wrong on the golf course as well as off the course.  He was happily married to a beautiful woman and was a devoted family man.  A Christian man and a good man who devoted much time and money into his own Foundation helping poor and disadvantaged children get an education. 

Lance Armstrong reached beyond superstar to legendary status.  He won the Tour de France more times than anyone else in the history of the event.  He beat a deadly cancer into submission and came back to the bike to win even more titles on the Tour.  Sadly the legend of Lance Armstrong is now one of infamy.

 
Both Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong fell from grace in no small way.  They were shown to be cheats.  They cheated on their families and friends, they cheated on their sport and they cheated on everyone who believed them to be genuine heroes. 

How do we deal with it when our heroes fail us so comprehensively?  Perhaps we feel more than a little jaded and cynical about putting anyone else on such a high pedestal again.  We leave a little corner of scepticism in our minds about who the media is building up as a hero in case he or she lets us down.  Should we ever put so much faith in another human being?

When our heroes fail to live up to our expectations, it should make us think about why we have to look outside ourselves to find heroes in our lives?  Why can’t we be our own heroes?  Our first and last relationship is internal. 

We need to like, respect and trust ourselves more.  To recognise that we have unique qualities, that we do not need to slavishly follow or idealise anyone or anything.  And then to recognise that we can be more than we are today if we only choose to be:

 

“We know what we are, but know not what we may be.”

-W. Shakespeare

 

 

To all the everyday heroes wherever you are!



Lynne Lloyd

 

Managing Director

People Results

Brisbane - Australia

1300 167 981

enquiries@peopleresults.com.au

www.peopleresults.com.au

 

 

 

The Chemistry of Networking

Does the popularity of social networking sites like LinkedIn herald the end of interpersonal networking?  Will we witness the disappearance of the business luncheon or the meeting over a coffee simply because it is easier and quicker to connect with potential business partners and suppliers on the Internet?

 

To consider this question, we need to tap into how people really get to know and trust one another.  Humans are ambient and sensory creatures and we take in information through sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.  So much of what we initially absorb about another person is through our non-verbal sensations, some of which have been duplicated by web technologies like video, podcast, and webcam.  It is conceivable that in the future that our senses of smell, taste and touch will also be mimicked in the online environment.  But can it ever be the same as the real life interpersonal experience?

Getting to know, like and trust others lays solid foundations for business

 

When we meet person to person, a mysterious combination of all our senses takes place in three to seven seconds.  This synergy is commonly referred to as our “first impressions.”  We can be immediately drawn to another person while, on other occasions, we may be unsure and even wary.  Sometimes our first impressions are so definite and strong that they can be described as “chemistry.” 

When networking, we greet each other by touch through shaking hands.  The handshake continues to be essential business etiquette for men and women alike.  It is surprising how much we learn and are reassured by this brief physical contact.  Through it, we start building knowledge and trust which are the foundations for all business relationships.

Online social networking sites have greatly facilitated the process of connecting with others.  But these technologies have not diminished the place and importance of our inter-personal networking at functions, conferences and informal meetings.  The reality is that the personal and interpersonal nature of networking is affective, powerful and cuts through like nothing else can.

 

What are your thoughts on the future of inter-personal networking?

To your Success,

Lynne Lloyd

Managing Director
People Results
1300 167 981
enquiries@peopleresults.com.au
www.peopleresults.com.au

p.s. Would you like to refresh and enhance your networking skills and confidence? Join us for the People Results’ Networking Plus Half-Day workshop in Brisbane on Wednesday 17^th October; click here for details and how to register.

A Woman Who Could Break the Rules (of Networking)

In a swirl of energy and motion, she moved from group to group introducing herself with a flashing smile, “Hello, I’m Quentin Bryce.”  Pausing for the briefest time, Ms Bryce quickly deserted our group.  Smoothly and graciously she swept off to greet the next group of business women at the function.

This encounter happened ten years ago in 2002.  Ms Bryce was yet to be appointed as the Governor of Queensland and subsequently as the first woman to be the Governor-General of Australia.  Is it possible that, in her mind, her future direction into these high offices was already mapped out?  More than likely, she knew where and what she wanted to achieve.  Did Ms Bryce break one of the classic rules of business networking, namely not to flit from group to group without engaging group members in conversation?  Yes, she did break this “rule” and yet she was charming and gracious at the same time.  She knew the rules but being a woman in a hurry, a woman who was on a personal mission, somehow for her, the rules had no force upon her actions. 

To reach her full potential, Ms Bryce needed to be known for her personal qualities and achievements by those who could open doors and make decisions about future opportunities.  She built very strong reserves of social capital, particularly in her home state of Queensland.  Frequently quoted in the media, she became a recognised and connected public figure within legal, business and government circles. 



A Woman of Firsts, Her Excellency, the Governor General of Australia

With all her experience and achievements, there can be no doubt Ms Bryce earned her prestigious positions on the basis of meritocracy.  However, where she far exceeded any other contenders, is in her social and emotional intelligences.  These so-termed personal intelligences have enabled Ms Bryce to influence and inspire others in many different spheres of Australian society.
 
Returning to our theme of business networking, we must firstly learn and practise the rules and etiquette.  Only after we have developed our social skills and confidence to the highest levels can we break these rules from time to time with the skills and personal magnetism of someone like our current Governor-General.  

If you wish to raise your business networking expertise to the highest levels, join us for the Networking Plus Half-Day workshop on Wednesday, 17^th October, 2012; for details please click here.  We look forward to seeing you there.

To your Networking Success!

 
 

Lynne Lloyd

Managing Director
People Results
1300 167 981

enquiries@peopleresults.com.au

www.peopleresults.com.au

 

 

Walking the Extra Mile

“There are no traffic jams on the extra mile.”

                                                                               -Zig Ziglar

Recently I read one of those lists of what you have to think and do to be a big success in business.  It was written by Jeff Haden and published on Inc. "9 Beliefs of Remarkably Successful People."

I particularly liked Jeff’s number 9 point “The extra mile is a vast, unpopulated wasteland” which is perhaps a tad pessimistic.  He clearly picked up this idea from Zig Ziglar who said it first (see above) but unfortunately he did not make an attribution to Zig. 

 

His point 9 reads:  "Everyone says they go the extra mile.  Almost no one actually does.  Most people who go there think, “Wait … no one else is here…. Why am I doing this? And leave, never to return.” 

In practical terms, what is going the extra mile at work?  I believe that the extra mile is located off our position description.  We will not find it by reading and complying with our KPIs, no matter how comprehensive they are.  Accomplishing our performance indicators means that we are doing our job. We are compliant and should be able to tick all the boxes when our next performance appraisal comes around.  

As soon as something is committed to paper, it is limiting our range of creativity and movement.  To go the extra mile, we must leave the well-trodden highway and find another road which is not well-defined or clearly sign-posted.  We know the extra mile is somewhere up ahead but how do we get there?

Jeff Haden advises “Every time you do something, think of one extra thing you can do – especially if other people aren’t doing that one thing.”   This is good advice.

 

People Results offers three practical ways to extend this extra-mile thinking and doing at work:

 

1.  Volunteer More Often.  When your manager announces, “We have to give a presentation at the conference, who is going to do it?”  Be the one who volunteers, “I’ll do it!”  Or, “I want someone to help train the new team member for a couple of days?”  Be the one who says “Yes, I’ll do it!”  Or “I was going to pick up Jane and Tom from the airport after work today but now I can’t make it.”  Be the one who says “I’ll do it!” even though the airport is in the opposite direction to where you live.

 

2.  Get your Ideas into Play.  When you think of a great idea that has broad implications for the success of your company or organisation, don’t think “But that’s not my job!”  Or “I might look as if I am trying to take over someone else’s turf.”  Or, “It’s not in my job description.”  Our creativity knows no bounds and certainly doesn’t fit neatly into job descriptions or organisational structures.  Look for a way to get your good idea into play even if you have to share the credit with your direct manager. 

 

3. Go to Where You are Needed Most.  As an example, you are a team leader or supervisor, and you are down on your staff numbers in one key Department, and the stock is sitting on the floor in boxes.  Roll up your sleeves and get on with unpacking the stock and getting it up on the shelves.   That is right, packing and pricing of stock is not listed in your job description.   That is why you go ahead and do it because it is where you are most needed.  At that particular time you don’t need to manage; you need to do.  The Regional Manager comes into the store and sees you in the thick of it and doing what needs most to be done.  You are demonstrating in the clearest terms that you walk “the extra mile.” 

 

 To Your Success (on the extra mile)


Lynne Lloyd
Managing Director
People Results
enquiries@peopleresults.com.au
www.peopleresults.com.au
 

Spring: 'Tis the Season to be Networking

How, where and why do you network?  How effective are your networking activities?  Do you gain good returns on your investment of networking time and effort?  

There is widespread endorsement of business networking as a strategy for sourcing new clients and finding new career opportunities.  However, when it comes to how networking is practised, there is a sharp disparity between theory and practice. What works well in business networking, and what doesn’t, is not well understood or openly acknowledged. 

 

Could networking be that easy?  Woody tells us 80% of success is showing up.

 

In a series of articles, we will take a close look at what works well and what is less effective in business networking.  Three factors that can lead to disappointing returns are:

1. Woody Allen famously quipped “Eighty percent of success is showing up.”  He is right but the other twenty percent is having some idea of why you are showing up in the first place.  Often we don’t know why we are showing up at a particular event except that our boss and other members of the team are going and we tag along.  

For business networking to be effective, we need to have the big picture in your head, knowing our purpose and having a direction and a plan.  If we network in a haphazard manner, we will get results that are patchy and poor.  Then we get discouraged and stop networking because we cannot see any worthwhile outcomes. 

So work out the big picture and link your networking efforts to your goals for client acquisition and/or career development, amongst others.

2. Another common trap in networking is lack of consistency in where we network.  Often we rush in here and rush in there!  Instead of choosing a small number of forums, we take a scattergun approach and go to many different functions and events.  Be discriminating and select the forums you will regularly attend in order to become recognised and well known.

3. Perhaps Woody Allen can show up without any prior knowledge or practice of the networking script and protocols.  He is a gifted actor, director and comedian.  But for the rest of us, for our networking to be effective, we need to have (or learn) some basic social skills.  What are you going to say to break the ice?  What is a good group to approach?  How will you get someone talking?  Can you do the small talk?  How do you break away from a group without causing offence?  

At People Results, we look forward to bringing you more articles on the topic of business networking during the month of September.  As well, we are currently preparing a short program on effective business networking which will be launched in October 2012 (dates TBA).   More on this topic soon.

 

 

 

 

Meetings are Not Just Meetings

Careers have stalled, derailed or even been cut short because of what happened or did not happen in meetings.  While meetings are primarily for discussing and making decisions, they are also useful for getting noticed and advancing one’s career.

As the old Castrol TV commercial drilled into our consumer brains, “Oils ain’t oils,” so meetings are not just meetings.  From the point of view of the individual manager or professional, the management meeting is a semi-public forum in which you are able to stand out and impress the people who are powerful and/or highly influential in your organisation.  You will never see it because it will happen at another time and place when one nod or shake of the head will result in career heaven or career hell for you. 

Senior meetings are not the places to think out loud about some vague idea you had when driving in to work.   Save that brilliant thought until you have worked it out with your team and put together a compelling business case.  Shooting the breeze with an idea which is still in the early formative stage is too risky. 

Before you go to a meeting, switch yourself over to “meeting mode” in which you are consciously managing the perceptions of the members of your organisation’s tribe:  the senior executives, your manager, other senior managers and your peers.

Make the most of meetings by preparing and promoting.

On the surface you are there to discuss the current project, report on its progress, make decisions and for a thousand other reasons.  Under the surface you have another agenda which is to build your executive presence ever stronger.  You go to each meeting thinking about how you will present and interact in ways that are consistent with and reinforce your executive presence.

Here are just five strategies (of many) to consider:

1.         Invite your Manager and His/Her Manager to Your Next Team Meeting

Most people avoid asking the senior executives to attend one of their own meetings like they avoid jumping into crocodile-infested waters.  It is rare for a senior executive to be invited into what most managers regard protectively as “my territory.” 

If you have a great meeting structure, lots of positive contributions and you stick to the timelines and run the meeting efficiently, you can distinguish your leadership and openness by taking up this strategy.

2.         Speak Confidently and Concisely

In senior executive meetings, be direct to the point and make your contributions concisely.  Avoid long anecdotes or making interesting (to you) detours when you speak.  Instead speak in bullet points, backing up what you say with concrete facts, evidence and data.

3.         Keep your Contributions Overwhelmingly Positive

When others think about you, they should have strong impressions of a positive contributor.  Keep your comments at least 90 per cent positive and reserve your negative gun-powder for when it really counts, for example, when you know with absolute certainty a particular decision will send the team, Division and company hurtling off a cliff and plunging to certain death on the rocks below. 

4.         Promote Meeting Preparation to the Top of Your To-Do List

Absolutely when it matters, you must prepare thoroughly before you go to the management meeting.  Even if you are not presenting at the meeting, study the agenda and have one or two points ready to contribute to the discussion.

Senior executives notice when someone is well prepared; equally they notice when someone always comes to meetings unprepared.

Preparing before the meeting is especially important for people who need time and a quieter environment in which to formulate their ideas and responses.  We are referring to the introverts in the team; every team needs these more serious, analytical and cautious members.  Introverts tend not to like making snap decisions and speaking off the cuff.  If the foregoing description sounds like you, it is essential to allow more time to prepare so you are ready to speak on an issue, ask questions and play an active part of the decision-making.

5          If the Meeting Structure and Organisation is a Shambles, Fix It

If management meetings produce little or no outcomes or run over the allocated time, don’t just walk away shaking your head in frustration.  Do something about it! 

Go to your Manager or the Chairperson with a plan for change, for example volunteer to write the Agenda and distribute it.  Place time limits on the individual Agenda items to ensure the meeting finishes on time.

 

In People Results’ Executive Presence Half-Day workshop, the topic of meetings is covered, along with many other strategies for managers and professionals to build and increase their poise and presence and be viewed as future senior leaders of their firm, company or department.

Our next public Executive Presence workshop is in Brisbane on Wednesday, 29^th August, 2012 from 9am to 1pm.  If you would like more information and/or to arrange registration, please click here.

 

All the best for great meetings,

Lynne Lloyd 

Managing Director 

People Results