Two for the price of one!

My love for both Maria and Zoe have gone back almost two decades! I am not going to elaborate but I have been a huge fan of both of these women since I was a teenager and they were teenagers.  They are both celebrating their 35th birthdays in the near future and I am just a couple of years behind them.  So in part, I feel as if I have grown up with these ladies. 

I personally know that Maria is a very warm and sweet woman! She has responded to my messages on several occasions and that in itself is amazing!

If you have been under a rock then I am proud to introduce you to these ladies!

Maria recently wrote a wonderful book The Everygirl’s Guide to Life I have purchased several copies and have given them out to my mentees as one of my favorite books for young women.  She now has her own podcast called Conversations with Maria where she interviews today’s hottest stars ala Barbara Walters mixed with a cool MTV VJ vibe.  Her first interview is with star Zoe Saldana and it is personal and candid.  I loved listening to every second. 

Zoe is a feminist! I love that! She talks about the challenges for women in not only Hollywood but life.  She has a great perspective that many women can relate to. She is a woman of color and wishes to not be defined by either her Latina or Afro-American heritage, she is young but in the world of film is not always seen that way.  She is beautiful but has an assertive undertone that compliments her intelligence.  She is definitely inspiring and growing up to be a very self-aware woman and leader.  I look forward to her future as she seems to have a purpose that is directed towards moving women into more roles of leadership in Hollywood. 

You can enjoy their interview on iTunes Podcasts or watch on YouTube!

Here is the link Conversations with Maria: Zoe Saldana Interview

Enjoy!

I love this photo because it is completely outdated and so is the idea that attractive women in the workplace never lead to CEO!

If you Google Attractive Women in the Workplace a ton of articles pop up as well as pictures of women in lingerie. 

I recently read the article Why Most Women Will Never Become CEO read the below excerpt:

A woman’s physical appearance is way more under the radar than a man’s. Look at the women who do make it to the very top of technology companies: Whitman, Rometty, Carly Fiornia. Notice something? Um….they’re good looking! They are slim, attractive, well put together. Do you think a woman who looks like Reid Hoffman stands a chance at becoming CEO?

Don’t deny it- a female’s looks are held to a much higher level of scrutiny than a man’s. A guy can pull any one of his two or three suits out of a closet and throw it on top of the same shirt he wore the previous day (and probably the same undershirt too). Most women in the workplace spend hours putting themselves together. They always have to appear like it’s 9AM. They’re not allowed to let their guard down, even if they’re working late into the evening. Because men (and other women) will judge their appearance. And make comments to each other like, “sure she’s OK, but remember how she looked that night we were putting together the proposal? Yeesh!” Yes, men say that stuff. And then they let these things cloud their decision making when it’s promotion time. It happens.

Recently, I was having a conversation with a male executive.  We were discussing a work related project when the topic turned to a woman that he no longer worked with who I had previously had as my rep.  For about a minute we were both on completely different wave lengths until I realized what he was confiding in me. 

“I am so glad she is no longer here, I mean I miss her and she was a great team member, but I couldn’t concentrate on my work.”

I still did not get what he was talking about until I probed deeper and that is when I discovered he was referring to how attractive she was. 

Call me crazy, but I was actually stunned by not only his admission but his honesty. The investigative reporter in me wanted to dig into his brain and so I did just that and I took mental notes. 

One Man’s Story:

He’s a well liked individual, outgoing, funny, young and at the peak of his career working for a large software corporation.  He doesn’t live near the beach where women in bikinis is the norm.  He lives in the middle of the country and for the most part lives an average life.  He is single with no children and considers himself to be in his prime. 

He admitted that taking orders (his words, not mine) from attractive women is difficult for him.  His Mother is a powerful women as is his sister, but somehow this fact is lost in translation.  He told me that he would rather work for a man, bounce ideas around with other men and feels that having attractive women interact in “heavy” conversations is distracting. 

So I asked him what is his definition of attractive, I needed to know if most or maybe all women between the ages of 18 and 50 could be in this demographic.

He laughed (which annoyed me), he said she has to be ”shapely, nice, stylish and fun” and that age was not a defining factor.  Hmmm…I thought.  This is the majority of professional women.  He did say that he can tolerate married women, because he does not have the urge to consider them as dating material. 

Well at this point, I have to say, I am grateful for his candidness but my heart is beating a mile a minute.  So I directed the conversation back to his former team member and this is more of what he discussed with me.

“She was so beautiful, she was a very hard worker and it was difficult to get to know her personally because she only talked about work, so I knew she was professional.  But it was hard to really take her serious when we were discussing a project, I felt like she should be doing something different with her time or that she would eventually quit anyway to get married.  I also took it more personally when she was assertive or bossy.”

As I listened to his words, it made me want to call his HR department.  But instead, I asked more questions.  I wanted to know if he was just a freak of nature or the majority.  So I asked him if he ever discussed this with his male co-workers.

“Oh yes” I remember him replying with a huge grin.  “We go to lunch and after talking about sports, cars, clubs, we begin to talk about work, then we talk about co-workers which inevitably leads to talking about women at work.” he continued, “It’s what we do.”

As we wrapped up the conversation and went our separate ways, I was stunned and relieved.  Stunned that he was so open and that he is at an executive level. Relieved that I don’t work for him.

What are your thoughts?

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Happy Administrative Professionals Day!

As you know, I heart administrative professionals! They are the glue that keeps departments together in most businesses.  They are also the most common jobs for women.  #1 to be exact! Sounds impressive until you see the woman on the left and realize that it was the #1 position in 1950!!!!

Women make up 96% of the position Secretary or Administrative Professional.

Read the article  Why secretary is still the top job for women by By Annalyn Kurtz @CNNMoney

What are your thoughts about this position holding its #1 spot for over half a century?

Check out The Pink Briefcase article  Thank God for Administrative Professionals

Greetings Pink Thinkers!

Wow, it has been way too long! I have been majorly ”Leaning In” over the past several months.  My career is moving along at a rapid pace, I can barely keep up! I have had many moments where I wanted to take some time to sit down and write about what is going on in the world of business and beyond but unfortunately, like many of you out there, I struggle with maintaining balance. 

However, recently I purchased the book Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg and since my schedule is packed, the best way for me to get in a ton of “reading” is by listening to audio-books. 

Sometime ago, I posted commentary on an article written that Sheryl Sandberg spoke about women lacking ambition.  You can check it our here!

After reading that article, I began to follow Sheryl’s career and eventually wrote a local article about her for a business publication.  I was amazed by her Ted Talk as was everyone who listened to it.  So you can imagine my excitement when I found out she had written the book Lean In! 

Before I get into a solo discussion about my thoughts on the book, I must say that my opinion is a bit biased.  I was already a big fan of Sheryl’s and truth be told, I am a big fan of all professional women as well as those raising children and those managing both!  Since the release of her book there has been many articles written about it, some are very supportive of her opinions, while others are peaking a bit more on the aggressive end.  

For those of you reading this, I am writing from a perspective of a woman who is trying to grow in her own career, as well as trying to pay it forward, the book was filled with tons of information and I can not comment on all of it nor would I want to interfere with the experience each of you will have by reading or listening for yourself, which I highly recommend you do!

Alright here we go…

Sheryl Sandberg’s book is filled with information about what she believes is holding women back from running the country’s largest corporations and government agencies.  She spends a perfect amount of time talking about her childhood, her parents, her siblings and her experiences growing up.  I won’t go into too much detail about her life, you can read all about her on Wikipedia and learn much more by reading her book Lean In.  What I really love about her personal story is her honesty about her own insecurities as a girl growing up and even as an adult to this day.  She later discusses her college experiences and how she would purposely downplay her talents or intelligence, she even went as far as to not let her classmates know that she was the recipient (the only female) of a major award at Harvard. Once she began her professional life, it seems as if she kept an open mind, worked hard and sort of “ended up” at Facebook.  Her journey was the most appealing to me, now don’t get me wrong, Sheryl went to Harvard for both her undergrad and graduate degrees, so clearly she is ambitious and motivated and that is why she is where she is today on the Top 10 list of Forbes! What I am saying is that she wasn’t on this total mission to work for a big and powerful company one day, this was not her motivation, she allowed opportunities to present themselves and if possible she seized the moment. She has a great work history even before getting into technology which was an accident by her own account.  Additionally, what I never knew about her was that she turned down an offer as CEO for LinkedIn because it wasn’t the right timing for her growing family.  I think this is an incredible fact because many of us women have tough choices to make and I know for myself, I spend a great deal of time kicking myself for not making what I thought was the “right” choice and in the past that has sometimes prevented me from seizing the next opportunity. 

Sheryl speaks about “sitting at the table” and uses some great examples of times where she has witnessed women not sit at the table or not put themselves in the conversation.  She notes that men are more assertive and will make sure to be heard whereas, women tend to have a fear of being seen as rude or too outspoken.  She mentions a talk she was giving where she told the crowd that she was only taking a set number of questions after the talk.  Many hands went up and when she answered questions to the limit, all of the women put their hands down but none of the men did, so Sheryl continued to answer questions not realizing that the women had “left the table” and even she acknowledges that she had not even noticed that not only had she kept answering questions but that all of the women had put their hands down because Sheryl had told the crowd she was only answering so many questions.  Moral of the story, men tend to not “leave the table” and no matter what.

Throughout the book Sheryl uses some real statistics on women leaders in the workplace and many are depressing.  A great example was the take on how women leaders are perceived compared to men.  There is a very interesting study about a woman executive, I believe a CEO who has a great resume.  A group of both sexes are asked to evaluate the female executive and a group of both sexes is asked to evaluate the same person but she is presented to the second group as a male executive.  The results are sadly not shocking.  The identical resumes of talents, skills and performance yielded opposite opinions from each group.  I *think* each group saw a picture of each executive as well.  The group who judged the male executive said he was intelligent, capable, funny, happy, etc.  and the group who judged the female executive with the same qualifications said she was mean, bossy, seemed unhappy, lonely and the like. Even women in each of the groups made these assessments. 

Sheryl discusses in the book when she returned to Harvard Business School for a talk in 2011, her pointed answer to a question from an audience of MBAs drew stunned silence. “If current trends continue,” Sandberg said, “15 years from today about one-third of the women in this audience will be working full-time and almost all of you will be working for the guy you are sitting next to.”  Now that is harsh! I have done some research on her comments and the stats beg to differ, but rather she is off by a little or off by a lot, she makes a good point for discussion.  I would have to say, that the rest of her book really tackles that point of view.  She goes into great detail about why she believes women are not leading major corporations, although my own argument would be that the stats show that more women own small businesses than men, so that leads me to believe that the future will consist of some of those small businesses becoming Fortune 100 corporations owned by women leaders.  But, nonetheless, I get her point.  She does talk about government roles and this is where I have to agree wholeheartedly, if women make up roughly 50% of the population, shouldn’t women hold 50% of government leadership roles? YES!

So, the first half of the book is filled with examples and stats and stories that will get your juices flowing and the second half of the book is focused on managing work and family…well not really about managing, more like Nike’s slogan Just Do It! This is where I sort of had a hard time relating.  Let me tell you why, I did enjoy her positive thinking or Pink Thinking when it comes to having a family.  She made it sound completely doable and stress free.  But let me tell you, I have 4 dogs, 2 which are toy breeds and I can barely manage my time with them, work, volunteering, exercising and spending time with my Hubby and friends.  But I have personally witnessed some incredible working moms who do all of the stuff I mentioned I do, yet they are raising our nation’s future leaders on top of that.  So maybe I am just not an expert on the subject.  But Sheryl did make it sound doable and of course it is.  But I do wish she could have spoken more about the struggle of women who are not at the top but on their way, who are raising families.  Truth be told she can only tell her story and maybe the point she is making is Lean In from an early age, put in the time and energy and be open minded.  Do not say NO to opportunities because you see yourself one day (key word) getting married and having children.  One of the biggest mistakes women make according to Sheryl is that they either stop leaning in or never really lean in to begin with.  We tend to plan way ahead of ourselves and either send out the vibe that we are not wanting that big project or promotion or we actually turn them down in fear of having too much responsibility or not enough time to potentially raise a family in the future.  I can definitely see her point!

As little girls, we are conditioned to behave in this manner and as Sheryl put it, it is up to the newer generations to make a change.  Gloria Steinem and the like, dedicated their lives to the women’s movement and we are barely moving.  Which brings me to Sheryl’s discussion on mentorship in the workplace.  Women are not mentoring other women and the main reason is old school of thought type thinking that there is only one spot at the top, so we are each other’s competition and on top of that it is becoming rare for men to mentor women mostly because we have created a culture where a man and a woman are not seen as only being friendly.  There must be something sexual going on if two people from the opposite sex are spending time together.  I agree with both ideologies, women do not pay it forward enough and having a male mentor can be intimidating for both the man and the woman.  In both Sheryl and my case, we had male mentors and having a true male perspective on business situations has been great for me personally.  I have also had some great female role-models to be able to look up to but have never had a female mentor take time to work directly with me on how to succeed in the workplace.  I have had several female mentees and I have noticed that the majority of them don’t seem to have a strong sense of self or a true support system to help them reach their career goals.  Women seem to have a double-edged sword in the sense that at work they can learn to practice a style of professionalism that works for them and see positive results but outside of work, they have trouble receiving that same type of respect.  It takes time to find a place where they can feel comfortable being a leader and being a woman.  Which yes, is not yet synonymous with one another.  I agree that both sexes need to seek out a mentee and provide some dedicated time to help someone develop not only their careers but themselves as well. 

Lastly, Sheryl spent some major time talking about the role of men and how they play a very important part of the success of women, as discussed above as mentors but also as life partners.  She says one of the most important decisions a woman can make about her career is who she chooses as her mate.  Wow! Powerful words. 

She is very passionate about men not having the support to be stay-at-home Dad’s by society standards.  She also talks about how working women have two jobs, maybe three.  Women still do most of the housework and are the primary caregiver to their children.  She makes a joke that she has heard men refer to watching their kids as babysitting.  Enough said!

Where the book gets a bit unrealistic to the majority is when you realize that Sheryl nor her husband the CEO of SurveyMonkey probably spend much time cleaning and cooking because their lifestyles afford them services to provide them around the clock help.  I know from my perspective, if I didn’t have to cook, clean and maybe even drive, I could get a lot more “work” done.  But reality is that most women are not top executives in billion-dollar companies and most of us are trying to balance all of our responsibilities and still be leaders in our own right within the organizations we work for.  So on this point, I would have loved for Sheryl to maybe get some perspectives of some of her front-line employees or take some survey’s from the average working woman.  Maybe that will be in book #2. 

As I conclude my thoughts on what I really consider to be a Must Read/Listen! The message is clear that women need to envision themselves sitting at the table and not make any excuses or self-sabotage themselves from rising to the top.  Most importantly, we have to pull other women up there with us along the way as well as congratulating those who surpass us! We need to stop stereotyping women professionals as being bossy, bitchy, unhappy, mean, tough, single and childless.  We also need to allow our men to mentor us, support us and be the great man behind the powerful woman and not stereotype him as being weak. 

I love that Sheryl has started the conversation, or better yet, brought the conversation back up.  Feminism is all about having choices and supporting any choice a woman wants to make.  We are free to choose to be a stay-at-home mom, a professional working mom, childless, married or single. We should also have the choice to be CEO’s, business owners, board members and decision-makers.

I haven’t spent much time talking about the demands on today’s professional woman here on The Pink Briefcase. and I have to admit as a self-proclaimed Pink Thinker, I tend to not “complain” about the challenges women face in their day to day lives and after hearing Sheryl’s P.O.V. I can honestly say it is because I don’t feel it’s appropriate to talk about the battle only the win.  Now I have a different perspective, it is important to talk about it all, the good, the bad and the ugly.  That is how the conversation begins, by talking. 

So for that, I thank you Sheryl!

Just like me and the millions of others who have read her book, there are some controversial things in the book…no, really? Just like the many great leaders that have come before her, she has stirred the pot and I love it!

As spoken about in the book Lean In women are not trying to climb the corporate ladder, we are trying to make it through the jungle gym!

On a side note, Sheryl gave a shout out to Marissa Mayer the CEO of Yahoo, who herself has taken some major heat in the press over the last couple of years. There are a few women that have been in Sheryl’s shoes who you can read about who have shared their own stories by writing books and articles, given candid interviews and I will work on highlighting some of their stories here on The Pink Briefcase.!

Read The 10 Most Controversial Things Sheryl Sandberg Just Said About Women

Check Out Sheryl Sandberg’s Ted Talk here!

Purchase your copy of Lean In here or download from www.audible.com

Sincerely,

Bree

Chief Optimistic Officer

I recently had the great pleasure to be apart of a wonderful conference celebrating our supplier’s 20th year anniversary in Greenville, SC. One of the speakers at this event was John Jacobs co-founder of Life is Good. His story was truly that of optimism, which is appropriate since all of the executives use Optimistic in their titles. Which as a “Pink Thinker” myself, can relate. After hearing his story and that of Life is Good, not only am I an instant fan and now patron, but also am confident that there is definitely more than one way to operate a future successful business. I say future because not every experience in a new and developing business or maybe even an established corporation is going to be successful. But the laws of attraction has taught us that what you put out into the universe you shall receive. We can all be the Chief Optimistic Officer or Chief Executive Optimist starting today! If you need some motivation check out www.lifeisgood.com and be ready to be inspired!

This year is election year in America. We will once again vote for the President of the United States in two months and he (no “she” in the running this time around) will become our Leader for four years. Most of us have already been sucked into the political bubble of attack ads, debates and conventions. We are glued to political television and we’re reading the Wall Street Journal to see if anything is changing by the second. It’s madness. But we’re accustomed to it and we do it every four years. But many of us fail to realize that everyday we are playing in the world of office politics. Every office has some sort of political race that someone is running. Most valued, funniest, smartest, etc. But few of us know what the rules of the game are and how to even play effectively. So we just participate hoping that we come out a winner. Well let me break it to you, office politics is much more important than we are giving it credit for and just like real politics, we need to have a platform, a strategy and an end-result if we plan on being in the Inner Circle.

I have been on all sides of the coin, office assistant, middle management and executive management. I have had the opportunity to freely discuss such topics with CEO’s and Business Leaders at both fortune 500 companies and small businesses. What I can assure you is that top executives live by a code of conduct that has nothing to do with your employee handbook. There is a loyalty and honor system that exists and essentially no one really has a clue what and how to get into the Inner Circle so they do everything they can think of. Play nice, play rough, be seen and heard, be quiet and responsive. Some will accidentally make it into the promise land and some won’t.

Now there may be someone reading this thinking “I don’t want to be in the Inner Circle” and my answer to you is “You may never truly be a heavy hitter in business”. Which brings up another topic. Entrepreneurship.

Many believe owning their own business and being their own boss is the answer to such issues. But I have news for you. Every entrepreneur has a boss (or several), the customer, the suppliers or vendors, the government, the industry. And guess what. They all play the same political game just on a much bigger scale.

So hopefully I have silenced my critics for a moment. Now back to Office Politics.

If you’re already a leader in an organization, as Jack Welch put it “You can stop trying to be elected, you have already won the race.”

But if you’re just starting out in your career or would like some recognition in your current role. Here are some tips that I have learned from interviewing managers and business leaders for our “In the Mind of the CEO” series.

• Acknowledge your boss’s birthday! Sounds silly but I have learned that most managers and leaders spend a great deal of their time planning and executing and spend little time tending to their own needs and hobbies. They might even be so busy they have forgotten their own birthday! Take some time to get your boss a card or a trinket complimenting their favorite past time or Alma Mater. Get the office together and plan a pot luck or a little party. Trust me, this is a big deal! Another great day to acknowledge your boss is on Boss’s Day! Put it on your calendar!

• Skip Eating Out for Lunch! Okay not everyday but when there are deadlines or you’re working on a big project or maybe even every Monday. Eating at your desk may not be the best idea all of the time, it adds to your stress levels and I hear there are more germs at your desk than on a toilet seat (EW!) but for the game of office politics it shows commitment. Most managers and leaders have had no choice but to eat at their desk and they can easily empathize with your level of loyalty to the mission. If your work culture is to always eat at the office in the break room then try eating and working on something related to your projects if possible and put down the latest best-seller.

• Offer to Pay! Sure we all know that when your boss invites you to lunch you assume the company is paying. I mean lets face it, that’s why they get paid the big bucks right? Well, maybe there is some truth to that, but in today’s economy every one is penny pinching. I know some managers that make it a habit to buy their staff lunch every week or so. Most of the time it’s to thank them for their hard work. And that’s great! You must deserve to have a freebie every now and then so accept it. But next time you get paid, invite your boss to lunch and pay for it or offer to pay the next time your boss suggests lunch. They may turn down your request but the offer will still be just as good in the office politics department as if you had actually paid for the lunch. Remember, anytime you get a chance to eat with your boss, pick their brain, ask them how they got where they are today. Most managers love telling their stories and most stories are inspirational and worth listening to. You have just spent a few bucks for priceless information.

• Never call in sick on Monday or Friday! Well unless you are actually gut-wrenching ill. Do not call in on these days! Being absent on these days is like telling your organization that you could care less. Of course, you can have pre-approved vacation on these days but we’re talking about you calling in a couple of hours before you’re set to arrive. It’s a big no-no. If you are feeling sick but think you can make it into work. Go to work! It is better to get sent home or tell your boss face-to-face that you are sick then to not show up.

• Love your job on Social Media! Facebook, Twitter and the like have taken over our lives. Let’s face it, announcing to the world what you ate for breakfast or posting pictures of your cat is a fun past-time for today’s generation. I know first hand that “checking” up on your employees social media sites happens frequently. Make sure if you discuss your career or skills that you keep the motto we all learned on the playground in mind “If you do not have anything nice to say, do not say anything at all.” This is very true! But I suggest making your career apart of your social media world, sure it is a must to follow your company policy in this area, but most companies allow you to have a LinkedIn profile or other career focused profiles and if you’re company has an account you better be a fan, follower, etc. participate. Your organization is paying someone to spend hours updating these sites and they would appreciate some support!

• Don’t be a tattletale! Of course management needs to know whats happening in the office. But if you make it a habit to be the person constantly telling everyone’s negative thoughts they may have expressed at the water-cooler, even your boss will separate herself from you. This doesn’t mean that you should turn your cheek to anyone violating company policies or safety guidelines. Of course, if you see or hear something happening in your organization that needs immediate attention you need to blow the whistle! Most organizations have hot-lines or human resource representatives that are trained to handle such incidences in confidence. What I am talking about is the guy who constantly runs to his boss and tells him that Sally in Department A said that she cannot get along with her supervisor and so on. What this does to your boss is evokes a sense of responsibility to solve the issue Sally is having. The only problem is, Sally has not said she has a problem directly. So if your boss attempts to handle the situation and the facts are not correct, your boss will not be very happy and you will look like a gossip. If you really feel there is ever an issue such as the issue with Sally and her supervisor, approach Sally and let her know that she should talk to your boss or HR. This is taking a leadership role.

• Dress Nicely! This sounds like a moot-point. But hear me out. Over time we all tend to dress down here and there. We have rushed mornings or pilled laundry and so we fish out something quick and figure we will make it though the day unnoticed. Wrong! Your boss or her boss will notice. And if they do not notice your co-worker who may one day become your boss has noticed. Someone will notice that you did not cross your t’s and dot your i’s today. Always treat your career with respect starting with how you present yourself. If you’re in an organization that is casual, take it a notch up and add a blazer and dressy shoes with your jeans. I remember working in a business casual environment where everyone really got away with being more casual than business and I always dressed more on the business side of business casual (confusing I know) put it this way, I dressed up everyday. One day, the GM came to our branch for a surprise visit and she observed that customers naturally flocked to me for questions or advice on their transactions because they assumed I knew the answer or was in charge. She later recognized me for my professionalism.

• Know your weaknesses! If you know you are not great at persuading others to do what you want, you may not be the best sales person. Know this about yourself. One thing I have learned from C-level executives is that they are all aware of their weaknesses so they focus on their strengths and that is mostly what you will hear them talk about. They have quickly learned to delegate to others who have strengths in what they have weaknesses in. As a woman, this concept is challenging. Not in theory but definitely in practice. We have been trained to work on our weaknesses. If we are not great cooks, we are supposed to cook anyway and learn to make holiday worthy meals. This concept may be essential in our family life and even then I am not convinced we should hammer at our weaknesses. But in the world of business, this is a mistake. Now of course, in the beginning of your career you may have to suck it up and do things that you do not like. But remember not liking something is not the same as being weak in that area. If you are the best memo writer in your firm but you absolutely find that task to be boring and mundane. So what! If you are great at it, do it and be great. Your skill will lead you to be able to delegate that daunting task eventually. Why? Because someone will value your work and promote you IF you also learn to incorporate things you love into your daily practice with the things you are great at but hate. This is a whole other topic that respectfully requires much more discussion but some great books to read would be Stephen Covey, John C. Maxwell, Marcus Buckingham and Jack Welch. They can really hit home in their own distinctive ways how to capitalize on your strengths and learn to work away from your weaknesses. Now back to my point! Know your weaknesses. When you are having candid conversations with your boss, lets say for your (hopefully) monthly or quarterly reviews, you can focus on your areas of strength (what you’re great at that adds value to your organization) and steer clear of your weaknesses (what you are absolutely not even good at and your firm could benefit greatly by having someone else take on that responsibility). When I was young in my career, I made it a habit to explain in great detail all of the reasons why I am so excited to perform the tasks I was great at, even if I found them boring or didn’t absolutely enjoy performing them. I knew that if someone needed me to handle that task it would be done with great detail and close to perfection. I was like a doctor who loved performing surgery because that was my passion but had to also do paperwork and other not so fun tasks yet could do them proficiently and with ease. When you present yourself to your boss with great clarity and understanding, they instantly trust that you know yourself well enough that you have chosen the career your in and you are not in constant search of the answer. That is the #1 complaint of managers. Working with staff that are not sure if they should be doing what they are doing. It is much more rewarding to work with an employee who has chosen their line of work, even if they make mistakes it is much more rewarding to guide and mentor them because you know they are students of their craft. They are not in limbo.

As you may have noticed I pretty much stuck to The Inner Circle of Office Politics. There are many other avenues to strategically play the game. Co-workers are just as important because if you ever become a leader in your organization, you will need their support. Or if a co-worker is ever elected your boss, you would want them to know you as an Inner Circle player. Playing office politics is much more difficult with your peers, because you want to be authentic in your dealings with them. You never want to seem like you’re brown-nosing or fake in any way. But at the same time you have to maintain a level of authority and professionalism so that they have trust and respect for you and your accomplishments. The worst thing you can do is try to fit in with others even in an environment that pressures you to gossip or be disrespectful to upper management. You must always remember that at the end of the day the only thing that matters is the end-result. You must be performance driven and mission oriented! I can promise you that even if you’re the only person in your office that truly follows the vision and mission of the organization, eventually you will lead others to do the same and the inner circle will be talking about you at their next meeting!

(Source: officepolitics)

Hi Pink Thinkers!

The new season of the Junior League has begun and I am super excited for this new and challenging year. As many of you are aware, last year I joined the Junior League of Albuquerque as a Provisional and this year is my first year active. So naturally I am looking forward to learning much more about the League this year since I am no longer in a new member bubble. My active year really started back in May when I was awarded the role of Co-Chair of Social Media & Photography. Very early on in my Junior League career I quickly noticed that their social media platform was lacking to say the least and although I knew nothing about social media, I knew it was important that the Junior League of Albuquerque to establish a strong presence in the social media marketing world. Throughout my first year in the League, I stayed very vocal about the platform and when the time came to choose the committees which I would most love to work on, I of course selected Social Media. I received the added bonus of photography, which has turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I actually love taking photos!

Thus far, the social media platform has been a ton of hard work and dedication but has been extremely rewarding. I have learned a great deal about social media that I will be able to utilize in my career as well. I have already had tons of fun interviewing and writing articles for our blog and the year has just kicked off.

At the beginning of the summer I published the article Just Say Yes! This article discussed taking charge of all opportunities that present themselves to you. I missed out on a great opportunity for leadership in the past that I have since lived to regret, but as my new words of wisdom to live by “where you are is where you’re supposed to be” comes to mind, another great opportunity presented itself, this time through the Junior League of Albuquerque. About two weeks ago I received an email from the Co-Chair of New Membership and she asked if I would be interested in being an Advisor to the New Member Class. I immediately responded YES! I instantly felt grateful for my missed opportunity in the past because it has taught me a valuable lesson about challenging myself. Of course, I was nervous and worried that taking on the extra responsibilities would be overwhelming. But instead it has given me a new sense of esteem for my career in business and my career in the Junior League. I look forward to the many challenges and possible obstacles that will arise in the near future. But most importantly, I look forward to the sense of accomplishment I will gain and the contribution I will make to my community by giving back whole-heartedly!

The reason I am obsessed with the Junior League is because I have quickly discovered that it is a very successful business in its own right managed and lead by women of all walks of life and the stakeholders we’re benefiting need our help desperately. The mission of the League is primarily about serving a cause dear to us all and the service back to our community is very organized and intentional.

The Junior League allows its members to contribute by learning and that is truly chicken soup for the soul!

I recommend that all women join the Junior League! You will learn how your contribution to the community is invaluable, you will learn new skills and discover new talents, you will build a network of women that share some of the same values as you do and you will be apart of an established organization that is highly effective. It is truly a win-win.

Check out It’s Not About Wearing Your Grandmother’s Pearls

Sincerely, Bree

Hi Pink Thinkers,

Kids are heading back to school and football is starting, it must be the end of summer. Sorry to rain on your parade, but it is true.  The summer is winding down and although we still have a few more weeks to bask in the glory of flip flops, swimming suits and vacations it will end far too soon for most of us.  With that said, it is time to start thinking about your “first” day of work. 

Remember when you first started at your current company or in your current position?

Remember picking your clothes out the night before, studying the companies website, smiling at everyone as they pass you by. You were trying to make a great impression.

Fast forward to present day…

Now you hurry into your office or workspace hoping to not be noticed in fear of receiving more work to do, you run 10 minutes later than you wish every morning looking for something good enough to wear and you cannot remember the last time you read the company website.

This happens to the best of us from time to time, but you have to reinvigorate your career by any means possible and setting a new “first” day of work is as good of a time as any.

Usually, we all wait until the beginning of the year to start anew.  Instead let’s ring in autumn with a new outlook on our careers.

Go to the mall, inhale the enthusiasm that the kids with their parents (or maybe your kids) have while they shop for school clothes.  Get psyched about your second “first” day of work.  Get a new hairstyle, buy some new fall clothes, decorate your workspace, smile at everyone in the office.  Be a fresh face again.

Good luck on your “first” day of work this fall!

Sincerely,

Bree

(Source: yourfirstdayofwork)

I have always been a bit of an early bird, even in college when I bar-tended until my eyes could barely stay open, I would still sign up for that 7 AM class the next day.  I can’t say it is a sane thing to do surviving on double espressos and lack of sleep but it can be done.  Now in my 30s, I don’t make it a habit to stay awake passed midnight knowing that the morning is waiting to either greet me or punish me. 

In the business world, we are constantly working on other people’s schedules, rather you are calling the East Coast from the West or you are catching the train, or if you’re simply trying to beat your boss to the office.  We typically do not have much of a say so on how early we NEED to be at work.  But how early we wake up and get our day started can make a huge difference in how successful we are in the long run. 

I stumbled upon this article 23 Successful People Who Wake Up Really Early and it re-invigorated me.  

When I was first at my current company about 5 years ago, I was the queen of getting up before the rooster, I remember making time to work out every morning and take a hot bubble bath - before work! I was so relaxed and calm which translated to having tons of patience for my work day.

Well times have a changed…

I have been struggling to stay consistent with my schedule lately, case of the “Summertime Blues”.  I much rather be anywhere but at work.  How can I possibly focus on budget plans and quarterly numbers when the sun is shining so ever brightly through my office windows begging me to skip an hour here and skip a day there.  Sure we do not all have the luxury of skipping any hours or days at work, but mentally we can be on vacation for an entire season if we’re not careful.

I attempt to wake up between 5:00 and 5:30 am and typically I am super successful but for the past few months I have been hitting that snooze button more often than not which is changing my complete energy flow for the entire work day. 

Remember when the airports first required hours of advance arrival and it seemed so stressful, but now it is second-nature to arrive 2 or 3 hours early, get settled, read a bit, complain a lot, eat some, use the restroom, whatever.  But at the end of the day, you are somehow in a relaxed state knowing you are early. 

Last year when I trained for the marathon in the middle of summer, on my Saturday long runs, if I wasn’t out by sunrise, every minute I wasted not running I would surely regret when the heat of the day began approaching in the late morning. 

I make it my daily routine to go to Hot Yoga after work, it has helped me in so many ways especially as a distance runner.  But it is so frustrating when you arrive late (meaning not 15 minutes before class is scheduled to begin) and you’re in a hurry, parking, looking for mat space, not having time to just breathe and be in the moment. 

You get the point.

What I have learned is that hitting the snooze button in the morning is equivalent to hitting the snooze on my daily goals and potential accomplishments.  Drastic and extreme I know.  But think about it, when you’re up earlier than you really have to be you have more time to think, plan, organize and just be.

Why does waking up so early matter?

As Benjamin Franklin put it “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”

Wish me luck on conquering the morning 1 hour earlier! 

I shall be thinking of my next article at around let’s say 4:30 am starting tomorrow!

Let me know your thoughts Pink Thinkers!!!

Join us on Facebook and Twitter!

Sincerely,

Bree

Hi Pink Thinkers,

Recently, it became apparent to me that I missed out on a good opportunity. One that I could be dramatic about and say it was a once in a lifetime, but as a true Pink Thinker I do not believe that anything is once in a lifetime.  We all get many chances to be better everyday, maybe not in the exact same way as it has once presented itself, but nonetheless, we get as many chances as it will take to improve. 

My favorite words of wisdom that I am now trying to live by is…

“You are where you’re supposed to be.”

Makes us all feel just a tad bit better, right?!  But truth be told, I still know that I missed out on a good opportunity to lead.

About a year ago, I received an email that requested a leadership role for a grassroots effort, in an area that I would have been great, but I chickened out. I remember reading the email and thinking, I am no pioneer.  I was honestly scared to fail, so I never even tried.

Now fast forward to one year later and I am working double-time to help assist the leader who is not as suited to lead in this role and it could have been me!

This got me thinking…

Am I better (and by better) I mean, more comfortable in a supportive role? You know the saying “Always the bridesmaid, never the bride”.  Is this me?

Truth be told, it has been me.  Sure I am successful in my life, but…not as take charge as I could be, because I tend to wait. And I have just had an epiphany that waiting is not always a good idea, and patience although it is a virtue, I do not believe it was intended to be applied to existing opportunities only those yet to come.

I am grateful to now be aware of this characteristic that I have adopted.  Now it’s time to just say YES!

Where in your life should you have just said YES and you waited? How can you get the opportunity to say YES again and take the chance to not fail, but to succeed?

First things first PINK THINKERS what is an executive?

When I accepted my role as Executive Vice President, I understood that my main responsibility was to make sure we were making money and not losing money. Sure there are other goals but essentially all missions and values ultimately come down to are we profitable.  Even non-profits main focus is money! If they are not raising any they are not helping their cause.

A few days ago during a team meeting I concluded by telling my team to think like executives.  At which point, a few of the inquisitive ones picked my brain for a more in depth definition as to what an executive is. You know just to be sure they were living up to my expectations. Great team they are by the way!

So I gave them MY point of view and after the meeting was over I did what any self-respecting business person would do…I Googled it!

This definition was the one I identified with most…

{person in charge of the execution}

With that said, what comes to mind when you hear the word EXECUTIVE?

Boss

Management

Business

Expertise

Experience

Leader

Busy

Dare I say…Man

These may be a few terms that come to mind…these are some that came to my team’s mind and boy do I love playing a good game of Name that ______.

So…as I told you earlier, money is a crucial component to thinking like an executive

You don’t have to be a financial wizard to keep money on your mind while you’re at work! And no I am not referring to YOUR money but the money in the business. Everything of value in your workplace is associated with money.

Time

Customer Satisfaction

Sales of Products and Services

Purchasing of Products

Consumption

Expertise

And every executive knows that wasting money or losing money by not making the sale or closing the deal is detrimental to the health of the business. As I said, time is money, so wasting time is wasting _________. 

If you said wasting money, you are already thinking like an executive. (Told you I love that game)

Of course, being an executive isn’t ALL about money (just mostly) but most definitely about winning and achieving the desired end-result. 

Rather you’re saving lives as a doctor or fighting for our country as a soldier, the win is what matters. 

When you think like an executive you are envisioning a win, you are appreciative of those who can assist you in obtaining that win, it is about the bigger picture not about just you or your own insight and desires. 

Anyone can begin to train their minds to think beyond the daily grind and consider what it takes for everyone to contribute to the goals of the business.

What does not work is being self-centered and self-important. Believing you are doing more than someone else or worse contributing less because if fulfills your needs at that moment. 

If you look up articles or read books on being an executive you will read a ton about being a leader and/or manager and those publications are great and read-worthy and most often true (my favorite being The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker). But to most people, identifying yourself as an executive when you don’t have the fancy corner office and the assistant that comes with it, is hard to grasp.

How can YOU identify yourself as an Executive?

Here are a few examples to acknowledging that You ARE an Executive!

1. For starters, a visit to one of my favorite posts You Are Your Business Card,  really conveys the message of taking your career into your own hands, which is an important component of thinking like an executive.
2. Creating an environment based on team building! This is a hard one for me, mostly because I used to associate team building with rewards and recognition. Great news is that it is much more simple than showering your team with compliments and money (although they love that too), but true team building is centered around communication.  I have come to learn that any news is better than no news to your team. They like feeling involved in the conversation (good or bad) so involve them. If you do not have a team or even another person reporting to you, that’s okay, communicate with your boss and co-workers and exhibit confidence in everything that you are efficient and effective at.
3. Saving or Earning the Company Money! Rather you’re purchasing office supplies or adding a new division to the corporation, it is important to make decisions based on research and facts and in doing so, saving or making the company money. Being aware of what the company (even the wealthiest companies) like to spend their money on and what they don’t will put you at an advantage. If your company likes investing in office supplies, figure out how to maintain quality and save the company money at the same time, it could be negotiating with the vendor or researching a locally owned vendor every 6-12 months and documenting your successes as well as your failures. Remember you don’t have to be in sales to earn the company money, saving is earning in today’s world of business and everyone can save their company more money. A great start is just by showing up on time, working the hours you’re paid to work by being productive and focused the entire time and not abusing company resources ever.
4. Come up with Great Ideas! This sounds silly, right?! Well it’s not. Most of us are creative in some form or another. If you are an accountant, you can come up with a new way of having your clients document their receipts rather through software or through a spreadsheet you create for them.  Every company has a process that could use some revision or a new idea that could apply to your branch. In the book First, break all the rules: what the world’s greatest managers do differently by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman they explored what managers did that was a direct result of being creative and exploring ideas that lead to tons of improvements for the company…hence promotions and recognition (I’m sure).  A simple and painless way to get good at coming up with great ideas is to try to come up a new idea every week and implement it. Start with customer service! Most customer service ideas are good ones and can easily be tested with out needing approvals and such.  When I was a Banker, I would send Thank You cards in the mail after every meeting, good or bad.  I would express my appreciation for my customer’s time.  It is important not to forget about your “internal” customers too! Co-workers love thank you notes and small gestures of customer service and your ideas in these areas can also support Team Building and great ideas become company protocol over time.
5. Mentor and Train Others! Chances are you have a special skill that you offer your company on a regular basis. Maybe you’re great at negotiating or writing letters and emails, or you receive great feedback from customers or you are a wizard in your field. Offer any chance you can to help others and give back to not only your organization but to your community. Your co-workers are members of your world and it is important to build on each other’s strengths. Take this a step further and offer to write on your company’s blog or newsletter, contact HR and ask about volunteering your time to hold a training session to the company’s employees it will benefit the most. A great example is if you’re a Microsoft office expert and you can merge documents, create power point presentations or design incredible excel spreadsheets, share your knowledge with others!

My Executive Journey:

I started my career at 17 as an assistant to a banking executive who managed an entire division for my state. I was fortunate to get the position through a marketing program I was in during my senior year of high school. I worked part-time and when I graduated I was moved into a more permanent role. I loved my job and would have probably worked there forever (literally) but the bank was acquired by a very popular financial institution that I would years later work for. But at that time, they did not need me. I worked a couple of jobs during college mostly at financial institutions and medium sized businesses.  I was typically in a support role, from being a receptionist to office assistant to executive assistant.  I learned a great deal about the executives I supported and the #1 thing they all had was dedication.

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This week is Administrative Professionals Week and yesterday was Administrative Professionals Day marking its 60th Anniversary!

I have written about my deep appreciation and love for assistants in general. They are the glue that holds an organization together in many cases. Their role is extremely demanding and they are most often the “middle-man”.

For my very first post I wrote The Assistant. In my article, I addressed the importance of the role. I began my career as an assistant and I understand the value that they bring to a company.

In my opinion, an assistant is a modern version of the word secretary and an administrative professional can range depending on the field. In my company, the administrative role comprises of the Sales Administrator, the Purchasing Clerk, the Project Coordinator, the Executive Assistant, the Office Manager and the receptionist to name a few, all of these roles are an essential piece of the administration team.

Here are some cool facts about Administrative Professionals Day:

The day/week was originally organized in 1952 as “National Secretaries Week” by the National Secretaries Association (now known as the International Association of Administrative Professionals) in conjunction with public relations executive Harry Klemfuss and a consortium of office product manufacturers. It was established as an effort to recognize secretaries for their contributions in the workplace, and to attract people to secretarial/administrative careers.

The official definition of an administrative professional according to the IAAP is as follows:

“individuals who are responsible for administrative tasks and coordination of information in support of an office-related environment and who are dedicated to furthering their personal and professional growth in their chosen profession.”

According to the IAAP, some popular alternative titles for “secretary” are administrative assistant, office coordinator, administrative specialist (I like that one), executive assistant, and office manager.

Here are some great ways for employers to recognize your Administrative Specialist for a job well done!

• Office/Cubical trinkets
• New coffee mug, water bottle
• Tuition Reimbursement towards college degrees, certifications or online training courses to enhance administrative skills such as computer programs
• Membership to professional organizations (My favorite being the National Association of Professional Women or even a volunteering organization like the Junior League)
• Registration to conferences, seminars or workshops
• Attainment of Professional Certifications such as IAAP’s Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) certification
• Business Cards (everyone loves to have business cards!)
• Technical Devices such as iPad or laptop
• Monetary Bonus or Gift Certificates to the Spa
• Flowers and Candy
• Card or free e-card
• Lunch
• A simple “Thank You” goes along way!

At my company, we try to offer the above features to our administrative team of professionals. This year, my assistant and I are going to leave work early and enjoy a pilates class (her choice over yoga) to de-stress, relax and bond.

I have recently experienced a challenge with my assistant, she was feeling overwhelmed and bombarded with information, the need for approvals, following up and pulling information from others and was quite frankly on the verge of a mini-meltdown.

To help combat this issue, we now meet twice a day for what I termed the daily “Power Pow-Wow” we quickly discuss the daily tasks my assistant has, any questions, my suggestions and quick tips and we meet again (when possible) to review the day, we focus on accomplishments and any worries looming in the horizon. It has been super beneficial and we keep the pow wow’s under 10 minutes unless we are discussing a focus area. These quick chats are not meant to be long meetings or opportunities for reviews. But to provide an area of comfortable communication that is much needed in today’s high-tech arena.

If you are an administrative professional, request a quick daily get-together with your manager!

• Set a daily time (for my assistant and I, it is within 15 minutes of either her or my arrival), be on time, show up with notepad and pen in hand, have your previous day’s accomplishments at hand and outstanding tasks or questions.
• Take this time to be honest with yourself and your boss about what you are and are not able to accomplish, show that you take your work seriously and that you are conscious of the amount of time each task will require of you.
• Be vocal and communicate with your boss about any concerns or wishes you have at that time.
• Do not use pow wow’s to complain about team members or to complain at all about anything.

Here are some key assets to being a Pink Thinking Administrative Professional!

1. Be Positive! Try to avoid complaining at all costs, always consider the bright side of the situation and be mindful that no one is attracted to a negative talker, thinker or believer. Even if what you are complaining about has a ring of truth to it, most people will avoid being apart of the conversation and will quickly separate themselves from you. If you do have valid issues, come up with solutions. Remember ideas can = solutions. The great part about being a member of the administration is that you most likely have a direct professional relationship with all decision makers. Use your power for good not evil.
2. Comprehension! Knowledge is power and the ability to understand the information you are given is a key essential to being knowledgeable. The only true way to comprehend information is to ask questions and research. Never be afraid to ask questions, request clarity, additional instructions and always research anything you are not 110% sure about, use all resources that are available to you from your boss, your co-workers, your industry and Google (or Bing).
3. Experience! One of the easiest ways to improve your problem solving skills is to have the experience to do so. This does not mean that you need to be on the job for years in order to gain experience. Having the ability to solve problems is in direct correlation to your past and present awareness. If you have ever been on a team or played an instrument, you probably have great patience and communication skills that you are not tapping into. If you volunteer, you probably have the ability to offer exceptional customer service skills. And the list can go on. The important part is using your personal life to add value to your professional life is an easy way to apply your experience to your role.
4. Taking your Career Seriously! Many women are obtaining college degrees and MBA’s at a much more rapid pace than our male-counterparts, yet we are not staying in the work force long-term and we tend to move out of a position too early, not committing to the role. Therefore, many of us are not holding executive or C-level positions. One of my major goals for not only my female co-workers (all of you), but also for myself is to stay dedicated to our careers. It is so easy to give up early or to achieve the desired success and then burn out. Us women, have many roles in our lives and our professional role is just one of them, so make sure to take good care of yourself, be apart of your community, workout, compliment each other and mentor other women, it will invigorate your career and continue to offer you the challenge and growth that you need to sustain the long-haul.

Happy Administrative Professional Day Week!!!

Sincerely,

Bree

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Hello Pink Thinkers!

I am so excited to share an inspirational story with you! You may have heard about Liz Murray already from her Lifetime movie ”Homeless to Harvard” or read her book “Breaking Night” but if you are not one of the lucky ones who have already been introduced to Liz, than I am more than happy to introduce you to her story!

I recently watched the movie titled Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story on Lifetime, and after watching it, I literally put on my running shoes and ran 10 miles that day to allow the overwhelming inspiration sink into my mind as it did my heart. The movie was amazing but something told me to download her audio book Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard, she narrated the story which was the main reason why I wanted to hear it rather than read it, I wanted to hear her voice, soak in her words and listen to her inspire me, herself. 

And boy, did she ever!

The book was much more detailed than the movie, it was so well written and she told the story so profoundly, with every word she spoke you could imagine her trials and tribulations as if you were there going through them with her.  

The title itself gives you the main idea of what is so inspiring about Liz’s life but it does not do her justice.  What you don’t know about Liz until you hear her story is that she was born into a family of extreme poverty and drug abuse. Her parents, although loving in their own way, put drugs before her and her sister’s well being. Liz and her sister Lisa were resilient and positive throughout their entire upbringing, pushing forward and going with the flow. Throughout their childhood they overcame starvation and neglect and most importantly they managed to cope with their lives without using drugs themselves.  Which I find to be incredible!

Liz reminds me of the boy in the story The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (which is another must-read story based on faith and finding your true calling), Liz seems to listen to an inner-voice and although Liz does not have any mentors or anyone that actually listens to her, she learns to put the puzzle pieces of life together quite instinctively. 

At the age of 15, Liz becomes homeless and alone.  By the time she is 17 she suffers the lost of her Mother and decides to enroll in high school, she completes her entire education in only 2 years and all while remaining secretively homeless.

Liz provides through her own story, what motivated her to complete 10 hours of course work on 4 hours of sleep, how she earned money during her summer breaks to provide some security during the school year.  What even made her want her high school diploma when she could have received her GED.  How she found the strength to believe in herself.  Why she never saw herself as a victim of her circumstances and how she ended up at Harvard. 

Her story is that of true perseverance and dedication.  She is forever in my heart and in my thoughts, her story is what we refer to as the “American Dream”.  She will encourage you to be thankful for your own life even if all you have is the breath you breathe.  She will encourage you to want to be more involved in your community or even better involved globally.  She will encourage you to follow your dreams even when you don’t know what your dreams are, she teaches you that taking one step could lead to a million steps in the right direction.

She is truly amazing because her journey which started so unbelievably at the “bottom” lead her to achieving the unthinkable and she did it all on her own!

Her appreciation of the friends she made and the teachers that inspired her gave her enough hope and courage to fight beyond her wildest dreams. 

I really encourage you to download the audio book on www.Audible.com or on Itunes or order the audio book version from www.Amazon.com.  Watch the movie and encourage your company to have her come and speak at a conference!

Let me know your feelings on the Liz Murray story! Are you as inspired as I am?  

Check out her website http://manifestliving.com

Click Here to watch Liz on YouTube!!!!

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Bree

www.facebook.com/thepinkbriefcase

Hello Pink Thinkers,

Have you ever needed a day off but did not want to actually miss a day of work?

Maybe you’re saving up time off for a big vacation or you don’t want to miss that important morning meeting or you simply vow to maintain your perfect attendance record (kudos to you by the way, bosses love people like you).

In any event, you need a mental break from grueling work assignments. Well pay close attention to this article, you will learn some easy ways to take a “break” with out missing a day of work.

Whenever I am feeling a little low on energy or I have just completed a big project, I tend to need some time to just breathe, but I realize that missing work is not always the best option so I have come up with some great ways to spend the day mentally relaxing at work.

Don’t fret, these business friendly tips won’t get you handed a pink slip. Just make sure to follow your company’s policy and make sure not to distract others on your “day off”, spending hours chit-chatting at the water cooler or escaping to the bathroom to read the latest novel, will not earn you any brownie points.

Arrive to work a bit early, I know this seems counter-productive, but trust me, the earlier you arrive the more likely you are to not get caught up in a work issue that plagues your entire day.

Pick a great day to “take a day off”, don’t choose the busiest day of the week! For example, Friday’s are typically a great day to enjoy some much needed “time off” by doing the following:

• Organize and clean your office or workspace
• Read, file and delete emails
• Scan or file paperwork and documents
• Sort through your business mail
• Catch up on the company’s social media outlets (newsletters, blogs, and make comments)
• Catch up on the industry’s social media outlets
• Research competitors
• Return phone calls
• Follow up on work you delegated
• Update your planner, calendars and task sheets
• Assess and rewrite notes
• Take a webinar or company e-training course
• Think of new ideas (document them)
• Clean up your desktop and file folders
• Volunteer your time to others in the office by answering questions or lending a helping hand on something you’re an expert at
• Erase your whiteboard
• Remember to say hi to your co-workers since it’s your “day off” you can be more laid back today
• Take an extended lunch today (if you are allowed to do so)

As you can see, you can clear your mind from assignments, get rid of all the crap you’re usually too busy to bother with and still have a much needed mental “day off” from work. I recommend you do this once a month!

One thing to remember is that since you are still at work, you are still held responsible for completing your assignments and helping others, etc. so don’t become deaf and tune out, your “day off” could get cut short at any moment so make the best of it and plan a day your boss is taking the day off or a day you’re not short-handed.

If you are in a career that does not allow any flexibility in your daily routine, this article is not for you, maybe you can submit some tips that could help others or maybe you just need a real day off.

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Bree

www.facebook.com/thepinkbriefcase

Hi Pink Thinkers,

I stumbled across this article today, which was really awesome considering about 4 years ago, I hung it in my office bathroom! 

Are You a Professional?

How you look, talk, write, act and work determines whether you are a professional or an amateur. Society does not emphasize the importance of professionalism, so people tend to believe that amateur work is normal. Many businesses accept less-than-good results.

Schools graduate students who cannot read. You can miss 15% of the driving-test answers and still get a driver license. “Just getting by” is an attitude many people accept. But it is the attitude of amateurs.

“Don’t ever do anything as though you were an amateur.

“Anything you do, do it as a Professional to Professional standards.

“If you have the idea about anything you do that you just dabble in it, you will wind up with a dabble life. There’ll be no satisfaction in it because there will be no real production you can be proud of.

“Develop the frame of mind that whatever you do, you are doing it as a professional and move up to professional standards in it.

“Never let it be said of you that you lived an amateur life.

“Professionals see situations and they handle what they see. They are not amateur dabblers.

“So learn this as a first lesson about life. The only successful beings in any field, including living itself, are those who have a professional viewpoint and make themselves and ARE professionals”

— L. Ron Hubbard

A professional learns every aspect of the job. An amateur skips the learning process whenever possible.

A professional carefully discovers what is needed and wanted. An amateur assumes what others need and want.

A professional looks, speaks and dresses like a professional. An amateur is sloppy in appearance and speech.

A professional keeps his or her work area clean and orderly. An amateur has a messy, confused or dirty work area.

A professional is focused and clear-headed. An amateur is confused and distracted.

A professional does not let mistakes slide by. An amateur ignores or hides mistakes.

A professional jumps into difficult assignments. An amateur tries to get out of difficult work.

A professional completes projects as soon as possible. An amateur is surrounded by unfinished work piled on top of unfinished work.

A professional remains level-headed and optimistic. An amateur gets upset and assumes the worst.

A professional handles money and accounts very carefully. An amateur is sloppy with money or accounts.

A professional faces up to other people’s upsets and problems. An amateur avoids others’ problems.

A professional uses higher emotional tones: Enthusiasm, cheerfulness, interest, contentment. An amateur uses lower emotional tones: anger, hostility, resentment, fear, victim.

A professional persists until the objective is achieved. An amateur gives up at the first opportunity.

A professional produces more than expected. An amateur produces just enough to get by.

A professional produces a high-quality product or service. An amateur produces a medium-to-low quality product or service.

A professional earns high pay. An amateur earns low pay and feels it’s unfair.

A professional has a promising future. An amateur has an uncertain future.

The first step to making yourself a professional is to decide you ARE a professional.

Are you a professional?

http://www.tipsforsuccess.org/professionalism.htm

Sincerely,

Bree