by Solange Lopes | Dec 5, 2016 | PODCAST
Working Girls Club Podcast
Episode Summary: In this first episode of the Working Girls Club Podcast, I welcome all new listeners to our brand-new podcast. The episode also jumps right into the holiday season, and discusses dealing with the general busy-ness and overwhelm of the season. I also talk about navigating holiday events at work, spreading cheer in your office, and successfully practicing gratitude.
Links: Career Gratitude Journal: bit.ly/tcscareergratitude
Items mentioned in this podcast:
- Career Gratitude Journal
- Blog posts on The Corporate Sister blog (www.thecorporatesister.com)
In this particular episode, you will learn:
- How to thrive and not just survive during the holiday season by beating the overwhelm and disorganization that may set in during this time;
- How to successfully navigate holiday events at work;
- How to spread the holiday cheer at work, starting with your own office space;
- How to practice gratitude during this time (plus the link to my FREE Career Gratitude Journal)
Thanks for listening!
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
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by Solange Lopes | Dec 2, 2016 | Career
Our Wear to Work feature showcases a piece of attire for business and professional women.
Collection two-button blazer – Photo credit: shopstyle.com
‘Tis the season for festive colors, more specifically red. Which is why I’ve decided to feature some festive red blazers this season, starting with this Collection Two-button blazer from The Limited. I love the classic and polished style of this refined blazer that you can pair with anything from a sheath dress to a pencil skirt, not to mention with your favorite jeans on the week-end.
I also like this piped Madison blazer, also from The Limited, in a tailored cut that will flatter pretty much anything in your wardrobe. Or this J. Crew Regent stand-collar blazer that adds an edgy touch to your outfit.
Are You Into Red Blazers for the Holiday Season?
Fashionably Yours,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Dec 2, 2016 | Career
The holidays are here, and there’s nothing quite like bringing all that festive Christmas cheer to the office with you every day. Even better, why not leaving it there to stay by decorating your office space for the holidays?
While you may want to check in with your management and Human Resources as to the amount and type of decorations you can adorn your office space with, there are many holiday decoration ideas you can use to spread some cheer into your workspace!
Think Cheer In Mini Sizes!
24″ Pink Christmas Tree – Photo credit: target.com
Bring in the holiday cheer into your office in mini sizes! I love mini Christmas trees like this 24″ pink Christmas beauty from Target. I love that it’s available in other colors as well (blue and white), but I have to say this “happy pink” is my absolute fave!
I also like this elegant and original 24″ Birch Tree White Lit Decor Tree with gorgeous white lights to boot
You can go for an even more traditional and smaller look with this Wondershop felt tree with berries as well, also from Target.
Let It Hang!
Merry Christmas Garland – Photo credit: target.com
I mean, not you…but rather your decorations! Adorn your office space with fun hanging garlands like this fun Merry Christmas garland, or this Fair Isle knit ball in festive red and green.
I also like these original pretty party tassel garlands, as a chic way to pretty up your office space. If you’re into more traditional decoration, this artificial garland roping is simply perfect!
Say It With (Fun) Words!
Standing North Pole Sign – Photo credit: target.com
I love cute little holiday signs with fun words or phrases to add to the festive mood! Like this standing North Pole sign that will lighten up the mood as you’re furiously typing on your keyboard.
Or this mini Merry Christmas table sign that says it all! And how about this elegant Peace table sign?
How Do You Like to Decorate Your Office Space for the Holidays?
Happy Holidays,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Dec 1, 2016 | Career
What could you do in 21 days? Or even better, what couldn’t you do?
Research shows that it takes 21 days to develop a habit. 21 days to get on a consistent exercise routine, or start a meditation practice, or even stop sleepwalking to the cheese section of the fridge in the middle of the night (still working on this one)…
What if you could use 21 days to change your career? Not by logging in extra hours, playing dirty office politics, or even hunting for a better job…But simply through the power of gratitude!
There are a gazillion different pieces of advice out there about improving your career. Yet very few talk about how much you can change it by being grateful for where you already are. That can be challenging, considering most of us are constantly on the run, hardly able to stop and appreciate what we have. Not to mention that most of us are paid to solve problems and face obstacles, which leaves us to look at work as this giant, thankless pile of things to do, start and never quite really finish…
Gratitude at Work Is Not Just About Being Nice, It’s A Mindset!
And it’s not just about being nice, bringing cookies and coffee to the office, or even being pleasant to those you happen to work with…It’s a mindset, rooted in the fact that you can only attract what you put out in the world. The more gratitude you put out for that paycheck, those collaborative co-workers, the resources that allow you to pursue the things you love, the more these very thing improve to the point of transmuting themselves into the career you really want…
Have you ever thought to think about how some people get to be in positions of leadership, when all the conventional signs don’t really point to them to lead? How someone who may have as many degrees as a thermometer may not fare as well in their careers, as someone with less credentials? At the core of it all, it’s a mindset. One in which gratitude plays a monumental role…
If that sounds too woo-woo for you, think of one of the greatest self-help books of all time, Think and Grow Rich, in which author Napoleon Hill describes gratitude as one of the ultimate means to reach absolute success in life. But you must practice it on purpose, so its power can really affect your life and work. Which also means building a habit of stopping and recognizing what you are grateful for, on a consistent and active basis…
Think of What Is Working Well At Work…
In your own career, that may mean many different things. From your resources, to the connections and friendships you’ve built over time, to the experience you’ve acquired, not to mention the failures which may have taught you much more than the successes…
I went through the same process when my career was hitting lows, and I wasn’t quite sure what to do. A consistent practice of gratitude not only helped me acquire a different mindset, but also a different attitude and perspective. Circumstances could only follow after this…
That’s why I created this 21-day guided Career Gratitude Journal, complete with guided questions and fillable sections to prompt you to think of things, events and people in your career that you’re thankful for. These will force you to maybe consider aspects of your current job or career that you may overlook on a daily basis. Those little, and medium-sized, and big things we come to think of as normal, but could really change our lives if we didn’t have them…
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR 21-DAY GRATITUDE JOURNAL!
I hope you can use it for 21 days, and keep re-using the questions in there as prompts to motivate you to build a consistent habit of gratitude…
Share with us your results using the 21-Day guided Career Gratitude Journal!
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Nov 30, 2016 | Career
‘Tis the season for holiday gatherings and events at the office. Festivities are in the air, and a sense of celebration is pervading through Cubicle Land. But despite all the cocktails and good cheer around, it’s still work. Which also means there are some unspoken rules to follow to navigate any holiday event in the workplace this season:
Unspoken Rule#1: It’s all about balance!
While many will tell you holiday event or not, it’s still work (which basically means zero fun), there’s still a healthy balance to be kept between the “strictly professional”(read talk about the monthly fiscal report during the entire event), and the fun stuff.
Although you should keep it as professional as possible, there’s also something to be said about showing a lighter side of yourself. Try as much as possible to be relaxed while still maintaining a professional attitude, and let some of your personality shine. This is about getting to know your colleagues better, and allowing them to get to know you better as well…
Oh, and the whole balance thing includes being careful how many glasses of wine you consume to…You’d never want to be remembered as the one who told the boss what she really thought of him after a few drinks…
Unspoken Rule#2: Yes, it’s an Opportunity to Network!
You can network anywhere. Especially at a work holiday event. While this shouldn’t be your entire focus the whole time, take this opportunity to build stronger connections with your colleagues and leaders.Leverage this time to informally network with your peers and leaders, and position yourself in a positive light.
If you’re not sure how to go about this whole networking thing, here are 50 networking questions you can start with.
Unspoken Rule #3: It’s Ok to Get Personal!
Ok, now don’t confuse getting personal with teetering on the edge of TMI (Too Much Information) Zone! This is supposed to be a joyful event, so don’t be afraid to step into a more personal zone, minus any cringe-worthy details about your last indigestion or your ex-best friend’s college antics.
Let your colleagues and leaders see a more private side of yourself, by sharing personal details like where you went on vacation last or some of your family traditions, for instance. In addition to revealing another side of you, it’ll also help you relate to your co-workers and managers on a totally different level.
Unspoken Rule #4: Follow Up!
One aspect of navigating holiday events at work that gets rarely discussed is actually what happens after the event. It’s one thing to enjoy holiday events at work, and get to know your colleagues and leaders while doing some positive networking. It’s another to actually take all this great connecting and networking beyond the event, and actually keep developing the relationships you’ve just made.
You can do this by simply sending an email to someone you’ve connected well with the next day or so, to let them know how much you’ve enjoyed your conversation and invite them for coffee. Or stopping by their cube or office, and saying hi. The point is not to stalk people you’ve enjoyed the company of the evening before, but to keep and reinforce the connection.
So many times, we end up meeting people only once, and never seeing them again or barely interacting with them afterwards…Just follow up, you never know if you’ve just interacted with your future manager, mentor or friend…
What other unspoken rules do you have around holiday events at work?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sister.
