by Solange Lopes | Feb 16, 2016 | Career, Start Your Business
The day baby daughter brought a not-so-good behavioral report card from school, we knew the family “chatty” gene had hit again. You see, we kinda like to chat around here, and the gene had certainly not missed the next generation. And of course, the first thing we thought of doing was take away her privileges, including the music lessons she enjoyed so much.
But what happened afterwards left us all quite surprised, and relieved that we limited the taking away of privileges to occasional TV watching and candy eating. The more she got involved in her music lessons, the better her behavior and discipline turned in school. All of a sudden, my smart and chatty baby was smart, disciplined and focused. I knew my side of the family had that gene too by the way…
What if the same thing happened in our careers? If extra-curricular activities can the catalyst to success at school, entrepreneurship might just be the boost our careers need to be more focused, disciplined, and ultimately, wildly successful.
Take myself for instance…I was the one at the back of the conference room, who could barely manage to utter a word. All the good ideas and insight I had were magically imprisoned in my brain. Somehow, some way, nothing would come out of this mouth of mine, which by the way would prove to be very chatty in different circumstances…
After I started blogging, something also magical happened. The very fact that I trained myself, day in and day out, to speak, if only through the written word, made me bolder. I went from hiding behind the walls at work, to actually speaking and sharing my ideas. My brain (and mouth) was now wired to express itself. The start of my entrepreneurial venture had spilled over to my career, and the results were surprising even to me…
Developing your entrepreneurial spirit changes your career for the better. The minute you start creating, innovating, and expressing yourself, that’s the minute you’ve empowered you career.
This is also the very reason why college students are now encouraged to be more entrepreneurial with their job search. It’s also why some of the most prevalent career advice out there is to approach your career as an entrepreneur.
Among the many benefits that entrepreneurship can bring to your career, are:
- You show up more for your career. Many of us just let our careers happen to us. Day in and day out, we drag ourselves to the same desks, perform the same tasks, speak to the same people, and go home to the same feeling of emptiness. Yet the minute that “entrepreneurial” gene is activated in us, whether it’s through a side hustle, a new project, or even just a desire to create something new, we start “showing up” more at work. Speaking up in meetings. Offering news ideas and insight. Wanting to change and revolutionize things. And most times, it’s all the spark we need for success.
- You learn to manage failure. The foundation of entrepreneurship is failure. Doesn’t the average “overnight success story” take 10 years? There’s a reason why most entrepreneurs are filled with grit and determination. What if you could bring the same grit and determination to your own career? What if developing and nurturing your own entrepreneurial gene by starting your side business, creating a new project, or committing to a particular result, could also help you manage and turn career failure into success. What if that missed promotion, that failed pitch at work, would push you to work harder, instead of deterring you from trying again?
- You own your career. So many among us feel like our careers are dependent upon our managers’ will to promote us. Or the budget’s availability. Or the economy. There always seems to be something standing on our way to success. Always some external obstacle we don’t quite control. Yet being an entrepreneur teaches you to take responsibility for your own fate. To own it. Imagine bringing this to your own career, and taking your own advancement and career growth into your hands? How about asking for a raise instead of waiting for the budget to grow? Or presenting a new initiative of your own, rather than putting up with the status quo?
Now let me ask you this: How can you start adding some of that entrepreneurial zing into your career today? Not tomorrow, not next month or next year, but TODAY! Can you start your own side hustle, begin a project at work, or commit to a specific result today?
Let me know in the comments…
Love,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Feb 14, 2016 | Career
Photo credit: skimlinks.com
My week-end pick this week is this classic, cute pair of Carlos by Carlos Santana stacked heel booties from 6pm. Love the comfortable heel that won’t prevent your from running after your kids, yet stylish enough to complement your favorite boyfriend jeans as you run errands (or go an impromptu brunch).
A stylish alternative to these higher heeled Fergalicious booties, or these chic and simple ALDO Lilianne stacked block heels booties.
Would you sport any of these? Yay or nay?
Love,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Feb 14, 2016 | Career
This is our weekly career and lifestyle news update, where we round up exciting news of the last week and we let you have it…ahem, news-wise that is…
Think of it as your career gossiping section on steroids…
And while you’re at it, follow us on Facebook, Twitter,IG, and Pinterest!
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Hope you’re enjoying a serious dose of love today, and that you’re doing at least one thing for yourself…
- Right on time for V-Day, Business Insider tells us how being single influences your career
- And who you’re going to marry based on your job too
- For those tech-challenged like myself, The Daily Muse tips you off on 13 cheap (or free) online classes you can take to boost your digital skills
- US News lists 3 ways saying no at work can boost your career
- Lev0 tells you why it’s so important to have a work frenemy
- Deal Alert! Corporette tells us all about the Nordstrom Winter Sale
- The Undercover Recruiter tips us off on the do’s and don’t of having an office romance
- Worried about perfecting your elevator pitch? Careerealism gives you 5 tips to follow.
What other news would you like to add to this roundup?
Love,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Feb 12, 2016 | Career
Photo credit: farfetch.com
I’m getting on the wild side of corporate things (is there even such a thing?) with this Norma Kamali pencil cheetah print skirt. Loving the unconventional print of this skirt, paired with the more classic pencil cut. I would definitely sport this to work, paired with a neutral color top like the one on the model pictured. This skirt is $129.77 at Farfetch.
And while we’re on the cheetah print train, I absolve this Loeffler Randall work tote from Nordstrom, which would be perfect against your favorite black sheath dress or easy neutral slacks.
Would you sport the cheetah print at work?
Love and Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Feb 12, 2016 | Working Mom & Woman Tips |
I remember returning to work after maternity leave for my first and second baby, being lost and trying to find my marks for weeks. Dealing with the emotional and physical pressure at home, and the mental upheaval at work. After missing so many months at work, there was so much catching up to do. Even as my mind was still reconciling the change in circumstances, when my heart was longing for my fuzzy-haired babies, and my body was juggling the two as I struggled to pump enough milk while reading the quarterly report at work.
This is the dilemma for many moms returning to work after baby. How to adjust to this life change, while still showing ourselves as competent, competitive and ready to shatter that glass ceiling all the while pumping adequate amounts of milk? And how to even expect our male-dominated workplaces to understand what it means to go through the experience of making another human being and emerging as a totally different human being?
While we may expect companies and management to help us through this transition, truth is, we have to do the bulk of the understanding, and the working, and the making peace with all the milk and diapers and quarterly reports mess. And if you’ve been in the same situation, you know all too well what it feels like..
And sometimes, many times actually, we learn more from what not to do, than from what to do. And after breaking my own records of what not to do, in and outside of work, here are a few of my not-to’s for us ladies returning to work after maternity leave:
- Don’t try and be SuperWoman! More than any other time, work after baby feels like having to be Superwoman, except instead of the cape, we have to make do with milk-stained blouses and haunting dark circles (hello waterproof concealer). After baby#1, I though I could come back to the professional life and do it all. Pump while taking the conference call. Get the house in tip-top shape, baby fed, bed made, all before heading out the door in the morning. The reality was, my expectations, more than anything else, drove me bonkers. In addition to having to comb my hair and apply my make-up in the office bathroom, I had to deal with the disappointing frustration of feeling that I was not enough. And of course, my work, and entire life, suffered. Take it one day at a time. Stepping out of the house fully clothed and with matching shoes is already a big accomplishment, acknowledge that you’re doing the best you can.
- Don’t stay in your corner! After returning to work from maternity leave both times, I literally hibernated in my cube for a while. At the time, I thought this would be the best way to catch up and to find my marks. What ended up happening though, is that I failed to re-integrate the work environment as well as I could have. As a new mom back at work after baby, it’s easy (and somewhat normal at first) to stay in your corner and take some time to readjust. Yet, you want this transition period to be as short and swift as possible. Even if you’re still overwhelmed and uncomfortable the first few weeks, come out of your cube. Go meet and talk to people. Ask about changes that have happened in your absence. Do your own, subtle yet effective “after baby networking”. Better than catching up on email, it’s the fastest and most effective way to get yourself back in the groove of all work things. And it’s also the best way to show that you are indeed, back!
- Ask for what you need! Many new moms fail to ask for what they need. What they really, desperately need. Instead, we try to do it all, and end up frustrated, unhappy, and paralyzed into inaction. After baby#2, our family schedule had changed, and I needed to be able to come in earlier so I could leave earlier to pick up both babies. Instead of asking for what a slight schedule adjustment, I would instead drive myself insane trying to leave a few minutes late and curse my way to the daycare. Not the most effective way to keep sane! Do you need to leave at 4:30pm to feed the baby? Ask for a more flexible work arrangement. Do you need to take an hour at lunch to pump? Check with your manager and block that time on your calendar. The better you are at asking for what you need in order to perform your job well, the better you’ll be able to fulfill your professional duties. And yes, there may be instances where the answer will be no! Yet you owe it to yourself to ask.
- Don’t think of your circumstances as obstacles. I was speaking to a close friend earlier about her career progress. And what she said made me realize the sad truth for many moms returning to work after maternity leave. “I don’t think I’ll get the promotion. I’ve just had my second baby, and I’m sure I won’t even be considered for the job. They’ll probably think I won’t be committed enough, with all my family responsibilities and all…” So she didn’t go for the job…at first. Until her own husband pushed her to apply and go for it. And she did get it…This is a happy ending that may not happen in many other instances. Yet, way too often, we take ourselves out of the race mentally first. Thinking that we won’t be able to do the job. Or that “they” won’t consider us for it (who’s “they” anyways?). If you don’t think of your circumstances as obstacles, even if these look the part, chances are others won’t.
In summary, here are the no-no’s to absolutely avoid when coming back to work after baby, milk-stained shirts and sleepless nights galore:
- Avoid the Superwoman trap at all costs! You can’t do it all, and you can’t please everyone. You’re not a plate of cheese!
- Get out of that office, cube, or wherever else you may be hiding out after baby! Network your way back into the fold, show your face, and get back on track!
- Put your needs out there! No more trying to beat traffic, or concoct excuses! If you need it, ask for it!
- What’s happening to you is normal, it’s not an obstacle! Stop thinking of and presenting your circumstances as obstacles to your career advancement and progress! The more you learn to thrive in your circumstances, the more success you will attract your way!
What else would you suggest as a no-no for women returning to work after abby? Care to share your own story? Please chime in in the comments…
Love and Success,
The Corporate Sis.
