by Solange Lopes | Jun 17, 2015 | Career
How to get better at your job every day
Back during the days when I was studying for my CPA certification and used to stay at work after-hours to practice a gazillion questions around amortization and accounting ethics (please empathize), I befriended one of the sweetest and most driven, ambitious women I’ve ever met. For our purposes, I’ll call her Maria. Maria was the office cleaning lady, and she might as well have been the CEO of the office cleaning company. She single-handedly developed a method of folding bags into the dustbins that allowed her to get an exact count of how many bags she used, and helped her improve her process on a daily basis, literally. Maria was also a hairdresser on the side, practicing her side business on week-ends, and applying whatever customer service skills she would acquire to her current office cleaning job.
Maria was literally getting better at her job every day. Watching her dedication, punctuality, unbelievable customer service, and commitment to improve the process of cleaning dustbins all throughout the department, would inspire me to get better at whatever I was doing. So what is it that really separates anyone from being effective and fulfilled in any type of occupation, from those who drag along the bottom rungs of productivity (and satisfaction)?
1. Have A Vision (and use it)! Your vision for your life and career is what ultimately drives and defines your success! And it’s not enough to just have a vision, you have to practice it! Start applying it and visualizing, in detail, how successful you can get. The means to do so will start manifesting.
2. Think in advance! Anticipate your department’s needs before they are actually communicated. Think in ways processes can be improved and share those improvements with the rest of the team.
3. Bring solutions not problems to the table! Learning to think proactively about solutions to every problem is what makes you better at any job. For each problem, make it a habit to offer at least two solutions.
4. Focus on effective communication! Find effective ways to communicate your thoughts and challenges in a productive, proactive way.
How do you get better at your job every day?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Jun 16, 2015 | Career |
Use your natural talents at work
My daughter is graduating from kindergarten this week as one of the top students in her class (proud mama beaming on the other side of your computer screen). Yet, as much as I would be proud of her even if she had been a frequent detention resident (at which point we would have to have a little person talk), I can’t help but think her success matters more to me if she is happy while achieving it. Seeing her come back from school with all manners of happy grins on her face is success enough, knowing she loves it precisely because she’s able to be herself and use her natural talents in the classroom…
Wouldn’t it just be simpler if work were just like kindergarten? If you could graduate/get promoted based on doing stuff you love, and doing it so well it would actually make you happy, thus pushing you to strive even more and be even more successful?
What happens in the time and space between small classes full of enthusiastic laughter, and cubicle farms filled with disgruntled, enthusiasm and productivity-starved professionals? What happens is somewhere in between gulping our morning coffees and logging out of our corporate systems, we forget what we’re really good at and how using our own talents is really the key to success...
So you want me to write a novel at work? Or use my amazing cooking skills to impress my manager (who by the way is still waiting on that quarterly sales report)? Ok, I get your drift…Yet how about using the essence of those talents, the organization and focus that make you such a great cook, the communicative abilities that make up your writing gifts, the passion you have for learning, to take you to new heights at work?
Achieving one’s dreams doesn’t always occur at the location and time we expect, but rather builds itself up over time through practicing the essence of our gifts right where we are, with what we have.
So how can one use their natural talents to succeed at work?
1. Stop hiding! This over-the-top professional, no fun, “strictly work” persona, please ditch it! Share and show your interests in a subtle yet honest way. People will love you for it, and will be much more able to appreciate the true “you”…as long as it doesn’t interfere with your work, of course!
2. Seek work where you can use your talents! The key to professional fulfillment is being able to offer the best you can, while enjoying the process. Even if your day-to-day tasks couldn’t be more ordinary, volunteer for projects that appeal to your natural gifts. Seek positions that are a better fit for your personality, and don’t be afraid to add your personal touch to your work.
3. Keep learning! Our natural gifts evolve with each environment, task, or work you’re exposed to. Keep learning, keep growing and developing your natural abilities right where you are. The same technical abilities that make you excel a website building are also those that will help you put together amazing presentations or build new products at work. Keep developing yourself!
How do you use your natural talents at work?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Jun 14, 2015 | Career
Happy Sunday! Today’s Dear Daughter’s birthday, and we’re preparing to celebrate this afternoon with enough cake and princess-themed stuff we’ll all be ready for a day off tomorrow…In the meantime, here are the news that made our week:
- Are you a fan of The Voice? Business Insider reveals companies are using the same model of blind auditions to hire top talent (and we’re liking it);
- Speaking of powerful negotiations, the Harvard Business Review tips us off on how to negotiate nicely without being a pushover;
- And a pushover you will not be, with these tips from Inc on how to deal with a difficult co-worker;
- The Muse advises us on how to stop obsessively checking email (and oh could I use this);
- Summer vacation time is upon us, and the Harvard Business Review advises not to obsess over everything before going on vacation;
- SheKnows lists 6 non-scammy ways to work from home;
- Mashable tells us why signing your email with “Best” is jut about the worst thing you can do;
- In not-so-great news, US News reveals Intel and Apple money are not enough to boost diversity;
- Fortune Magazine writes about how women can restore America’s middle class;
- Last but not least, You Tern uncovers the one word that can stall your entire career.
Happy Sunday 🙂
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Jun 11, 2015 | Career
Full skirt – Photo credit: nyandcompany.com
Skirt weather is here, and oh am I glad! Hence today’s Work It pick, this Eva Mendes Collection full skirt from NY&Co. Loving the feminine and romantic look of this skirt, with its embroidered overlay and trim. It can easily go from the office to after-hours, and even on the week-end for a romantic date! It’s $64.95 at NY&Co.
This skirt can be effortlessly paired with an easy blouse or shell, like this inverted pleat blouse, also from NY&Co, or this chiffon overlay shell.
Happy skirting!
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Jun 11, 2015 | Career
So, there you are, stuck in the elevator (literally) on your way down to the lobby, as the CEO gets in. Yes, the CEO, as in your boss’ boss’s boss’s boss (and then some bosses in between). And there’s also the opportunity of a lifetime to show yourself as the totally unforgettable employee who single-handedly marketed herself into executive management between the 42nd and the 40th floor…Or to just stand there and melt into a puddle of self-consciousness and over-polite, non-memorable side glances…
I have to admit, I was that woman shrinking in the corner of the elevator on the way down to the lobby of the John Hancock building. Yes, the one staring at her immaculate Nine West pumps as the big partners stepped in, wishing some really annoying fly could come in and distract everyone else from the tension I single-handedly created. Except the John Hancock elevators are uber-sanitized and there is no chance in corporate hell for a single fly to stroll in…And at the time neither was there a chance for me to stand out without a well-crafted elevator pitch…
But really what is an elevator pitch?
It’s nothing else but a short, well-prepared, and concise way of marketing yourself. It’s only a few sentences long, yet when well done, can pack some serious punch into your job search and career growth. A well-crafted, powerful elevator pitch can land you a job, accelerate your career growth, and make you seriously unforgettable. It can also get you from struggling entrepreneur to striving startup owner, just like that, within a few powerful words… A not-so-well crafted one can embarrass the living hell out of you too, but we won’t go there today…
Fast-forward a few years (and a few jobs) later, while I try to bury some of these shy young associates’ memories in the foggy depths of my professional mind, here are a few lessons I’ve learnt about crafting a seriously unforgettable elevator pitch that makes you noticed by your boss’s boss’s boss’s (and their bosses):
- State your professional identity, NOT your title! Do not start with “I am a Manager of Operations”, for instance. Instead, start with “I create”, or “I teach”, to position yourself as an expert in your field.
- Define your expertise. These would be the skills and competencies you make use of in your work.
- List your super powers! What makes you unique? Why are you different than everyone else in your field (in a good way, please don’t state your ability at building paper planes)? Talk about your particular technical knowledge, advanced certification, or networking connections, or special approach to a problem.
- Define your dream work environments. This would be where you have worked (and enjoyed), or where you would love to work in the future.
Reflect on each of these to build a compelling elevator pitch. Remember, it shouldn’t be longer than 30 to 60 seconds, and should sound effortless and conversational. Always look at the person you’re speaking to in the eyes, and deliver your message with as much confidence as you can muster.
Are you ready to craft your elevator pitch?
The Corporate Sis.
