by Solange Lopes | Jul 18, 2014 | Career
Boucle Scalloped Jacket – $110 – topshop.com
TGIF! And to finish this week in high professional style, we picked this Betty boucle scallop jacket in ivory from Topshop! Because it should;t just be about the perfect LWD (Little White Dress), but also about THE perfect LWJ (Little White Jacket)…and we may just have found THE ONE!
Loving the delicate ivory color of this lightweight cotton jacket, perfect for summer in the office! The boucle detail of the jacket, along with the unique and unexpected scalloped edges, bring the elegance factor up a notch, and upgrades any outfit in an instant!
This jacket is $110 at Topshop.com!
The Corporate Sister.
by Solange Lopes | Jul 18, 2014 | Career
The Power of checklists – thebudgetnistablog.com
Happy Friday! TGIF!
Do you find yourself competing projects and forgetting to add an important detail or two? Do you usually stare at your review in disbelief, saying things like “I can’t believe I forgot that”? Are you a top performer but could be even more successful if your work were 100% thorough? Well, you may be in need of a checklist or two…
I found myself asking myself the same questions at work, as I challenged myself to submit impeccable work constantly. However, with mounting pressures at work, endless distractions here and there, and work hours that never seem enough to do it all, it was easier said than done. That’s when I got in the habit of using checklists to vet my work, and even making up my own to ensure optimal results, regardless of the assignment, task or project.
In his best-seller The Checklist Manifesto, surgeon and checklist advocate, reveals to us that despite the incredible wealth of knowledge and possibility available to us today, we keep committing avoidable failures that constantly set us back, across all major fields and industries, as well as in real, simple and usually quite disorganized life. In his book, Mr. Gawande explains that the simplest of tools can actually render us more effective: the checklist. So how can we incorporate checklists into our professional lives more effectively?
1. Use a comprehensive checklist! If you are using a checklist template from work, ensure that it covers all the most essential aspects of the project or task at hand. If you happen to be building your own checklist, as you probably will have to, sit back and take a critical look at it to make sure that it provides 360 degree view of the process it is undertaking to cover.
2. Don’t make it too short! An effective checklist is not pages long, as it would not only waster your precious time, but take your concentration off the very purpose of it. Yet, it shouldn’t be too short either, as it may fail capturing important details of the process that may create, once again, those “avoidable failures”.
3. Selection, selection, selection! A good checklist is not a laundry list of anything and everything that could affect a project, process or task. Rather, it is a selective list of what could go wrong. Ask yourself what are the most critical culprits of the task at hand, and if those are no listed on your checklist, then you may want to reconsider…
As a bonus, we are attaching our basic project checklist…just for you:
Basic Project Checklist
Are you using checklists in your work?
The Corporate Sister.
by Solange Lopes | Jul 16, 2014 | Career
Sylvan Heel Pumps – tjmaxx.com
For our coffee break today, we are (literally) breaking away from work and going shoe-shopping! Loving this pair of Sylvan Heel pumps in tan for their classic and impeccable look. As a stiletto addict, I can appreciate a lower, more traditional heel, especially when it comes with impeccable style.
The square toe, front bow and oh so elegant nude color remind of the iconic Celine pump, and give this shoe a definite French je-ne-sais-quoi! It’s simple, pure class, and at $39.99, you can’t beat this!
Seen a great, office-appropriate shoe you’d like to share? Please email us at corporate@thecorporatesister.com!
The Corporate Sister.
by Solange Lopes | Jul 16, 2014 | Career
Lace Blouse – hm.com
It’s lunch break time, and as you take a break from your busy morning, check out this adorable lace blouse from H&M!
Loving the lace detail of this delicate, yet very elegant and work appropriate blouse. The lace sleeves add a unique detail to this simple, classic blouse, while the lace inserts at the top complete this finely crafted top. It’s the perfect LWT (read Little White Top) for summer, and is great both in and out of the office.
Pair it with a sleek pair of slacks, or a classic pencil skirt, and voila…you’re ready for work! And it’s a plus that this top is a steal at $34.99 at hm.com!
Pssst….While you’re at it, check out the great sales at H&M, with discounts as deep as 75%…
Seen a great, office-friendly fashion pick you’d like to share? Please email us at corporate@thecorporatesister.com!
The Corporate Sister.
by Solange Lopes | Jul 16, 2014 | Career
Back from vacation – huffingtonpost.com
Happy hump-day! And for some of us, the transition is all the more real, as you may just have come back from vacation. Now is the dreaded time to get back to work, cautiously log into your inbox and expect to be flooded with tons of pending emails, unending to-do’s, not to mention the stress, chaotic office life and slight gloom and depression of after vacay!
- Start early! I like to get in the office early on the day that I return from vacation, just to give myself some time to compose my disconnected self before everyone gets in and corporate chaos sets in once again! Plan to get in a bit earlier than usual, take a deep breath, get yourself that extra cup of joe and get ready…
- Reconnect, reconnect, reconnect! After shutting down your out-of-office assistant, don’t just keep staring blindlessly at your computer screen, waiting for it to turn into the white sand and clear water you just left! Get up and walk around the office, make your presence known, inquire about what has been going on during your absence, and what new projects or assignments are under way! And while you’re at it, why not indulge in some positive office gossip?
- Be realistic! The mistake that many a corporate sister (or brother) makes upon returning to work from vacation is that they can catch up on everything in a day. Be realistic, and avoid biting on more work than you can realistically chew! Communicate with management, and make sure to tackle the most urgent tasks first. Allow yourself some flexibility and bandwidth to cover all the requests, emails and tasks waiting for you. You will be less overwhelmed, and…less prone to booking that ticket back to Punta Cana!
Are you back from vacation? How are you coping with it?
The Corporate Sister.
