October 2011 Archives

Here's the news from our guest blogger, the intrepid life-journeywoman Lillian Hunter:

"I have never worked a day in my life," my uncle told me. He had just retired, after 40-plus years spent as a pharmaceutical research scientist. It took me a minute to catch on to what he was saying.

Recalling that statement still takes my breath away. Why?

I have never felt anything close to that kind of career satisfaction or fulfillment. My experiences have caused me to subscribe to the philosophy that it is called "work" rather than "fun" because it is something that we have to force ourselves to do.

So I looked up the word "work" in the dictionary. It is defined as: "exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something; labor; toil." That certainly doesn't meet my definition of fun.

My uncle's remark prompted me to consider: Why haven't I had any such feelings? What if I had chosen a different career? What if I had spent more time looking for the "perfect" job rather than settling for what I could get? Did I simply fail to choose a career that matches my interests and talents? Was I just unlucky?

I realize that I chose my career at a young age when I really had no idea what I was doing. In fact, I made most of my critical life decisions when I had no idea what I was doing--who to marry, whether to have children, how many and when, what to do for a living.

I once heard a successful vintner say that the most important decisions we make in our lives are "who we marry and what we do for a living." I tend to agree. Those decisions shape our lives in many unintended ways, especially when we are young. Even if we change careers or spouses later in life, we carry some remnants or residue of those decisions with us for the remainder of our lives.

So I have to wonder: What can I do about my career dissatisfaction at this point in my life? Certainly some sound career advice would be key to improving things. But I believe that understanding why and how I got to this place is also important.

So I will be journeying down the "What if's" of my career path. I will be going back over the choices that brought me here, in the hopes that it will help me come to terms with where I am now and serve as a guide for charting a better path for the future.

I would love to experience my uncle's sense of job fulfillment--or at least something more fulfilling than I have now. I don't want to be one of those people who squander years regretting their past decisions while blaming or berating others or themselves for their current unhappy situation.

In better economic times, I might simply have found a better job or career and avoided this journey altogether. But these days there are few opportunities to switch careers or jobs. Journeying into the past may be the best way, for now, to gain some insight into my professional unhappiness and to develop a better attitude. I'll keep you posted . . .

(Click here to read more from Lillian's blog, "The Roads Not Travelled.")

This comes under the heading of: "I couldn't have said it better." From Fast Company's November letters-to-the-editor page:

"I was glad to see statistics about women in the workforce included in the September issue. However, the graphic accompanying the article had inappropriate icons from what seems to be another decade. The image shows a woman at a sewing machine with the label 'Women's share of the labor force.' Attitudes about stereotypical gender roles are part of workplace discrimination and contribute to women's likelihood to be hired less, promoted less, and paid less than men. I hope the visuals in future articles will be in concert with the times and with what I suspect is Fast Company's attitude toward working women."

Thank you, Chloe Reynolds!

As someone who escaped academia to set up a coaching practice, I love the title of this new book: "The Road to Independence." Starting your own business is indeed the road to independence . . . and autonomy and freedom!

This is a terrific new book from the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession, and I recommend it for any woman considering a start-up, whether you're a lawyer or a coach or a software developer. The Road to Independence: 101 Women's Journeys to Starting Their Own Law Firms is a compendium of stories by women who have been doing it for themselves since the 1970s. I've chosen my favorite bits of advice below, for those of you who'd like the Reader's Digest version.

And for those of you who'd like to learn more about starting your own law firm, sign up for a companion webinar being held 1pm ET this coming Monday, October 24. You'll hear directly from contributors to The Road to Independence about their lessons learned and best advice. Click here for more information.

In the meantime:

"You can select your environment, but you can't control it. Owning your business is a daily combination of unpredictable events." Laurel G. Bellows & Francine Bailey, The Bellows Law Group, PC

"I know that start-up costs are higher now than when I began, but the psychic costs of being where you do not want to be and the psychic benefits of finding your own strengths far outweigh the anxiety of the start-up." Jo Benson Fogel, Jo Benson Fogel PA

"It was terrifying to start a solo practice, but that was, to me, the only way forward. The basic plan was to work like hell and not look back." Leslie J. Lott, Lott & Friedland

"There is nothing like the prospect of having to meet payroll each month to incentivize you to market aggressively." Roberta D. Liebenberg, Fine, Kaplan and Black, RPC

"What was the hardest part? It wasn't practicing law, it was running a business with 10 employees. I had to learn how to manage people: how to be their friendly boss, but not their best friend; how to hire good people and when to fire them; how to manage workplace bullies and water-cooler gossips; and how to keep the overhead expenses in line with my net revenue goals." Georgialee Lang, Georgialee Lang & Associates

"I urge you to take the plunge and start your own law firm! It's not only scary and challenging, I can promise that it's fun, it's exhilarating, it's liberating, and it's rewarding, both professionally and financially." Barbara Walsh Moser, Kaye-Moser-Hierbaum LLP

"I have no patience for people telling me what I can't do. This profession is sadly full of those who would quash your desires and dreams, imposing their fears upon you. . . . Shut out those who will tell you your ideas are folly." Susan Cartier Liebel, Solo Practice University

"Don't be afraid to tell people that you are an attorney. You never know what may come your way. My second largest case came to me during a poolside conversation at my kids' swimming lesson." Kathleen H. Paukert, Paukert & Troppmann, PLLC

"Nice, let's talk about that word. I am nice and firm at the same time. Nice doesn't mean pushover. As a woman, when you are firm, you are automatically viewed as 'not nice' no matter how professional your tone and even your demeanor. . . . You will not win that battle, so do not try. Good people will respect and like you when you are straightforward. Jerks won't, so why waste any time trying to please them? Move on to good people." Marisa A. DeFranco, DeFranco Law Group

"I have used a marketing consultant once a year for the past 12 years since my practice has been open. I call him specifically so that I can ask him what my hourly rate should be for the year. The consultant will tell me to raise it to a certain amount, and each year, I say, no, my clients won't pay that. However, I have found over the years that if I follow his advice and raise my rate for the year, not only do clients pay it, but I also get new and better clients each year." Mary B. Galardi, Galardi Law

"A decade ago, I could not and did not imagine how much of an impact a small firm could make. This is your opportunity to dream big--really, really, big." Jean Murrell Adams, ADAMS ESQ

"There is no limit to what you can achieve with hard work once you have crossed the hurdle of self-doubt!" Poorvi Chothami, LawQuest

"Put yourself in front. Volunteer for leadership in cases and in community activity. Then, most important, when something goes well, take credit. . . . If you don't take credit, someone else will, and they will get the clients." Melanie Damian, Damian & Valori LLP

"It does not happen overnight. For one potential client of mine, I had been trying to obtain work from her company for two years before she invited me to submit a request for proposal for legal services." Mary L. Smith, US Department of Justice

"My favorite accomplishment is the notion that I created my own brand. Every aspect of what I do and how I do it is stamped indelibly with my style." Kim M. Keenan, NAACP, formerly of The Keenan Firm

"Set goals for everything, and measure your progress. Establish an annual budget, and compare income and outflow against it monthly. Monitor the amount and type of legal matters that come in. Track your marketing efforts with objective results." Eileen E. Buholtz, Connors & Corcoran PLLC

"There must be 50 reasons to leave a firm. But for me there was only one: the ugly realization of a glass ceiling. . . . Whatever the reason, there is ultimately only one way to leave a firm: well-prepared." Suzanne Villalon-Hinojosa, Law Offices of Suzanne Villalon-Hinojosa

I've always wondered, why is it that my skin looks so bright and soft and appealing after a morning spent in the garden? And even more, how can I duplicate that dewy glow without getting down on my hands and knees in the dirt?

I visited Victoria Hunter RN in search of the answers. Victoria is a medical aesthetician practicing at New U Plastic Surgery, here in Austin. A registered nurse, she spent a decade working in hospitals and learning therapeutic massage and yoga before turning to beauty and wellness.

I gotta say, it's nerve-wracking to have someone literally shining a light on your every pore, but Victoria easily calmed my rambling nervousness. She got my sense of humor. And since she came to the profession first as a patient (with a case of adult-onset acne), Victoria's empathy is real, and gentle.

OK, so the first thing she notices are those furrows between the brows. They may, she, says, make me appear "angry or tired."

I've been working on those furrows for a loooong time. Flashback to the first week of graduate school: My advisor presses her forefinger into that furrowed brow and advises me to relax. Let me assure you, dear reader, that nothing else about my dissertation advisor ever encouraged me to relax.

Yes, I know I'm a poster child for Botox, but I'm not quite ready for the needle.

And I'm not quite ready for a chemical peel, which, I learn from Victoria, would go a long way to achieve that dewy glow I seek.

And as you may have predicted, I'm not looking to go under the knife, either. But gentle Victoria convinces me to try a dermaplane procedure, followed by a Hydrafacial chaser. The dermaplane procedure is a skin resurfacing technique that uses a special surgical blade to remove the outermost layer of dead skin cells. It feels like a credit card gently flicking across my face. The HydraFacial is a multistep serum infusion process--it uses a combination of pressure and suction to rehydrate my skin at the cellular level.

And oh, the clarity and brightness of the results! Without the kneepads and trowel.

I ask Victoria: What can I do at home to keep looking so refreshed? Her advice:

1. slather on the sunscreen
2. cut out the sugar
3. develop a regimen including exfoliation and antioxidants
   
4. do what you love

I guess that last one explains the post-garden glow.

PS--Want to meet Victoria? We'll be joining forces for a girls' night out at C. Kirk Root Designs, Arboretum, at 6pm on Thursday, Nov 3. Come join us, because clarity is a girl's best friend! And because you'll get exclusive deals on Victoria's services and on the in-stock bling.

Did you know: Of the 81,000 women-owned businesses in this country, only 2.8% of them reach the million-dollar mark in annual gross revenue? That's compared to 6% of men-owned businesses.

The "Count Me In" program is aiming to change all that. And I'm happy to report that one of my coaching clients was just selected as a Pitch Winner in its Make Mine a Million competition. Make Mine a Million is working to get 1,000 women-owned businesses to the million-dollar mark within three years.

Meredith Pizzi seized the opportunity to make a two-minute pitch for her business, Roman Music Therapy Services. As a winner, Meredith gets free business and PR coaching and entree into a pretty ambitious community of women!

Curious about her winning pitch? Here it is:

In case you missed my column in the September issue of Austin Woman magazine:

I don't know about you, but I'm left cold by those promiscuous multi-taskers who insist on bleating about how busy they are. I don't trust them to show up on time, I'm offended by their wandering attention, and I steer clear of their scattered energy.

What's lost on those energizer bunnies is the difference between "busy" and "productive." Now that we all live in the same 24/7 world, no one cares about the size of your to-do list. Once upon a time, at the dawn of the digital age, "busy" may have sounded impressive. Today it's just plain whiny.

The new cool is doing nothing.

Doing nothing means making space simply to be. That's the space where creativity, reflection, and innovation happen. That's the space where we are truly present and generous with our loved ones. That's the space where we can reinvent ourselves, and our future.

Doing nothing is the path to a calmer, more vibrant spirit.

That's exactly what travel writer and blogger Beth Schrader set out to accomplish this summer. . . . (click below to read more)

"You are already naked.
There is no reason not to follow your heart."
Steve Jobs

Congratulations! You've found yourself a mentor.

Now what?

In preparation for a "speed-mentoring" event being held by the terrific Women's Professional Development Network at Applied Materials, Alba Figueroa (the group's co-chair of professional development) came up with this great list of questions to get you started:

1. What traits impress you the most in a working professional?
2. What skills can I develop at this stage in my career that will be the most individually rewarding and at the same time the most beneficial to the company?
3. Over the course of your career, you may have encountered people whose careers did not align with what you perceived as their potential. Do you think there is a common reason why this happened?
4. Can you recommend a "must read" book that will help me broaden my skills as a working professional or inspire me to reach my highest potential?
5. If you found yourself in a position that you knew was not maximizing your full potential, what would you do?
   
6. How do you stay motivated while working on projects or tasks that are not intrinsically interesting but will add value to your overall knowledge base?
7. How do you deal with colleagues who have done the same job for many years and make it a challenge to influence their way of thinking?
8. Is there such thing as the "Perfect Job"?
9. What is the best piece of professional advice you've ever received--and used or implemented?
10. Looking back, is there anything you would change or do differently based on what you have learned over the course of your career?
11. How has being a mentee benefited you? How has being a mentor benefited you?
12. How would you recommend starting off our relationship, and how do I most effectively approach our mentoring relationship?
13. Is there an ideal length of time for us to spend together?
14. If you were me, what questions would you be asking your mentor?
    

Thanks for sharing, Alba! Now, what questions would you add to the list?

It's nearly unimaginable, how much each of us can achieve by focusing our energy and devising a strong strategy. But, you know, there comes an inevitable limit to what we can accomplish alone. In the workplace, it takes a mentor to help us develop our skills and talents to their fullest.

As Corporate VP (Office of CEO, Operations & Alliances) at AMD, Katy Wells has honed her mentoring skills both informally and formally, as executive sponsor for AMD's Women's Forum. Katy has just been named one of the year's "Women Worth Watching" by Profiles in Diversity Journal. To read Katy's complete profile, click here. For an abbreviated burst of inspiration, here's an excerpt from her leadership essay:

"What strikes me in reviewing this large collection of essays--and in reflecting on countless conversations about career and family challenges--is that we seem to require repeated reminders of our individual and collective worth and potential. I am as guilty as the rest.

"No more doubt! It starts with you and me. Be and believe in yourself! It seems so simple, but it is worth repeating again and again, because doubt often stands as the major barrier to accomplishing all else, not just early in a career, but even for the most accomplished.

"Since the beginning of time, women all over the world have contributed in every way possible to families, businesses and society. We are creators and innovators; we are leaders and collaborators; we are daughters, mothers, sisters and friends--and colleagues. Without a doubt, you can achieve great heights in all areas of the economic, political and societal fabric of today's global network. We need you, and you just need to believe in yourself."

Next time: Questions for your mentor.