I'm back from a workshop at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. It's one of Austin's natural treasures, and one of my favorite places to go to clear and focus my mind. (And to decide which tree to plant next ...)
ELETTER: WOMEN, CLARITY & POWER
I often tell my audiences that I am the daughter of an engineer. And this is true. But it is only half true. I am also the daughter of a hausfrau.
After graduate school, before joining the faculty at UT-Austin, I took a job as the editor of a trade journal. Month after month I was challenged to orchestrate the myriad moving parts of a magazine, on deadline and under budget. It was always hectic, sometimes overwhelming, and occasionally maddening. But I loved it.
As a kid growing up on Long Island in the 1960s, I don't think I ever actually sat through an episode of "The French Chef." I know the now-iconic PBS series not as a memory but as an immutable fact,...
This is the time of year we focus on the spirit of Joy. It's the season when we can best embrace this deeply moving emotion, and it's the season when we can easily lose it to stress and fatigue.
In the midst of so much economic and personal uncertainty, it's a challenge to maintain a focused workplace. But there are practical strategies you can use to keep the chaos at bay.
Executive presence. There has been a lot of ink (and pixels) devoted to "what to wear," but not so much about "how to sound." No matter how impressive a woman exec may appear, a weak or tentative speech style will betray her journey to the C-suite.
Last night I saw "All About Eve," the 1950 classic about the rise of an ambitious young actress. Well, actually, it's about the taming of powerful women and the fate of aging women. It's a cautionary tale for career women. And it's a reminder that you're no woman without a man. Which makes the story all the more tragic, because the woman who is successfully tamed by film's end is so outrageously fabulous. I wanna be Margo Channing!
Happy Independence Day! As we celebrate our national birthday, I'm also thinking about personal independence days. I've experienced three major independence days--my "Do-Over!" moments. First, when I went off to college. Second, when I got divorced. And third, when I quit my university teaching job.
Q: I'm in a job that is fast-paced, very demanding, and for the most part fulfilling. The problem is, nothing changes. You could work 24 hours a day and never be really productive. You are constantly putting out fires. It seems that everyone is going in circles with no clear organizational goals. It's been this way for two years, and I see no change for the future. How do you know when it's time to move on? Sue T.
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