It has taken me 15 years, an MBA, starting my own firm, acquiring and firing partners and staff to understand one infinite business fact. Your gut is always right, no matter what situation no matter who the players. That knot in your stomach that tells you something isn’t right, never lies. So as I come out of a difficult situation I find that I am not doing something that I … [Read more...]
Knowing Your Role
What is your role? How do you describe it? When someone asks what you do or what your business is, do you have your answer? You should! You should be able to sum up a basic plot of who you are and/or what you do in a few sentences to capture their attention and leave them wanting to know more! For a business it should be quick basics of what you handle/do/deal with, why … [Read more...]
Can’t We All Just Get Along?
Support Each Other and Stand up for the Right to Choose I recently found an article that made me start thinking about the various struggles women have in the working world, wherever that may be. Anne-Marie Slaughter wrote Why Women Still Can’t Have It All , in the Atlantic mobile. The title drew me in immediately. In short, Anne-Marie talks about her decision to leave a … [Read more...]
What’s a “GUTSY CHICK”?
When I was working on the cover for my new book, “GUTSY: How Women Leaders Make Change”, I spent time with the designer looking at all the overt and subtle meanings of the word "GUTSY". Karrie, www.karrieross.com, asked me what the smallest visual I could think of to demonstrate what "GUTSY" means. I sat with closed eyes and saw a hand with elegant long fingers and well … [Read more...]
Sexy Business
As women in the business world we often have to navigate through a variety of unspoken rules, so I am bringing one out in the open and giving you my take on why I think it should be broken. Flirting with limits can be a great asset but does it have a place in the business world? Being nice has its advantages Now I can be as ugly as the next person, but most of the … [Read more...]
GUTSY GALS and GLUTEN-FREE LIVING
We are now onto our second year of GUTSY WOMEN WEEKENDS (next one June 22-24, 2012) and we are making modifications due to a GUTSY woman in her 60’s, a social worker, mother, grandmother, and a woman who is thumbing her nose at MS and winning in her own way. Her name is Vikki and she drove up to The Country Place in North East Pa., got out of her van equipped for someone who … [Read more...]
GUTSY WOMEN and MEMORIES
Tonight we start a new GUTSY WOMEN WEEKEND. We are doing them every other month and they are making a difference for women who are in leadership positions or are emerging leaders. So, what does that have to do with memories? Nothing….. and everything. You see most programs want to stay with present situations and move forward. We believe that we need to clear the past … [Read more...]
Strong Women in the Front Row
Telling a group of men to “show up and be accountable” is new territory for most women. We have been in back of or on the side of our men for eons. Not that we have to be loud and bossy to get our way. We just have to be clear. Margaret Thatcher, portrayed by Meryl Streep in the film The Iron Lady, was a woman of depth and conviction. Strong in an arena that few women … [Read more...]
Leadership Development: Throw the Ball and Catch It Too
Tom Brady’s wife, Gisele, will go down in history with a quote that goes well beyond football. Walking down the corridor to the safety of an elevator, she was taunted by fans about how the Super Bowl game ended and out came the now famous words about not being able to throw a ball and catch it at the same time. Maybe it was the shame of losing (someone had to), maybe it … [Read more...]
GUTSY GALS are Electricians
Sue was not feeling GUTSY; she was still in pain as she talked about an ugly spill that ended with a badly injured ankle. Several doctors told her she would have to be CAREFUL, very, very careful for, well…forever. Diana, sitting across the circle from Sue is a nurse. How could it be that she had the same ankle injury with that big, long medical name, a year ago? And she was … [Read more...]