My day goes something like this:
Wake up, not to an alarm but to an 18 month old who is up anytime between 5:30am and 6:30am. (when its my turn, great tip, my husband and i take turns so there is no cranky argument in the morning) but regardless of turns, i am up by at least 7am.
Then the baby gets milk and breakfast, i get ready for work and then leave to a now crying baby who can say no mommy bye bye! kills me every time......
But there is this moment in the morning between the milk and the breakfast and before my mad dash to look like a marketing director and not a tired mommy, where i have my cheerio moment.
She sits with me on the couch while i watch the news and we have a little bowl of cheerios on our lap. 2 hands reach into the bowl, one tiny and one needing a manicure........and we raise the cheerios to our mouth at the same time and crunch, which she giggles at every time......she looks at me with these big eyes and smiles like it is her favorite time of the day and i smile knowing it is mine.
Those Cheerio moments as i call them are so precious to a working mom like me. The times when i can show her at this age that mommy will make time even in a rushed tired morning state.
The life lesson here is to find your Cheerio moment with your family and lose yourself in that special moment , it will give your kids memories of childhood of special mommy moments even if your a Driven Chick :-)
Driven Chick
@drivenchick on twitter
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Life Lesson 9 – 8 mistakes women make in business
1. Flirting. Come on ladies, its 2009 and we have broken the ceiling; let’s not patch it up by resorting to trying to be cute. Now I am all for smiling and using flattery when it is needed to make the person you are meeting with at ease and engaged but let’s not giggle or toss our hair. These things only drag us back to the 1950’s and take away our credibility.
2. Saying yes to everything. As women we tend to feel the need to over compensate and show that we can take on just as much as the guys. This is big trouble because you tend to get over loaded and appear to not manage a workload efficiently. The guys say no, so should we. Learn the word, use it well and do the projects you say yes to at 100% as opposed to doing everything that is passed across your desk at 50%.
3. Being overly aggressive – this one may sound odd but I know many women in my industry who seem always tough as nails as if they have something to prove. It comes off as stubborn, angry and unreasonable. There are many ways to be firm and drive your point home without getting the reputation of being someone who would eat their young.
4. Not playing golf – Sounds old fashion but there are still many deals made on the golf course and a lot of networking to be a part of. It does not matter if you are good or not, play in a best ball tournament or take lessons. Don’t go to a conference and not get the full experience. Many may disagree with me on this one but I have found I get a lot of respect being one of the few women out there and I have gained some very key relationships with customers this way.
5. Letting the guilt consume you – you’re at work and feeling guilty you are not home, you’re at home feeling guilty you are not cleaning up your inbox. LET IT GO! Be present where you are. Know that you can do both better if you let yourself be in the moment and give 100% of yourself to the task at hand. Your kids will not feel any different if you feel guilty. Your work will not lose a million dollars if you don’t answer emails until midnight, and if they do there is a bigger problem for you deal with………
6. Not promoting yourself – Ladies, if you do a good job, let people know. Talk about your successes and brag about the big deal you just made of the client you just landed. Fastest way to the top is not by hoping someone notices…….
7. Not dressing appropriately – I always remember hearing “dress for the job you want, not the job you have” SO TRUE. Look as professional as possible in the environment that you are in. People in business initially do judge a book by its cover; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. They will make up their mind for good once you open your mouth and start speaking but do not take for granted the first impression. You also want to project the right image on a daily basis at work to those who could promote you and those who look up to you. I am not saying wear a power suit everyday but if everyone in your office dresses casual why not take it up a notch and dress business casual.
8. Gossiping – Seriously! Don’t be that women who listens to, talks about or starts a rumor. Separate yourself from it and rise above. I have no tolerance for it and my team knows this. You can “care” and listen if someone has an issue but don’t be the eyes and ears of the company, it can only reflect poorly on you in the end.
Driven chick
Follow me on twitter @drivenchick
2. Saying yes to everything. As women we tend to feel the need to over compensate and show that we can take on just as much as the guys. This is big trouble because you tend to get over loaded and appear to not manage a workload efficiently. The guys say no, so should we. Learn the word, use it well and do the projects you say yes to at 100% as opposed to doing everything that is passed across your desk at 50%.
3. Being overly aggressive – this one may sound odd but I know many women in my industry who seem always tough as nails as if they have something to prove. It comes off as stubborn, angry and unreasonable. There are many ways to be firm and drive your point home without getting the reputation of being someone who would eat their young.
4. Not playing golf – Sounds old fashion but there are still many deals made on the golf course and a lot of networking to be a part of. It does not matter if you are good or not, play in a best ball tournament or take lessons. Don’t go to a conference and not get the full experience. Many may disagree with me on this one but I have found I get a lot of respect being one of the few women out there and I have gained some very key relationships with customers this way.
5. Letting the guilt consume you – you’re at work and feeling guilty you are not home, you’re at home feeling guilty you are not cleaning up your inbox. LET IT GO! Be present where you are. Know that you can do both better if you let yourself be in the moment and give 100% of yourself to the task at hand. Your kids will not feel any different if you feel guilty. Your work will not lose a million dollars if you don’t answer emails until midnight, and if they do there is a bigger problem for you deal with………
6. Not promoting yourself – Ladies, if you do a good job, let people know. Talk about your successes and brag about the big deal you just made of the client you just landed. Fastest way to the top is not by hoping someone notices…….
7. Not dressing appropriately – I always remember hearing “dress for the job you want, not the job you have” SO TRUE. Look as professional as possible in the environment that you are in. People in business initially do judge a book by its cover; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. They will make up their mind for good once you open your mouth and start speaking but do not take for granted the first impression. You also want to project the right image on a daily basis at work to those who could promote you and those who look up to you. I am not saying wear a power suit everyday but if everyone in your office dresses casual why not take it up a notch and dress business casual.
8. Gossiping – Seriously! Don’t be that women who listens to, talks about or starts a rumor. Separate yourself from it and rise above. I have no tolerance for it and my team knows this. You can “care” and listen if someone has an issue but don’t be the eyes and ears of the company, it can only reflect poorly on you in the end.
Driven chick
Follow me on twitter @drivenchick
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Life Lesson 8 –Mentoring
You can probably look back at defining moments in your life, moments that made you who you are, and associate them with a person. I have always valued the importance of being mentored. My first and most important mentors were my parents and grandparents of course. They gave me confidence, faith, a sense of being safe and strength. Beyond my family though I can distinctly remember people in my life who made me who I am today, some did not even realize at the time that they were shaping a young mind and giving me tools I would use as a friend, a business women, a wife and a mother. It is amazing how I still have things that they have told me pop into my head at certain moments and how I truly take that unsolicited advice to heart. A few that have shaped who I am today:
My first boss (at my first after college job) gave me a lot of the strength that I have today in business. He saw potential in me and took the time not only teach me the business but he also explain the oh so important reasons behind the decisions we made. This is important because anyone can teach someone the fundamentals of Marketing but a truly good boss and mentor will explain the “gut” reasons you apply one over another. A good boss will take the time to explain office politics and help you create a career path for yourself. He probably will never know how influential this was and how I apply the same teaching style of management in my role today. I asked him once what he liked most about his job and he replied “the ability to effect change”. To this day I live by that mantra in business, when I can no longer effect change it is time to move on. I am very lucky working at the dynamic company that I am at now as I am able to manage and teach and to effect change on a daily basis.
Another mentor to me has been my current boss, she has of course taught me fabulous business skills but more importantly she has been a role model for me in being a working mom. I started at my current company 5 years ago; I was not married yet, still in the growth phase of life as I like to call it. There were still days I was hung-over at work and I was enjoying the heavy travel schedule that my job required. I thought nothing of 2 weeks in China; I thought nothing of back to back sales meetings. But during all of this driven career positioning, traveling and fun I spoke to my boss who was with me, rooming with me usually on the road and I listened. I asked if it was hard to leave her kids and husband. I missed my boyfriend (now my husband) of course but I knew for her adding the kids to the scenario it must be very difficult. She told me that when she travels she makes sure she works hard but makes time to call home at specific and important times like when they get home from school to see how their day was. Most importantly though, when she is home she is PRESENT. I have said this through my blog and on twitter because it is so worth repeating. Now that I have a daughter I know what she meant. If you need to be away sometimes when you are home you need to BE HOME and be 100% wife and mother. Those words resonate.
Having been given all of this advice and mentoring I feel very strongly that I need to “pay it forward” being a mentor to the young people that work for me is extremely important. I teach, I support and I am tough. They always know where they stand with me and I feel that is crucial to give them the confidence to share ideas. I teach let them know why I make decisions and why I may have said something specific in a meeting. When it comes time for any of them to be a parent I will also give them what my boss gave me. I will give them the strength to know that kids cry when you leave but they are resilient and they know you will be back. If you have ever left your child with a babysitter or at daycare you know they cry for about 2 minutes after you leave and then they play.
It is never too late to be mentored or too early to be a mentor. Listen to people you respect, ask questions and learn from them. Teach people that look up to you, don’t just tell them what to do, show them. Make a difference in someone’s life and let someone make a difference in yours.
Driven Chick
Follow me on twitter @drivenchick
http://www.drivenchick.blogspot.com/
My first boss (at my first after college job) gave me a lot of the strength that I have today in business. He saw potential in me and took the time not only teach me the business but he also explain the oh so important reasons behind the decisions we made. This is important because anyone can teach someone the fundamentals of Marketing but a truly good boss and mentor will explain the “gut” reasons you apply one over another. A good boss will take the time to explain office politics and help you create a career path for yourself. He probably will never know how influential this was and how I apply the same teaching style of management in my role today. I asked him once what he liked most about his job and he replied “the ability to effect change”. To this day I live by that mantra in business, when I can no longer effect change it is time to move on. I am very lucky working at the dynamic company that I am at now as I am able to manage and teach and to effect change on a daily basis.
Another mentor to me has been my current boss, she has of course taught me fabulous business skills but more importantly she has been a role model for me in being a working mom. I started at my current company 5 years ago; I was not married yet, still in the growth phase of life as I like to call it. There were still days I was hung-over at work and I was enjoying the heavy travel schedule that my job required. I thought nothing of 2 weeks in China; I thought nothing of back to back sales meetings. But during all of this driven career positioning, traveling and fun I spoke to my boss who was with me, rooming with me usually on the road and I listened. I asked if it was hard to leave her kids and husband. I missed my boyfriend (now my husband) of course but I knew for her adding the kids to the scenario it must be very difficult. She told me that when she travels she makes sure she works hard but makes time to call home at specific and important times like when they get home from school to see how their day was. Most importantly though, when she is home she is PRESENT. I have said this through my blog and on twitter because it is so worth repeating. Now that I have a daughter I know what she meant. If you need to be away sometimes when you are home you need to BE HOME and be 100% wife and mother. Those words resonate.
Having been given all of this advice and mentoring I feel very strongly that I need to “pay it forward” being a mentor to the young people that work for me is extremely important. I teach, I support and I am tough. They always know where they stand with me and I feel that is crucial to give them the confidence to share ideas. I teach let them know why I make decisions and why I may have said something specific in a meeting. When it comes time for any of them to be a parent I will also give them what my boss gave me. I will give them the strength to know that kids cry when you leave but they are resilient and they know you will be back. If you have ever left your child with a babysitter or at daycare you know they cry for about 2 minutes after you leave and then they play.
It is never too late to be mentored or too early to be a mentor. Listen to people you respect, ask questions and learn from them. Teach people that look up to you, don’t just tell them what to do, show them. Make a difference in someone’s life and let someone make a difference in yours.
Driven Chick
Follow me on twitter @drivenchick
http://www.drivenchick.blogspot.com/
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