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Gusty women for Freedom
Business, Business and Life Patterns, Growth, Leadership

GUTSY WOMEN For FREEDOM

We all know about George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and John Hancock. They are reminders of how determined we must all be when freedom is put in harm’s way.

I have always wondered about the women of the Revolution. In school all we were taught was that Betsy Ross was known for sewing the American flag. Now, that in itself is a marvelous undertaking. However, there were so many others who we need to know and honor.

So I did some research and felt a swell of pride about the courage and the well…GUTSINESS for so many who risked their lives and did not hold back out of fear. Here are some of our heroines:

Like Deborah Sampson cut her hair, bound her breasts and put on a uniform to fight next to the men.

Like Ann Bates, a Philadelphia school teacher who changed her name and sold supplies to the British as a way to spy on them and bring information back to General Washington’s troops.

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Can BAD People Be Good Leaders
Business, Business and Life Patterns, Change, Goals, Growth

Can BAD People Be Good Leaders?

When Tom was fired from his CEO position there were lots of heads shaking side to side wondering what happened.

Tom was a charismatic kind of guy who was always telling funny jokes and encouraging everyone to do the best they could do. He was both cheerleader and coach.

So what happened?

Let’s face it. Business can be brutal at the top rungs. The rules of the jungle often apply and if it is eat or be eaten…well the answer is obvious.

While Tom was seen as a ‘good guy’ by most of the world, in the inner sanctum of senior leadership he was known to bully, intimidate and often twist the truth. He wanted success and his non-verbal mantra was ‘success at any cost.’

How did it happen?

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Prioritize
Business, Business and Life Patterns, Communication, General Resolution, Growth

Prioritize!

When your technical skills are great and you really care about your constituents you should be getting lots of kudos for your work.

Right? Well…not so fast.

Number one is, you MUST prioritize your RELATIONSHIPS.

So often people skills are what creates a limiting career path. Now, what exactly do I mean? I mean YOUR personality may be the limiting factor.

Here is an example: Jim, the head of client services in a large company was in charge of buying and placing new furniture for the open space casual meeting area. There was a team meeting and the team decided what they wanted. Hear me…the TEAM DECIDED. They even picked the fabric colors and decided how to have the furniture lend in a soothing way with the colors of the walls.

All well and good. Almost!

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Can Men Support Women At Work
Business, Business and Life Patterns, Conflict Resolutions, General Resolution, Growth, Human Capital Management

Can Men Support Women At Work

I have found LinkedIn to be a magical place to connect with some of the smartest and most pioneering individuals on the planet.

Recently Ed Gurowitz, Senior Consultant at Gender Allies contacted me after seeing some of my blogs about GUTSY WOMEN LEADERS.

He sent me an important post about how to create gender relationships at work. I want to thank him for reaching out and here is some of his great advice.

8 Steps to Co-creating Gender Partnership at Work

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True Leaders Know How To Deal With The Office Jerk
Business, Business and Life Patterns, Communication, Growth

True Leaders Know How To Deal With The Office Jerk

How many times have we been on our way to work dreading that we might bump into the office jerk? You know, that one person that makes you cringe every time you have to walk by their cubicle or office, knowing if they spot you they’re going to invade your space or act offensively. We’ve all had to deal with that person!

This type of personality is in every office across the world. Every office has one. Sometimes they get under our skin so bad that we let stress and our emotions get the best of us. Until now…..

Download How Leaders Defuse that Toxic Jerk at Work.

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When Patterns Of The Past Show Up In The Present
Business, Business and Life Patterns, Conflict Resolutions, General Resolution

When Patterns Of The Past Show Up In The Present

I just finished reading a speech Vice President Joe Biden gave at Yale University.

It brought tears to my eyes and I was compelled to read it again. This time I grabbed the tissue box, stopped what I was doing and sat wiping freely flowing tears away and sat looking out at the fully blossomed spring trees.

Thunder was in the air and I imagined all the preparations for Beau’s funeral, all the expected things that have to be done. I thought about the widow and the children.

The thunder intensified.

Losing his wife and daughter in a terrible car accident decades ago should be enough. Now his son Beau to brain cancer. And yet he is the model of a jovial, gentle natured man with such love for his wife Jill, children and grandchildren and the importance of family first.

I have often thought that he would be, as the Native Americans say “good medicine” for President Obama who did not have the presence of his own father in his life.

And as I sat thinking about tragedies I began to ruminate about the sudden death of my father from a heart attack when I was fourteen.

RUMINATE

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Toxic Woman At Work
Business, Business and Life Patterns, Change, Conflict Resolutions, General Resolution

Toxic Woman At Work

Dear Dr. Sylvia,

The past few weeks have been like living in a super hot hell. There have been a ton of arguments and drama, mainly because one woman wants her way and is dividing our staff (we only have 20 people working on-site).

There is Team A (Suzie’s team) and Team B (my team). It is evenly split with 10 for Suzie and 10 for me, Samantha. No real work is getting done. The issues are so stupid I don’t even want to mention them. It is, so my friends at other organizations tell me, not that different from what they have experienced.

However, it is getting worse. Untrue comments are flying around (on both sides I might add) and the two of us are having a meeting with HR at the end of this week.

HELP!

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What To Do When You’ve Said Too Much
Business, Business and Life Patterns, Change, Communication, Goals, Growth, Human Capital Management, Leadership

What To Do When You’ve Said Too Much

Dear Dr. Sylvia,

I read your post yesterday in Examiner.com about anger and by the time I was finished I was sad and depressed.

You see, I have come to realize I have a problem with saying way more than is necessary when I get upset. At work, they even sent me to an anger management class after I slammed my computer shut and stormed out saying I would probably never come back.

EXCEPT

I am a highly paid VP and I am super good at my job as a market analyst and I love my job. I even love the company I work for.

Funny that I don’t show anger at home, only at work. What is that about?

I almost ruined my career and in the process almost ruined some deep and important friendships at work. I am usually a mild-tempered really good guy.

Any suggestions on how to get the ‘egg off my face’ and how to clean up the mess I left behind?

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Who handles ANGER Better, Males or Females
Business, Business and Life Patterns, Communication, Conflict Resolutions, Goals

Who Handles ANGER Better, Males Or Females?

Did you ever stop long enough to think about anger rather than just react with anger? The big questions are:

  1. What is anger?
  2. Where does it come from inside us?
  3. What does it feel like?
  4. Why does it last so long in some situations and leaves so fast in others?
  5. Is it worse when it has been stuffed and then comes out all at once?
  6. What is flooding?
  7. How can anger be transformed?
  8. What does anger transform to?
  9. What does anger do to our physiology?
  10. How does anger hurt or help our relationships?
  11. Who has more anger issues, men or women?
  12. Some of us need to be angry less, and others angry more. When does anger show up most? When we feel threatened. Most often it is about survival and security.

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troy
Business, Business and Life Patterns, Communication, Growth, Leadership

Leadership Training: The 5 Second Breath

Troy is one of the most energetic, funny and charismatic leaders in the company. When someone needs help it is there immediately. When someone has an idea Troy is there with suggestions. When someone feels frustrated, well, you guessed it, Troy has the words that work.

EXCEPT

Troy was not always a hero. Everyone used to steer clear of Troy. And Troy had no idea why.

You see, Troy was trigger happy; with his mouth, that is.

You know the type. Male or female most co-workers wanted to say “ZIP IT!”

Read more of Leadership Training: The 5 Second Breath

Casual workers communicating and planning in the office

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