Something interesting is happening the customer relations game... historically winning strategies and services are not working on the youngest customers in the marketplace. Companies that have maintained a positive public image and strong consumer loyalty for decades are faltering in their ability to connect with the thirty and under crowd.
Why? There are typically a few key factors contributing to the lack of appeal to young customers:
The dominant sales model is oriented toward the company and not the consumer. Take, for example, buying automobile insurance the traditional way. You have to deal with an agent in person. This individual holds all the cards. They take your information, assess your situation, and make recommendations. You never see all your options, competitors rates, outside reviews, or anything else to reinforce the validity of the deal you're offered. You're expected to trust.
The younger generation isn't so big on blind trust. Wise beyond their years, they want to see the complete picture, take an active role in determining what is best for them and drive the decision to buy. The traditional sales model is not set up for that dynamic. In fact, many companies consciously try to hide negative reviews, competitors pricing and lower cost alternatives from their customers. This attitude will not fly with twenty-somethings! If they perceive the sales process to be focused on maximizing corporate sales and not acting in their best interest they will view it as untrustworthy and shop elsewhere.
You have to communicate in the manner your customers prefer. Twenty-somethings don't connect very often in person - especially for business. They don't like to talk on the phone. They live in a world of text messages, Facebook, Twitter, chat rooms and YouTube. Forcing them to engage in meetings, endure multiple phone calls, read reams of impenetrable documents in small print or navigate a clunky website is sure to make them hate you. My daughter recently informed me that email is 'old-school' and she doesn't check hers very often anymore.
For most large organizations human interactions are based on a model from the 50's and even their online tools and resources are more in tune with 90's technology than 2011. In order to build real relationships with younger customers you have to join the 21st century! Otherwise they will do business with you only grudgingly and run to a competitor the first chance they get. Going back to our auto insurance example, Progressive is stealing young customers left and right from players dominant in the industry for decades. They show competitors rates side-by-side with their own, allow customers to easily shop online, never force interaction with an agent, share testimonials, and offer a plethora of policy options.
Alignment of quality and care claims has to match your customers' reality. Every company says they care about meeting their customers unique needs... every company claims to have an appealing and intuitive website... every company says the sale will be quick and simple. We've all heard the claims, but they seldom match what happens in real life. Baby boomers and middle-age professionals are likely to sigh and buy from you anyway. Twenty-somethings are disgusted and they leave.
Rethink your website. Openly share information and elicit feedback. Make as many transactions as possible online. Introduce apps. Provide multiple signals of quality. Use email, text and social media to offer updates, discounts and reminders. And when someone does have to deal with a human being - you had better make it an efficient and positive experience. If you don't, eventually a competitor will come along who realizes that it is 2011 and they will decimate your market share.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
View Video of Client, Wendy Booker, on the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Click below to view PR client Wendy Booker’s guest appearance on the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson that aired on Friday, March 4th! She and Craig discuss, MS, marathons, mountains and her upcoming expedition to the North Pole via dog sled.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Got Gear? Got Cheer?
Oh yes, Boulder... it's time for Gear & Cheer - one of Boulder’s best parties of the year, benefiting The Women’s Wilderness Institute!
In its ninth year, the Arts themed event will be the best yet!
Brush off your dancing skills, don your most colorful attire and join us, March 16th, 2011 at The Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder, as we host over 500 local outdoor enthusiasts for an evening of live entertainment, a fashion show, local beverage and food tasting as well as an amazing auction of high performance outdoor gear, great local services, and exciting trip packages.
Your evening of merriment will directly fund another brilliant season of outstanding wilderness courses and community programs for girls and women of all ages and backgrounds. Because of your annual generous support and dedication for the Gear and Cheer fund raising event, The Women’s Wilderness Institute is able to continue to provide the gifts of courage, confidence and leadership to a multitude of outstanding girls and women each year.
Register now at http://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=932754.
In its ninth year, the Arts themed event will be the best yet!
Brush off your dancing skills, don your most colorful attire and join us, March 16th, 2011 at The Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder, as we host over 500 local outdoor enthusiasts for an evening of live entertainment, a fashion show, local beverage and food tasting as well as an amazing auction of high performance outdoor gear, great local services, and exciting trip packages.
Your evening of merriment will directly fund another brilliant season of outstanding wilderness courses and community programs for girls and women of all ages and backgrounds. Because of your annual generous support and dedication for the Gear and Cheer fund raising event, The Women’s Wilderness Institute is able to continue to provide the gifts of courage, confidence and leadership to a multitude of outstanding girls and women each year.
Register now at http://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=932754.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Testing an Innovative Idea Before you Act
Innovators create something different that makes an impact. But how do you rapidly assess whether an idea is "innovative" or a dud? Nine ways an innovator can increase their confidence in making the right decision, each of which takes no more than an hour to do.
1. Talk to a prospective customer to get their perspective. Remember, that is likely to be different from your perspective. And friends and family members can be prospective customers. Talking to a single potential customer might feel a bit random, but, hey... it's more than you have now.
2. Go to where prospective customers might hang out and watch them for an hour. Write down things that you didn't expect to see. Think about how that might influence your idea.
3. Research an analogy. Who did something similar? What can you find out about how well that worked from public sources? Remember, a failure doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, it just means you need to understand why the failure happened.
4. Talk to someone who you think has good innovation instincts but isn't involved in the day-to-day grind of your operations. Ask what that person would do. Think about people outside your industry who have proven to be successful innovators and share your idea.
5. Begin to network toward an expert. If you could talk to three people in the world about your concept, who would they be? Who in your network might be in their networks? People love to talk about their areas of expertise, so if you can get to them they typically offer a wealth of information.
6. Visualize it. What would the thing look like? Create a sketch or mockup to bring the idea to life. Consider a six-panel storyboard (like a cartoon) that describes how people find out about, obtain, and then use your product or service. Visualization sometimes helps you understand your idea more concretely. Even more importantly, it gives you something you can share with people to get their feedback.
7. Do a simply financial calculation. Not a super-complicated one. Just one with three or four variables that help you understand what conceivably would have to be true for the idea to make sense. This exercise can help you understand the economic potential and risk of the idea.
8. Conduct a broader assumption identification exercise. This is really nothing more than asking yourself "what would need to be true" for this idea to be viable. Which of those assumptions makes you worried? Can you address those concerns using any of the techniques here?
9. Spend an hour conducting a past pattern exercise. That is, look back at things you have done that have worked, and things that haven't worked. What separates them? For example, factors could be things like "every time I am skeptical it doesn't work" or "things that person X says are crazy are in fact crazy." Once you have the list, how the current idea stacks up?
These kinds of straightforward activities can provide deeper insight into opportunities, help you formulate more compelling ideas, and help make sure that an idea moves from the notepad to the market.
1. Talk to a prospective customer to get their perspective. Remember, that is likely to be different from your perspective. And friends and family members can be prospective customers. Talking to a single potential customer might feel a bit random, but, hey... it's more than you have now.
2. Go to where prospective customers might hang out and watch them for an hour. Write down things that you didn't expect to see. Think about how that might influence your idea.
3. Research an analogy. Who did something similar? What can you find out about how well that worked from public sources? Remember, a failure doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, it just means you need to understand why the failure happened.
4. Talk to someone who you think has good innovation instincts but isn't involved in the day-to-day grind of your operations. Ask what that person would do. Think about people outside your industry who have proven to be successful innovators and share your idea.
5. Begin to network toward an expert. If you could talk to three people in the world about your concept, who would they be? Who in your network might be in their networks? People love to talk about their areas of expertise, so if you can get to them they typically offer a wealth of information.
6. Visualize it. What would the thing look like? Create a sketch or mockup to bring the idea to life. Consider a six-panel storyboard (like a cartoon) that describes how people find out about, obtain, and then use your product or service. Visualization sometimes helps you understand your idea more concretely. Even more importantly, it gives you something you can share with people to get their feedback.
7. Do a simply financial calculation. Not a super-complicated one. Just one with three or four variables that help you understand what conceivably would have to be true for the idea to make sense. This exercise can help you understand the economic potential and risk of the idea.
8. Conduct a broader assumption identification exercise. This is really nothing more than asking yourself "what would need to be true" for this idea to be viable. Which of those assumptions makes you worried? Can you address those concerns using any of the techniques here?
9. Spend an hour conducting a past pattern exercise. That is, look back at things you have done that have worked, and things that haven't worked. What separates them? For example, factors could be things like "every time I am skeptical it doesn't work" or "things that person X says are crazy are in fact crazy." Once you have the list, how the current idea stacks up?
These kinds of straightforward activities can provide deeper insight into opportunities, help you formulate more compelling ideas, and help make sure that an idea moves from the notepad to the market.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Artist Damián Ortega... I Really Like this Guy
I don't often feature something artistic or 'touchy feely' on my business blog, but Damián Ortega blurs the line between business and aesthetics so I'm going for it.
Ortega’s work explores specific economic, aesthetic and cultural situations and in particular how regional culture affects commodity consumption. As a former political cartoonist, his work has an intellectualism to it that I like, but it's also beautiful and playful.
I love the way he explores how pieces come together to make a whole. I look at a company very much the same way - lots of individual ideas, people, systems, products, etc coming together to create something larger than the sum of the parts. Take a look at a few of his pieces and you'll see what I mean:
Cosmic Thing (2002) Ortega disassembled a Volkswagen Beetle car and re-composed it piece by piece, suspended from wire in mid-air, in the manner of a mechanic’s instruction manual. The result was both a diagram and a fragmented object that offered a new way of seeing.
Controller of the Universe (2007) Ortega assembled found tools and wire in a visually stunning way - who new old rakes and picks could be so sexy!
Here's a selection of other works by Ortega that caught my eye:
As Sebastian Smee said, "For Damián Ortega, ideas and things, far from being connected by logic, have a deeper, unaccountable relationship, amounting to a kind of magic act. It’s a relationship that’s destructive one minute and creative the next, but it’s never less than funny."
Ortega’s work explores specific economic, aesthetic and cultural situations and in particular how regional culture affects commodity consumption. As a former political cartoonist, his work has an intellectualism to it that I like, but it's also beautiful and playful.
I love the way he explores how pieces come together to make a whole. I look at a company very much the same way - lots of individual ideas, people, systems, products, etc coming together to create something larger than the sum of the parts. Take a look at a few of his pieces and you'll see what I mean:
Cosmic Thing (2002) Ortega disassembled a Volkswagen Beetle car and re-composed it piece by piece, suspended from wire in mid-air, in the manner of a mechanic’s instruction manual. The result was both a diagram and a fragmented object that offered a new way of seeing.
Controller of the Universe (2007) Ortega assembled found tools and wire in a visually stunning way - who new old rakes and picks could be so sexy!
Here's a selection of other works by Ortega that caught my eye:
As Sebastian Smee said, "For Damián Ortega, ideas and things, far from being connected by logic, have a deeper, unaccountable relationship, amounting to a kind of magic act. It’s a relationship that’s destructive one minute and creative the next, but it’s never less than funny."
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Five Lessons from 2010 Worth Repeating — Without Repeating 2010
January 3, 2011
By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter (Harvard Business Review Blogs)
Before 2010 is dumped into the dustbin of history — and it was a year when cleaning up after disasters was not just a metaphor — it's worth finding the gems among the trash.
Apple, Facebook, Twitter, IBM, PepsiCo, P&G, Stonyfield Farm, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and former British politicians provided me with occasions for pointing to business strategy and leadership lessons, good and bad, that shouldn't be forgotten. Here are my top five lessons from last year's blogs that can be carried confidently into the new year.
1. Surprises are the new normal. Resilience is the new skill. Back-up plans are strategic assets. Volcanic ash, generally not on any company's worst case scenario list, disrupted air traffic for several weeks. ("Surprise!) As BP proved, minimizing crisis doesn't cut it, and failure to communicate honestly is the biggest mistake. Kanter's Law still holds — that everything can look like a failure in the middle. The number of things that can hold things up has burgeoned, especially when politics are involved; Chinese regulators are the latest deal-delayers, this time for the NSN-Motorola deal. It helps to have leaders who are Energizers, a favorite idea from 2009, because their positive spirit can keep things moving.
2. Innovation takes courage and the willingness to be out in front rather than following the herd. Speaking of herds, while sacred cows can hold companies back if there is no courage to challenge orthodoxy, cows proved to be a better set of celebrity endorsers than Tiger Woods for Stonyfield Farms and their yogurt marketing. The creativity to produce innovation can involve a great deal of improvisation rather than sticking to a fixed script. It also takes dedication. Perhaps some entrepreneurs have a passionate desire to prove something.
3. Straight-line careers are over-rated. Zig-zags might better serve companies and leaders. When change is ubiquitous, stepping outside of familiar territories — whether fields, geographies, or industries — can provide important new insights and perspectives, particularly for emerging opportunities. Veer, soar, and return to the home base triumphant, as Apple CEO Steve Jobs showed. But that doesn't mean that leaders can parachute in from one setting to another and expect to be effective. Jobs took a pause and learned a few new consumer entertainment tricks. It is a good idea to take learning pauses to prepare for next steps.
4. Openness and inclusion should be the new standards. As the movie Inside Job argues about the banking crisis, closed circles of elites can reinforce dysfunctional behavior when there are interlocking financial interests and self-dealing relationships. Including people from formerly excluded groups might add perspectives that surface problems earlier or discourage throwing caution to the wind. Power goes to the connectors, a 2009 lesson. Connectors bring new ideas and information across groups, a very important role when the best new opportunities lie in emerging markets unfamiliar to those. Thus, the leadership ranks must be globally diverse. But though women are proving themselves as CEOs, challenges of inclusion remain.
5. Forget privacy, especially if you're a leader. Leaders are always on. Microphones and video cameras are always on, too, as former British prime minister Gordon Brown found to his peril. Xerox CEO Ursula Burns received better coaching her predecessor, Anne Mulcahy, and provides a positive model. But other CEOs weren't so fortunate. As former HP CEO Mark Hurd learned, small lapses can trip up leaders, even smart ones producing financial results, if they do not have a base of support. In the digital age, the spotlight is always, and the erosion of privacy affects everyone, a 2009 lesson that looms larger every day.
2010 will soon seem like ancient history, but these lessons will endure. Especially because 2011 is certain to bring surprises that will require still more innovation and even more open leadership.
By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter (Harvard Business Review Blogs)
Before 2010 is dumped into the dustbin of history — and it was a year when cleaning up after disasters was not just a metaphor — it's worth finding the gems among the trash.
Apple, Facebook, Twitter, IBM, PepsiCo, P&G, Stonyfield Farm, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and former British politicians provided me with occasions for pointing to business strategy and leadership lessons, good and bad, that shouldn't be forgotten. Here are my top five lessons from last year's blogs that can be carried confidently into the new year.
1. Surprises are the new normal. Resilience is the new skill. Back-up plans are strategic assets. Volcanic ash, generally not on any company's worst case scenario list, disrupted air traffic for several weeks. ("Surprise!) As BP proved, minimizing crisis doesn't cut it, and failure to communicate honestly is the biggest mistake. Kanter's Law still holds — that everything can look like a failure in the middle. The number of things that can hold things up has burgeoned, especially when politics are involved; Chinese regulators are the latest deal-delayers, this time for the NSN-Motorola deal. It helps to have leaders who are Energizers, a favorite idea from 2009, because their positive spirit can keep things moving.
2. Innovation takes courage and the willingness to be out in front rather than following the herd. Speaking of herds, while sacred cows can hold companies back if there is no courage to challenge orthodoxy, cows proved to be a better set of celebrity endorsers than Tiger Woods for Stonyfield Farms and their yogurt marketing. The creativity to produce innovation can involve a great deal of improvisation rather than sticking to a fixed script. It also takes dedication. Perhaps some entrepreneurs have a passionate desire to prove something.
3. Straight-line careers are over-rated. Zig-zags might better serve companies and leaders. When change is ubiquitous, stepping outside of familiar territories — whether fields, geographies, or industries — can provide important new insights and perspectives, particularly for emerging opportunities. Veer, soar, and return to the home base triumphant, as Apple CEO Steve Jobs showed. But that doesn't mean that leaders can parachute in from one setting to another and expect to be effective. Jobs took a pause and learned a few new consumer entertainment tricks. It is a good idea to take learning pauses to prepare for next steps.
4. Openness and inclusion should be the new standards. As the movie Inside Job argues about the banking crisis, closed circles of elites can reinforce dysfunctional behavior when there are interlocking financial interests and self-dealing relationships. Including people from formerly excluded groups might add perspectives that surface problems earlier or discourage throwing caution to the wind. Power goes to the connectors, a 2009 lesson. Connectors bring new ideas and information across groups, a very important role when the best new opportunities lie in emerging markets unfamiliar to those. Thus, the leadership ranks must be globally diverse. But though women are proving themselves as CEOs, challenges of inclusion remain.
5. Forget privacy, especially if you're a leader. Leaders are always on. Microphones and video cameras are always on, too, as former British prime minister Gordon Brown found to his peril. Xerox CEO Ursula Burns received better coaching her predecessor, Anne Mulcahy, and provides a positive model. But other CEOs weren't so fortunate. As former HP CEO Mark Hurd learned, small lapses can trip up leaders, even smart ones producing financial results, if they do not have a base of support. In the digital age, the spotlight is always, and the erosion of privacy affects everyone, a 2009 lesson that looms larger every day.
2010 will soon seem like ancient history, but these lessons will endure. Especially because 2011 is certain to bring surprises that will require still more innovation and even more open leadership.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Women in Leadership: Did We See Progress in 2010?
I wish I could tell you YES - women made huge strides in the workplace in 2010! But, in reality, while things have improved incrementally, we still have a long way to go. Here are some fairly up-to-date statistics on comparative performance and compensation:
Sobering, huh?
I've been thinking a lot lately about my experiences in working with women - as clients, as employees in companies, as partners - and I've asked myself, "What are the barriers I see to progress?" Here is a quick digest of observations about the factors hold women back in the workplace and how we might be able to step up our collective performance as a gender in 2011:
Women don't bounce back from a hard punch like men do.
I know, we put on a tough face sometimes or play the ice queen, but the reality is that men know how to take a hit, shrug it off, and continue on their merry way. Women stew over conflicts, lose self-confidence, wallow in guilt, and generally need approval from others to believe in themselves. A key barrier to women's success in high-earning, high-profile leadership positions is the fact that they allow a regret, a missed opportunity, a mistake, or a criticism derail their ability to achieve. They can't recover from a punch, and so allow a single hit to stop them from ardently pursuing their dreams. While it's important to reflect on our character, nurture relationships with others, and learn from mistakes, dwelling endlessly on our shortcomings is not the path to equality.
Women tear each other down in the workplace.
This is a bizarre tendency, but I've really noticed that women attack each other at work more than they attack their male peers. I don't know if going after a guy is too intimidating, or if we just tend to be 'bitchy' with each other, but girlfriends... stop going after each other and find some solidarity! If you have a gripe with someone at work, try to productively solve the problem rather than tearing down other people to get ahead. You never elevate yourself by diminishing others. And taking an attack stance against other women starts a cycle of discontent, gossip and backstabbing that makes everyone in your work environment look bad and prevents anyone from getting ahead.
Women believe that to succeed in leadership they can't be compassionate and balanced.
Men can be very direct in their critiques and candid in their verbal feedback, but they tend to naturally avoid being blatantly destructive and overly judgmental. They can sense when searing comments are reaching a level that will be counter-productive and they pull back. Women are especially judgmental - and on a much more personal and detailed level - than are males. We really need to guard against judgmentalism taking away our ability to be loving and compassionate and supportive of others. Succeeding in business isn't about turning into men (or, heaven forbid, being even meaner than men!). It's about leveraging all the uniquely female gifts that we have at our disposal to lead in our way.
Women don't mentor each other and pass the torch.
Most men who have achieved great things in the corporate arena will tell you that they have a few profound mentor relationships that have gotten them where they are. Men have learned the value in dropping a ladder down to individuals below them with potential - and they have also learned to look for the men in positions they covet and ask for help. Women tend to work really hard in isolation and hope that their performance alone will earn them a promotion or raise. It doesn't usually work that way. People above you in power positions offer immense leverage that can take you up a few levels overnight. And don't just look for your own mentors! Be willing to help the women around you and below you step up their performance and get noticed.
Women often view the workplace as a popularity contest.
Come on ladies... we're not in junior high anymore. Leadership isn't about everyone liking you all the time. While it's important to be smart and fair and respected, you have to learn to deal with people who disagree with you, resent you, or ostracize you. The few who reach the top have to make unpopular decisions at times, and you will definitely have moments when you feel very alone. Women tend to shut down when they find themselves in an exclusionary group, but that is just the time to take up the courage of your convictions and earn respect. Superior performance only emerges when you meet the challenges put to you in spite of your gender. The world certainly won't adapt itself to suit you, so if you can't make tough calls and defend your ideas you'll find that primer opportunities flow right on by.
Have you noticed a broad tendency in the workplace that is holding women back? Comment below or email me at trish@trishthomas.com and I'll include it in a future post.
- Women hold over 50% of total job positions, but only 18% of top-level leadership positions.
- Women earn 78 cents for every dollar earned by a male counterpart.
- Women comprise only 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs.
- 57% of college students are women, but only 26% of college professors are female.
- Women hold less than 6% of the top-paying positions in Fortune 500 companies.
Sobering, huh?
I've been thinking a lot lately about my experiences in working with women - as clients, as employees in companies, as partners - and I've asked myself, "What are the barriers I see to progress?" Here is a quick digest of observations about the factors hold women back in the workplace and how we might be able to step up our collective performance as a gender in 2011:
Women don't bounce back from a hard punch like men do.
I know, we put on a tough face sometimes or play the ice queen, but the reality is that men know how to take a hit, shrug it off, and continue on their merry way. Women stew over conflicts, lose self-confidence, wallow in guilt, and generally need approval from others to believe in themselves. A key barrier to women's success in high-earning, high-profile leadership positions is the fact that they allow a regret, a missed opportunity, a mistake, or a criticism derail their ability to achieve. They can't recover from a punch, and so allow a single hit to stop them from ardently pursuing their dreams. While it's important to reflect on our character, nurture relationships with others, and learn from mistakes, dwelling endlessly on our shortcomings is not the path to equality.
Women tear each other down in the workplace.
This is a bizarre tendency, but I've really noticed that women attack each other at work more than they attack their male peers. I don't know if going after a guy is too intimidating, or if we just tend to be 'bitchy' with each other, but girlfriends... stop going after each other and find some solidarity! If you have a gripe with someone at work, try to productively solve the problem rather than tearing down other people to get ahead. You never elevate yourself by diminishing others. And taking an attack stance against other women starts a cycle of discontent, gossip and backstabbing that makes everyone in your work environment look bad and prevents anyone from getting ahead.
Women believe that to succeed in leadership they can't be compassionate and balanced.
Men can be very direct in their critiques and candid in their verbal feedback, but they tend to naturally avoid being blatantly destructive and overly judgmental. They can sense when searing comments are reaching a level that will be counter-productive and they pull back. Women are especially judgmental - and on a much more personal and detailed level - than are males. We really need to guard against judgmentalism taking away our ability to be loving and compassionate and supportive of others. Succeeding in business isn't about turning into men (or, heaven forbid, being even meaner than men!). It's about leveraging all the uniquely female gifts that we have at our disposal to lead in our way.
Women don't mentor each other and pass the torch.
Most men who have achieved great things in the corporate arena will tell you that they have a few profound mentor relationships that have gotten them where they are. Men have learned the value in dropping a ladder down to individuals below them with potential - and they have also learned to look for the men in positions they covet and ask for help. Women tend to work really hard in isolation and hope that their performance alone will earn them a promotion or raise. It doesn't usually work that way. People above you in power positions offer immense leverage that can take you up a few levels overnight. And don't just look for your own mentors! Be willing to help the women around you and below you step up their performance and get noticed.
Women often view the workplace as a popularity contest.
Come on ladies... we're not in junior high anymore. Leadership isn't about everyone liking you all the time. While it's important to be smart and fair and respected, you have to learn to deal with people who disagree with you, resent you, or ostracize you. The few who reach the top have to make unpopular decisions at times, and you will definitely have moments when you feel very alone. Women tend to shut down when they find themselves in an exclusionary group, but that is just the time to take up the courage of your convictions and earn respect. Superior performance only emerges when you meet the challenges put to you in spite of your gender. The world certainly won't adapt itself to suit you, so if you can't make tough calls and defend your ideas you'll find that primer opportunities flow right on by.
Have you noticed a broad tendency in the workplace that is holding women back? Comment below or email me at trish@trishthomas.com and I'll include it in a future post.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)