Women's Leadership Blog

MBA Application tips: How to improve your candidacy

Guest post by Stacy Blackman Consulting

All aspects of the MBA application process will benefit from careful preparation. From your initial planning all the way to the interview, there is a lot to gain from investing hours up front. If you are planning to apply to business school in the fall, you may be wondering what you can do now to prepare. Aside from solidifying career goals and researching target schools, you can take several actions to improve your candidacy now that will pay dividends in the fall.

 

Community Involvement

Now is a great time to deepen or establish your involvement with a community organization. Consider roles that will allow you to take a leadership position and create real impact before September. Offering to organize an event is a great discrete activity that will allow you to work in a team, have an impact, and show results. For more information on various opportunities to get involved, visit our post on extracurricular activities.

 

Academic Enhancement

Whether you had issues with your GMAT score or your undergrad GPA, you can take action now to improve your overall academics before the fall.

 

If you took the GMAT once or twice and did not receive the score you think you are capable of, consider a prep course to enhance your skills and remind you how to solve those high school math logic problems.

An undergrad GPA hovering around 3.5 is generally considered fine. If your GPA is a 3.2 or below, or you majored in liberal arts, you may consider taking quantitative classes to enhance your academic profile. The MBA canon generally consists of Calculus, Statistics and Microeconomics. If you took any of those classes in undergrad and scored a C or below you should certainly re-take the classes now. Where you take the class is much less important than the course material and grade (aim for A's!!). The local community college is a fine option.

 

Leadership and Management Potential

Being promoted between now and the fall would be the ideal scenario, but you don't have to wait for your boss to act in order to enhance your overall leadership and management potential for business school applications.

 

Volunteer for that cross-functional team or project, offer to help your boss with a tough long-term goal, or get involved with employee groups at work whether through volunteering in the community or promoting diversity in your company. Letting others at work know you are interested in developing your people skills may uncover more opportunities to go above and beyond, and provide great material for your resume and essays.

 

As you prepare for application season, make sure you are taking action that lines up with your passions and overall goals. If you are preparing for your long-term future with excitement, you will be far more effective!

Please register for FWL MBA Application Workshop hosted by Stacy Blackman Consulting here.

Stacy Blackman MBA Admissions Consulting - personalized, comprehensive assistance with every stage of the application process.

Yoga and The Intelligence of The Body

Guest post by Jenny Clevidence:

Using the body's intelligence to help us understand our natural tendencies and how those translate into our way of leading and living.

What do our bodies tell us? Are we listening? Through movement of the body we can begin to listen, to calm our minds a little, and take notice. After years of self-development workshops, assessments, and being told that I need to be more this or less that, I felt lost. I began to not only look at the mind to create change, but to look at the body. When we can tap into the intelligence of the body and mind, we can develop a true awareness and ability to change.

Notice how in difficult situations or at times of happiness, there are certain sensations in the body. Maybe tension, sweaty palms, or a sense of rushing energy, or lightness occurs. This is the start of tapping into the intelligence of the body and something that can be explored in various forms of bodywork.

One way to begin exploring is through Yoga, it is a wonderful way to check in with what happens in our bodies when we are faced with certain situations on our mats. For example, when we begin to practice inversions like handstands, we may have a fear associated with going upside down. For some it is centered on the question, "can I trust my body to support me?" If we take this reflection off the mat and into life, we can see how this fear also comes up in our day to day, as trusting ourselves. How many times have we questioned our abilities, and then stopped before even trying?

On our mats we can begin to cultivate trust in ourselves by playing with inversions in supported ways. As we begin to trust our bodies and ourselves, this same trust is reflected off the mat. Coming in contact with the sensations, and reactions that occur in the body and mind provide us with a path to then cultivate change.

In June at Yoga & Leadership, we will explore this and other concepts as we engage in a challenging yoga practice (because life is challenging!) and conversation.

"Wherever you go, there you are...on and off your mat"

Jenny Clevidence
Integral Coach & Yoga Instructor
ro:ren collective
jenny@rorencollective.com

10 Resolutions Every Woman Should Make

Here are a couple of great resolution suggestions from Jo Miller of Women's Leadership Coaching, and lead facilitator of FWL's 2010 Leadership Development Program. Registration for the program ends on February 16.

1. Become more influential

Build your ability to influence, persuade, and motivate others, regardless of whether you have a management job title.  Influencing Without Authority>>

2. Seek management’s buy-in for a new idea
Take a great technical idea, and sell it to your senior management by partnering with others to build credibility. Selling your technical idea to management >>

3. Don’t let others steal your ideas
Pitch persuasive proposals, and pitch yourself too, to get credit for your work. Getting Credit for Your Ideas >>

4. Learn to delegate effectively
Manage the work performance of others, without hovering about like a micro-manager. How Do I Delegate without Micromanaging >>

5. Build an influential network
You don’t need to be a “shmoozer” to be a good networker, when you include these five key types of people. Five Key People You Need in Your Network >>

To see 5 more resolutions, visit 10 Resolutions Every Women Should Make.  To learn more about the LDP and to register for the final information session on February 4, visit the FWL Leadership Development Program homepage.

Featured Woman Leader of the Month - Carla Cooper, CFA

Carla Cooper is a seasoned finance professional who was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to share her insight with Future Women Leaders.

Question #1: Tell me a bit about your background.

I have an undergraduate degree from Princeton. I joined Prudential Securities after college and spent three years there. Because I had a liberal arts major, and no finance background, my first four months at Prudential were really a tough challenge - a brutal four month financial education. Many of my peers had finance backgrounds and seemed to be so far ahead, but I knew that I would be able to overcome those challenges. In college, I wrote a 140 page thesis on a complex political topic - I knew I could do anything.

Early on, I really wanted to prove myself - prove that I could handle the challenges of the job. As a result, I ended up pursuing the CFA because I felt it would provide me with the skills I would need to do well at Prudential. And this is key - a lot of people advised me not to pursue the CFA, noting that my time would be better spent doing something else. Ultimately I made my decision based on what I believed would be the right step for me. One lesson I took away from my experience at Prudential is that it is important to look at what the organization values and take steps that will lead you to succeed in that environment.

Question #2: Why did you decide to get an MBA?

I wanted a flexible degree that would provide me with options in business. I decided to attend Kellogg because I felt it was a well-rounded school, which was an important aspect for me since I was considering getting out of finance. I spent my first summer in business school working in marketing - in some ways it was a horrible experience, but in other ways it was fantastic. I'd like to note here that difficult experiences really sharpen your thought process - there is usually something to be learned. I wouldn't seek out difficult experiences, but I wouldn't avoid them either. After that summer, and after spending time hearing about what friends in finance were doing, I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in finance.

Something to consider when evaluating a job prospect - you can accept a job for the person you will be working for, if not for the job itself. After business school, I went to work for the co-director of Equity Research at Robert W. Baird & Co. and I became his right-hand woman. At Baird, I worked my way up from an Associate position to a Senior Analyst role. I spent about 10 years in sell-side research with Baird before I decided to transition to Baird Investment Management (where I have been for 4 years).

Question #3: What are the biggest work-related challenges you have faced? How did you overcome them?

• My Prudential experience (described in Question 1) - when I chose to pursue the CFA
• I had a challenging boss early in my career, and in terms of lessons I took away from that experience: have a thick skin - don't take things personally. If someone is being difficult, understand that there is another story underlying their behavior - might not be you
• Also - I had two kids while working as a Senior sell-side Research Analyst - no easy feat (I am blessed to have a supportive spouse). Something to consider - don't let others dictate to you what makes a good mom; it is important for your kids to see you as a happy person - so do what makes you happy

Question #4: Tell me about the mentors you have had in your life (male/female).

• My first boss at Baird - I really learned how to think things through and improved my interpersonal skills
• I had a great mentor at Prudential - someone who rescued me from the challenging boss I described earlier. She was smart, had a great presence - was strong and definitive and a great role model partly because she was a woman

Question #5: Anything you wish you had known when you were in earlier stages of your career?
Rules of the corporate or business world are sometimes unspoken - i.e. not as crystal clear as "these are the things you need to do to get an A." Sometimes you need to take risks or seek out guidance
Always weigh the costs and benefits of your actions. Don't be risk averse, but people can sometimes forget that the downside is higher than the incremental upside that they are focused on
Just have to figure things out as you go.

Question #6: What are leadership qualities you value most in others?

• Directness
• Good blocking and tackling
• Someone who is consistent versus someone who is on once a year
• Engage with the people/work/process/everything and has some commitment to periodically stepping back and reviewing the strategy/goal

Question #7: What is your greatest achievement?

• I was really proud that I was a top ranked Senior Research Analyst at a firm I really respect.
• I was proud to have stayed on track professionally at the same time as I was raising a family
• You have to love what you do because there will come a day when being with your kids will become really attractive

Question #8: Who inspires you?
My husband inspires me because he is so level headed and is always thinking about how to solve problems. I am also frequently inspired by what I read and by people I meet.

Question #9: Do you have a mission statement or a tenet that you try to live by?

• You aren't learning anything if you are talking; make sure to listen!
• What goes around comes around
• Golden rule - treat others as you would like to be treated

Question #10: Do you have work/life balance?

• I have work/life balance - but I am always on the go; I don't get to sleep much, but that is ok with me
• I have three regular volunteer commitments - which I enjoy 
• Exercise is definitely my stress release

YOU - the best investment you can make...

These days, it is so important to put your best foot forward, whether you are trying to progress in your job or trying to find a new position.  Knowing your strengths and how to use them to your best ability is vital. Taking the steps to build your leadership skills and self-awareness is an investment that will pay off for a lifetime.

In mid-November, Future Women Leaders held an information session for our 2010 Leadership Development Program, which is designed to help women truly come in to themselves as leaders.   We discussed the goals of the program, the content, and how women can make this investment possible.  Here are some of the takeaways on how you can find the time and funds to attend:

• Ask your company to sponsor your attendance.  Be clear about the program outcomes and why you think your participation would be valuable for you, and for them.  Offer to make a presention to your team on your learnings.  Make this training part of your performance development plan. 
• Negotiate.  If your company is unable to sponsor your entire participation fee, perhaps they can supplement it.  As an alternative, ask to take time for the sessions as training days rather than vacation or PTO. 
• Ask your family to sponsor you.  Ask for the gift of personal development this holiday season!  It is a great way for your loved ones to be involved in your success.
• Invest in your self.  Draw up a weekly or monthly payment plan agreement with your self, and budget a set amount for each month to put towards to program. 

At the end of the day, this program is for YOU and you will reap the greatest rewards, so it is worth investing your time and energy TODAY on something that will benefit you for years to come.

For more information about the 2010 Leadership Development program, scheduled to begin in Februrary, please visit http://www.futurewomenleaders.net/leadership-development-program.  The site includes a description of the program, as well a link to our registration page and the presentation from the Nov 11 Information Session.

Future Women Leaders Wishes You a Happy Holiday!

The FWL officer team got together last weekend for a little holiday shindig at one of our officer's adorable apartments.  We sat down for some pizza, wine, and great conversation.  It was wonderful to be surrounded by such incredible women - I left the evening feeling inspired and ready to take on a new year.  Here's a group picture from the evening:

As part of our holiday party, everyone brought a gently used item of professional clothing to donate to Dress for Success.  When you get together with your girlfriends I encourage you to think of ways to give back as a group.  It's one of the best ways to celebrate the holidays.

Happy holidays from the FWL officer team!

Cultivating Confidence and Self-Esteem: Create a Brag Book!

On November 17th, I had the great pleasure of speaking at a Future Women Leaders event on how to cultivate confidence and self-esteem. One of the concepts we spoke about was: taking stock of personal strengths and assets. To put this idea into daily practice, I suggested creating a brag book. It seemed this was an exercise that just about everyone in the room was going to follow through on. In case you did not get to attend and are wondering what a brag book is - please read on!

The point of keeping a brag book is to build your self-esteem by reminding yourself of all the things that are great about you. It's about shifting your awareness and focus from all of the supposed negative ideas about yourself. This journal serves as a quick pick-me-up anytime you are getting down and hard on yourself. It is your evidence of how excellent you are - use it as your defense any time you are being attacked by the inner critic (your small, fearful self).

The root concept of this brag book is to create self-appreciation and gratitude. Having an attitude of gratitude, we are told over and over is a basic principle towards creating happiness. When you look at all of your daily accomplishments and successes, you begin to have happiness in yourself. When you focus on how great you are, you are greatful. As you feel gratitude for your body, which does the work, you begin to take better care of it through diet and exercise. As you begin to feel gratitude for a happy mind and spirit, you choose to feed on only positive thoughts, words and actions. All of this gratitude makes you feel love, and in time this inner, self-love tunes you in with how the Universe, your divine creator, feels about you. See, when you do not love and appreciate yourself, you are out of alignment with the divine and your true, kick-ass self. Love and gratitude for yourself realign you to your higher self.

Nothing breeds more success than success. Nothing creates more self-pride than achievement. When we are proud of ourselves, we believe in ourselves and love ourselves. As we begin to have faith in ourselves, and our abilities, we begin to see all things as possible, one step at a time.

Click here to find out how to create a brag book.

About the speaker/author of this posting: 

Farzana is a life coach who helps people realign with their highest potential to achieve a life of peace and happiness. For more information please visit her site at www.farzomatic.com

Relevant links:

FWL Event: Cultivating Confidence and Self-Esteem in the Workplace

farzomatic: mind/body/spirit/life coaching

Interested in a Career on Wall Street?

Saw a great posting on Doostang's blog that outlines some important considerations for someone looking to break into the world of finance.

1. Do your homework - there are many different career paths within the realm of financial services - which one fits you best? why?

2. Understand the lifestyle - Toto, we aren't in Kansas anymore...

3. Networking is key - The US Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that 70% of all jobs are found through networking.

4. Think about the message your resume conveys; be yourself! Your personality does matter.

5. If at first you don't succeed - don't give up!

Keep an eye out for an FWL panel early in 2010 regarding Women in Finance. You will be able to learn about different careers in financial services and hear directly from women who have been able to successfully navigate the male-dominated, obstacle-ridden waters.

The Importance of Self-Care - a few words by Farzana Khan, FWL presenter for Cultivating Confidence Workshop on Nov 17

2010 is just around the corner. Have you begun setting your intentions? A common goal for all of us is to live a little larger — personally and professionally.  How do we do this? How do we expand our experience of life to be just a little more kick-ass and enjoyable, in every department? Quite often, we think it is external stuff and circumstances that need to be changed, tweaked or adjusted to improve our levels of success and happiness. But the truth is, your true happiness in life is all contingent on your own state of self-perception, self-esteem and confidence. You can only achieve and receive that which you believe is possible. Confident people love and believe in themselves, and so naturally expect and achieve it. 

Believing in and loving yourself makes all the difference in the world. You have to have confidence, self-love and high self-esteem to achieve your dreams. You cannot receive success and abundance if you do not believe it is possible for little ol’ you. You have to believe you deserve and are worthy of every righteous desire of your heart. Everything and anything is possible for those who believe in themselves!

How do you increase and improve your confidence, self-esteem and self-love? Read the article The Importance of Self-Care and then attend Farzana Khan’s seminar for Future Women Leaders on  Cultivating Confidence and Self-Esteem, on November 17^th.

 

Excercpt from article The Importance of Self-Care:

So, I’ve been doing this life coaching thing for quite some time now. What I’ve found to be very interesting with many of my clients, who are stuck in a place of lack, pain and suffering, is that they are totally lovely, kind, huggable and compassionate people. The problem, most of the time, is that these wonderful folks give and give, but never to themselves. They are kind and generous to everyone else, but not to themselves. This is a very tricky situation. Because, until they fully love and take care of themselves, what they put out is kinda tainted. Like tainted meat, for example. It looks and tastes delicious. But then later, the receiver gets food poisoning. Why? The meat was tainted, poisoned. Why, how?  Because the giver, on the inside, is totally negative, poisoned.  You cannot be poisonous/negative to yourself and then expect the energy you put out to the Universe and to others not to be infected – it’s the same stream of energy.

What am I getting at, you ask?  

To read the rest of this article, visit Farzana's website:

 http://www.farzomatic.com/2009/07/the-importance-of-self-care/

What Employers Can (and Must) Do To Support Professional Women

A guest post by Kathy Caprino:

Several months ago, I penned a cover article called "Women in Today's Workforce Have Unique Opportunities: A New Call to Action for Women - And Employers" for CA Employer, the monthly newsletter of Employers Group.

The article shares key findings from my national research study with working women about the 12 "hidden" crises they face today, along with eight recommended approaches for employers to take that will help women not only survive the current challenges they face, but thrive in their professional roles over the long arc of their careers. It's evident that women are not "men in skirts," and the current male competitive career model in place simply doesn't fit women, and never will. A fundamental change in the model and in our thinking is in order. We're on our way, but much more needs to be done.

My research has uncovered widespread feelings of disempowerment among women - in their relationship with themselves, others, the world and their "higher" selves, leading to 12 common crises. These crises are characterized by "I can't do this" thinking - a negative mantra and desperate cry for help.

Among the 12 hidden crises working women face today are:

•  Suffering from chronic health problems

Failing health-a chronic illness or ailment-that won't respond to treatment

The mantra: "I can't resolve my health problems."

•  Losing your "voice"

Contending with a crippling inability to speak up-unable to be an advocate for yourself or others, for fear of criticism, rejection, or punishment

The mantra: "I can't speak up without being punished."

•   Facing abuse or mistreatment

Being treated badly, even intolerably, at work-and choosing to stay

The mantra: "I can't stop this cycle of mistreatment."

•  Feeling trapped by financial fears

Remaining in a negative situation solely because of money

The mantra: "I can't get out of this financial trap."

•  Wasting your real talents

Realizing your work no longer fits and desperately wanting to use your natural talents and abilities

The mantra: "I can't use my real talents."

•  Struggling to balance life and work

Trying-and failing-to balance it all, and feeling like you're letting down who
and what matters most

The mantra: "I can't balance my life and work."

A professional crisis is telling you that change must occur - now. That doesn't mean it will be easy-most likely, it won't-but, one step at a time, breakdown can lead to a true "breakthrough" in how you live and work. Breaking through is a process-not a one-size-fits-all quick fix. Throughout that process, three steps are critical: Step Back - to gain an empowered perspective; Let Go - to release the thoughts and actions that keep you stuck; and Say Yes! - to yourself and your compelling visions of a life and career of passion, power, and purpose.

The recommendations I offer employers are powerful and effective in supporting women's needs and priorities, based on six years of research with professional women, as well as my coaching and seminar work with thousands of women in a wide range of fields and industries across the country.

I'd love to hear your views about this article, and my recommendations. Do your personal experiences match the crises and challenges I describe? And do you believe that the recommended initiatives would go the distance in helping you overcome your challenges effectively? What additional actions would you suggest employers take - specifically and tactically - to support women in overcoming the obstacles they face?

Please share your experiences and viewpoints here. Add your voice to the discussion, and your recommendations to the research. Diversity of thinking is vital today, as is an empowered, authentic, and contemporary dialogue about what career women are facing, and what is needed to support and enliven women.

Thank you speaking up, and sharing your voice in this powerful breakthrough movement for women.

Wishing you many happy breakthroughs,
Kathy Caprino

Kathy Caprino, MA, is a nationally-recognized women's work-life expert and author of Breakdown, Breakthrough: The Professional Woman's Guide to Claiming a Life of Passion, Power, and Purpose (Berrett-Koehler, 2008, www.breakdownbreakthrough.com). Founder and President of Ellia Communications, Inc. -- a career and work-life coaching and consulting company dedicated to helping women achieve breakthrough in life and work, Caprino is a trained psychotherapist, seasoned career and life coach, and sought-after writer and speaker on women's issues. She is a popular blogger on business, workplace, and career topics and trends, and as a top media source, she has appeared in more than 100 leading newspapers and magazines and on national television. Contact her at Kathy@elliacommunications.com.

 

Don't miss 'Break Through, Don't Break Down!' an interactive coaching seminar with Kathy on October 14 in San Francisco. Click here to register.