Women's Leadership Blog

Rethink Networking

A guest post by Lynn Harris:

Why you should view networking as an essential leadership competency

 

 Many of my coaching clients either say they don’t like networking, or they simply don’t have the time for it. They say things like:

“People who network contact me only when they want something.”

“Networking events are awful. They are full of people thrusting business cards into my hand while looking over my shoulder for someone who might be more useful.”

“I don’t have the time or the energy to network. At the end of the day all I want to do is get home to see my kids before they go to bed.”

In the light of such comments, it might be helpful to clarify what networking is not about.

It’s not about exchanging business cards, working a room, having unproductive lunch or coffee meetings, sucking up to important people or manipulating others for your own benefit.

What networking is about is building strategic business relationships as a core leadership competency.

Why bother?

Building a network of professional relationships enables you to:

• Develop your leadership capacity by accessing diverse perspectives and relevant information from which you can gain new insights and make intelligent decisions.
• Influence successfully within your industry/profession and across your organization.
• Support others within your network of relationships.
• Get the support you need to be even more successful in your current role.
• Influence your career progression.
• And gain energy and stimulation from interesting people.

Taking networking seriously as a core leadership competency can make the difference between :

Being a good leader who is stuck you your current role, to an excellent leader who is going places;

Being a member of a profession, and a respected leader of that profession;

Being a person whose sphere of influence is small, to a leader who is known and respected by many;

And being a person who thinks and acts strategically to manage your career, and someone who reacts to career opportunities if and when they come along.

If you have so far viewed networking as a “nice to do if I had the time” it would be wise to rethink your approach and view it as “an essential leadership attribute I need to master.”

How to take a more strategic approach

 

A reactive approach to networking goes something like: “I will set aside five hours per week to network.” This doesn’t usually work because you are creating a task out of a perceived need.

As soon as more immediate needs come along, this task drops off the end of your to-do list.

A more strategic approach is to create a diverse network of relationships as a way of life. This means you need to:

• Be open and available to make contact with people around you, rather than burying your head in tasks.
• Find ways to invest in and become an asset to others.
• Dig your well before you’re thirsty – build your network of relationships through investing in others long before you need help or support from the people in your network.
• Build relationships all the time, as a way of life. We all have opportunities to develop relationships every day, both inside and outside of our organizations – take them.
• Be interested and interesting – building a network of relationships requires mutual connection where both parties are stimulated by the interaction.
• Don’t be afraid to talk about yourself – women, in particular, have a reputation for putting others’ needs and interests before their own, which might be an admirable quality but will not result in mutual connections and a network of mutually beneficial relationships.
• Be a connector – make introductions and bring individuals and groups together.
• Join professional networks where you can make new contacts, be exposed to diverse thinking and build new friendships.
• Follow through – reconnect and stay in touch with people.

In today’s organizations, building and maintaining networks of mutually beneficial professional relationships is the way we do business and progress our careers.

Just in case you hadn’t realized it – networking has become an essential leadership competency, not a “nice to do if I had the time.”

If you want more in-depth advice on how to build networks of strategic professional relationships, you will find a chapter in Unwritten Rules: What Women Need To Know About Leading In Today's Organizations.

 

About Lynn Harris:

Lynn Harris brings over 20 years of managerial, leadership and consulting experience in large organizations. She runs her own executive development practice based in Montreal, Canada where she specializes in executive coaching, team development and meeting facilitation. She also works internationally with colleagues from Europe delivering organizational change projects and leadership development workshops. 

Author: Unwritten Rules What Women Need To Know About Leading In Today's Organizations 
www.unwrittenrulesthebook.com

 

 

Featured Leader - Ciji Saso: One Woman to Watch

Guest post by Kate Stence

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

I’m the eldest of two sisters and grew up in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California. I attended the University of San Francisco and graduated with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Spanish. Afterward I took a few classes at Stanford Business School. This experience led to my interest in industrial psychology and helped me find my current job at Lucasfilm in their Training & Organizational Development department. Alongside this, I am an active volunteer and advocate for human rights. I am an AmeriCorps graduate, and have continued serving the community through a variety of non-profits throughout the San Francisco Bay area. My most recent work has been with C.E.O Women, HandsOn Bay Area, and FWL as a member of the events committee

Question #2: Why did you decide to work in the field of human resources, specifically training and organizational development? How does this compliment your work with women and girl rights?

I work in the field of Training because it allows me to be in an environment where the growth and development of individuals is the focus. By working in a creative company, I am encouraged to think about new and innovative ways about getting my job done, which I really enjoy. My work in the area of training and organizational development has taught me so much about being an effective leader and understanding the importance of strategy to move forward with and carry out my visions and goals. I have been able to take these skills and apply them in my advocacy and volunteer work with groups that are committed to social change and strengthening the lives of girls and women all over the world.

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

One challenge that I have faced has been balancing my time between my full-time job and my work in the non-profit world. For a while it felt that my life was pieced apart and I was getting pulled in two very different directions. I have come to realize that what I do in the space of organizational development and training holds a lot of value for non-profits and leaders in the community. Reversely, the constant drive for change and out of box thinking that non-profits are so good at has been beneficial to my personal development. By making connections in these different areas of my life I have been able to find a healthy balance, and at the same time bring a new way of thinking to the very different spaces that I work in.

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

My Mom. She has taught me and continues to teach me everyday the importance of honesty, standing up for what you believe in, and being fearless about life. She cares about the world and has shown me the impact that service can have on individuals and families that are fighting poverty and the many other injustices that afflict our world.

Question #5: Anything you wish you had known when you were in the very beginning stages of your career?

 Speak your mind and don’t be afraid to ask questions even if no one else is.

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

Listening really well. Curiosity. Passion. A desire for change. Asking really good questions.

Question #7: What is your greatest achievement?

Completing over 300 hours of AmeriCorps service in one year while simultaneously working a full-time job.

Question #8: Who inspires you?
My mother and sisters. Margaret Atwood, Mahnaz Afkhami, Gloria Steinem—the pioneers of our world.

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

It’s important to have a strong voice in the world, that it’s okay to be different and try something new. When you take a risk and step outside of the norm this is when real change can happen. Elizabeth Blackwell really captured this spirit when she said, “It is not easy to be a pioneer—but oh, it is fascinating! I would not trade one moment, even the worst moment, for all the riches in the world.”

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

Yes, work/life balance is extremely important to me. Having a multifaceted life brings so much opportunity for growth and development. My family, the relationships I have with others, my volunteer work, reading, traveling allow me to have a greater awareness of the world around me. Even having to consider whether you have work/life balance, I think, is a privilege. I am truly grateful about everything that I have in my life and will continue to do my part to advocate for a better world for those in need.

 

Kate Stence is a writer, editor, and an avid endurance runner for SoleMates/Girls on the Run International and Run for Congo for Women/Women for Women International. She recently completed South Africa’s 85^th Comrades Marathon, a 56 mile endurance event for SoleMates. Currently, she resides in Paris, France and is the Associate Editor and a Blog Columnist for the International Museum of Women. Check out her writing at Her Blueprint.

Blowing the whistle on dragon lady bosses: why men prefer male managers and women do too

Guest post by Jen Dalitz:

New research from the Tuck School of Business has shown that 90% of female MBA students prefer a male boss.  A 2009 survey of 2,000 British working women revealed 63% would prefer a male over a female boss.  And a 2008 survey from the University of Toronto highlighted that women working under a sole female supervisor reported more distress and physical stress symptoms than women working under a lone male supervisor.  

So what is going on here?  Are all female bosses dragon ladies?  And if everyone prefers working for a male boss, what does this mean for the sphinxx vision of seeing women equally represented in leadership roles?

While it’s one thing for movies like The Devil Wears Prada and The Proposal to portray women bosses as dragon ladies, do the movies actually mirror your experience?  Is it history that sets the stereotypical gender of a boss as male, or all other things being equal, do women and men actually prefer men as bosses?

When I received an article from one of the sphinxx leadership program members, with links to the ForbesWomen views on Male Vs. Female Bosses I have to say I was stunned by some of the comments: “Women have been evil bosses to me in the past”; “A man any day of the week”; “Female bosses are either b*tches or bimbos”.  Wow.

For my part, I’ve had some spectacularly bad bosses who were men.  I’ve had great bosses that are men too, and a couple of wonderful women bosses who remain mentors to me today.  I haven’t had any dragon lady bosses, thank goodness, but I acknowledge that some people have.  I wonder what your experience is - whether you’re male or female - and if there’s anything women who aspire to leadership roles could learn from it.

I’ve been trying to think back to the men and women bosses I’ve had over the years, and whether there where any discernable differences in their management styles.  One thing that strikes me is that most of the women were more efficient and effective - they were really certainly caring, but also very focused on the business outcomes and had a track record in delivery.  Some of the men on the other hand were more, well, “fun”.  You know, they were lighthearted, they were the first to round up the team and take us to the pub to celebrate our wins, and apart from the odd crisis at work, they appeared otherwise to have not a care in the world, which may have made them seem more approachable.  And one big difference is that all of my male bosses had wives who managed their life away from work.  Many of these wives made a full time job of looking after their home and family and, in turn, my boss... so I wonder if that played a part in how these boss blokes were perceived. And whether the fact that my female bosses didn't have a "wife" made them - out of necessity - that bit more task oriented.

It’s just a sneaking suspicion... and I could be wrong... but I know in my case it’s the stuff away from work that very much drives how my colleagues and staff perceive me.  When the pressure is on away from work, it crosses over to my work life as well.  But maybe that's just me...

If you’re a woman reading this blog, I’d love you to not only to discuss this topic with your peers, and share your views, but also to forward it on to your male colleagues and bosses for their opinion.  And blokes: truly, we’re up for it.  Tell us what you think it will take to improve perceptions of women at the top and get involved in the discussion. I'd love to hear from you all on this very important issue.

 

Jen Dalitz is obsessed with getting more women into leadership roles, in our workplaces and communities. As the sheEO and founder of sphinxx, the network for female senior managers, she runs the wildly successful Ascend development days, publishes a weekly newsletter of tips, resources and articles for working women, and mentors, advocates for and consults on topics relating to working women.

Impeccable Word

A guest post by Nancy Shields:

Don Miguel Ruiz states in his book The Four Agreements, “Be impeccable with your word, speak with integrity, and say only what you mean.  Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others.  Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.”  It is so refreshing when someone tells you they are going to do something and they actually do it.  I’m sure this can surprise you since we as a society are accustomed to people not doing what they say.  As a human, the word is a most powerful tool.  It’s the tool of magic.  But like a two edged sword, your word can create a most incredible dream, or the word can shatter everything around you.  

On one side you have the misuse of the word which creates hell on earth and the other side is the impeccable word, which creates love, beauty and bliss.  The word can set you free or it can imprison you more than you can imagine.  The incredible magic within you is all based on your word.  The word is pure magic that comes out of your mouth, or it can be black magic if misused.  I will tell you that is possible – it’s possible when practiced daily – if I can do it – you can do it – I am not better than you.  We are humans with the same kind of brain and bodies.  No excuses, you too can have the impeccable word.  

The word is the closest thing to us – we use our language to express ourselves daily – why not use it in a positive impeccable way.  Remember people may not remember you for very long, but they will always remember the way you make them feel.  This is accomplished by your word, your actions, your attitude.  Think of a person you know that tells you one thing and then never follows through.  I’m sure you get tired of all their idle chatter and probably you eventually distance yourself.  Now think of the person that tells you something and then follows through with what they say.  They are a delight to be around since you can trust their word.  The impeccable word - do as you say and say what you mean.

Remember, may the possibilities of today excite us ALL!

Author Bio:  I am a woman with a passion to inspire and encourage women to be better women for themselves and for this world.  I am creator/founder of a social networking website www.makegirlfriends.com where women can meet, share and inspire one another.  My blog can be found at blog.makegirlfriends.com.

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.

Authenticity

A guest post by Pat Obuchowski:

"How desperately difficult it is to be honest with oneself.  It is much easier to be honest with other people."

~Edward F. Benson

To be authentic is defined by dictionary.com to be trustworthy, honest, genuine, real. It is a particular way of dealing with the external world, while being faithful to our internal selves and our ideas rather than external influences and ideas.

The word originated in the early 1300's from the Latin autheniticus meaning "one who does things himself".

Some of my work involves coaching emerging leaders. These are leaders who are new to their specific leadership position and the primary work with these leaders is to help them find their own leadership style while being fully authentic. Being real.

According to Eric Fromm, behavior is considered to be authentic if it results from a personal understanding of its drives and origins, rather than merely from conformity with the perceived wisdom of the society.

Light Walk by H. Koppdelaney

It's not easy being authentic in today's world. It is a difficult state to achieve due to the social pressures that surround us to "fit in", "be like...", and "live like...".

Not being authentic means projecting a persona that conflicts with your true character. This is like putting on an actor's mask and playing a different character than the one that is truly you. It shows up in your not saying what you feel. You may project a "know it all" persona, while in reality you need to learn so much more. You may have a continuously reproachful air when in reality you have a soft disposition. You may be a leader who believes in showing no emotions when you really have a tender and kind heart. There are numerous ways we mask our authenticity.

What a tragedy to live behind this type of mask. We can go through our entire life not knowing we wear a mask, or fearful of removing it as people will see the true person behind it.

Authenticity requires continuous self-exploration and self-knowledge. This is a lifelong process as we are always changing. This self-exploration alters our relationships with other people. People like us to stay the way we are. Changing is hard, but once we begin the journey of self exploration, there is no going back to being inauthentic.

The most dynamic leaders we have are those who lead by their core values and make known who they want to be in the world and what legacy they want to leave. This type of leader is consistent in their behavior regardless of what situation they find themselves in.

"To contact the deeper truth of who we are, we must engage in some activity or practice that questions what we assume to be true about ourselves." ~A. H. Almaas

You may get people to respond to a request (especially if their pay is involved); but only when you establish deep, human, emotional connections with people will they go out of their way to accomplish the difficult tasks needed to get exceptional results. If you're not authentic, you're less likely to establish those connections.

Authenticity is a state of being. You can't fake it and don't ever try to. People will know.

Here are a few questions to reflect on when taking a look at how you are being authentic:

• Who was your childhood hero and why?
• Who had the greatest impact on you as a leader and in what ways?
• What past mistakes have impacted you for the better as a leader?
• What do you most want to be remembered for as a leader?
• What is the legacy you want to leave?
• What advice could you most use right now as a leader?
• When is leadership fun for you?
• What was your very first leadership experience?
• What skills are you still using that you learned from this experience?

Meditation by H. Koppdelaney

I'm not talking about anything new here. Authenticity has been a source of leadership throughout history. Socrates stated, "the unexamined life is not worth living." A Roman statesman once said, "A good speech is a good man speaking well," meaning that the audience needs to perceive the speaker as authentic.

The art of leadership is the art of simply being you. Communicate your authenticity with passion in all situations and it will bring you many rewards throughout your career and your life.

"We need to find the courage to say NO to the things and people that are not serving us if we want to rediscover ourselves and live our lives with authenticity."~Barbara de Angelis

Step into authentic leadership and play a Bigger Game in your life...don't wait...model leadership...the World needs us to do this.

Lead strong!

Pat

 

 

About Pat Obuchowski:

Pat Obuchowski is the CEO (Chief Empowerment Officer) of inVisionaria, a WBE certified and ICF credentialed Leadership, Business, and Team coaching organization.  She currently serves as a Global Board Director for the International Coach Federation, the largest professional coaching association in the World.

Web:  www.inVisionaria.com

Linked In:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/patobuchowski

Twitter: Pat_Obuchowski

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.

The Two Skills You Need For Success

A guest post by Susan Young:

When it comes to professional and personal development, the two most important areas of study are communication and self-confidence. Mastering these two skills will have a huge impact in every single area of your life. Yes, this even includes blogging, Social Media, writing and marketing.

Think about it. If you have superior communication skills, it affects all of your interpersonal relationships. Outstanding communicators are motivated leaders who have positive attitudes, charisma, and vision. It will be evident in your written words as well as your spoken words. Emotional Intelligence (compassion, congeniality, empathy, self-awareness and assertiveness) is directly linked to strong communication skills.

Similarly, self-confidence is the key to success. Individuals with low self-esteem and self-worth are not leaders. You can blame everyone and everything under the sun for your lack of self-confidence. We're all adults and each of us is in absolute control of our thoughts, behaviors, actions and habits. Again, self-confidence will be evident to people who read your blog posts, articles and e-zines. Consider this: if you want to position yourself as a leader and an expert in your field, you definitely need self-confidence!

Dr. Maxwell Maltz was a prestigious plastic surgeon in New York City in the 1960's and '70's. In his classic self-development book Psycho-Cybernetics, he wrote that he could repair the outer wounds of people but felt more compelled to study the inner emotional scars of low self-esteem. He said the cornerstone of success is to see yourself as a confident and competent human being. In fact much of his work focused on visualization techniques and making "mental movies." We must acknowledge our self-worth and build our self-confidence. No one can do it for us. It's an inside job.

If you want to supercharge your life, your blog or your business, study communication and self-confidence. The rest will follow, like a miracle.

PS- Expect good things to happen:)

About Susan Young: 

Susan Young, President of Get in Front Communications, is an award-winning news and communications expert, entrepreneur, author and speaker. She works with professionals who want to improve their communication, leadership and self-confidence. Visit www.getinfrontcommunications.com and www.getinfrontblogging.com. Twitter: @sueyoungmedia 

 (Photo Credit: botheredbybees)

Too Feminine to Lead?

A guest post by Donna Scott

Even after anti-discrimination laws and the success of women’s rights activists, women still face gender-based hurdles in the workplace. There is a reason the term “glass ceiling” has been used to describe the predicament of women everywhere; the barrier is subtle, nearly invisible, and worthy women usually ascend far up in positions of power until they reach that stopping point. One way women have dealt with the barriers on female leadership power is to emulate stereotypical masculine leadership qualities: being gruff, strict, and uncompromising. Yet, adopting this persona not only obscures women’s true leadership style, but also fuels the opinion that women must essentially become men to lead.

Niki Leondakis, who joined San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants as director of restaurant operations in 1993, felt she had to prove herself in the male-dominated department, according to an article in Forbes. She was nicknamed “The Terminator” for her tough and unwavering leadership style, firing those who didn’t meet her standards. But Leondakis found her “macho guy” façade draining and false, and she eventually grew comfortable letting her real self come through in leading. She began dropping the “Terminator” act in favor of compromising with employees and listening to their thoughts first before making her leadership decisions. Yet, when she did this, she was quickly accused of showing weakness as a leader.

Hillary Clinton experienced the same problem while running in the 2008 presidential primaries. She was accused of being too cold and emotionless, but when she shed a few tears on camera, critics attacked her “feminine weakness.” The demand for women leaders to be both masculine and feminine is an unfair one, as men in power are rarely demanded to show femininity in their leadership styles.

"The notion that a contemporary woman must look mannish in order to be taken seriously as a seeker of power is frankly dismaying," wrote Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue, in the magazine’s letter from the editor after Clinton declined to be photographed out of the fear of seeming too feminine.

Some women have managed to use their femininity to their advantage to gain respect. First Lady Michelle Obama exploded onto the scene as a sharp-dressed woman with intelligence and ambition to boot. She had almost as much media coverage as her husband as she visited soup kitchens and hospitals and supported military families. Yet, Michelle Obama is the First Lady and not the president. Whether a woman who unapologetically accepts and celebrates her femininity like Michelle could run for a high leadership role such as the American presidency and win remains to be seen.

This post was contributed by Donna Scott, who writes about the Online College Degree Programs. She welcomes your feedback at DonnaScott9929 at yahoo.com

Bragging rights, Women and Personal Branding

A guest post by Dr. Nancy Dailey

Last year after a pitch I made to a group of venture capitalists in New York City, I got some well-deserved feedback: don't be self-deprecating.  I unthinking opened my pitch with a stupid "Sorry about ..." statement.  Now, a VC pitch can be brutal.  You have less than 5 minutes to convince people to invest in your new business. I was nervous, but I know better.  It was a good reminder to never diminish myself - at work, in business, wherever you are presenting your personal brand.

Being self-deprecating is more a problem for women than for men.  In Necessary Dreams: ambition in women's changing lives, author Anna Fels suggests most women self-deprecate. Men don't. There's not a lot of research on this topic but anecdotally I would agree. Most men find it easier to use and enjoy their bragging rights.  Women seem uncomfortable using their achievements, their well-earned bragging rights, to promote themselves.

In our society, we've institutionalized an acceptable form of boasting. We call it "bragging rights." We give people permission to brag about real accomplishments. Not surprisingly, bragging rights are most often used with sports achievements.  Maybe that's where men first become comfortable with recognition and self-promotion.

On LinkedIn, I recently met a woman named Colleen Chan from Australia. She is a business analyst looking for a job. She's done something quite clever with her personal brand. She is doing personal advertising with her bragging rights.

Also, recently I read a blog post that struck a chord: Defend Your Personal Brand. Barbara Boxer shows how.  Senator Boxer, during a committee hearing, asked a Brigadier General to stop calling her ma'am and start calling her Senator saying "I worked so hard to get that title." Sen. Boxer obviously understands her bragging rights and her personal brand.  

A final thought...

Use your bragging rights to build your personal brand. It's not about hubris, the word used to describe overconfidence, arrogance, and lack of humility. It's about self-promotion: giving people information about you with a little bit of bragging rights mixed in.

In my world, I use "Dr." as part of my personal brand. Like Sen. Boxer, I worked hard to get that title. You should use whatever accomplishments, achievements, licenses, certifications, degrees you have to build your personal brand.

People like successful people. Make sure your personal brand represents your successes. Get comfortable bragging.

About Dr. Nancy Dailey

Nancy helps smart people get unstuck and expand their skills to solve complex people, organization and business problems.  She works with leaders in business, government, education and non-profit. http://www.drnancydailey.com/