Make Networking a Way of Life
For many professional women, time truly is a precious commodity, and unfortunately, networking is often put on the back burner. The busier the woman, the more networking tends to fall behind in priorities. Often it is only done sporadically for a pointed purpose. Or it is done in an ad hoc way as it is convenient. In both cases, women are missing a tremendous opportunity to grow their careers exponentially. There are many preconceived notions about networking, including the "right reasons" to network. The truth is everyone can (and should) network, and each will have her own legitimate reasons for doing so. Those who truly excel at networking, and therefore benefit the most, understand that networking is a way of life. Others use networking as a sporadic strategy that is only followed when you have a specific or urgent need. Think of it like dieting; people usually begin diets when they want to lose weight – perhaps for a special occasion like a wedding or reunion or because of a dan...
Author: Marny Lifshen

Network Circle Peer Groups
Fill out a confidential professional profile to be matched in a private peer networking group of 4 - 10 members with common interests. You'll be able to learn, seek advice, discuss topics and share viewpoints.  Typical groups will include the following areas of interest: Corporate Fast Track Entrepreneurial Journey Selling a Business New Career Path Job Loss Transition Self Employment Networking Skills Mentoring Work or Career Change Re-entering the Workforce After Raising Children Promotion Back to College Back to Work Finding Time for Personal Growth Building a Friendship Support System Divorce Relocation Empty Nest Retirement Aging Parents Dating as a Professional Women Work Family Life Balance Work Health Life Balance Work Single Life Balance My Own Forum Group
Author: Site Contributor

Network Circle Peer Group
Fill out a confidential professional profile to be matched in a private peer networking group of 4 - 10 members with common interests. You'll be able to learn, seek advice, discuss topics and share viewpoints.  Typical groups will include the following areas of interest: Corporate Fast Track Entrepreneurial Journey Selling a Business New Career Path Job Loss Transition Self Employment Networking Skills Mentoring Work or Career Change Re-entering the Workforce After Raising Children Promotion Back to College Back to Work Finding Time for Personal Growth Building a Friendship Support System Divorce Relocation Empty Nest Retirement Aging Parents Dating as a Professional Women Work Family Life Balance Work Health Life Balance Work Single Life Balance My Own Forum Group
Author: Site Contributor

C-Link Suite Video: Executive Women on Leadership - Part 1
Susan Arledge, CEO, Arledge Partners Real Estate Group Watch these two-minute videos that will inspire and motivate you with coaching advice on leadership in business and maintaining the balance between work and life along the way. This is a series with a different executive featured each week.   Video 1 of 5: Competing in a Male Dominant Industry Video 2 of 5: Taking risk as an Entrepreneur Video 3 of 5: Work Life Balance as a Mom Video 4 of 5: Gender Communication and Competence Video 5 of 5: Entrepreneurial Spirit   To read articles on related topics, click here to go to our Knowledge Bank. To read Susan Arledge’s complete biography, go to: www.arledgepartners.com.
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C-Link Suite Video: Executive Women on Leadership -- Part 3
Ellen Keszler, CEO Clear Sky Associates, President, Travelocity Business at Travelocity Watch these two-minute videos that will inspire and motivate you with coaching advice on leadership in business and maintaining the balance between work and life along the way. This is a series with a different executive featured each week. Video 1 of 3: Career Paths and Transitions Video 2 of 3: The Entrepreneurial Journey Within a Corporation Video 3 of 3: Work/Life Balance   To read articles on related topics, click here to go to our Knowledge Bank.   To read Ellen's complete bio, go to: www.linkedin.com.  
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C-Link Suite Video: Executive Women on Leadership – Part 4
Watch these two-minute videos that will inspire and motivate you with coaching advice on leadership in business and maintaining the balance between work and life along the way. This is the final video in a series featuring a different executive each week. Video 1 of 5: Own Your Career: Career Transitions Video 2 of 5: Work/Life Balance and Tools Video 3 of 5: Strategic Thinking to Advance to the Executive Suite Video 4 of 5: Influence in an Executive Setting Video 5 of 5: Communication and Gender Differences To read articles on related topics, click here to go to our Knowledge Bank. For more information on Lisbeth, go to: www.w2wlink.com/Team.aspx.
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The Myth of Perfect Life Balance
Life Balance seems to be getting a lot of airplay these days as most people find themselves living continually busier lives. Balance is important because without it we find ourselves feeling overwhelmed, stressed out, run down and unable to enjoy our relationships or our lives as fully as we'd like. However, striking perfect balance in a world of perpetual change is nearly a mission impossible. So what is “balance” anyway? The “B” word has become a mighty popular one over the last decade as our lives have become continually busier. If there isn’t enough pressure on you already, you now have the additional one of striking "perfect balance" like it's something you can capture and keep permanently. Uggh--more to get stressed about!  Well I don't know about you, but most people I know feel like they’re perpetually falling short when it comes to leading perfectly balanced lives. There’s a reason--the nature of perfect balance is that it will always be elusive. Picture the circus performer...
Author: Margie Warrell

C-Link Suite Video: Executive Women on Leadership - Part 2
Sarah Palisi Chapin, private equity executive;  former leader: Pepsico; board member: Caribou, IRM, PrimeSource Watch these two-minute videos that will inspire and motivate you with coaching advice on leadership in business and maintaining the balance between work and life along the way. This is a series with a different executive featured each week. Video 1 of 4: Transitions: From Corporate to the investment side Video 2 of 4: Communication and influence in an executive setting Video 3 of 4: Targeting and getting on a board Video 4 of 4: Corporate fast tracking and mentorship along the way   To read articles on related topics, click here to go to our Knowledge Bank.   To read Sarah's complete bio, go to: www.linkedin.com/pub/2/3A8/532.    
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What Does It Mean to Work Smart quiz?
Have you ever known someone who just seems to "have it all together?" Maybe that someone is you and maybe you could do even better. "Having it all together," is what many perceive as "working smart." But what does it really mean to "work smart?" Is it a mysterious quality that some of us are born with, and the rest without? Or is it a skill set that can be learned and mastered? Most business and relationship experts support that "working smart" is a skill set that enables one to achieve balance in life and be fruitful. Many women have intuitively been using these skills to successfully juggle their many responsibilities. When done effectively, the result is a general contentment and satisfaction both personally and professionally. When reflected on and analyzed, five key traits of "working smart" emerge. They may be remembered best using the acronym BRIEF for: Balanced, Results achieving, Independent minded, Energized and Fit in. 5 Traits of Women Who Work Smarter Balanced:  ...
Author: Jean Lewis

Recruit and Manage Millennials: Interview with Lis Steklis
Born between 1980 and 2000, millennials make up a generation nearly as large as the Baby Boom, and they’re full of potential. In an interview with Elisabeth (Lis) Steklis, 26-year-old executive at a full-service residential interior design firm and graduate of Drexel School of Design, features of the best millennials compared to other generations, as well as other millennials become clear. Traits of millennial overlap with those of other generations when they are going through similar life stages. For example, early career seekers usually look for positions offering opportunities for career advancement. They require strong leadership, and wish to be believed in and given a chance. Differentiating characteristics of millennials include cohort experiences such as greater technical savvy from more Web exposure. The shared 9-11 experience invokes patriotism. They tend to find comfort in networks and team experience. Since they have the benefit of a large network and vast opportunity at ...
Author: Dr. Cathy Greenberg

Build Your Business Through Smart Networking
Many of us still have a negative perception when we hear the word "networking," and, as I always say, it's a misunderstood word. My theory is that good networking skills build links and alliances with people we meet along our career path. The opposite of networking is not working. You can learn from everyone you meet and also be a resource to them. If you are lucky, down the road something may come back. Here are a few questions that I am  often asked about this "new philosophy" on something that has been around since the beginning of time. Is networking just about finding customers and growing one's business? Networking is all about developing and building relationships first. When this happens with hard work and sincerity, customers will come. It's like a garden. When you meet new people for the first time, it's like planting a seed. When you stay in touch by meeting for coffee or sending a holiday card, it's like watering the seeds. Finally when there is a genuine reason for yo...
Author: Andrea Nierenberg

5-Question Self-Quiz: Cholesterol and Professional Women
Super Basic Heart Health Quiz for Professional Women Professional women are especially in need of having their awareness raised on the importance of caring for their hearts, as heart disease is the number one cause of dealth to women, and professional women balance unique work-life issues and deal with enormous amounts of stress daily.  Brighten your heart by taking a moment and letting yourself do this quick little 5-question care-for-your-heart self-quiz, and and then if it raises your awareness, go ahead and pass it along! Answer the following questions True or False (T or F) as of one year ago. 1. ___I know my blood pressure. 2. ___I know my cholesterol. 3. ___I know my LDL. 4. ___I know my HDL. 5. ___I know my triglycerides. Bonus___I know that drinking more than 2 diet sodas a day is not healthy. Scoring: Give yourself one point for every question that you answered "True." 1 = Not good enough, but glad you knew one of them. As you can see, the very basics of heart heal...
Author: Suzanne Steinbaum

Are You Getting the Credit You Deserve?
How to view it: Men are really good at taking credit for everything. Women are not so good at taking credit for what they deserve. When I give workshops on secrets to getting ahead for women, one of the hardest exercises for participants is what I call "the owning your own worth exercise." It actually is very simple. The participants have a few minutes to write down their thoughts about what makes them great or valuable in a specific work context. Then she must stand in front of the group and tell the group in a first person declaration. "I am a great sales person because …" For many women, this task might as well be walking on hot coals. On the other hand, it is also very common that when a woman is given a compliment at work about her success, her immediate reaction is to say something like, "Well, I could not have done it without Jenny and the team." A common and pleasant ritual among women is the "No, it’s not me, it was you." Exchange. It goes like this: MANAGER: Great Job Be...
Author: Robert Schwarz

Life Balance for Professional Women
Midway upon the journey of my life I found myself in a dark wood, where the right way was lost. --Dante, the Divine Comedy   Women at midlife have one of the highest levels of stress found in our culture today. This is not surprising, given the multiple roles they carry, the expectations of our culture and the speed of our lifestyle. Midlife women are working in positions of responsibility on a scale never previously reached by women. At the same time, there is a 50 percent chance they are single and another 50 percent chance that they are caring for children or parents (or both) in some capacity. More than four out of 10 adults in the United States between the ages of 45 and 55 – mostly women – are caring for a child as well as for an older adult, usually a parent. Of those caregivers, 64 percent are employed full or part time, according to the National Alliance for Caregiving. What are we talking about when we talk about life balance? I was prompted to write this article when I rea...
Author: Jennifer Wright

Current Women's Destination Spa Events
Perfect Health This five day program focuses on bringing a sense of calm and balance to those who are experiencing emotional, physical, relationship or career-related stress or distress. Held periodically in Carlsbad, CA at The Chopra Center for Well-Being.     Shape Your Life A five day program with seminars on rejuvenation, renewal and community building along with classes on diet, nutrition, self esteem, body image and behavior.  Activities include yoga and outdoor adventures. Held periodically in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada at The Western Resort & Spa.    The Women’s Journey Presented by Leslee Vogal.   A day for women to dive into the journey of themselves and explore information and myths about how to be healthy and whole during the entire menopause period.  Located at the 70-acre Enchantment Resort in Sedona’s Boynton Canyon, the native people have long considered this a sacred place. At an altitude of 4,600 feet, Mii amo is surrounded by the majestic Red Rock/Secret...
Author: Site Contributor

Brilliantly You Awards Celebration
15 Jul 2008 - Sherri Shepherd, Co-Host ABC's The View, Tina Knowles, Dee Lincoln, Casey Shilts And Other Extraordinary Women Take A Little Time To Celebrate The Brilliance Within! Dallas, Texas July 15, 2008 -- Women That Soar celebrates its second year of their memorable Brilliantly You Awards Celebration September 19, 2008, at the Dallas Arboretum, from 11:30-1:30 p.m. This amazing event honors 10 extraordinary women in the fields of art, entertainment, sports, business, civic, fashion, and media. "The women we are honoring have made great personal and professional accomplishments. They have paved the way for so many of us. Some of them have been magnificent in their pioneering and advancing of women. It is their life journey that they share with other women that allows us all to soar and celebrate the brilliance within us," said Gina Grant, Founder and CEO Women That Soar. This stellar celebration will include an unforgettable luncheon, a glamorous champagne reception sponsored b...
Author: Site Contributor

Learn to Ask for What You Need
Requests are powerful. Truly. While no one request is guaranteed to change the course of your career, business, relationships or life, any single request can. Requests have the potential to make a profound difference to the quality of your life and your ability to achieve the success you want. Sure, just because you ask for something doesn’t guarantee that you will get it.  But not asking for it does guarantee you won’t!  Would you really prefer the certainty of not having your needs met over the possibility of having them met? Surely not?! As someone dedicated to helping people fulfill their full spectrum of needs, I often find myself surprised at how few people actually ask for what they really want and how ever fewer ask for it in ways that maximize the chances of getting it.  So I’m curious: Right now, as you read this article, what needs do you have that are going unmet and are causing you to feel resentful, frustrated and unappreciated because, whether you are conscious of it o...
Author: Margie Warrell

How to Network Successfully in a Male Dominated Environment
Finding the time, energy and confidence to network can be tough for anyone – even successful business women. But women who work in male-dominated environments can find networking even more challenging. It can be an intimidating and isolating situation, and is more common than many might think despite the approximately 70 million working female Americans (38 percent of whom are in professional occupations). For these women, and many others like them, building successful relationships with their peers can be more difficult. Women may be ostracized, patronized or simply overlooked by male colleagues who believe that their company or industry is no place for a woman. Some men may be overtly rude and confrontational, while others may just be uncomfortable having a woman in their workplace and avoid interaction altogether. Whether dealing with male bosses, employees or peers, being the only women (or one of a very few) can be very lonely indeed. If you do work in a primarily male environme...
Author: Marny Lifshen

To Share or Not to Share? What a Question!
As successful business owners and corporate executives, many of us struggle with finding a good balance between being fierce leaders and taking the glory and profit of our hard work versus sharing the profit and the responsibility of the risk. Over the past few years, I have been involved in several initiatives, some small, some large, where some of the ventures died before they saw the light of the day, as people around the boardroom struggled with, well, sharing the pie! In the beginning, the honeymoon-stage made everyone feel like the sharing was fine. However, as negotiations became tighter, you could feel the tension in the atmosphere, as the refinement of the deals and the desire to take it all became more tangible. Let’s do the math: if I have a pie to share and this pie represents 100 pieces and you and I decide to split the pie in half, we would both have 50 pieces each, correct? If we then invited others to play with us and we decided to divide the pie into 5 equal parts, t...
Author: Dr. Gabriela Cora

Self-Quiz: On Grieving a Husband at Work
Divorce or death of a husband is a sizeable distraction in every facet of life. How does the professional woman manage the loss of such a loved one at work? Learn about this grief from the following quiz. Choose one answer that best describes your belief by putting an X beside the answer you agree with. Learn how to be a better friend and support, or manage your loss better yourself. 1. Jennifer and her husband divorced after one year. Five months later, Jennifer has gone out on three casual dates. ___A. She was only married a year. Find love—life is short. ___B. Jennifer should concentrate on her female friendships. ___C. Jennifer should work on learning about herself, men and relationships by spending time with men and women. 2. After six years of a difficult marriage, Renee and her husband divorce. She is devastated. ___ A. You tell her to move on with her life and offer to fix her up. ___ B. Encourage Renee to get professional help. ___ C. Buy a bottle of wine and start a w...
Author: LeslieBeth Wish

Protect Your Personal Life
By Susan Newman, Ph.D., author of The Book of NO: 250 Ways to Say It—and Mean It and Stop People-Pleasing Forever The tense and demanding workplace environment depicted in The Devil Wears Prada may hit a little too close to home. If an annoying boss or colleague is ruining your work day by adding to your stress or intruding into your personal time, you’re not alone. According to an online job source CareerBuilder.com survey, more than half of workers say they work under a great deal of stress, with nearly 77 percent reporting they feel burnout on the job. Difficult co-workers, unrealistic workloads and overbearing bosses are only some of the top workplace stressors mentioned. A stressful workplace can also wreck havoc with a professional woman's personal life as many always agree to stay late, attend co-workers’ weddings, baby showers, and weekend parties and Friday night after-work get-togethers. As I point out in The Book of NO: 250 Ways to Say It—and Mean It and Stop People-Pleasi...
Author: Susan Newman