Volume 19                                                                  

Getting Beyond Maintenance Mode

by Kevin Eikenberry             

Have you ever felt like you were treading water, or maybe just floating?  You are active, maybe even busy, and you are likely meeting all of your commitments, but you aren’t making any progress, not making any new progress.  Several years ago my sister-in-law Kara stated this as being in maintenance mode.  The description seemed appropriate to me then, and it does to me now too.

This Job is in Your Way (part 1)

by Dethra Giles

Tasha Johnson went to college with high hopes. She had dreams of being the CFO of a Fortune 500 Company, being seen as the leading authority on Finance and being one of the “financial experts” interviewed for commentary on the nation’s debt. Tasha, for as long as she could remember, had visualized her first real job: she would be fresh out of college, new degree in hand with two job offers, a starting salary of $65,000.00 annually, a healthy benefits package and a corner office on the top floor with lots of windows. So, for the life of her she could not imagine why she was sitting in her fourth interview, six months after graduating at the top of her class getting ready to turn down another “entry level” job that paid too little and wanted too much. Tasha, though a fictitious character, symbolizes what many go through at some point in their career: the discouraging point where expectation and reality meet..

Reader Pick 

Sun Tzu for Women

by Becky Sheetz-Runkle

Sun Tzu for Women is the businesswoman’s guide to success, based on the masterpiece of military strategy, The Art of War. Sun Tzu’s classic has shaped Eastern military and business thinking. In the West, the book’s popularity continues to grow as managers and leaders apply its principles to their business challenges.

With powerful and modern examples of women in business, Sun Tzu for Women helps the reader understand and cultivate her competitive advantages. Many men know this classic well and are using it to be more effective leaders and implementers. But for women, that hasn’t been the story. Women have a great deal to learn from Sun Tzu because, largely, women haven’t read Sun Tzu. And that’s too bad. Because there’s awesome potential for today’s current and future businesswomen to bring Sun Tzu’s lessons to life in practical and actionable ways—without sacrificing the uniquely feminine aspects of their leadership styles.

 
The Golden Rule of Listening: How to Speak Loud and Clear without Opening Your Mouth
 
by Tim Eyre

As a guiding business principle, the golden rule isn't half bad. Doing unto others as you'd have them do unto you can be translated as practicing integrity, fairness, or even good karma in business. Recently I ran into a situation where I found myself invoking the golden rule - with a twist - to explain to a member of our team the power of listening.

I wouldn’t be offending this guy to say he is “a talker.” He’d tell you the same thing. In the office you can hear him on the phone through a closed door, and yet his ability to carry on a conversation with anyone has served our team extremely well as a whole. But when he became part of a strategic action committee in our corporate office, I saw first-hand how his gift for gab can get even in his own way at times.

The Reward - TFW™ Summer Issue

In this Issue:

Rewards come when you least expect them, but it is those that come after the hard work, deliberate planning and developed expertise that can be the most meaningful.  Waiting for someone to bestow your due can be a long wait.  It is up to you to stretch and position yourself to capture the brass ring.  TFW™ contributors share their thoughts on finding your best rewards.
  
 
  

Is Dancing Holding Women Back in Corporate America?

by Regina Barr

If you're like me, you've probably wondered at one time or another, why has it taken so long for women to make progress in the C-suite?  According to the Department of Labor, 51.9% of all managers and professionals are women. And for the first time ever, women outpaced the number of men in the workforce.

So, why does it feel like we take one step forward and then it’s two steps back? Well, I think I may have figured out the answer to this age-old question. And, you may be surprised to know that it has to do with dancing. That's right. Dancing!  

(Find Out Why Here)