DM Coaching and Development

In 2009, Did you Seek Out the Scary Challenges?

  One thing I have noticed about the successful women I interviewed for my book "Beyond the Boys' Club" was how many of them have not only accepted tough assignments, but actually sought them out. It's the extreme version of "feel the fear and do it anyway" but if you are intimidated by a certain task - public speaking, accounting, presenting to clients, running a marathon that is a great indication what you would gain by surmounting the challenge. I grew up thinking I was not good at maths. I needed special tutorials and my mum would frequently say ( as a means of reassuring me, I know) that "we Doyle's are just not cut out for maths". I believed it... and I avoided maths for years. When I got to design my thesis project at the University of Cambridge, I was given the option of collecting my data qualitatively or quantitatively. The martyr in me chose the quantitative route and used statistical analysis. Whilst I had moments of thinking "what did I get myself in to?" when trying to get my head around ANOVA'ss and regression analysis, the feeling of achievement and confidence that came with having my thesis accepted - statistics and all, was one of the highlights of my career. What challenge are you avoiding? What would you get if you took it on? If you are thinking about what you would like to take on in the new year, being part of the "Beyond the Boys' Club Boot Camp" that I am running starting January 8 may be just the incentive you need to seek out the challenges that will mean the most to you in 2010.    

What are the Hot Recession-Proof Jobs of Tomorrow?

According to an article in Forbes entitled "Job Security is the New Black" Laurence Shatkin, author of Top 150 Best Recession Proof Jobs, the smart money is on building your own profile to help safeguard you during an economic downturn. If you have read my book "Beyond the Boys' Club", you will know it's a mantra indeed very close to my hear. Based on his research with the US Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) he also recommends certain industries for the workforce of tomorrow. It's a very insightful list and includes environmental science and sustainability and geothermal technology (because of climate change) accountancy and auditing (due to fast changing financial regulations) and social media and technology. Sounds like a good book for future-planning your way to greater job security.   

Women Managers with MBAs 3X as Likely to Lose Jobs as Male Colleagues

While there has been much talk about how women have been able to hold onto their jobs during this recession, it seems this only applies if the woman works in a female dominated sector which hasn't been as badly hit by the recession such as medicine, education, customer service or retailing. New research as discussed on the Huffington Post by Ilene Lange from Catalyst shows that "while companies with more women in leadership and on boards, on average, financially outperform those with fewer, during this recession MBA women in senior leadership positions were three times more likely to lose their jobs as compared to men." So you have to wonder, how much are businesses waking up to the benefits that women in senior management positions bring to the bottom line. 

Managing Risk: Bite off More than You Can Chew, But Not So Much That You Choke

By all means take on challenges, they are the only way to grow. However, remember women are prone to sometimes taking on too much. The key is to challenge yourself on the side of what is reasonable - the "manageable risks". You will fail occasionally - we all do. But that is where the greatest learning comes from. As a famous golfer once remarked, "The more I practise, the luckier I get". If you find yourself taking on more than you can handle or having too many failures in a row, it is time to scale back on the challenges and reflect which ones are the important ones to you. Women often say they are "stretching themselves too thin" but the truth is often that they are merely too hard on themselves, too impatient, too much of a perfectionist...or very likely some mix of all three. Women who are successful in male-dominated fields are particularly ambitious and while this trait leads to their greatest achievements, it can also be their cross to bear when taken to the extreme. They key is in "biting off" the challenges that are the highest profile, mean the most to you and then delegating the rest so that you don't choke on own success.

Kudos to Men Supportive of their Wives' Careers

I just got an e-mail that put a smile on my face, from a man who saw an article about my "Beyond the Boys Club Boot Camp" in British Airways magazine and thought membership in the fast track 6 week career development programme looked like a great Xmas gift for his wife. Is this is your husband? If so, all I can say is that you are one lucky lady to be married to such a supportive spouse! If not, take this opportunity to send this blog to your partner's e-mail address as a big fat hint as to what you would like to find under the tree this year! I am very excited to be helping the members become more confident and strategic and feel in control of their career direction, in less than a month. Honestly though, the first six-week Boot Camp, which starts Jan 8 and features a mix of group tele-seminars and one-to-one coaching with me, is already over half full and I can't wait to get started working with the women savvy enough to sign up. Click here to get more information and book  your place.    

Social Intelligence and Organisational Skills are Crucial in Job Hunt

I found a piece by Adrian Furnham "How to Get a Job in Tough Times" in The Telegraph, which listed 6 main qualities employers are looking for...and would be employees need to get through what could be a protracted job hunt in this economy. While none of the qualities could be labelled female or male, I did think the importance he placed on social intelligence and organisational skills as being particular boons for women. I was at an event with professional women in the technology sector recently and asked why so many career women go into project management, and the resounding answer I got was "being a mum is great training for being organised and needing to get things done within budget!" I was just glad to see some of these qualities even make the list as social and emotional intelligence were considered "too lightweight"  (ie- too feminine) to be even taken seriously in the years past. 

Women to Outnumber Men as Breadwinners in Next Year

 I was reading a great article in Time on "What Women Want Now"  as part of their "State of the American Woman" issue, regarding the rise of the professional female due to the recession which has hit male dominated fields like finance and construction the hardest. An increasing number of women are the primary breadwinners, and that looks set to increase. "According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, ( growth areas) are in typically female jobs like nursing, retail and customer service. More and more women are the primary breadwinner in their household (almost 40%) or are providing essential income for the family's bottom line, though this responsibility has come with hard decisions.  The Guttmacher Institute found that the downturn has affected the most basic decisions in family life. Nearly half of women surveyed in households earning less than $75,000 want to delay pregnancy or limit the number of children they have. At the same time, women are poised to emerge from the downturn with even greater relative economic power as the wage gap narrows. A new survey by GfK Roper for NBC Universal gives a whole new meaning to the power of the purse: 65% of women reported being their family's chief financial planner, and 71% called themselves the family accountant. According to a Mediamark Research & Intelligence survey, they make 75% of the buying decisions in American homes. Together, women control more wealth than ever in history."  

Getting over the "Imposter Syndrome" as a Professional Female

When I was writing "Beyond the Boys' Club" I penned a section on "Imposter Syndrome" - that feeling of self-doubt we all have from time to time where you fear that you are about to "be found out" for how much you don't know :) At the same time, I ran a workshop for professional females on risk-taking and overcoming indecision. One of the delegates, a woman with a PhD in a scientific field, admitted quietly to the larger group that she often felt like a fraud at times. I asked the group who else felt that way at times and every single hand was raised—much to her relief when she cried out: ‘I thought I was the only one!’ If you think success can come to you only once you are perfectly sure of yourself, you will be waiting forever. Successful working women have moments, even days of self-doubt … but they still know they can make the most of any situation. They have the self-belief to overcome the doubt and any mistakes they make along the way. When was the last time your overcame self-doubt?