by Solange Lopes | Nov 26, 2014 | Career
Embellished merino wool sweater – Photo: anntaylor.com
As the holiday season is officially upon us (and so is the cold weather), I’ve been on the lookout for festive yet cozy sweaters, that would look just as good in the office than at my in-laws’ Thanksgiving gathering. Hence today’s pick, this embellished merino wool sweater from Ann Taylor, on sale for half off $74.99!
Loving the simplicity of this versatile sweater, which can be just as easily paired with a black pencil skirt for work, or tuxedo pants like this great pearlized pair, also from Ann Taylor!
Happy Thanksgiving!
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Nov 26, 2014 | Career
Happy Thanksgiving Eve!
The holiday season is officially in full swing, and so are fourth quarter and year-end deadlines! While we look forward to celebrating the holidays, unwinding and relaxing a bit, projects still need to be completed and delivered, deadlines met, basically, stuff needs to get done…
Not to mention many of our colleagues and reports are taking time off, and getting the job done without overtaking team members and stressing ourselves out right before we have to go spend time with our dreadful great-uncle: not so much! Especially when 85% of businesses do not bring in extra staff to help with mounting business demands, and workloads tend to be delegated to the employees who are here (and already drowning under their own pile of work). So how do we manage our workloads, be merry and remain sane all at the same time:
1. Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize! I usually have a spreadsheet built listing all my projects by deadline and importance. The more urgent goes first, and the rest gets re-arranged as effectively as possible. Ain’t nobody trying to be Superwoman…
2. Set clear expectations! Before any major holiday or busy time at work, have a talk with your manager and team, so as to set clear expectations! Do not overstretch yourself when you know it’s unlikely you’ll be able to deliver! Give yourself some extra padding room and plan accordingly!
3. Take time for yourself! In the midst of the holiday shuffle at work and at home, plan some time for yourself. Request time off in advance, block off some time away even from family (lengthy showers and bathroom breaks do count), and take a breather! The better you are, the better your life and work is (and the safer everyone around too…)
How do you manage your workload during the holidays?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Nov 23, 2014 | Career
Weekly news update – Photo: blackgirllonghair.com
Happy Sunday! Hope everyone is having a great week-end, as we’re preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving! Here is my weekly news update:
- In great women’s leadership news this week, the Wall Street Journal celebrates the US naming its first female Postmaster General;
- In boss news, Inc. writes about the 5 things your boss wants to hear;
- Forbes reveals Linked In has a new competition in the upcoming “Facebook at work” service, Slack;
- Bustle writes about how to respond to harassment at work, on the street, and everywhere, while revealing retailers are now using skinny mirrors to motivate buyers (I knew that dress wasn’t a size 4);
- Planning to go back to work after a leave of absence? The Huff Post Business tips us off on how to explain gaps in employment, and also why you may not be getting the job;
- Did you know women make even less when they work for men? Well, the Washington Post explains why;
- Wondering what a hiring manager sees when they look at your resume? Slate literally highlights how they scan your resumes in about six seconds (yes, six seconds);
- We already knew sexism is well and alive, and the Huff Post Media follows an Australian TV anchor who wears the same suit every day to prove sexism is wrong;
- Fast Company writes about the incredibly inspiring women who are trying to change the media and tech establishments;
- This Harvard Business Review article will make you rethink “what you know about high achieving women”;
- As we’re preparing for Thanksgiving, Fashionista writes about how to stylishly hide a food baby during Thanksgiving;
- Last but not least, I wrote about 5 ways social media is ruining your career, and why wisely choosing your partner can save your career.
Happy Sunday, and happy reading!
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Nov 10, 2014 | Career
Photo: ringgitplus.com
The holidays are right around the corner, and with them a whole slew of activities, from hunting down the perfect turkey for Thanksgiving (not literally), to staying awake for Black Friday and starting your Christmas shopping early enough (just to find yourself running the stores for your great-aunt’s last-minute gift).
With all this holiday hoopla, staying focused at work can get really hard, if not downright challenging. Let’s not even mention online holiday shopping, and the resulting significant decreases in workplace productivity! I know I have to remind myself around this time of year that work deadlines are fast approaching, and scribbling my Thanksgiving menu on post-it notes will not help with my year-end projects….
My $0.05: As a mom and a recovering shopaholic (please don’t judge), this is a challenging time of year in general, more particularly at work. Most of the year-end projects are coming due, and with that an avalanche of personal and family obligations to contend with on the home front. And the same 24 hours in a day…While it’s easy to let productivity slide, I try and prioritize tasks at work when I’ma t work, and at home when I’m home…while reminding myself it’s not going to be perfect, it’s just gotta get done!
Are you less productive at work around the holidays? How do you manage holiday stress and keeping your productivity up at work?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Dec 11, 2013 | Career |
www.featurepics.com
One of the best pieces of advice I got from an influential executive at the conclusion of a presentation to senior management that I brilliantly managed to, for lack of a better word, totally “flunked”, is this: “Whenever you’re presenting something, anything, especially to senior management, you’ve gotta tell a story.”
It took me a while to really understand the magnitude of this single piece of advice. Did he mean I could go ahead and tell fibs to my superiors? Or possibly make up slightly inaccurate, yet favorable-sounding bits of information? Well, nope…
The art of storytelling is as ancient as Time, and has been a staple of many a culture across the world. As corporate sisters with strong African and African-American cultures, we should know…Because if anyone can turn a mundane, every day event into an Oscar-worthy, attention-grabbing, breath-holding story, it’s us…No matter how many times we tell the story of Uncle Joe (bless his soul) sticking (and abandoning) his dentures into his slice of pecan pie last Thanksgiving, we can always find a way to make it sound fresh, updated, and on point…
Well, this is a skill that may well serve us in the corporate space, as we communicate and exchange ideas, findings, and results across the organization. This is especially important as we address the higher-ups, the senior management, the “tone at the top”, which provides incomparable opportunities to be noticed, and I mean positively noticed. A Vice-President, Controller, or General Counsel has only minutes, if that, to hear what we have to say. And it is those precious minutes that we in turn have to capitalize on to pass on a message that is fresh, innovative, complete, yet concise. So how can we achieve that, and how in the world would this have anything to do with Uncle Joe’s dentures stuck into the pecan pie slice (please read above for reference to uncle Joe’s dentures)?
Say, you analyzed the company’s current quarterly sales report, comparing it to prior periods and future forecasts, and defined trends and patterns that could very well influence the way the company should do business in the future? And say, you have, about 10 minutes of an otherwise crowded meeting to present the results of your analysis and offer a recommendation, what do you do? Well, you remember Uncle Joe’s dentures, and you follow some simple, yet age-old and success-proven practices:
Use a hook! Ever been fishing…I’ve never been (and frankly have no desire to), but I’ve heard enough about the poor worm and the greedy fish to know that in order to attract your busy audience’s attention, you’ve gotta hook them to something…That something? Your promise to do something else that will benefit them. Whether it’s solving a problem, anticipating one, or increasing the executive bonus pool, the hook has got to sound good and promising, so you can get those remaining 9 minutes of attention to really show what you’ve got….
Make It Short and Sweet! Remember Miss Johnson in English class, and how we had to read and summarize an entire book into a few sentences. Well, it’s time to remember…Tell the story of your findings in a summarized, concise yet complete way. Your most important findings should take center stage. This is where you can use some of that wit and charm that won’t make these otherwise drab statistics sound, well….so drab! There go another 4 minutes, now you’re halfway through, and you should have all eyes on you….
Present your Proposal! This is where you really show what you’ve got. You’ve hooked your audience, talked about the current state of things, and now you get to tell them what you feel should/could be done to really improve on the current situation. Use examples and similar situations in real-life to make your plan of action more concrete and colorful, just like you would when you’d compare Uncle Joe’s dentures to those questionable Halloween costumes on sale at the dollar store…Really?
Last but not least, take back your hook! Now you’ve got about one minute left to remind everyone of the wonderful promise you made when you first started out 9 minutes ago…This is where you exit with a bang, and reiterate your promise, just like you would close Uncle Joe’s dentures story with the proverbial: “I told y’all this would make you fall off your rockers….!”
Do you think the art of storytelling can land you a great career?
The Corporate Sister
