by Solange Lopes | Oct 21, 2014 | Career
When language is a barrier to success – Photo: http://www.ohiomsc.org
In today’s “global marketplace”, we are bound to work with professionals who do not necessarily share the same language as us. From working with multi-national teams, to immersing ourselves into different cultures, breaking the language barrier at work can be tricky. And very often, we are pushed outside of our comfort zones.
English is not my first language, as I grew up speaking mostly French. Working and evolving in places spanning Africa, Europe and the Americas has taught me about the power of language at work. Not just from the surface-level sense of diversity, but from a deeper, more personal sense of self.
As reported by the January 2014 issue of the Journal of International Business Studies, language barriers influence how multi-national team members are perceived, mostly in terms of trustworthiness. And really, without trust, how successful can our work within a team environment, be?
So how do we prevent language from being a success barrier at work?
1. Respect is KEY! I’ve seen many multi-national and diverse teams struggle at work due to an inherent lack of respect for others’ cultures and languages. Before starting work, be aware of the language and cultural differences within your team. Educate yourself on these, even if by just asking questions, and strive to respect differences!
2. Rules, rules, rules! Set rules for working in environments where language may be a barrier. From asking team members to speak slowly so as to be better understood, to limiting interruptions, set some ground rules!
3. If possible, meet in person! Trust is a great antidote to language barriers. Meeting in person, or at the least via video conferencing, allows to establish this trust!
4. Check on the progress! Make sure to ask how things are going, and if team members are feeling lost or out of touch. Express your own confusion if necessary, and seek clear answers!
5. Last but not least, be patient! Language is a strong barrier to success at work. While it can certainly be mitigated, it requires work and time.
Have you ever dealt with language as a barrier to career success?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Oct 19, 2014 | Career
Breast-Cancer-Awareness – Photo credit: msmgazine.com
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Happy Sunday! Hope everyone is enjoying the week-end… I’m gearing up for the annual Breast Cancer Walk in Providence this morning (shout out to my team “Save the Mamas“), and as I’m sipping on my coffee, here is a brief recap of the news that made me smile, shake my head and straight out go “whut?” this week:
- Speaking of Breast Cancer awareness month, MsMagazine reveals what the breast cancer industry doesn’t want you to know about breast cancer awareness month;
- Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard about Apple and Facebook’s decision to help female employees with the cost of freezing their eggs. The New York Times discusses egg freezing raising fundamental issues of ethics and fairness, while Time argues company-paid freezing may be the solution to gender equality? I tend to agree with the Telegraph’s opinion that egg freezing for female employees is anything but kind;
- You must have heard about Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella setting off a furor on women’s pay; and while his remarks are still stirring pretty intense discussions among women (check out my posts around it here and here), the Huffington Post explains how this could actually be a valuable (albeit accidental) gift for women;
- Ever considered working for free? Well, Black Enterprise lists 6 ways working for free can get you paid;
- Did you know more than 16.6 million Black women get up to go to work every day? Essence magazine, along with research consultants Value Added Cheskin, conducted a great study on Black women’s experiences at work, and the results are amazing…A must read!
- So we’ve seen the gorgeous wedding pics of George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin’s wedding, and now Elle is asking if we should really give the new Missus a hard time for changing her name, in the name of (misplaced) feminism? I don’t think so, but worth a read…
- For anyone who’s ever thought of maternity leave as vacation (in which case you should definitely give sleepless nights and long days a try), Above the Law writes about a judge who refused to postpone a hearing because apparently, maternity leave is not a good excuse Hmmm…at least Vogue is helping us feel a bit better with this opinion piece on why paid maternity leave should be a national election issue (which I totally think it should be);
- Good news for women entering MBA programs! According to Fortune magazine, MBA programs are working to make their female students’ experience better;
- Entrepreneur explains why you should banish the word “Annual” from your performance review vocabulary;
- BossBride reveals the the 4 pitfalls career women make when dating (I could have used this post a decade ago);
- Buddy buddy with your boss? Salary Shark lists the do’s and donut’s of hanging out with your boss;
- Last but not least, this week’s episode of “How to Get Away with Murder” had me going all kinds of ” huh? Whut? Yesss…Nooo!” towards the end as Viola Davis, an African-American woman on TV, removed her wig and make-up, taking off the mask so many of us, professional Black women, wear to work to be accepted by others. In an exclusive interview after this episode, the Wall Street Journal spoke to Davis on the significance of this epic scene. So much so we may want to take another look:
Happy Sunday!
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Oct 12, 2014 | Career, Find Your Purpose
Are you ready for your big break – Photo credit: madamenoire.com
Are you feeling like you are this close to your breakthrough, yet not quite making it? Do you keep facing the same obstacles, only to realize more and more work is required of you?
Many a times, we put in the work, step out in faith, awaiting the big promotion at work, better health, a successful entrepreneurial outcome. And then, crickets, nothing, nada, ziltsch…Nothing happens, the promotion never comes, or even worse, gets given to that co-worker you really don’t like. That book never gets written, the business doesn’t get off the ground, and disappointment sets in…
And of course, you inevitably wonder why…Do you need to put in more work? Is the Universe against you, or are you just destined to being average? Or maybe, only maybe, could it be that you’re just not ready?
My grand-father always used to say ” to whom much is given, much is expected”. As much as we long for success, we often forget it comes with a price. As we look at the icons of success of our world, from Oprah to Beyonce, we often only see the outer facade, omitting all the hard work, sacrifices and compromises along the way.
And just as we fail to see others’ hard work and sacrifices, we often fail to foresee the work and sacrifices that will be required of us as we achieve success. Are you ready to face the criticism that inevitably comes with positions of influence? Are you prepared for the ups and downs of success, the self-doubt, the challenge of managing others?
Many a times when success seemed beyond my reach, I realized I wasn’t ready. That I was not mentally prepared to face the hardships and challenges of Achievement. That the difficulties in my way were actually there to prepare me. And that most often, it was when it seemed the darkest that success was actually around the corner…
Are you ready for your big break?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Oct 9, 2014 | Career |
Is it ok to take selfies at work – Photo credit: uptown magazine.com
In the era of selfies, and posting one’s entire life on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, if you haven’t snapped a photo or two of you smiling (or purposely frowning) into the camera, you may be living under a rock (which in this case is OK).
Other than the fact that selfies have been linked to narcissism, or that selfies are apparently crossing all decency barrier into all occasions including funerals, is it OK to snap a pic of you at work? Does all the confidential stuff serving you as professional background have a place in your smartphone, or on social media for that matter? And if your fellow cube dweller happens to snap his own selfies all day long, should you just shrug and replicate?
My $0.05: I don’t have anything against the whole selfie culture, although it should definitely be done in moderation. Yet of all the places to take a selfie, I would recommend not doing it at work. Not only would it seriously put your professionalism in question, but really, how self-obsessed do you want to look to your co-workers?
What do you think? Are selfies at work ok?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Oct 6, 2014 | Career |
Crying at work -_ Photo: styleite.cM
The first time I cried at work took me by surprise. I had gotten less-than-stellar feedback on a particular project, and I was bummed. Plus it was a Monday, I had had an exhausting week-end and a rough, kids’ scream-filled morning…
None of it was an excuse, of course, and neither was the fact I had been on the job for only 6 months. I realized actual tears were streaming down my face over my new Maybelline bush when my manager handed me a tissue…For a week afterwards, I could not look him in the face.
Crying at work happens to the best of us, even those who think they can weather any professional storm. And it sucks, big time! And there is no “3-step rule”, Master Checklist or special template to going back and erasing the whole thing.
My $0.05: You did it, you cried at work and now you’ve just got to move on! Don’t dwell on it, don’t go back, don’t discuss it at the office. Just reapply your blush, put your chin up and work your butt off! Results shall speak for themselves…
Have you ever cried at work? How did you react afterwards?
The Corporate Sis.
