by Solange Lopes | Jan 26, 2014 | Career |
News – greenwhichroundup.blogspot.com
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Hope everyone had a great week! For us on the Northeast side of the blogosphere, it was cold, snowy and just brrrr….., which also gave us the time to do some reading. This is what we’ve been reading this week:
Happy Sunday! And happy reading…
The Corporate Sister.
by Solange Lopes | Jan 20, 2014 | Career
MLK quote
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day to all! On this Day of Service, I got to reflect on the impact of Dr. King’s legacy on my life as a woman of color, and in particular in my career. As corporate sisters, and women professionals in general, we have to be the leaders in our own lives. We are often the first ones, if not the only ones, treading on some of the career paths we commit to. Many of the challenges we face, and victories we achieve, are unique, and uniquely empowering. In many ways, we are continuing the legacy of Dr. King in our own capacity, through our lives and the messages we embody for ourselves and others. In the same way, our work speaks for who we are, and where we are going. As Dr. King’s words continually inspire us, our lives and work should inspire others.
As for me, Dr. King’s legacy means that even as I stand alone in a corporate environment at times sorely lacking diversity and opportunities for women, as the odds (and statistics) seem to continuously be against working women, that I still persevere and give my best. That I never be afraid to do the right thing or stand up for what is right. That as I progress and provide my best work, that I strive to do my best in Faith, Peace and Love.
How is Dr. King’s legacy affecting your career?
The Corporate Sister.
by Solange Lopes | Jan 19, 2014 | Career
madamenoire.com
So it’s the end of the week-end, and before you know it, you’ll be back at…work! And frankly, you dread it! You dread everything about it, from putting up with annoying co-workers to tackling your next big project…And as hard-working, dedicated and ambitious as you may be, there are just those days when going to work sounds just dreadful…
Make sure you get enough Zzzz’s: nothing like a good night’s sleep to take your mind off that big presentation at work in the morning. The longer you overthink and dread your next day at work, the more anxious you tend to become. Whenever I have a big deadline looming near, a huge presentation on the horizon, or just a difficult day ahead, the only way I know to shut my mind is…to go to bed! So make it a practice to hit the sack early, get your zzz’s, and let time do its thing…
But rise early! The world really belongs to those who rise early, so get a step ahead! Rising early on the day of a major presentation or challenging day at work allows me enough time to look my best, and gather my spirits to feel my best! And you may even have some leftover time to jot down a few pointers, like “stop fidgeting” or “breathe”…
Last but not least, trick your mind! Fear, like confidence, are acquired. We are not born fearful. And while some people appear naturally confident, it’s a skill that can also be acquired. The trick is to trick our minds into believing that we can surmount challenges coming our way. So as you prepare to face a challenging day at work, trick your mind into thinking that you’ve already succeeded!
Dreading going to work?
The Corporate Sister
by Solange Lopes | Jan 19, 2014 | Career |
aabnetwor.org
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Hope everyone had a great week! For the 411 on our Sunday news pow-wow, here is what we’re reading this week…
- We are celebrating with “12 Years a Slave” actress Lupita Nyong’o her SAG Awards win! Way to go, Lupita! Essence tells us all about it!
- In honor of our First Lady Michelle Obama’s 50th birthday,The HuffPost Black Voices shares with us 50 reasons to love Michelle Obama on her 50th;
- Black Enterprise shares with us 3 awesome (paid) internships that promote diversity; while prompting us to rethink a career in financial services;
- The Daily Muse tells us about something we should be doing more of at work (LOL), and also tells us what we already know but don’t put in practice enough, that is why apologizing hurts us more than anything else;
- For all the corporate mamas and daddys out there, Forbes Woman tips us off on the 7 crippling parenting behaviors that keep our children from growing into leaders; as well as how to perform every day at our peaks. In the meantime, and for all the corporate managers out there, you’ll be surprised to learn about the 5 surprisingly easy ways to motivate millenials at work;
- For the color-adverse among us, Refinery 29 tips us off on 5 non-boring ways to wear Black! Plus for all the shoe lovers (you know who you are) out there, read about what your favorite shoe says about you;
- Last but not least, our own The Corporate Sister shares with us how great style may cost you in the workplace. And for all those business conference calls, there is an etiquette to follow!
Happy Sunday, and happy reading!
The Corporate Sister.
by Solange Lopes | Jan 18, 2014 | Career |
zora-alice.com
In a recent post, we discussed whether we should be in or opt out of the corporate group. Well, about that…In my years in the corporate environment, if there’s one thing I learnt, is that high school never really is over…Not even when you graduate out of college and get your first real job. Not when you spend upwards of 10 hours at work interacting (or not) with your co-workers, bosses and management. Not when you ponder over what to do to belong to the corporate group instead of feeling constantly excluded…Because this is high school all over again, except we’re older, better dressed, and we all have cars..
click
You either click, or you don’t! No matter where you work, or what type of office environment you are or will be called to professionally evolve in, groups and group-think are still the norm. Just like in high school, you either belong to the group, or you don’t. And if you don’t happen to belong to the group, you’re potentially in professional danger; so you either have to try to find ways to belong, or ways to get out…all in one piece! Sounds scary? Yup, but it’s true…and for women, especially minority women, the reality is even bleaker. Faced with a leadership that is largely male and non-racially diverse, getting in to the group, and by the group, I mean the leadership group, is a real challenge! So no wonder many of us opt for getting out, most times to our own detriment…
lonerwolf.com
It’s all a facade! My sister is a clinical psychologist, and every time I recount to her some unfortunate “corporate” stories, she reminds me that in corporate as in many professional environments, it’s all a facade! We have our true personalities, and we have our work personalities. While these may naturally intersect for the most authentic among us, for the rest, they do not meet anywhere between the hours of 9 and 5. Translation: most people are pretending at work! Pretending to care, pretending to be genuine, heck, pretending to be at work for that matter! Just like in high school, some of us pretend to be cool so we can hang out with the cool kids, and not be associated with the geeky loner (except when we need help with homework of course)! So what are we to do with all this pretense? Just like in high school, we learn to spot it, adjust to it, and make it work to our advantage, not by emulating it, but by not being fooled by it…
It’s the survival of the (mentally) fittest! If high school is a jungle, the corporate world is its bigger, meaner, better dressed big sister! You know, the one who smiles in your face as you walk by in your Manolos just to better trip you? Yup, that one…And if you could at least see an end to your high school dilemmas, now that you’re immersed into the corporate way of earning your livelihood, the light at the end of the tunnel can look pretty…dim, to say the least! And rightfully so…Now that you have to survive in the midst of all the economic crisis, the raging unemployment, not mentioning the slew of natural disasters, your career may look more like a marathon than the rapid sprint past the glass ceiling. Meanwhile, as your brain is being bombarded on the daily with life’s incessant noise, you still need to be a top performer in a challenging corporate space. And this is where mental endurance comes into play, as you pick your battles, re-focus daily on your goals, shut out the noise around you and keep moving along. Just like in high school, when you didn’t quite make it into the “Popular Girls” club but kept persevering and working those grades, and 10 years later, guess who’s working for you? Yup, the entire “Popular girls” club…
The Corporate Sister.
