How to Handle Unsolicited Advice

Women TalkingBy Hadley Catalano

Communication is frequently heralded as one of the most important pieces to a healthy workplace. A notable, and perhaps the most aggravating, form of communication presents as unsolicited advice.

As any recipient of spontaneous feedback, unabashed suggestion, or voluntary recommendation from colleagues can attest, these interactions are typically uncomfortable and unwelcome. While there is no way to prevent co-workers from putting in their two cents, there are some valid reasons not to throw the baby out with the bath water.

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Double Standards in Tech Reviews: Is it your Performance or Personality?

By Gina Scanlon

TIME Magazine recently included the word ‘feminist’ in a poll entitled, ‘Which Word Should Be Banned in 2015?’ Managing Editor Nancy Gibbs later issued an apology for the word being added to this list after widespread controversial chatter ensued following its publication. With the steady hostility of the word ‘feminism,’ could it possibly have a correlation with the hostility in general towards women in positions of authority or status?

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Three Gender Myths that Keep Women Out of Leadership

Guest Contribution By Lynn Roseberry

Since the release of Sheryl Sandberg’s popular book, “Lean In”, we’ve heard a lot about what women should do to achieve their career goals. Women are exhorted not to “leave before they leave”, to choose lifelong partners carefully, to “sit at the table”, and ask themselves what they would do if they weren’t afraid. What we don’t hear so much about is what to do when you do all those things, and you stay stuck in a position right below what seems to be a glass ceiling.

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Expert and Guest Contributions

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diverse-workforceFor almost eight years we have brought you fresh editorial insight into how to navigate your career in financial and professional services and the many job functions within those firms.

Every wednesday, we have asked career coaches, academics, organizational psychologists amongst other experts such as industry leaders to contribute an advice column and in 2015, we plan to continue this tradition.

If you are an expert and have something to offer our intelligent, ambitious readers to “inform, inspire and empower” them in their career with your words, do get in touch with us (jilliane@glasshammer2.wpengine.com).

Theglasshammer.com – smart women in numbers, this is your career site

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Voice of Experience, Jessica Lieberman Quinn, Senior Vice President, Corporate Planning, American Express

rsz_jessica-headshot_whitebkg-159x240Fresh out of college with a dual degree — a BS in Economics from the Wharton School and a BA in History from the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania – Jessica Lieberman Quinn’s first position was an ideal avenue into the business world. Working at a small investment banking firm, she was privy to a wide variety of deals, from M&A to IPOs across a variety of industries.

“Even as a more junior person, I was fortunate to spend time with clients who were CEOs. They were running small to mid-sized businesses, and I was able to have a look through their eyes at what was important in running and growing a business. These early experiences taught me to view business in a big-picture framework.”

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How to Make 2015 Your Most Productive Yet

By John Marshall

You sang Auld Lang Syne, the ball dropped in Times Square, the fireworks exploded over London and Sydney and it is now time to think about those New Year resolutions. The ones you made about work and your career.

There is one New Year’s tradition that is common wherever new year resolutions are made and that is our collective failure to achieve them. A Scranton University study concluded that just 8% of resolution makers actually follow through with them over the course of the year – that means that a whopping 92% of folks who tuck a list of goals into their pocket and look out into 2015 with confidence and hope will never get out of the year what they hope for. Though the numbers are daunting, it is no cause for panic, but reflection and analysis. Here’s how to make 2015 the most productive year of your life.

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Mover and Shaker: Swatee Singh, Vice President, American Express Technology

women salesAs a student in electronic engineering with a focus in technology, Swatee Singh’s graduate work involved working on clinical trials for an imaging device to detect breast cancer. While that may seem far removed from her current work at American Express, it actually epitomizes the defining characteristic of her varied career.

“Whether you are working in retail, finance or the power industry, there is a focus on predictive analytics at every level. Over the course of my career, I have gone past my initial hesitation about feeling comfortable in a new industry to realizing I can diversify and bring value to any industry through my experience with analytics.”

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A Shareholder Uprising to Shatter the Glass Ceiling?

Guest Contribution by Sandeep Gopalan

Over 60% of college degree holders in the US are women. The same is true at the postgraduate level. Yet just 16.9% of board positions on companies listed in the Fortune 500 were held by women in 2013. The numbers look even more dismal for minority women: a mere 3.2% of board positions. The ten-year rate of growth in women’s representation in the US is a trivial five percent – lagging corresponding figures in Europe by over eight percent. Why this anomaly? Don’t women make good directors? Is law the answer? We examine these questions in a forthcoming article in the San Diego Law Review.

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Call for Nominations: Men Who Get It

Readers,

We are holding our 4th Annual Navigating your career event on 26th Feb on the topic of Engaging Men as Champions, Allies and Sponsors as you advance in your career.

Editorially in 2015, we are interested in profiling men who have “walked the talk” and really stepped up to own their influence as a change leader in ways that are tangible to individuals and to the team or firm. We are currently looking for nominations from women to suggest men for us to interview as we really want the real deal and no lip service to the concept.

Do you have a man who you feel is worthy of being profiles under “Men who get it” in the coming weeks and months?

If so, please email jilliane@glasshammer2.wpengine.com with details. Include who and why you have chosen this man. Perhaps he is your sponsor or has started initiatives within your firm. Perhaps, he ensures all voices are heard and works to promote real meritocracy?

We look forward to hearing from you, the glasshammer.com is your career site.

If you would like to be considered for an invitation to this event which in this particular case is designed for VP level women and beyond who are looking to leverage senior people as they themselves become more senior, please register here or contact jilliane@glasshammer2.wpengine.com

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Voice Of Experience: Lisa O’Donnell, Managing Director, Business Operational Risk and Control Management, Global Consumer Group, Citi

women in technology“Focus on achieving your passion, not a job title” to achieve career success and happiness according to Lisa O’Donnell, Managing Director at Citi. O’Donnell knows this trick from experience. If she had defined her career by a particular job title, she would most likely still be wearing dark suits and selling mainframe computers – albeit with a bigger title. Instead, she has leveraged her skills as a builder and someone who “connects the dots” and created a career where she works to engage Citi’s retail banking customers all while reducing risk.

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