Leading an ERG or a network? How do you get recognized for your work?

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Business meetingDo you lead a women’s network or other Employee Resource Group ( ERG) at work? If so, you probably know that there is real work and time needed for this endeavour to be successful. So, how do you use this opportunity to develop leadership skills and then get recognized for this work?

My first piece of advice is to communicate what you are doing so that senior people can see your leadership skills. This is a good time to ask yourself, is this group institutionally supported? One way to check if it is, is to look at whether it is mandated from the top and has actual participation from leaders and managers in a meaningful way. If it is pure grassroots from the “bottom up” chances are you are not on senior people’s radar for the work that you are doing. Also worth considering is the question – is this network connected to the talent strategy? if not, wine and cupcakes are fine, but don’t expect to be the next CEO because of it.

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

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Virtual networking, does it work?

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woman on the phone featuredLinkedIn and other online networks are really good ways to maintain your contacts and yes some people do accept connections from people they don’t really know but the fact remains that humans still prefer actual relationships over virtual ones when it comes to getting business done. It is necessary to have a digital presence, think of it as an online resume and personal branding plays a role, but it is what you do with those connections that matter. Ask people to lunch, coffee and in-person networking events so that you can explore mutual interests because fruitful relationships that have a quid pro quo is the way to truly succeed, advance and make lasting contacts.

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

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Overcoming stereotype threat as a woman in technology

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Women-on-computerWe recently had our 6th annual women in technology career event and several audience questions touched upon the issue of what it means to be a women in technology and even what to do when you fall into the “Imposter Syndrome”. There are stereotypes around how technologists are supposed to look for sure, and research shows that unconscious bias is still an issue from messaging women into the industry to promoting them all the way to the top. However, you are here, you are doing it and you can do two things. Firstly find good sponsors to give you the best of the projects and shepard you so that don’t just have have outstanding experiences but you get to fully appreciate the wins and failures without being judged for your every move. Secondly advocate for yourself fearlessly and believe in yourself because you belong here. Lastly, always know that there are good teams and companies out there so if you are not valued, go somewhere that supports your talent and growth.

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

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Making the right decision for your next job.

People waiting for an interviewFollowing on from last week’s advice around dealing with an unexpected change in fortune at work and the very tangible real fallout of being out of a job in a sudden manner, we look at how to make the right decision for your next job.

Firstly, if you have any kind of financial cushion, make a promise to yourself that you will not make rash decisions and instead take the time to reflect on what you really want to do next. That in itself can feel slightly overwhelming so consider a qualified coach to help you through this time as a good sounding board is exactly what you need to help you frame this situation as an opportunity to get what you want. More satisfaction, more time, more flexibility, more money, a different title? These are all elements that you can now think about as maybe it is time to go up the ladder or go lateral? Either way, it is ultimately an ideal time to take the time to figure out what you want and what works for you at this juncture as last time you interviewed for a job, you might have been in a different place in your life. Not least, you have a chance to think about your enhanced skill set since that last time around.

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

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Bumps in the road. What happens when things go temporarily wrong at work?

women stressedThings can go wrong in your career, at least that is how it seems. Maybe your company is downsizing and you got a tap on the shoulder informing you that your team is being consolidated and there is no place for you. Maybe they even marched you out of the building!

What do you do in this situation? You are faced with a choice of how to recover. Yes, how to recover as there are many emotions and thoughts involved with this type of situation. The best thing you can do is let go of any negative emotion ( anger, bitterness etc) and list what you enjoyed most and what you enjoyed least about both the job itself and the company culture. This will help you figure out what is next for you, professionally!

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Is all publicity, good publicity?

Women SpeakingPersonal Branding is quite the buzzword, but does it really mean when it comes to your success at work?

Some people are more keen than others to update the rest of the world on their professional activities and that is partly to do with personality and partly to do with how you prioritize your online time. Next time you are posting something to Facebook, think about whether you could also share that update on other social spaces such as LinkedIn? The question to ask yourself is, “ does this help me show what I have expertise in?” Do you show up in a consistent manner and what then, is your message?

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

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Don’t be afraid of learning and using technology in all aspects of your life to further your career

women stressedWe are holding our 6th Annual women in technology career event in November if you are a woman in tech- please do apply to come to this great event in NYC.

I recently went to a tech conference (a partner organization called Lesbians Who Tech) which was great networking and generally very enjoyable to be away from my desk as it is always great to get out when you can and meet actual people.

I learned about many apps and services that can really save time and enhance how people work. So many of my Gen X friends are still avoiding technology when really you can make your life easier so join the revolution and get digital! What takes up most of your day? I find scheduling can eat away at my time so I recommend Calendy for an example of how to reduce the back and forth of arranging times to talk with clients and peers!

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@glasshammer2.wpengine.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

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Time To Look For A New Job

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People waiting for an interviewOk ,so you figured out that you need a new job!

There are many ways to start a job search and if you know vaguely the target companies that you would like to interview with then that is a great place to start investigating the opportunities out there. Linkedin is a great way to see if you know anyone directly or indirectly at your preferred firms and a good place to start is to mine your current network to build your future one. Apply to job postings but know that any personal connection will probably help you so it is worth checking your network and refreshing your relationships with coffees and lunch with influencers and mentors.

If you don’t know what is next, it is worth working with a coach ( such as myself and the vetted coaches who partner with theglasshammer) to help you refine what is the next stage of your career and help you secure the job you want, whether it is within your current industry or perhaps a pivot into something new altogether?

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

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Should I Stay or Should I Go? When The Culture Just Isn’t Working For You

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Woman travelling - airportLast week we talked about organizational culture and how important it is to have your values and preferences match the way your team does things. If you clearly can see that leadership or managerial behaviors in your firm and consequently the behavior that is tacitly endorsed in the company is out of whack with how you operate then you have to think about whether you should stay or go. This question often comes up in coaching sessions because of three situations.

When there is:
  1. Perceived unethical/unfair behavior or perceived total inefficiency yet no way to address it without a negative consequence for the person working there (woman or man although the issues manifest slightly differently despite root cause being the same)
  2. No career pathway in sight.
  3. Gendered roles and behavior. If you want to spot this, look for trends across the board, such as women are relegated to support roles even though there are a few women at the top (usually marketing and HR) but they behave worse than the men ( sound familiar?) and are not interested in mentoring and developing other women because they are unconsciously forced to play ball to survive in a culture that dictates one way of succeeding and it probably revolves around very traditional traits that we have all historically attributed to male leadership.

Think about what work gets done? What gets rewarded? What gets people’s attention? Who gets rewarded? What gets tolerated? List 2-3 examples of work to help you understand what your workplace culture is!

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

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Why “How We Do Things Around Here” Or Company Culture Will Make Or Break You

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women stressedCompany culture matters and it always has done because it is literally the invisible glue that holds everything together and can be defined as “how do we do things around here” in teams, companies and even in societies. If you have fit and flow and it makes sense to you how things are done, you will probably experience little to no friction in your job around how you like to work and therefore will unconsciously feel happier at work.

So how do you spot culture if you are interviewing? It is hard but the difference between now and previous decades is that you have a window into it via social media and opinions of people who work there as well as sites like theglasshammer.com which offers a day in the life views into big firms.

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

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