By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)
According to a recent survey by the American Psychological Association (APA), work life fit, once and for all, can no longer be considered an issue that only concerns women. In fact, the survey suggested, it’s no longer an issue that only concerns parents either.
The study (by the APA and Harris Interactive) of 1,240 adults employed in the US found the top factor that keeps adults in their jobs isn’t pay… or benefits… or a lack of other opportunities. The top two factors that keep people in their jobs are work life fit and a sense of fulfillment. Both of these scored evenly (67 percent) as the top reason people remain with their employer.
David W. Ballard, PsyD, MBA, head of APA’s Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program, commented, “Americans spend a majority of their waking hours at work and, as such, they want to have harmony between their job demands and the other parts of their lives.”
He continued, “To engage the workforce and remain competitive, it’s no longer sufficient to focus solely on benefits. Today, top employers create an environment where employees feel connected to the organization and have a positive work experience that’s part of a rich, fulfilling life.”
October is National Work and Family Month, and a study like this one highlights just how important work life fit is to women, to men, to parents and non-parents. It’s an issue that affects all of us, and it’s a lot bigger than just being able to leave the office in time for dinner. It means having quality time to spend with children or parents, of course, but it also means having time outside work to participate actively in your community, to go shopping or to the doctor or to the gym, to laugh with friends, or simply to read a book.
These are the things that add variety and value to life. That’s not to say that work isn’t part of that value – the sense of fulfillment you get from a project completed or a problem solved can be powerful. And the activities that enrich one person’s life will be different than the ones that enrich someone else’s. That’s why expanding our notion of what work life fit entails and to whom it is important is the next phase of empowerment for women and men at work.
A Work Life Fit for Everyone
Work-LifeAccording to a recent survey by the American Psychological Association (APA), work life fit, once and for all, can no longer be considered an issue that only concerns women. In fact, the survey suggested, it’s no longer an issue that only concerns parents either.
The study (by the APA and Harris Interactive) of 1,240 adults employed in the US found the top factor that keeps adults in their jobs isn’t pay… or benefits… or a lack of other opportunities. The top two factors that keep people in their jobs are work life fit and a sense of fulfillment. Both of these scored evenly (67 percent) as the top reason people remain with their employer.
David W. Ballard, PsyD, MBA, head of APA’s Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program, commented, “Americans spend a majority of their waking hours at work and, as such, they want to have harmony between their job demands and the other parts of their lives.”
He continued, “To engage the workforce and remain competitive, it’s no longer sufficient to focus solely on benefits. Today, top employers create an environment where employees feel connected to the organization and have a positive work experience that’s part of a rich, fulfilling life.”
October is National Work and Family Month, and a study like this one highlights just how important work life fit is to women, to men, to parents and non-parents. It’s an issue that affects all of us, and it’s a lot bigger than just being able to leave the office in time for dinner. It means having quality time to spend with children or parents, of course, but it also means having time outside work to participate actively in your community, to go shopping or to the doctor or to the gym, to laugh with friends, or simply to read a book.
These are the things that add variety and value to life. That’s not to say that work isn’t part of that value – the sense of fulfillment you get from a project completed or a problem solved can be powerful. And the activities that enrich one person’s life will be different than the ones that enrich someone else’s. That’s why expanding our notion of what work life fit entails and to whom it is important is the next phase of empowerment for women and men at work.
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Three Ways to Develop Your Growth Mindset
Next LevelWhat’s one of the key factors in taking your career to the next level? According to the women speaking at the American Express Women’s Conference last week, that answer is the growth mindset.
Moderated by American Express‘s Kim Goodman, President of Global Business Travel, the panelists included Marissa Campise, Vice President, internet and digital media companies at the venture capital firm Venrock; Maria Contreras-Sweet, Founder of Promerica Bank and first Latina in California state government to hold a cabinet position as Secretary of Business, Transportation, and Housing; and Carolyn Everson, Vice President of Global Marketing Solutions, Facebook.
As Goodman said, “The growth mindset is really all about courage.” The panelists shared their advice and experience on the meaning of a growth mindset. Here are three ways to develop your own.
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What Does ‘Having It All’ Mean to You?
Expert AnswersDo you have it all? Or perhaps you feel trapped in a cycle of your own doing that could lead to your undoing? I am extremely thankful for my clients, but not for the state in which they come to me, as it is often the latter.
Helping women “have it all” is my professional passion, and I discuss and research the topic whenever I can. Recently I facilitated a top discussion called “What do you define as having it all?” for Forbes Women, and the insights were quite compelling.
1. Do we really know what having it all means to us? Perhaps the title of the discussion needed rephrasing for an online forum. Without the benefit of previous context from a conversation, many of the answers sounded much like the Hollywood dream. And who can be blamed for it, with the most celebrated TV shows like Mad Men and Breaking Bad having the theme of living out a life adorned with all life’s toys proximate to their core themes. Even Modern Family, a masterful show that has two fundamental purposes—to have us examine our relationships with ourselves and others and have us laugh in the meantime—shows families with big houses and all the modern toys, with one spouse stay-at-home. I quickly suspected that if the question were asked a different way, the answers would be less Hollywood and more real. We quickly reframed the question to “what do you think determines your success?” We began to receive what one responder called varied “snowflakes.” We then added one word: “what do you think determines your life’s success?” Then, the answers then became even more compelling and personal, as respondents quickly shifted to what was truly important to them, in a less cliché frame.
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Making Your Impact: Advancing the Economic Power of Women
Money Talks“Women hold up half the sky,” was the mostly widely conveyed message of Deutsche Bank’s 18th Annual Women on Wall Street Conference; a message so powerful, it resulted in mostly laughs and applaud, along with a few tears.
Over 2,000 women of all ages and all areas of financial services packed into the conference excited to hear from not only great women speakers, but also eager to hear what men in our business have to say.
Robert Rankin, Co-Head of Corporate Banking & Securities and Head of Corporate Finance at Deutsche Bank kicked off the night with an uplifting speech how global companies need women employers in order to grow their businesses. Currently, women control an astounding $12 trillion of global consumer spending. “It’s important to develop, inspire and motivate women in this business,” said Rankin. “This is a global movement.”
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Impact: How Women are Leveling the Playing Field
Managing ChangeOn Tuesday night, American Banker magazine celebrated the Top Women in Banking and Finance with its annual awards dinner. This year, the theme was impact, and the evening celebrated women who are not only serving as role models for women in the industry, but changing the way the industry works for women.
Irene Dorner, CEO of HSBC Bank USA and the Top Women in Banking honoree, gave a powerful speech about how diversity can help improve the industry, as well as its reputation. She called out a culture of systemic bias and encouraged leaders to change it.
“I know plenty about soccer, cricket, football, cars… Do I care about them? No,” she said. “But does anyone ever ask me about my shoes? Rarely.” As the audience laughed, she continued, “But there are other manifestations of bias that are much more dangerous than a pair of shoes.”
According to Dorner, instilling a culture of true meritocracy would change the system to one where female leaders can thrive at work, where the right people make it to the top jobs, and where everyone can be their authentic selves. On top of that, she said, the industry would renew its standing in the eyes of the general public.
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The Power of a Transformational Intent
Expert AnswersEver been part of a dysfunctional meeting? They waste time, sap energy, and kill employee engagement. An executive coaching client and I were preparing for a meeting she was going to in two hours. It was a high stakes meeting and she expected it to be politically charged. Each functional group had their “wants” and the battle lines were drawn. Sound familiar?
What if there was a tool that helped us not just survive but actually transform these types of situations into productive dialogues? Read on for coaching on how to do that. I call the tool that works “Transformational Intent” and it has the power to change our experience of any dysfunctional situation, not just meetings. “Transformational Intent” is the act of simply setting the highest, most positive intention prior to any action or situation.
When heading to a contentious meeting we can create a conscious intention of who we are in the meeting and what outcomes we are looking for. When faced with a situation, we let go of the need to control the situation to fit our needs and embrace the opportunity to set a clear, positive intent for the best outcome.
Why does intent work? First, setting an intent helps us to consciously direct our focus. What we focus on shapes our expectations, what we move toward, and what we experience. Second, quantum physics is teaching us that any object that is observed is changed by the very act of observation. Could it be possible then, that the expectations with which we observe others changes them? It explains why in experiments, teachers’ expectations of students actually changes their performance. Third, our own intent matters because of what neuroscience research describes as emotional contagion. This is our ability to read others’ emotions and mirror them, even unconsciously. In layman’s terms it’s called empathy. We all have mirror neurons in our brains, a fancy way of explaining why when one person yawns, the rest of us are triggered to yawn as well. When we are inspired we have the ability to inspire others. Our emotions and intent are read and contagious. Imagine the personal power we each have to be transformational leaders, if we take 100% accountability for our intent.
Back to the battle lines of our favorite meeting. Here are three intentions and questions we can ask ourselves on the way to a meeting or in any situation.
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Top Women on the Buy-Side: Finding Yield in a Volatile Market
Featured, Industry Leaders, Leadership, Women on the Buy-SideModerated by Wall Street journalist Heidi Moore, the panel included Gabriela Franco Parcella, Chief Executive Officer, Mellon Capital Management Corporation; Denise Higgins, CFA, Client Portfolio Manager, ING Investment Management; Anne Milne, Managing Director, Emerging Markets Corporate Research, Bank of America Merrill Lynch; and Judith Posnikoff, PhD, Co-Founder & Managing Director, PAAMCO.
The lively conversation ranged from dealing with the challenges of uncertainty, managing risk, and the bright spots ahead. Milne quipped, “What are we looking for? Returns. Moreover, we’re looking for risk adjusted returns. We’re looking for good ideas to generate risk adjusted returns. And we’re making calls to find analysts to generate ideas to generate risk adjusted returns.”
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Communication: Top Tool of World’s Greatest Bosses
Industry Leaders, LeadershipAccording to a new study by Seattle-based leadership training group, Fierce Inc., communication is the cornerstone of a good boss-employee relationship. The study, which polled over 1,700 corporate executives and employees, set out to find what qualities make a good boss, what reciprocal qualities make a good employee, and how they can work together to be most effective.
Four out of five respondents (80 percent) said the most important thing a boss can do is ask for feedback from their employees. A smaller but significant group (37 percent) said it was important for a supervisor to provide constructive feedback to his or her direct reports.
Since today is National Boss’s Day here in the United States, it may be a great opportunity to examine your own managerial communication style. How are you conveying your own leadership in the way you communicate?
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Voice of Experience: Pamela Jackson, Partner, Mergers and Acquisitions Tax, PwC
Voices of Experience“Believe in yourself,” advised Pamela Jackson, Partner and Founding Member of PwC’s Mergers and Acquisitions Tax business in the UK.
Through a career spanning over three decades – and three continents – Jackson has had the opportunity to learn a lot. She went from being mistaken for the receptionist when she first started out, to ascending to partnership and leadership within PwC, to being named Women in the City’s Woman of the Year, to now leading one of PwC’s new key strategic initiatives.
Jackson encourages women to embrace their self-confidence. “Tell people what you want. Keep asking for it. Don’t sit and wait for things to come to you. Success comes to people who go out and take it with both hands,” she said.
“Take calculated risks and go for it. Every time you take a risk, you continue on your journey.”
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Voice of Experience: Laura Sanchez, Managing Director, Private Wealth Management, Goldman Sachs
People, Voices of ExperienceOne of the most important lessons Laura Sanchez has learned throughout her career is the importance of being yourself.
Sanchez, now a Managing Director in Private Wealth Management at Goldman Sachs, found that by allowing her unique personality to shine, she was better able to connect with clients, which ultimately helped her career.
“When you’re new – and I had also switched industries – you may be anxious about fitting in and looking like everyone else or acting like everyone else. But trying too hard to fit in can stifle who you are.”
She continued, “To not be yourself for the majority of your day creates a lot of stress.”
Ultimately, she says, authenticity was her key to a more fulfilling career. “When I’ve been true to myself and let my own light shine through, that’s when I’ve been my best. That’s when I think the success started,” she explained.
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