Let It Go and Truly Believe that You are Enough

By Jenn DeWall, Owner of Jenn DeWall Life & Career Coaching and
CWCC Member

Book Review:  I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t): Making the Journey from “What will People Think?” To “I Am Enough” by Brene Brown

We’ve all read the books that are considered “page turners”.  We’re so engrossed in the story that we find ourselves staying up late by our bed side table lamp eating up every word.  Typically this experience and obsession with a book for me has been reserved for fiction books, either ‘chick literature’ or suspense, but Brene Brown has changed my experiences and added self-help books to my page turner selection.

In Brene Brown’s book, I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t): Making the Journey from “What will People Think?” To “I Am Enough” she invites us to learn more about the shame we experience as women.  For those of you that don’t know Brene Brown, she is a research professor and has focused the majority of her research in this book around how women experience shame.  Shame? Right? Now I know that may not get you as excited as Fifty Shades of Grey  or a Danielle Steele novel but I promise you it is.

Her book offers us the opportunity to play the lead character by applying her research on shame to our own lives.  Her book begins by sharing the many definitions of shame and circumstances that different women feel shame.  As I read other women’s stories I couldn’t help but see myself in their situations. The women’s stories ranged from not feeling adequate in their careers, not being good enough mothers, to shaming themselves for not having the perfect body. It was an epiphany for me as I realized that in so many ways of my life I was shaming myself for “not being good enough,” or not feeling like “I’m successful.” The book empowered me to make a change and start loving myself versus judging myself.

The success of the book lies in the tools she provides to build our own shame resilience.  Not only are other real women’s stories beneficial but the frosting on the cake is that you finish reading feeling inspired and that you are enough!  You truly feel one step closer in understanding and combatting the self-shame and sabotage we do to ourselves.  Another perk, she teaches us the effectiveness of empathy and how we can apply it to not only reduce the judgment on ourselves but also we can use it to connect with others. Are you a mother? A CEO? If you’re connecting with people on a daily basis you can benefit from better understanding how to empathize.

Overall this book was a quick read.  I read it in chapter increments to allow ample time to absorb the information. I was so inspired by the read that I created my own blog series for women called “Shame to Shine”.  The series is an opportunity for women to anonymously share their stories of shame and how they were able to overcome them with other women so we don’t feel alone!

What would it feel like to let it go and truly believe that you are enough?

 

About Jenn:
Jenn DeWall is a certified Life & Career Coach and Motivational Speaker for Young Professional Women. Jenn is a trailblazer who challenges the status quo and works to empower women to live beyond their comfort zones and flourish in their lives and careers. She is the founder of a women’s empowerment group as well as a leadership consultant for a local HR start up. Jenn worked in Corporate America for a large fortune 500 company for almost a decade, which empowered her to become a coach and help women become leaders in their organizations. She is a nationally accredited certified coach with an MBA whom has a vast amount of knowledge and experience on what it takes to be a leader, find happiness, and create the life you love. Jenn founded her own coaching practice, Jenn DeWall Coaching, which offers both one on one, group coaching, and motivational speaking. www.chooseyourhappylife.com

Contact Jenn at jenn@jenndewallcoaching.com or call her at (608) 206-3464.

 

Collaborate to Get Buy-in

By Brenda Hampel, Founder and Partner of Connect the Dots Consulting and
CWCC Member

Getting the commitment you need from coworkers can be achieved by taking a more collaborative approach.

Collaborate to Gain Buy-in from Peers
Susan, is a senior analyst in the healthcare industry, was sure that a strong and assertive argument for her point of view always would result in the influence she needed to achieve results.  However, she was frustrated by the outcomes of recent interactions with her peers, noting that – even though she had presented strong reasoning for why she felt certain changes were important – they did not seem to understand or buy in to her recommendations.

Strategies to get buy-in:
Inspiring the commitment of her coworkers often can be achieved most effectively by taking a more collaborative approach.

• Approach the issue from your peers’ perspective. What issues do they need to address?
• Ask open-ended questions. Show that you are interested in their area and needs.
• Create a win-win situation. Connect your point of view with their needs.

Susan’s Reaction:
Susan noted that she had been taught that her credibility and expertise alone “should” carry the weight and influence needed to affect organizational change and that she had not previously thought there was an effective approach.  But, she later reflected that a more collaborative approach made a lot of sense.

Outcome:
The first time Susan tried this with her counterpart in a regional office, he responded as he had with Susan’s previous style: he expected her to push instead of ask questions.  However, the next time the coworker talked with Susan, and the exchange was much more of 2-way conversation.  Susan was very pleased with the outcome.

If you are interested in learning more about what skills are needed to advance your career, take a look at the Innovative Leadership Institute offered at the Colorado Women’s Chamber.

 

About Brenda
As Founder and Partner of Connect the Dots Consulting, Brenda has taken her expertise in the areas of leadership, team alignment, performance and onboarding coaching—and helps organizations design and implement solutions that combine proven methodology with practical business application.

Brenda’s specialty is in the facilitation of leadership team sessions and discussions. Her years of experience as both a corporate human resources executive and management consultant and business acumen allow her to facilitate complex and difficult discussions by creating a framework, surfacing the necessary information and input, then pulling it together and creating commitments for next steps. This powerful process allows organizations to pinpoint with laser-like accuracy the areas that need attention so they can reach their goals faster.

Brenda graduated from The Ohio State University with a BA in Communications. She is a speaker and co-author of the books published by McGraw-Hill, Solving Employee Performance Problems: How to Spot Problems Early, Take Appropriate Action, and Bring Out the Best in Everyone, Perfect Phrases for New Employee Orientation and Onboarding: Hundreds of Ready-to-use Phrases to Train and Retain Your Top Talent, and, and Talent Assessment and Development Pocket Tool Kit: How to Get the Most Out of Your Best People. The Talent and Development Assessment Pocket Toolkit, also published by McGraw-Hill

 

Is it Time for you to Woman Up?

By Lori Dubois, Owner of Marketing Troubadour and CWCC Member

Book Review: Woman Up! Overcome the 7 Deadly Sins that Sabotage Your Success by Aimee Cohen

Are you the kind of person who likes to get your advice in a numbered list, helping you really figure out the problem, and then telling you exactly what to do about it? If so, you will love reading “Woman Up!” by Aimee Cohen, author from Denver, Colorado, and Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce member. To be honest, I was half expecting to read the same old stuff about either trying to beat men at their own game, or rehash the same old ways women set themselves up for failure with no clear steps to quit doing it. I was very pleasantly surprised to find an honest and concise discussion of concrete things women do that derail their success in the workplace, and even better, how to change those behaviors.

Aimee’s inspirational and motivational style of coaching and speaking come through loud and clear in her book. She has been in the trenches for years as a career coach and consultant, so not only does she know what she’s talking about, she tells real life stories to illustrate it. I particularly resonated with the way Aimee not only uses her clients as examples, but also uses her own stories as examples. The section of each chapter called “Guilty Confession” shows the reader that these behaviors (deadly sins) can happen with anyone, even when they are forewarned and forearmed. In my opinion, an author willing to be vulnerable for the sake of helping others is to be applauded.

The book is not long (186 pages), but it is powerful, if you allow it to be. I won’t spoil it by telling you what the deadly sins are, you can discover that for yourself. I will say I identified more than one that affect me and identified others that I recognize in friends and colleagues. The format is easy to follow; each chapter includes tips, stories about clients, personal experience stories, strategies to employ, and reflection questions as homework. The book is also peppered with great quotes from famous and successful women, upping my enjoyment. I dare you to read this book, identify your deadly sins, and get busy making some positive changes in your life and career!

About Lori

Lori Dubois is the owner of Marketing Troubadour, a marketing and branding firm focused on growing businesses through market, message, and methods. She uses storytelling as a tool for organizations to understand and communicate their WHY so they can attract the right people to grow and thrive. Her 25+ years of experience in marketing and advertising, combined with a Master’s Degree focusing on research and knowledge management, led Lori to found Dubois Information in 2008. Five years later, she changed the firm’s name to Marketing Troubadour to reflect the real-life, hands-on relationship she has with clients in helping them with their branding and marketing objectives. She is passionate about storytelling as a highly effective way to increase marketing effectiveness. In addition to developing and implementing messaging and marketing communication methods, Lori is a speaker and author on all things marketing and branding related, and has served on boards of two not-for-profit organizations.

You can contact Lori at lori@marketingtroubadour.com or visit her website at marketingtroubadour.com

Effective networking: mystery, myth or reality?

By Susan Allard, Business Development Representative at Public Service Credit Union and CWCC Member

Networking [net-wurk-ing]: an association of individuals having a common interest, formed to provide mutual assistance, helpful information, or the like.

Whether newly venturing into the business community or a seasoned expert, networking is a necessary activity – meeting those that can connect us with a potential client or resource, provide useful advice or help us brainstorm new ideas are essential in our growth and development.  However, you may ask yourself, “Does networking really work?”

1. Mystery: How do I meet people that are my ideal client?
   Myth: I need to grab all of the business cards I can.
   Reality: If you want to give yourself a follow-up hangover then you just succeeded. If you really want to be effective, network with a purpose. We call this research – know the audience, find those you want to meet and make a list.

2. Mystery: Once I meet my ideal connection(s), how do I talk about my business?
   Myth: I’ll just blurt out what I do and sell them on the spot. They’ll listen to me.
   Reality: OK, stop right there. You just lost at the letter “I.” Be the listener.  Ask for their name and what they do, then just absorb the information. Ask leading, specific questions that can be answered with short, succinct sentences. Then respond the same way when they ask. If their business isn’t a fit for you, it might be for someone else you know and vice versa.

3. Mystery: How do I walk away from someone that isn’t my ideal target?
   Myth:  When they stop talking, I’ll jump to my next potential connection.
   Reality: Hate to tell you this, but that person may try to bend your ear a lot longer than you had hoped and you won’t get a word in edgewise. Don’t be afraid to stop them.  Find a break when they take a breath or end a sentence.  If that becomes difficult, interrupt. Thank them for their time and be honest; you came to this event to meet several connections. You aren’t being rude, you are being real. If you are on the other end, please don’t take it as an insult – but do learn how to respond to questions with short answers. After all, you have a purpose, too.

4. Mystery: How do I follow-up with the good connections I make?Myth: I’ll just schedule a bunch of coffee appointments.
   Reality:  Don’t know about you, but I can only handle so many lattes and the same for the lower half of my body. However, it takes time to drive to the appointment, sit there and talk then drive back to work. You have already met face-to-face; send an email, schedule a call and have a chat. You’ll accomplish more in less time and save yourself some gas and extra time at the gym.

In closing, network with a goal – you’ll be much more successful!