photo by Jyri

As I recover from the horror of being diagnosed and treated for breast cancer, I find myself slipping back into the frenzy of overly-busy work days. How did this happen? As I reflect on the early days of settling into and treating my disease, I see a calmer and more serene person. It has been a life-changing journey with some very pleasant, unexpected outcomes. Now, I always look for the positive in bad situations. Another upside of this personal crisis was the ability to enjoy a simple day with the gift of time.

As a woman business leader, I don’t often get the opportunity to create, write and just “be.”  So, when I came across this advice on how to simplify your life from Leo Babauta, I wanted to share it with you.

Start early
Going into work early was one of my favorite tricks — it was quiet, before the phones and chatter and meetings started, and I could get a lot of work done in peace. By the time everyone else was getting started, I’d gotten two or three big tasks checked off.

Limit your hours
Cut back on your hours and set a limit — say 6 or 7 hours a day — and get your most essential work done within that limit. Limits force you to be effective.

Make a short list
Make a long list of all the tasks you need to do … then make a short list of 1-3 things you really want to get done. Choose so that, if you got only these tasks done, you’d be proud of what you did today.

Batch distractions
Things like email, reading blogs, Twitter or another social networks. Set a time for these, preferably later in the day: say, from 3-4 p.m. Another approach might be to do them for 10 minutes at the end of each hour — but stick to that 10-minute limit!

Write shorter emails
If email takes up a lot of your day, the simple change of limiting yourself to 3-4 sentences per email will make a big difference.

Limit meetings
Some top Google executives just do 5-minute meetings — anyone who attends these meetings had better be prepared, and concise. If you can get out of meetings and just get the notes, it could save you hours per week.

Automate
The fewer repetitive and routine tasks you have to do, the more time you’ll free up for creating and important work. So automate wherever possible.

Eliminate paperwork
I used to deal with a lot of paperwork, and even then I knew it was a waste of my time. Whenever possible, eliminate paperwork in favor of digital.

Clear your desk
Clear everything off the top of your desk. Everything should be: filed, given to the appropriate person, given a permanent spot in a drawer, or trashed/recycled.

Get away
If you can get out of your office, and find a peaceful spot where you can focus on important work. Working from home is a good option here. The more you can do this (it might be once a week, or an hour a day, or half of every workday), the better.

Take breathing breaks
Every 15-20 minutes, get up from your desk, and take a breathing break. When you get back to work, remind yourself what you want to be working on, and clear away all distractions.

Practice a focus ritual
Every hour or two, do a refocus ritual. You might start it taking a walk for a couple of minutes to clear your head and get your blood circulating. Then return to your list of Most Important Tasks and figure out what you need to accomplish next.

Schedule big blocks of creative time
Not everyone can do this, but when possible, put a big block of 3-4 hours in your schedule for creating or doing other important work. Be ruthless about clearing distractions and doing the work you love during these blocks.

I can see that there are areas I need to work on, and I am going to heed Leo’s advice! Oh the joy of a simple day! Please let me know what methods you use to simplify your day.

by filipe.garcia

I recently reconnected with several of my high school classmates. This may not seem unusual except for one detail – we attended school in Johannesburg, South Africa and have now spread to locations throughout the world. This was undoubtedly one of the positives that occurred after my diagnosis with breast cancer – the fact that my high school friends reached out to me with sincere compassion and caring. Another plus was that there is a virtual group where many of our classmates stay connected and share life’s ups and downs.

One of the women in the group reached out to the rest of us as she was maneuvering through some tough business issues. I am going to share a wise response that came from a former classmate and renowned doctor who now practices in Orlando, Fla:

• When your life is overwhelming and you feel that you are losing control –focus on the issues that you can manage.

• Identify the things in your personal and financial life that you can manage, pay very strict attention to them and ignore the rest.  You will find that you can begin picking up the pieces as you recover from your crisis.

• Pay attention to yourself, your health and mental health. It is more important than ever that you eat right and exercise and try to relax – these are things you can control.

• Pay attention to your family and friends. Do not lose sight of them, do not let them fall apart with everything else.

• Identify the one or two or three things of your finances that you can possibly control, no matter how insignificant, and focus intently on them.

• As you recover from the crisis, you will start again picking up the pieces, in a controlled, gradient fashion. As you begin getting things under control, even after possibly losing much, you can start rebuilding in a much more deliberate fashion with a more solid foundation.

Finally, remember there are things you CAN do. Here is an “exercise” that you can use to make sure you are taking care of the important things. Follow the sequence and you’ll find that there are three dynamics at play here:

• Self (Dynamic 1),
• Social, family and friends (Dynamic 2)
• Financial, the outside people, partners, creditors, etc. (Dynamic 3)

You MUST start with Dynamic 1, you cannot succeed in 2 without success in 1, and you cannot succeed in 3 without 1 and 2 in control. I hope I have offered some useful take-ways for those of you undergoing a difficult challenge.

by Skyandsea876

I was recently interviewed for an article on women business leaders in my region. It turned out that the journalist’s probing questions made me think about some big-picture philosophies, and I really had to dig down and find the core of my beliefs.

As the interview progressed, I found myself prefacing my replies with, “I am in the process of recovering from breast cancer, so my answers may be tempered by my current state of mind.” She continued on regardless, and her questions prompted me to think about my true feelings. What emerged is advice that I would like to share with you.

Trust your intuition
I always have strong gut feelings that are often tempered by weighing the options and mitigating regret. I know that if I really clear my mind and reach for my immediate reaction I am usually right. This becomes a matter of trusting yourself with a willingness to make mistakes. A great way to learn.

Push through your fear
There is no better way to get ahead than to face something that you know you want to do–yet the  fear of doing it may be paralyzing. When you recognize the source of the fear, whether it’s fear of failure, of getting hurt or of making a fool of yourself, it will be so much easier to forge ahead with a strategy in place. “What ifs” should not be part of the conversation!

Focus in your strengths
We are all born with gifts and talents. If you work on developing your innate strengths, you will not be encumbered by your weaknesses but rather will have the time to polish and master the areas in your life where you excel. Your weaknesses can be supplemented with a well-chosen team.

Remain authentic and true to yourself
When combining the above three doctrines – you cannot achieve success without really knowing who you are. Stay true and be honest with yourself. I always tell people to have a relationship with yourself, be your best friend and hang out “together.”

I hope my story offers encouragement and strength to those of you who are dealing with difficulties. Please read the other blogs about my breast cancer journey.

Photo by TheSeafarer

As the owner of a strategic marketing and communications firm, the biggest Twitter fear I hear as my clients pursue a social media presence is this: “What should I Tweet about?”

Personally, I enjoy Tweeting and blogging and posting to Facebook for myself and my company. But, as a woman business leader and business owner, I’m not surprised to hear this question. One of the challenges with Twitter is the 140-character limit. Many find this to be the most daunting aspect … how do you say what you want to say in 140 characters or less? For me, that’s not a problem. But I’ve been at it for a while. If I think back to when I first started, I think it was mostly an issue of just doing it. Once you get into the habit, it becomes much easier.

My advice is to give it a try and look over this list of “30 Things to Tweet About,” from blogger Sorav Jain for inspiration:

1. New announcements from your brand
2. Teaser previews of offerings you are working on
3. Related interesting news from the industry
4. Trivia related to your product: history, technology, anything!
5. Ask for suggestions: people love to help someone out
6. Events you are holding: this informs as well as gets you attendees
7. Events you are participating in: this shows you are active
8. Witty one-liners: this can be (appropriate) jokes, daily wisdom, or just about anything else
9. Helping people find opportunities: Helping people solve problems is the best thing you can do to promote your brand
10. Popular events: tweet about the upcoming sports events, festivals, etc
11. Unexpected developments: Was Gmail down today? Tweet about it!
12. Regular industry news: yup, this doesn’t hurt if mixed in
13. Sales announcements: Tweet about any sales announcements you might have
14. Job openings: Tell people about open positions, both with your brand and at other places you know
15. Ask for customer feedback: Invite people to share their experiences with your brand
16. Participate in the relevant hashtags, and get more visibility
17. Set up and announce tweet chats based on brand-related hashtags
18. Follow people and make acknowledgement via tweets
19. Thank people who have recently followed you
20. Post the latest updates from your blog along with the link
21. Direct people to other social media channels you own by tweeting about them
22. Search on your brand name and respond to tweets that are about you
23. Create Twitter lists of industry-relevant analysts, well-wishers or customers, and announce the lists publically. This sends a positive message to the mentioned people
24. Participate in trending topics and viral hashtags to rope in some attention. Ensure your opinions are related to your brand
25. Tweet-greet your followers daily. Saying small things like “good morning,” or asking about their health goes a long way in forging ties
26. Tweet and tag your best employee of the week. This keeps the staff motivated and gives them a platform
27. Announce weekly deal, tweetpon (coupon), etc., and evaluate its viral reach to understand how influential your brand is
28. For B2B brands, find out analysts on Twitter and build up conversations with them. Twitter is the best place for making your opinion heard
29. Give daily twitter tips on usage of your brand’s products/service or on the basis of the industry expertise. Tips sell well on Twitter
30. Make regular #FF Friday Follow recommendations or announce fan of the week with some incentives or freebies to the winners

Many of these tips are extremely helpful and will provide you with ideas for months. I’m always looking for more tips, though, so give me yours and I’ll add them to the list.

Photo by CHUCKage

I spend most of my professional life figuring out how to most effectively communicate. Yet, my most valuable tool is having the ability to listen rather than talk.  I know that you have often found yourself in a situation where you wish you had an on/off button –  working at being a good listener is just as important as talking.  Great communicators are great listeners, and develop keen observational powers that enable them to sense the moods, attitudes and concerns of those they hope to connect with.

Here is a list of 10 communications secrets created by Mike Myatt. While you may not wish to adopt every suggestion, I think you will come away with some very good ideas.

1. Speak not with a forked tongue
   In most cases, people just won’t open up to those they don’t trust. While you can attempt to demand trust, it rarely works. Trust is best created by earning it with right acting, thinking, and decision-making.
2. Get personal
   Classic business theory tells leaders to stay at arms length. I say stay at arms length if you want to remain in the dark, receiving only highly sanitized versions of the truth.
3. Get specific
   Learn to communicate with clarity. Simple and concise is always better than complicated and confusing. Your goal is to weed out the superfluous and to make your words count.
4. Focus on the leave-behinds not the take-aways
   The key is to approach each interaction with a servant’s heart. When you truly focus on contributing more than receiving you will have accomplished the goal.
5. Have an open mind
   A leader takes her game to a whole new level the minute she willingly seeks out those who hold dissenting opinions and opposing positions with the goal not of convincing them to change their minds, but with the goal of understanding what’s on their minds.
6. Shut-up and listen
   Great leaders know when to dial it up, dial it down, and dial it off (mostly down and off).
7. Replace ego with empathy
   Empathetic communicators display a level of authenticity and transparency that is not present with those who choose to communicate behind the carefully crafted facade, propped-up by a very fragile ego.
8. Read between the lines
   In this age of instant communication, everyone seems to be in such a rush to communicate what’s on their minds that they fail to realize everything to be gained from the minds of others. Keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut and you’ll be amazed at how your level of organizational awareness is raised.
9. When you speak, know what you’re talking about
   Develop a technical command over your subject matter. If you don’t possess subject matter expertise, few people will give you the time of day. Good communicators address both the “what” and “how” aspects of messaging so they don’t fall prey to becoming the smooth talker who leaves people with the impression of form over substance.
10. Speak to groups as individuals
    Great communicators can tailor a message such that they can speak to 10 people in a conference room or 10,000 people in an auditorium and have them feel as if they were speaking directly to each one of them as an individual.

Social media has changed the landscape of the “old way” businesses communicate not only with their customers, but also with their employees. How has your business adapted to new forms of communicating?

Photo by Andy Miah

As a woman business leader and owner of a strategic communications firm, creativity is at the very core of my business. Without it, what would differentiate my firm from others?  In fact, I think that the very reason many businesses choose to work with a specific marketing and communications firm is precisely because of the creativity that firm possesses and from the work it has produced. Because creativity is the foundation of my business, I want to do everything I can to encourage and nurture it in my firm’s culture. One of the best things you can do is to stay out of your staff’s way!

I liked the ideas Teresa Amabile and Steve Kramer published recently, and I’ve condensed their list for you here:

Savvy managers know how to balance four factors to properly motivate creativity and, ultimately, innovation:

Goals
Creativity suffers when strategic goals are too loose, and when creators are too tightly constrained in how they accomplish those goals. People need to know what problem they’re trying to solve, and why it matters; they can’t be intrinsically motivated unless their work has meaning. So: clear direction on the strategic goal, but lots of leeway in how to achieve it.

Evaluation
In our research inside organizations, we have often observed reduced creativity under conditions of strong evaluation pressure. In such situations, people are reluctant to contribute their ideas because they fear overly critical reactions. Curiously, we have also found reduced creativity in situations where evaluation and feedback are notably absent. The crucial balance involves a great deal of frequent, work-focused evaluation and feedback that is truly informative and constructive. To perform at their creative peak, people need to know that every idea will be respected (if not accepted) — respected enough to merit thoughtful consideration.

Reward
We all need equitable, sufficiently generous compensation for our work, to avoid the distraction of financial worries, and to feel that we (and our work) are valued by our organizations. Recognition is another essential form of reward; it, too, signals that the person and the work are valued. Some of the most positive rewards are not monetary. As one interviewee said in a study we conducted several years ago, “Part of the reward is having your managers listen to what you have done. Having access to your supervisors increases internal motivation, so managers should be available on an informal basis.”

Pressure
When it comes to creativity, there’s good pressure and there’s bad pressure. Being told to do a tough job in a particular way, with no tolerance of failure, little expectation of recognition for success, and extreme, arbitrary time pressure, can kill anyone’s creativity motivation. But being given the same job, in a positive atmosphere where false starts are examined constructively and success is recognized, can drive creativity — and innovation — forward.

I have written often about how important it is to encourage and motivate creativity to nurture a positive company culture. How does your organization’s management apply these motivational balance factors appropriately?

Photo by lolololori

As the owner of a communications firm, I am often asked to evaluate the social media efforts of my clients’ businesses. I cannot stress strongly enough that social media is merely a vehicle for communicating the brand message and not a solution in itself.  As women business leaders get comfortable with communicating in the “cyber” world, the methodology that we use should sync with our overall communications strategy. The concept here is that the persona we use to engage online should be no different than the personality  we convey off line. In order to effectively and consistently have an integrated social media presence, you’d be well advised to hire a community manager.  But I caution you from experience – make sure that the voice of the company is well understood prior to engaging your customers and clients online.

Here is a great list  from Pam Drayton to help you create and maintain an effective social media voice:

Tips for creating your social media voice:

1. Constantly be aware of your intended market and the Social Media vehicle you are planning to use. If you are selling medical hardware to brain surgeons you will not use the same communication techniques, words and terminology you would use if you are selling gaming systems to teenagers.
2. Identify your target market before you settle on your voice. What is the age of your preferred market; what is their education background; where do they live, what are their values and beliefs. It is also very important to determine, and always keep in mind, what your target market wants or needs from you.
3. Have passionate, but do not become overly emotional. There is a huge difference between telling your readers, “This is an exceptional, high-quality product that will perfectly meet your needs,” and “If you don’t buy this product, your business will fail miserably.”
4. To follow that note, always be honest. And play fair. You may actually believe the product your competition is offering is nothing more than junk; but don’t actually say that. Instead explain how you believe your product is better.

With written social media communications all you have is words. In order to precisely and authentically relay your message you must choose those words carefully, and use a social media “voice” that not only enhances your communication efforts but is in sync with your overall brand.

Photo by patricklanigan

As a woman business leader and entrepreneur, I have always struggled with the balance between remaining private and at the same time being misunderstood because I don’t share my feelings. I was raised in a repressed environment with the adage, “what would the queen do?” guiding my reactions to situations. Now, in some cases, this can be rather charming but honestly, for the most part, this is probably exasperating for the recipient of this stiff-upper-lip attitude. Over the years, as I have explored the desirable characteristics of great leaders, authenticity seems to be the value I most admire and strive for.

Here are three important tips you can use to reveal your intentions, condensed from a great blog by Linda Hill and Kent Lineback:

1. First, talk explicitly about your intentions — what’s important to you, the goals you seek, the values and motives that guide your actions and decisions. Talk as well about the sources of your intentions — the experiences that forged them. When you do something or make a choice, explain both the business and personal reasons. Don’t assume people will see them. Say them outright. Invite a discussion about them.

This sounds easy, but many resist the idea that the boss must stoop to explain himself. Being the boss, they think, means not having to do that. But if they want to generate the kind of trust that gives them real influence and elicits the best from their people, they will talk about their intentions.

2. The second way to reveal your intentions is through integrity. Walk the talk. Keep your word. Be sure that what you say is consistent with what you do. This will prove your authenticity. If you tell people to be open to new ideas, but you’re not, they will doubt what you say. If they don’t understand or believe your intentions, how can they trust you to do the right thing?

3. The third way you reveal your intentions is through consistency. The intentions you speak about and practice should be the same from day to day, from person to person, from situation to situation. If they’re not, and there’s no reason for the difference, your lack of consistency will lead people to doubt you as well. If there are differences, be sure to explain them. Be sensitive to how others see and interpret your reasons for what you do.

Going through my recent battle with breast cancer was further evidence to me, that the more honest and authentic I am about my feelings and intent, the more engaged and effective I am. I would appreciate hearing about your leadership journey, and what led you to become more authentic.

Photo by Ruth Flickr

I have just completed seven weeks of radiation where I received space-age-type treatments that invaded my chest wall with the intent of killing any cancer cells that had migrated from my breast. The weekend before I began my treatment I flew to Atlanta to spend time with my family.  As fate would have it, on my way home, I happened to be seated next to a friendly and talkative gentleman who told me to visualize that these rays were on a seek-and-destroy mission with the sole purpose of winning the cancer battle.

As I lay there getting my first treatment, my body flinched as the long beeps told me of the invasion. Staying positive at this point seemed almost impossible as I contemplated the side effects of radiation; exhaustion, severe burns and a compromised immune system.

I decided that as a woman business leader and entrepreneur, I had faced many other challenges, although none as daunting as this. But my response has always been to embrace my challenges rather than fear them. Why would this be any different?

Here are some of the ways that I learned to create a positive experience:

1.    I listened to music that evoked positive emotions during treatment. This proved to balance my thoughts and alleviate the fear. Once I took out the fear factor, I was able to release the vision.

2.    I connected with as many people as I could who were receiving the same treatment as I was. Sharing stories and following their progress. I realized how fortunate I was as their stories unfolded.

3.    I found that by being positive and open I encouraged new relationships. I got to know the therapists, doctors and staff. The care and compassion was definitely a factor in making the process more bearable.

4.    Overcoming the fear and embracing the experience was definitely the key. I found that by the end of the seven weeks I was actually looking forward to my daily trips.

There have been studies that describe how an optimistic outlook can literally help people live longer and happier lives than those with a pessimistic view of the world. I would love to share your stories of optimism and how your positive outlook helped you through a difficult time.

Photo by crazyoctopus

My professional life has always been focused on the creative process. Whether at the start of my career as a fashion designer, running radio stations in the Northeast, or for the past 13 years owning an integrated communications firm. For me, and as a woman business leader, creativity involves taking risks, believing in myself and embracing change.

As I become comfortable with my new identity, a breast cancer survivor, I find that creative thinking has permeated how I have coped. I have moved out of the expected mode of behavior and have experimented with new paths for my future. Creative thinking enhances and adds dimension to every aspect of my life.

It is also really important to me that my team has a platform for innovative thinking. I find these tips from blogger Michael Hyatt very useful:

1- Hold my own counsel
When meeting with the team I lead, it is usually best if I don’t go first. I might see the solution more quickly or be tempted to cut to the chase. The problem is that this inhibits everyone else’s creativity. The discussion then quickly becomes political. People start measuring their words. They are hesitant to disagree with me. As a result, I don’t get the best thinking of the group.

2- Enlist outside resources
If you aren’t constantly refilling the creative pool, it will eventually run dry. This is why I routinely buy books and give them to my colleagues to read. I also encourage them to attend conferences. (I try to attend as many as I can myself.) Consultants can also be helpful. They can offer a fresh, outside-in perspective that broadens the creative palette.

3- Affirm creative thinking
I believe that you get more when you “notice and affirm.” If I want more innovative thinking, I have to notice it and publicly affirm it. When introducing people, I like to brag on their creativity: “This is Jane Smith. She was the one who first started using social media in our company for customer service.” I also like to send email affirmations and copy the person’s boss. Recognition is a huge motivator for most of us.

4- Create a safe environment
By safe, I mean safe for dissent. Make it okay for people to disagree with you. If people don’t feel safe, they will only parrot your ideas. This means you will never be any more creative as a team than you could be on your own. However, I believe that my team can be much more creative than I can be on my own—so long as I give them the freedom to express themselves without fear of me embarrassing them.

What are some ways you have encouraged creativity within your organization? How do you reward the creative process?