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WITI WIRE
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For all Personal Growth articles > WITI Technology
WITI Women
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"I'd like to network with you." How do you feel when someone says that to you? After surveying a countless number of professionals in my seminars, I see the same reaction: they cringe. People don't like the concept of being "networked with." There's an implication of being used, of being put on the spot, of being asked for names when you're not sure that you want to share any. Although we all realize networking is important, we have an instinctive reaction against it when we're on the receiving end. How do we change that reaction so that both teams want to play ball, especially when you're the one who is seeking new information or relationships?
Throughout the twenty-plus years I've spent as an IT and business consultant, I've seen and experienced firsthand the results of high stress work environments. They include burnout, health problems, stress-based eating, and weight gain, among other problems. Due to many years spent coping with on the job pressure, many busy professionals find themselves facing chronic disease and its precursors: high cholesterol, hypertension and insulin resistance.
The phone rings and you know you should let it go to voice mail, but you answer it. While talking to a woman who can't quite collect her thoughts you notice a fax coming through that needs immediate attention. You have 50 emails in your inbox that are probably junk mail, but you won't know unless you review them - you can't afford to miss a potential sale. You get a call waiting beep and it's your daughter telling you that her friend Sarah's mom can't drive them to soccer practice and needs you to fill in. The airline fares for your upcoming family vacation increase at midnight, so you've got to order them now, but you still need to get the proposal written for the big account you think you can land.
Connie Shoemake, one of the winners of Women In Technology's Excellence in Corporate IT Leadership Award, is the VP of the Public Sector Sales organization for the Central Region at IBM. The judges of the award overwhelmingly recommended her based not only on her career achievements, but also on her commitment to mentoring and education. In our discussion, these shine through.
When one of my coaching clients wants to start a business I often help them brainstorm a one-page business plan to get down the essential elements of what they need to do to set themselves up for success. We talk about the vision, mission, objectives, strategies and action plans for the business and capture the key elements in short-form in writing. Each element builds on the next with vision setting the context for mission, which in turn sets the context for strategies and finally action plans. Almost universally people understand that for a business to be successful it must have a plan. Yet often people are much more casual about how they conduct their lives. Rather than creating their futures they watch to see where life takes them - they are reactive rather than proactive - they have no equivalent one-page plan for their lives.
Do you feel burdened with too many responsibilities and not enough time for personal enjoyment? Is so, then you are not alone. According to Schor, the author of The Overworked American, hours worked have risen 20% and leisure hours have declined 37% since 1970. With two-career families and single-parent households on the rise, it's no wonder we feel overloaded, overextended, and even overwhelmed. The key to avoiding this is to create balance in our lives.
WITI members can have their voices heard! A major global technology company is actively recruiting new members into its private, online community of professional women to get insights from women about the technology products and services that really matter to them. This is a unique opportunity to interact and have a meaningful impact on the company's product directions and marketing efforts while also networking with your peers.
I like starting the year looking forward, thinking about what I can do to make a difference for WITI members, partners and stakeholders. With a fresh slate, and a new year ahead, I always feel optimism and excitement about taking a fresh look at our goals, our vision and how we can play in a satisfying, meaningful way in the universe we continue to create
Have you ever been working on a project, with everything running fairly smoothly when you realized there was a little knot in your stomach? Some little nagging, aching feeling right in the pit?