Be Business Savvy - Create a Career that Soars!

In Part 3 of our conversation with Helen Jonsen, founder of Helen Jonsen Media, we dive into practical media coaching tips that every professional woman can use. Helen shares insights from vocal technique to signature remarks, revealing why memorization isn't the key to powerful speaking - authenticity and preparation are. Key Tips Covered: The science behind deep breathing and vocal control Creating effective signature remarks Crafting your personal passion statement The power of authentic storytelling Why poise matters more than perfection Notable Quotes: "Your vocal cords are strings like a guitar string. When you get nervous, they get stretched, and your voice goes up. Deep breathing brings your voice to your normal register." "A passion statement describes you and your work from the heart - it's not an elevator pitch, which is a sell." "Speakers don't have to be the ones who memorize, but they need to be the ones who are memorable." Go Deeper Links ⭐ Part 1 with Helen Jonsen "Girl Talk vs Women Talk" here ⭐ Part 2 with Helen Jonsen "Your Kaleidoscope Career" here ⭐ Learn about Helen Jonsen's Kaleidoscope Career here: https://helenjonsen.com/helen-s-story ⭐ Business Savvy YOU! delivers the business, financial and strategic acumen you need to succeed: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/overview-business-savvy-you ⭐ Discover The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed FREE email course: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/newsletter-opt-in-1 ⭐ Receive unique and transformative career advice: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/BusinessSavvyNewsletterOpt-In ⭐ Turn Career Advice from Flawed to Fantastic!: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/lead-magnet-7-career-tips-keeping-1  Podcast produced* and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com *Megan creates a listenable pod from a truly imperfectly created original containing my walking huffs & puffs, footfalls, background noises - birds, waves, cars, dogs, roosters and more. Thank heavens for Megan!

Show Notes In Part 2 of our conversation, Michelle Redfern reveals what makes her leadership programs transformative for ambitious women. Unlike traditional programs that focus primarily on soft skills, Michelle's approach combines essential business acumen training with real-world strategic projects sponsored by executives. Participants work in teams to solve actual organizational challenges, gaining visibility with senior leaders while building critical financial and strategic capabilities. Notable Quotes "This isn't just shoving content down participants' throats. We give them real organizational problems to solve, executive sponsors to work with, and high-stakes opportunities to demonstrate their business acumen." Michelle Redfern "Executives have told me: 'Wow, I didn't realize we had so many talented women in our organization' - that's exactly the visibility and recognition these women need." Michelle Redfern Go Deeper Links ⭐  About Michelle Redfern ⭐  Lead to Soar online community ⭐   Lead to Soar podcast ⭐   The Leadership Compass by Michelle Redfern ⭐  Connect with Michelle on Linkedin⭐ Business Savvy YOU! delivers the business, financial and strategic acumen you need to succeed: ⭐ Discover The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed FREE email course: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/newsletter-opt-in-1 ⭐ Receive unique and transformative career advice: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/BusinessSavvyNewsletterOpt-In ⭐ Turn Career Advice from Flawed to Fantastic!: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/lead-magnet-7-career-tips-keeping-1  Podcast produced* and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com *Megan creates a listenable pod from a truly imperfectly created original containing my walking huffs & puffs, footfalls, background noises - birds, waves, cars, dogs, roosters and more. Thank heavens for Megan!

Show Notes Understanding business context is crucial for effective communication with senior leaders Tailoring your communication style for executive audiences is essential Preparation and practice are key to improving executive communication skills Body language and voice tone play significant roles in conveying confidence Asking insightful questions can demonstrate engagement and business acumen Notable Excerpts "There's a great quote, "Successful people ask better questions." Asking good questions is great too, because we often just focus on delivering our part of the content, but the best leaders ask good questions, which allows them to get good answers. That needs to be built into our repertoire as well. " Gillian Fox "Choose just one meeting that is important to you... and really focus. Do YOUR prep, do all the things to set yourself up for success and see how you progress." Gillian Fox About Gillian Fox Gillian has succeeded in her career, both as a senior executive and an entrepreneur. She is an author, keynote speaker and senior executive coach who also leads gender diversity programs for some of the largest organizations in Australia. In addition, she is the host of the Your Brilliant Career podcast. Gillian is also the creator and leader of the Rise Accelerate and Rise Elite programs. Both publicly recognized women's career programs.  She works with incredible women and the results are amazing. Links below. Go Deeper Links Gillian's programs: "Rise Accelerate" and "Rise Elite" Gillian's podcast "Your Brilliant Career" Connect with Gillian on Linkedin Susan on Gillian's podcast Be Business Savvy Equips You for Success ⭐ Business Savvy YOU! delivers the business, financial and strategic acumen you need to succeed: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/overview-business-savvy-you ⭐ Discover The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed FREE email course: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/newsletter-opt-in-1 ⭐ Receive unique and transformative career advice: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/BusinessSavvyNewsletterOpt-In ⭐ Turn Career Advice from Flawed to Fantastic!: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/lead-magnet-7-career-tips-keeping-1  Podcast produced* and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com *Megan creates a listenable pod from a truly imperfectly created original containing my walking huffs & puffs, footfalls, background noises - birds, waves, cars, dogs, roosters and more. Thank heavens for Megan!

Key Takeaways from Part 1 with Michelle Redfern Being an ambitious woman is often seen as a risk. Lead to Soar helps members practice expressing their ambition comfortablyAmbition should be reframed as a positive force - not just for personal gain, but for improving the world around youDeveloping business savvy and aligning one's ambition with the organization's goals is crucial for women's career advancement The top 3 benefits of the Lead to Soar community:  1. A safe place for women to express their ambition without fear of judgment  2. A cadence of weekly "group coaching" sessions that foster community and actionable insights  3. Pointed feedback on the importance of developing business acumen and intelligence (BQ) Notable Quotes "When you're ambitious to make the world a better place, that is a great thing. And that's a real mindset shift." Michelle Redfern"As a leader, you have a responsibility to go beyond a transactional relationship with your employer. Leaders go beyond that, saying 'I am in a relationship with my employer and it is mutually beneficial."  Michelle Redfern Go Deeper Links ⭐  About Michelle Redfern ⭐  Lead to Soar online community ⭐   Lead to Soar podcast ⭐   The Leadership Compass by Michelle Redfern ⭐  Connect with Michelle on Linkedin⭐ Business Savvy YOU! delivers the business, financial and strategic acumen you need to succeed: ⭐ Discover The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed FREE email course: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/newsletter-opt-in-1 ⭐ Receive unique and transformative career advice: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/BusinessSavvyNewsletterOpt-In ⭐ Turn Career Advice from Flawed to Fantastic!: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/lead-magnet-7-career-tips-keeping-1  Podcast produced* and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com *Megan creates a listenable pod from a truly imperfectly created original containing my walking huffs & puffs, footfalls, background noises - birds, waves, cars, dogs, roosters and more. Thank heavens for Megan!

Key Takeaways Confidence for women in the workplace is about more than just feeling self-assured; it's about showcasing your business value Developing strategic and financial acumen helps women feel more confident in their ability to contribute to the organization The focus should shift from what women want to get from their work to what they are doing to help the company and themselves get ahead Women need to actively demonstrate their value creation and communicate it effectively to senior leaders Sponsorship cannot be imposed, but providing talented women the opportunity to showcase their thinking can lead to more sponsorship - Senior leaders are interested in seeing how women can contribute to the business, not just their personal development Strategies for Developing Business Acumen: Understand the broader business landscape and how your work aligns with organizational priorities Identify ways you are creating value and be prepared to articulate your contributions concisely Complete "value creation" assignments that challenge you to present your ideas to senior leadership Notable Quotes "If women had the business, strategic and financial acumen, that would help them influence more effectively, they could be compelling presenting a business case, they can understand the numbers and participate in the right conversations." - Gillian Fox "What is it that you are doing to help your company and yourself get ahead? Because if you're seen as an effective value creator, you will demonstrate your contribution and value more effectively, and it will help you progress your career." - Gillian Fox "The point is, if you just have your head down and your tail up grinding out the work at your desk, you're missing out potentially on all the important conversations that are shaping the future of the business." - Gillian Fox About Gillian Fox Gillian has succeeded in her career, both as a senior executive and an entrepreneur. She is an author, keynote speaker and senior executive coach who also leads gender diversity programs for some of the largest organizations in Australia. In addition, she is the host of the Your Brilliant Career podcast. Gillian is also the creator and leader of the Rise Accelerate and Rise Elite programs. Both publicly recognized women's career programs.  She works with incredible women and the results are amazing. Links below. Go Deeper Links Gillian's programs: "Rise Accelerate" and "Rise Elite" Gillian's podcast "Your Brilliant Career" Connect with Gillian on Linkedin Susan's TED Talk on The Missing 33% Susan on Gillian's podcast Ways Be Business Savvy Equips You for Success ⭐ Business Savvy YOU! delivers the business, financial and strategic acumen you need to succeed: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/overview-business-savvy-you ⭐ Discover The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed FREE email course: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/newsletter-opt-in-1 ⭐ Receive unique and transformative career advice: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/BusinessSavvyNewsletterOpt-In ⭐ Turn Career Advice from Flawed to Fantastic!: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/lead-magnet-7-career-tips-keeping-1  Podcast produced* and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com *Megan creates a listenable pod from a truly imperfectly created original containing my walking huffs & puffs, footfalls, background noises - birds, waves, cars, dogs, roosters and more. Thank heavens for Megan!  

Show Notes In Part 2, Racquel Moses focuses on highlighting your unique impact in each role, not just performing as per your job description. Approach each new role with a mindset of measurable improvement from day one Aim to advance from entry to mid-level positions within two years Track your time meticulously to understand how you're contributing to business goals Think like a CEO of your own career, prioritizing high-value activities Utilize AI tools to streamline low-value tasks and increase productivity Career Advancement Strategies Align your KPIs with overall business goals Regularly evaluate and communicate your impact on the business Be prepared to discuss how you've improved efficiency or sales in your roles Use time tracking to identify and reduce low-value activities Resume Building Tips Highlight measurable impacts and achievements rather than basic job duties Quantify your contributions (e.g., "increased efficiency by 20%") Focus on how you've uniquely contributed to each role Notable Quotes "You are the CEO of you.com... You have to think about it in that way." Racquel Moses "Women on the rise, do not try to get stuck in middle to entry-level positions for more than two years. Two years is enough to prove your worth and to do something, accomplish something that can allow you to get to the next level."  Racquel Moses "You start thinking about, you scan your environment and think about what can I bring to this role that I can measure and defend? That I was able to do differently from anybody else."  Racquel Moses Go Deeper Links ⭐ Link to  Part 1 Journey to the Top: Racquel Moses on Career Success ⭐ Link to Racquel's podcast: Getting to the Top ⭐ Connect with Racquel on Linkedin ⭐ Business Savvy YOU! delivers the business, financial and strategic acumen you need to succeed: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/overview-business-savvy-you ⭐ Discover The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed FREE email course: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/newsletter-opt-in-1 ⭐ Receive unique and transformative career advice: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/BusinessSavvyNewsletterOpt-In ⭐ Turn Career Advice from Flawed to Fantastic!: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/lead-magnet-7-career-tips-keeping-1  Podcast produced* and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com *Megan creates a listenable pod from a truly imperfectly created original containing my walking huffs & puffs, footfalls, background noises - birds, waves, cars, dogs, roosters and more. Thank heavens for Megan!

Show Notes Racquel Moses is the CEO of the Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator and host of the "Getting to the Top" podcast. Early career experiences in banking mergers, JP Morgan Chase, and tech startups provided crucial exposure to business strategy and financials. Understanding both the "what" and "why" of business operations is critical for career advancement. Advice for women: Balance focusing on strengths with addressing weaknesses Don't shy away from financial knowledge - it's crucial for leadership roles Seek challenging experiences to develop new skills Importance of understanding financials and strategy as you move up in management Recommended book: Where You Are Is Not Who You Are by Ursula Burns Notable Quotes"Figure out the things that you need to know that you are weak at and do not run from them. Know that it is the most challenging experiences that will help you to develop in those capacities. " - Racquel Moses"We are socialized to think that we are not good at financials. But when you look at who's running family budgets and the role that women play in consumer buying, we are naturals at numbers." - Racquel Moses Go Deeper Links ⭐ Link to Where You Are Is Not Who You Are by Ursula Burns ⭐ Link to Racquel's podcast: Getting to the Top ⭐ Connect with Racquel on Linkedin ⭐ Business Savvy YOU! delivers the business, financial and strategic acumen you need to succeed: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/overview-business-savvy-you ⭐ Discover The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed FREE email course: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/newsletter-opt-in-1 ⭐ Receive unique and transformative career advice: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/BusinessSavvyNewsletterOpt-In ⭐ Turn Career Advice from Flawed to Fantastic!: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/lead-magnet-7-career-tips-keeping-1  Podcast produced* and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com *Megan creates a listenable pod from a truly imperfectly created original containing my walking huffs & puffs, footfalls, background noises - birds, waves, cars, dogs, roosters and more. Thank heavens for Megan!

Key Takeaways from Interview with Helen Jonsen: A kaleidoscope career utilizes fundamental skills and talents in various roles and industries throughout one's professional life. - Business disruptions (e.g., pandemic, AI) are changing how people work and view their careers. Non-linear career paths are becoming more common and accepted. Key to navigating a kaleidoscope career: Identify and articulate your core skills that transfer across roles Explain your career transitions with confidence - Highlight how your diverse experiences add value Advice for job seekers: Focus on your transferable skills and how they apply to new roles, even if the job title or industry is different. Advice for hiring managers: Look beyond traditional career paths and recognize the value of diverse experiences. Notable Quotes: "We have fundamental skills, talents, passions, interests that are always a part of us. It's how we change them and move them around and use them in different workplaces, in different opportunities, that builds a kaleidoscope career." - Helen Jonsen "People need to own their own story, to learn the stories that they want to share about their story. Those remarkable skills that they have and I'll bring them to the table." - Helen Jonsen Resources Mentioned Subscribe to Helen Jonsen's newsletter to access her upcoming "Kaleidoscope Career" podcast Previous podcast episode on "Girl Talk vs. Women Talk - 3 Shifts to Command Respect" Go Deeper Links ⭐ Business Savvy YOU! delivers the business, financial and strategic acumen you need to succeed: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/overview-business-savvy-you ⭐ Discover The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed FREE email course: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/newsletter-opt-in-1 ⭐ Receive unique and transformative career advice: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/BusinessSavvyNewsletterOpt-In ⭐ Turn Career Advice from Flawed to Fantastic!: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/lead-magnet-7-career-tips-keeping-1  Podcast produced* and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com *Megan creates a listenable pod from a truly imperfectly created original containing my walking huffs & puffs, footfalls, background noises - birds, waves, cars, dogs, roosters and more. Thank heavens for Megan!  

We are highlighting 3 common career frustrations that women face: Overcoming career stagnation, Standing out in job searches and Reducing work-related overwhelm And providing actionable tips for conquering them including prioritizing tasks based on business impact and aligning work with strategic outcomes. Go Deeper Links ⭐ Business Savvy YOU! delivers the business, financial and strategic acumen you need to succeed: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/overview-business-savvy-you ⭐ Discover The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed FREE email course: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/newsletter-opt-in-1 ⭐ Receive unique and transformative career advice: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/BusinessSavvyNewsletterOpt-In ⭐ Turn Career Advice from Flawed to Fantastic!: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/lead-magnet-7-career-tips-keeping-1  Podcast produced* and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com *Megan creates a listenable pod from a truly imperfectly created original containing my walking huffs & puffs, footfalls, background noises - birds, waves, cars, dogs, roosters and more. Thank heavens for Megan!  

In Part 1 of a series of podcasts based on my conversation with Helen Jonsen we discuss the crucial differences between "Girl Talk" and "Woman Talk" in professional settings. She shares three key strategies for women to command respect and authority: eliminating unnecessary apologies, owning the room through strong introductions, and always using your full name. These simple yet powerful communication shifts can significantly impact how women are perceived and treated in the workplace. Helen has built a kaleidoscope career based on decades of experience from newsrooms to corporate boardrooms really interesting Variants there from startups to established publishers from nonprofits to government agency.She's been an entrepreneur and an executive at the confluence of digital media and business disruption. Storytelling's in Helen's DNA and at the heart of everything she creates. She speaks on the craft of communication, strengthening advocacy, resiliency in the face of life's challenges, life/work balance, leadership, and the advancement of women. Go Deeper Links ⭐ Learn about Helen Jonsen's Kaleidoscope Career here: https://helenjonsen.com/helen-s-story ⭐ Business Savvy YOU! delivers the business, financial and strategic acumen you need to succeed: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/overview-business-savvy-you ⭐ Discover The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed FREE email course: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/newsletter-opt-in-1 ⭐ Receive unique and transformative career advice: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/BusinessSavvyNewsletterOpt-In ⭐ Turn Career Advice from Flawed to Fantastic!: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/lead-magnet-7-career-tips-keeping-1  Podcast produced* and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com *Megan creates a listenable pod from a truly imperfectly created original containing my walking huffs & puffs, footfalls, background noises - birds, waves, cars, dogs, roosters and more. Thank heavens for Megan!

Your emotions aren't the problem, it's how you're packaging them. Discover how to couple your passion with business savvy to shatter stereotypes and command respect in the workplace.   Go Deeper Links ⭐ Business Savvy YOU! delivers the business, financial and strategic acumen you need to succeed: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/overview-business-savvy-you ⭐ Discover The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed FREE email course: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/newsletter-opt-in-1 ⭐ Receive unique and transformative career advice: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/BusinessSavvyNewsletterOpt-In ⭐ Turn Career Advice from Flawed to Fantastic!: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/lead-magnet-7-career-tips-keeping-1  Podcast produced* and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com *Megan creates a listenable pod from a truly imperfectly created original containing my walking huffs & puffs, footfalls, background noises - birds, waves, cars, dogs, roosters and more. Thank heavens for Megan!

5 reasons ( out of dozens) why I support VP Kamala Harris for President and hope you will too! Check out the Go Deeper Links for a comprehensive list of VP Harris' positions and experience.   Go Deeper Links ⭐ Comprehensive list of VP Harris' positions and experience. ⭐ Business Savvy YOU! delivers the business, financial and strategic acumen you need to succeed: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/overview-business-savvy-you ⭐ Discover The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed FREE email course: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/newsletter-opt-in-1 ⭐ Receive unique and transformative career advice: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/BusinessSavvyNewsletterOpt-In ⭐ Turn Career Advice from Flawed to Fantastic!: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/lead-magnet-7-career-tips-keeping-1  Podcast produced* and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com *Megan creates a listenable pod from a truly imperfectly created original containing my walking huffs & puffs, footfalls, background noises - birds, waves, cars, dogs, roosters and more. Thank heavens for Megan!

This is undoubtedly a blog of a different color!I had the pleasure of watching many of the Euro Cup games over the last few weeks, and while I'm from the U. S., and more or less agnostic about who wins, I do have to say that this year my preferred team time did win.   Spain had an amazing run and is an amazing team. I got to watch almost all of their games. PSST: I have to admit to having a bit of a crush on their player Marc Cucurella When he runs down the field with his mop of hair and his pink cleats it's almost like he's floating. Not to mention the fact that he's a really good soccer/football player. So what did I learn/remember while watching? 8 Success Tips Here are Eight career and leadership tips that I was reminded of as I watched the many games that I was able to watch.1. Sometimes you have to step back in order to go forward. There are many times when the offense passed the ball back to the defense as they were trying to create conditions to score. And the same is true for us. Sometimes we have to take a step back in our careers in order to go forward. I know many women who have done that.It's also true that sometimes we have to take a step back and rethink our position in the face of new evidence. in order to go forward with a recommendation that will stick.2.Sometimes we have to go slow to go fast. There were many times in all of the games when, rather than keep an unrelenting offense going, the team would pause to set up a play. So the rhythm of the game changed from fast and frantic to slow and methodical. In business, this is a truth I learned early in my career in relation to Implementing new technology.When organizations were methodical in their planning, implementation (and I don't mean just the switch over, I mean the switch over and the transition to effective use) of the technology, always went faster.3. The best players saw the whole picture and communicated with their teammates. There were many times when the camera enabled us to see that, even as they dribbled the ball downfield, players would lift their head, look around for open teammates and successfully pass the ball. Why? Either because the play was known in advance or because there was communication eye to eye, by hand, or sometimes verbally.This is so true of leaders at every level. Seeing the big picture, especially through business acumen, financial acumen, and strategic acumen and communicating with teammates and direct reports about that big picture, is a success factor for you as the leader (at whatever level) and for your organization.   4. Appreciation of diversity matters. Spain (and the other teams) had diversity of talent, diversity of heritage diversity of age. Speaking of age, I also in love with Lamine Yamal, who was playing in a Euro Cup at the age of 16 with much more seasoned and older players. Diversity of style. The Spanish team had their buttoned up players and their scruffy players.If the field is diverse when we seek talent, our teams become diverse. As I commented on a story that my friend and colleague Sandra Veledar from I.Liv.told about two managers who headed up similar teams. One was a woman, one was a man. Her team ended up being 50 50, women and men. His ended up being all men. I explained that it's because women are more likely to recognize talent in other women. Because, in most cases, we don't look through mindsets based on stereotypes about women, men, careers and leadership.5. Effort doesn't count! Something else that happened in the finals was Spain dominated in the first half And yet the score didn't reflect it at all. They went into halftime and the score was 0 - 0 Spain v England.This reminded me of something that I say often. "No one cares the storms you encounter. They only care did you bring in the ship."  Even though you might work really hard and bring all your expertise to bear, if you don't deliver outcomes, it really doesn't matter in terms of how you're perceived. It can matter to you in terms of knowing that you are doing your best. But those outside of you who will make career decisions about you in most cases won't care.6. Celebrate milestones. For each team, every goal was an occasion for celebration. The joy and esprit de corps that they showed after each goal was uplifting.And we need those interim wins. And we need to celebrate those wins whenever we're on a journey toward hitting key outcomes. So, as a colleague a manager or an executive, make sure that you build in milestone celebrations - even as your team or your colleagues stay focused on the long term goal of hitting those outcomes that will keep the organization vibrant, vital, and moving forward. 7. Sometimes you have to get out of your lane.  If I turned my head away and then returned to the match, I would be surprised that someone from defense was far up field on offense, or someone on the left had switched over to the right. The same is true for us.Sometimes to be effective, we have to get out of our lane. Saying, "That's not my job" will hold you back. Hearing, "That's not your job" will hold the organization back. This is especially true when it comes to creating coalitions for change and or pointing out issues and potential solutions.And finally, the last lesson I want to mention because it's kind of silly and I think you'll appreciate it. 8. Real men do wear pink. I was flabbergasted at the number of players on all the teams who were wearing pink cleats. The origin behind them is a little murky.Some people say it was originally in honor of the Breast Cancer Month. Some people write that it's an anti- homophobic statementTo me the reason doesn't really matter. It's a delightful break from gender norms. Further, now it's a "thing," but I am reminded that the pioneers displayed courage, values and foresight. All aspects of personal greatness - the foundation upon which we stand as leaders. I hope that one or more of these tips resonates with and inspires you to continue to be the best at what you do! Catch you next time,Susan Go Deeper Links ⭐ Business Savvy YOU! delivers the business, financial and strategic acumen you need to succeed: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/overview-business-savvy-you ⭐ Discover The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed FREE email course: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/newsletter-opt-in-1 ⭐ Receive unique and transformative career advice: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/BusinessSavvyNewsletterOpt-In ⭐ Turn Career Advice from Flawed to Fantastic!: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/lead-magnet-7-career-tips-keeping-1  Podcast produced* and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com *Megan creates a listenable pod from a truly imperfectly created original containing my walking huffs & puffs, footfalls, background noises - birds, waves, cars, dogs, roosters and more. Thank heavens for Megan!

TLDR: Use your smart search capabilities to discover where a woman can go in the company you're interviewing for. Also ask questions to discover what the hiring manger thinks about where women can go. A Lesson for the Ages As a college graduate, I had the opportunity to interview for two positions, both with insurance companies in the Hartford area. Now, this was the dark ages, so bear with me.The first position was an opportunity to be a technical writer. I had majored in English and minored in economics, and this felt like a job that was right up my alley. But as the hiring manager escorted me to his office for the interview, I walked through a sea of men. We talked about whatever questions he asked me - none of which I remember, but I do remember the one question I asked him. But I do remember one of the questions I asked him, and that was, "Where can a woman go around here?" His answer was, "Hmm,  I really don't know." The second job I interviewed for was to be secretary to a director.When I asked him the same question, where can a woman go around here? He pointed outside of the glass walls of his office and said, "Well, over there is Joan Hurwitz. She's a director. And at that desk over there is Betty Cole. She's a manager. And over at that desk is Annette Civitolo.  We just brought her in from the field to be a supervisor."Any rational person would think that I took the technical writing job. It was up my alley. It tapped my skills. But I took the secretary position because the man who would be my boss, Dave Chichester, could answer my question about where a woman could go around there.And I had a really rapid rise at that company, primarily because I was such an awful secretary. Dave kicked me out of that role after three months and into a role where I was leading an IT project. Which is a whole other story full of lessons. What it Means for You Why am I telling you this? Because in the age of LinkedIn and corporate websites, you don't have to ask a hiring manager, "Where can a woman go around here?" You can find that out very easily by using smart search skills.So my advice is to be sure that you do a diligent search to discover what you can about the career trajectories of women who are on the organization's executive team: Were they all hired from the outside? Do any of them have a track record inside the company? Are they only in staff functions? And what can you find by searching LinkedIn for other women in leadership roles in the company? Especially in whatever function you're interviewing for. The Question to Get Answered BUT it would be important to know the hiring manager's perspectives on career growth and mindset about his or her role in developing team members. So, you can ask questions such as: Who on your team has advanced in their career and what role did you play in that? In what ways have you actively supported the leadership development of members of your team? Or who has been instrumental in your career progression and how do you, how have you paid that forward? to people who work for you.  What you're looking for is someone who's conscious of his or her role in developing team members. And also, subtly, you're looking for parity in whether they are talking about the women who report to them and/or the men. Be Pioneering  Now let's say it's a position you really want. You know that you are 100% well suited.  That you are aligned with its mission or it's a company whose products or services excite you. And they don't have such a great track record for women in management. Am I saying that if you're offered the position, you should turn it down? Absolutely not. But if you go in, but if you go into that position, go in with eyes wide open.Every industry has had its women pioneers. Women who started their careers when they were young and the expectations at the time were that women wouldn't go anywhere. Yet these women rose to become CEOs or other senior executives.One characteristic many of them share is that they were uncomfortable being allies for women or speaking on behalf of women.Because they had to prove their operational chops first. (Illustrating my point about the importance of Business Savvy.)As pioneers, they also had to work to fit in.  And I can tell you, many of them have stories about how uncomfortable it was. About jokes they had to put up with, events at private country clubs where women couldn't go in the front door, and about adjusting their communication styles to be more easily heard.Some of these adjustments are deeply offensive.  Others have to do with expanding your ideas of your capabilities. But if you go into a role in a company where you're going to be a pioneer, it's important to understand what you will be facing.And I actually want to encourage you to do that. If it's a dream job, and, or, a company that you've been eager to work with, go for it. We need women, especially in STEM industry companies, who will be the pioneers and open the doors for the next generation. if you do go for it, find allies outside of the company - trustworthy women, with whom you can discuss your successes and the challenges you face. Let's Recap When you are interviewing for new opportunities, You want to know what the environment is like for women and women, women's advancement. You can find that out by smart searches within the company's website and through LinkedIn. Importantly, you also want to know the mindset of the hiring manager when it comes to his or her responsibilities for developing and actions to enhance the careers of her/his direct reports. If you take a position where, if you take a position where you're going to be the pioneer, go in with eyes open. What's A Woman To Do? 1. Make sure you do the preliminary research about the environment for women. 2. Craft an interview question you feel comfortable asking to help Illuminate the hiring manager's mindset about career advancement and development of his or her direct reports. A caveat.  You want to ask questions in a way that signals that you're interested in continuous improvement, continuous learning, and  greater contributions to the corporation; without appearing  overly ambitious.  Sad to say it's a double standard that we as women face and we have to walk that very fine line.That said, a manager who wouldn't hire you because you're ambitious isn't really a manager you would want to work for.3. If you go in as a pioneer, be sure, be sure that you are able to tap a support system outside of the company. And stay attuned to ways you can maximize your communication style to enhance your effectiveness. Catch you next time. Susan Go Deeper Links ⭐ Business Savvy YOU! delivers the business, financial and strategic acumen you need to succeed: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/overview-business-savvy-you ⭐ Discover The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed FREE email course: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/newsletter-opt-in-1 ⭐ Receive unique and transformative career advice: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/BusinessSavvyNewsletterOpt-In ⭐ Turn Career Advice from Flawed to Fantastic!: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/lead-magnet-7-career-tips-keeping-1  Podcast produced* and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com *Megan creates a listenable pod from a truly imperfectly created original containing my walking huffs & puffs, footfalls, background noises - birds, waves, cars, dogs, roosters and more. Thank heavens for Megan!

Your strengths don't matter! Do I have your attention yet? It's not 100 percent true, of course, and I will get to that in a minute. But first, let me explain what I mean. When it comes to career growth, decisions are made on the basis of your proven and perceived leadership skills. (Of course, bias in the minds of the hiring or promoting managers come into play, but since we can't do anything about that, I won't address that here.) What is leadership? You probably already know my leadership definition, but if you don't:     So let's examine strengths in the context of each component of the definition. Using the Greatness in You When it comes to personal greatness, strengths comprise only 1/6th of the total package. Based on an extensive review of the leadership literature, personal greatness includes: Native born attributes (e.g. various intelligences - interpersonal, intra-personal, analytical, spatial, etc.) Strengths (various skills that have been learned and developed) Values (answers to the question, "To be a good person I must...") Worldview or Mindsets (i.e. the lenses through which you see and interpret the world, e.g. egalitarian vs elitist) Leadership in your whole life (activities outside of work that interest someone and make her/him/them interesting) Purpose (a sense - however ambiguous or clear - of why you are here, the legacy you're meant to leave. In other words, strengths comprise only 1/6th of 1/3rd of the leadership definition. Engaging the Greatness in Others Let's look at a second component of leadership, the ability to engage the greatness in others. Basically there are three important and broad elements here: Interpersonal skills - your ability to effectively interact one on one with others. Team skills - your ability to engage and align team(s). Strategic relationships and the way you deploy your relationships Achieve & Sustain Extraordinary Outcomes And then the third component of leadership is the ability to achieve and sustain extraordinary outcomes. Here, getting results is neutralized because everyone is expected to get results. And hiring and promotion decisions are based on the fact that people have gotten results. But what's not talked about as much, except by managers, executive decision-makers, me and a few of my colleagues, are proven and perceived: Business acumen Financial Acumen Strategic Acumen Strengths Must Be Deployed I am not saying, pay no attention to your client's strengths. What I'm saying is give them weight proportional to their contribution to her leadership capabilities. You've probably heard or read the phrase, "First discover your strengths." What comes next? Did you ever hear how to deploy those strengths in order to" Develop and demonstrate their business, financial and strategic acumen Engage your strategic network?   Strengths must deployed in service of the actions of leadership. They are not the basis of leadership. They are deployed in order to expand your ability to: Interact effectively with others Engage and align your team(s) Build a network and use it to advance the organization's goals. Develop and demonstrate business, financial, and strategic acumen. This is what no one is telling you. If the first step is for you to know your strengths, the second step is to understand that they are only 1/12 of what you need to become a great leader - and that that is only true if you deploys them to continuously improve you other components of leadership. This is one of the reasons that I so frequently talk about and am annoyed by the fact that most leadership development programs and organizations over-focus on personal greatness using assessments like Strengths Finder and MBTI and DiSC. These have a value because one of the characteristics of successful leaders is that they are self aware. But leadership development programs and organizations are not appropriately proportioned in relationship to the entirety of leadership. Most also over-focus on engaging the greatness in others - offering skill building about giving and receiving feedback, how to create high functioning teams, creating an inclusive and safe culture, etc. All of which are important, and most of which managers expect women to be good at (and we are). If you're "good enough" in the eyes of her management, you don't have to "polish the diamond" by investing time and energy at getting even better at engaging others. Only ≤ 25% of organizations performance evals focus on business, financial, and strategic acumen, meaning that's developmental feedback that you client don't get. Furthermore, women are rarely told how to deploy our strengths in order to develop these skill areas. It's important to be asking yourself and your manager(s), "Am I also "good enough" at business, financial, and strategic acumen?" If not, focus on "strengthen the setting." Let's Recap Don't rely on your strengths to get you where you want to go. Deploy your strengths in the service of skills and actions in the areas of strategic networks and business savvy. Don't rely on feedback you receive from formal HR systems or formal leadership programs. They are singularly untrustworthy indicators of whether you will be seen as a leader and as a viable candidate for open positions. What's a Woman to Do? Yes, celebrate the self awareness that comes from knowing your strengths. Develop a plan or a roadmap for how you can deploy those strengths in areas that need development. For most women, it's not in the areas of interpersonal and team skills. They can be in the area of developing and nurturing a strategic network that drives the organization forward. And they can most certainly be in the area of developing her business savvy (or business financial and strategic acumen). When you're in a situation of having received feedback about your strengths, think about these questions: How am I deploying my strengths to do a better job at one on one communications? How am I deploying your strengths to do a better job at engaging and aligning my team or teams? How am I deploying your strengths to develop, nurture, and activate a strategic network that helps drive the organization forward? How am I deploying your strengths to develop and demonstrate my business acumen? How am I deploying your strengths to develop and demonstrate my financial acumen? How am I deploying your strengths to develop and demonstrate my strategic acumen? These are important, because, as I said at the beginning, strengths don't matter...except to the extent that they enable your ever-enhancing leadership capabilities and ever more effective leadership actions. Here's to your continued success. Catch you next time, Susan Go Deeper Links ⭐ Business Savvy YOU! delivers the business, financial and strategic acumen you need to succeed: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/overview-business-savvy-you ⭐ Discover The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed FREE email course: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/newsletter-opt-in-1 ⭐ Receive unique and transformative career advice: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/BusinessSavvyNewsletterOpt-In ⭐ Turn Career Advice from Flawed to Fantastic!: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/lead-magnet-7-career-tips-keeping-1  Podcast produced* and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com *Megan creates a listenable pod from a truly imperfectly created original containing my walking huffs & puffs, footfalls, background noises - birds, waves, cars, dogs, roosters and more. Thank heavens for Megan!  

If organizations, coaches, and consultants spent half as much time getting managers to do their jobs rather than putting energy and effort into "fixing" women, we would be much further ahead on creating a level playing field, on women's advancement and on closing the wage gap.For far too long, responsibility has been placed on women to break the glass ceiling.   This is ludicrous. Yes, women can be prepared to move into ever higher positions, but the glass ceiling is created by managers, mostly men, whose decisions on promotions and hiring keep women out. Mindsets of Managers that Hold Women Back So instead of praising women for breaking the glass ceiling, let's focus attention on the managers who hire them. And on the fact that, by some means, these managers have managed to counter the mindsets held by so many managers that keep women back. Motherhood Penalty and Fatherhood Reward Mindsets reflected in comments like these. "She wouldn't want that job. She's a mother." "She wouldn't want that job. She'd have to relocate her family. "She wouldn't want to have that job. It involves too much travel, which would take her away from her family." These apparently "considerate" and sensitive comments are made from a mindset related to the Motherhood Penalty and Fatherhood Reward because the opposite is also said.  "He deserves that job. He has a family to support." "He's a family man, so let's give him that opportunity." His family won't mind being uprooted. They will follow him wherever we assigned him." Leadership = Command & Control Another mindset that holds women back is the mindset that managers, both women and men have about what leadership looks like.  If managers truly believed all the exhortations they hear from HR, and learning and development professionals, notable business journals and other publications, they would believe that people who engage their teams and who are inclusive should get ahead. They're the right ones to promote. But a mindset that gets in the way of this is the mindset that says that leadership looks like command and control. And while in emergency situations or when time is essential, It might be true that command and control is a useful  strategy, in general, it is not. But decisions are made about hiring and promotions where comments like these are made. "Your team loves you. You're nice, but can you be effective?" "She really has the support of her team, but can she make hard decisions?" "She's great at including her team members in decision making. We aren't sure how comfortable she is with making decisions when they need to be made." Ambitious People Ask for Opportunities A third mindset that managers hold that will often be detrimental to women is the belief that if someone is ambitious he or she will ask for opportunities. While this is often true of men and increasingly true of women, it isn't universally true. There are many women whose mindset is a countervailing one.  We believe that if we do good work, if we get results, our work will be recognized and rewards will come. Instead of telling managers that they have to fix these and other mindsets that create career barriers for women, we exhort women to break the glass ceiling and we praise them when they do.  Managers and HR Cause the Wage Gap Similarly, when it comes to the wage gap, we tell women to negotiate, ask for more money. And what happens when we do? Often, especially by the first gatekeepers in HR, we're considered pushy, too aggressive. And when we don't, of course, we don't get the compensation that might be given to a man.  Now what enables this? It truly has nothing to do with whether or not women ask. Because, in many ways we're damned if we do and we're damned if we don't.It does have to do with gatekeeping and the fact that HR and HR systems will often penalize women who negotiate. They will often offer women compensation at the lowest possible point.  And when it comes to routine salary increases managers, will often favor men (see mindsets above).  Instead of telling women that we have to negotiate, let's fix the systems and let's change the mindsets of managers.Let HR make it impossible for wage inequalities to develop over time based on manager's decisions about promotional increases.Educate HR about how their mindsets can disadvantage women  when their companies are on a path toward wage equity.This whole thing infuriates me because we've known all of this 50 years.Differing degrees of sophistication and understanding But I can attest to the fact that these were conversations being had in the company I grew up in 50 years ago.This it infuriates me because when I was CEO of my consulting business we would find  executives willing to undertake the journey toward changing the mindsets of managers, but then with the slightest of pushback, the shift would be made from: "Let's talk about the generic mindsets of managers that impact the career trajectories of women." to"Let's talk about how unconscious bias affects everybody. Let's do broad diversity training." Which only tended to water down the initiatives for women's advancement and do nothing for the advancement of other groups that are underrepresented in senior management and or that suffer from wage inequality. Furthermore, most of these biases aren't unconscious at all. They are conscious, but they are justified in the minds of the people who have them.So I'm on my soapbox about putting responsibility for women's advancement and wage equity where it belongs - in the hands of managers and in the hands of the HR professionals whose systems enable the inequalities and leave issues of mindset unaddressed. Let's Recap Responsibility for breaking the glass ceiling and achieving wage equity rests in the hands of managers and HR. We as women cannot break the glass ceiling ourselves. We as women cannot achieve wage equity ourselves because we do not make promotion or hiring decisions, nor do we make compensation decisions for ourselves. Organizations that avoid addressing the mindsets that managers hold that are responsible for women's limited advancement need to step up and get it done. What's A Woman To Do? If you're a manager, confront your own mindsets. Because sometimes we are in the position of saying things like, "She's nice, but can she be effective?" Or "She wouldn't want that job because of her family. Confront our own mindsets, about who's deserving of a higher pay raise, and why. And about our feelings when a woman pushes back on a salary offer as compared to when a man does. If you're in HR, I empathize with the fact that it's often an unvalued position and too much pushback can create challenges. But darn, if your company says it wants to do something about women's advancement and wage equity, step up.Look at the mindsets on your own team. And look at the mindsets built into HR processes, including - because I have to touch on it - your performance eval criteria, your leadership model and the items on your 360 or 180 evals. All too often these systems fail to give women the messaging we need about the importance of business, financial, and strategic acumen.And there's no way we'll be seen as viable candidates for openings if we aren't known for and don't demonstrate business savvy. If you're a woman ambitious for new opportunities and you're expecting wage equity, demonstrate your value by hitting and achieving your goals and becoming known for your business, financial and strategic acumen. It won't guarantee your success, but if you aren't, it will pretty much guarantee that you'll get stuck. Catch you next time.Susan Go Deeper Links ⭐ Business Savvy YOU! delivers the business, financial and strategic acumen you need to succeed: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/overview-business-savvy-you ⭐ Discover The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed FREE email course: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/newsletter-opt-in-1 ⭐ Receive unique and transformative career advice: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/BusinessSavvyNewsletterOpt-In ⭐ Turn Career Advice from Flawed to Fantastic!: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/lead-magnet-7-career-tips-keeping-1  Podcast produced* and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com *Megan creates a listenable pod from a truly imperfectly created original containing my walking huffs & puffs, footfalls, background noises - birds, waves, cars, dogs, roosters and more. Thank heavens for Megan!

This morning I'm musing about the question that I often I've gotten asked, mostly from men in my audiences, "Well, if organizations don't do such a good job teaching about The Missing 33%, how is it the men get ahead?" Two Reasons Men Advance In Spite of HR I'm here to explain a couple of reasons that men are able to get ahead more easily than women. The first I've touched on in prior  podcasts, and that is that men more often get  coached, mentored and sponsored into jobs that are closer to the core of the business.  And by virtue of getting into those jobs, they automatically have an easier time acquiring the business, strategic, and financial acumen they need.  Otherwise, they would fail in their positions. Here's another more subtle reason that I want to illustrate with an example from a live workshop that I've conducted where, in the first session, I was talking about networking. The assignment for the class was to go out and practice networking skills and come and report back on their experience.  One of the women went to a business networking event and she came back and she said, "Holy cow, I didn't do much networking at this event, but I used the assignment to listen to what men were talking about. And do you know what  the first and most frequently asked question was when men were connecting with other men? How's business? " So think about this.  Think about the men you know when they're in settings with other men.  What are the topics that they talk about? Probably first thing comes to mind is sports. The second thing that might come to mind is they talk about women, often in denigrating ways.  "Oh, you wouldn't believe what my wife did."  Or, "Oh, you wouldn't believe my mother in law." And the third thing they talk about is business because they assume that they all have that in common. Talking About the Business Now consider inside the organization.  Sports is definitely a topic of conversation among men in organizations.  Maybe even some of them, as a way of bonding over how awful they think women are, will talk about us. But a definitely safe and time honored topic is to talk about the business. And because men expect other men to have business, strategic and financial acumen, and to be interested in advancing in their careers; talking about the business is safe, acceptable, and enjoyable. It's something they share in common.  I've said before that men don't expect women to have business strategic and financial acumen, nor to be interested in those subjects.  So think about the men that you work with. When you aren't going through a business agenda or when it's an informal conversation,  how frequently do they raise the topic of the business with you?  If your experience is anything like mine, they're much more likely to talk about their family. their vacations, the problems they're having with their wife or spouse; and much less likely to talk about the business overall, what's happening in the industry, key customers and their issues and opportunities for sales and the like.  Because they more comfortably do this with men, men benefit from the conversations we joke that they have in the men's room, or around the water cooler (when people are in offices). I honestly don't know what happens virtually, but there's probably offline conversations that more senior men have with men that they see as mentorable. Let's Recap We've covered two ways that men in organizations are able to move up, even if the HR systems insufficiently communicate the importance of business, strategic and financial acumen. Men are more frequently mentored into positions in the core of the business. Men are more frequently exposed to conversations about business, finance and strategy and build business savvy as a result. What's a Woman To Do?Well, first of all, we have to develop a comfort level with our own business, strategic and financial acumen, because as I explained, when I talk about my discovery of The Missing 33%, men expect other men to be good at business, finances and strategy; but they do not expect that of us. So to counter that, we have to be comfortable initiating conversations about  the business, about finances, and about strategy. In order to do that, on a regular basis, tune in to what's happening in our own organization,  in the overall industry, with our competitors and with key customer segments so we can informally say things like:  "Hey Bob, the other morning I was reading about this new initiative at XYZ Competitor, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it." "Hey Chris, I was reading over last quarter's financials and there's something in there I would like to review with you because I don't understand its significance." "Jorge  when the CEO was talking about expanding ABC service line, I started thinking about the impact that might have on our function. I'd like to review my thoughts with you." Those are a few ideas to get you thinking about how you can raise the subject of what's going on in the business, the stories behind the financials, and what's happening. that has strategic importance.   Catch you next time. Susan Go Deeper Links ⭐ Business Savvy YOU! delivers the business, financial and strategic acumen you need to succeed: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/overview-business-savvy-you ⭐ Discover The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed FREE email course: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/newsletter-opt-in-1 ⭐ Receive unique and transformative career advice: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/BusinessSavvyNewsletterOpt-In ⭐ Turn Career Advice from Flawed to Fantastic!: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/lead-magnet-7-career-tips-keeping-1  Podcast produced* and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com *Megan creates a listenable pod from a truly imperfectly created original containing my walking huffs & puffs, footfalls, background noises - birds, waves, cars, dogs, roosters and more. Thank heavens for Megan!

I recently gave a webinar and before the webinar I had my colleagues inside the company poll their internal women's group to see which of nine topics they'd prefer me to touch on. One of them was "speaking up with comfort and credibility and authority."Reflecting on my own and the career journeys of other women I've realized that we don't actually go from not speaking up to confidently speaking up. It's not a digital process, it's an analog process. I've also recognized multiple reasons for not speaking up. So let's start there. Why We Avoid Speaking Up In my experience, women identify three reasons for not speaking up: Feeling internally unsure. Concern about the potential external reaction. That people will think poorly of them, will think poorly of what they have to say, etc. Having had actual concrete experience of external microaggressions being talked over, being patronized, being mansplained, etc. Reasons number 1 and 2 is one that I'll discuss in today's blog. Reason number three, well, we cannot change the conscious and unconscious bias of the people who are in meetings with us, but one thing we can do is be prepared for those situations. That will be the subject of another blog.If we go back and consider the analog nature of the experience of speaking up, we can deal with our own internal feelings of unsureness, lack of confidence, feeling like an imposter; and fear that we'll be looked down at, or looked askance at, or have our ideas ridiculed or shot down. So let me talk from my own personal experience. Decades later,it is vivid because there's a lot of emotion attached. The Analog Journey* Step 1: When I was starting out in my career and attending meetings, it struck me that occasionally someone else in the meeting would say what I was thinking. I used that as validation for the fact that I was on the right track. Of course people said things that I had no idea about and that was useful for learning how to stay on the right track.Step 2: The next step in my journey - and you might resonate with this - was to begin to share thoughts, begin to speak up a little bit once I got to a comfort level with the team or the group that I was meeting with. I had the good fortune of being In an organization where misogyny wasn't rampant and people were very respectful in general. So this wasn't for me what it has become for some women who begin to speak - up an opportunity for others to slap them down.Step 3: A major step in my speaking up journey was to begin to speak up confidently from my professional platform. Oftentimes, I was in the room because my professional expertise was needed. My being there was an implied value add. And sometimes I was in the room with other professionals where there was a collegiality that made it relatively safe to speak up and share my ideas. Which again, isn't an experience that everyone has had.Step 4: The final step in my speaking up journey - speaking up on a platform of business savvy - happened at the very end of my internal career. I'm so glad it did because I then went on to having conversations with CEOs and their C suite colleagues. If I hadn't gotten here, I would never have been able to grow the business that I eventually sold. What I wish in hindsight is that I had that platform of business savvy to start with. It would have benefited me in two major ways:  First, I would have been better able to analyze the comments and suggestions and disagreeing points made by others in the room. I would have been able to analyze them more intelligently. Second, it would have given me a stronger platform for making my own comments and suggestions and points of disagreement Speaking up with comfort credibility and confidence can't be a performative game. All of the advice about centering yourself, striking power poses and listing all the ways you add value are temporary fixes. And in some cases might not even help.What will help is to build your platform of competence, both in terms of your profession and in terms of your business, financial and strategic acumen.I've said it before, so I will say it again. It's never too early to begin to develop your business savvy, but it could end up being too late, if you get to the point where you have an entrenched reputation as a doer rather than as a partner in the business. Let's Recap So let's recap. There are three reasons why You might be hesitant to speak up. One is because of your unsureness.  The second is because you are concerned about how what you say will be received. And the third is because you've had actual experience of being minimized, talked over, mansplained, patronized, etc.What I've covered in this blog will help you deal with the first two. One, by reinforcing the fact that you need a platform of competence, both professionally and as a business woman. in order to speak up with confidence, comfort, and credibility. And the second is, if you're speaking up from a platform of professional competence and business savvy while you still might get unexpected reactions to what you have to say, you will be grounded enough to not let them knock you off your game.The journey toward speaking up with comfort, confidence, and credibility is an analog journey, not a digital one. So be kind to yourself. Don't expect to flip a switch and have 100 percent success or 100 percent comfort as you progress on your journey. What's a Woman to Do? I always advise that you start small and safe.  Test out your next level contributions in a meeting before the meeting, a one-on-one meeting before the meeting. Try being bolder with your comments, suggestions and points of disagreement in teams where you feel mostly safe and are already respected, and then branch out from there. Here's to your great continued career success. Catch you next time! Susan Go Deeper Links ⭐ Business Savvy YOU! delivers the business, financial and strategic acumen you need to succeed: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/overview-business-savvy-you ⭐ Discover The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed FREE email course: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/newsletter-opt-in-1 ⭐ Receive unique and transformative career advice: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/BusinessSavvyNewsletterOpt-In ⭐ Turn Career Advice from Flawed to Fantastic!: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/lead-magnet-7-career-tips-keeping-1  Podcast produced* and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com *Megan creates a listenable pod from a truly imperfectly created original containing my walking huffs & puffs, footfalls, background noises - birds, waves, cars, dogs, roosters and more. Thank heavens for Megan!    

TLDR: Having financial acumen and speaking the language of business will ensure that you aren't locked out of career opportunities. You might have noticed in a past podcast that I recorded several  in the town of El Rompido in Spain, where I had  quite an adventure. I was in an Airbnb and when I checked in, the caretaker said, "If the winds pick up, please close the awnings."  About three days into my stay, I was sitting in the living room in a sundress and bare feet, when the wind started blowing quite intensely. I Got Locked Out So I got up, opened the living room door, went out to the patio to close the awning and a gust of wind blew the door shut. Now, this was one of those European style doors that are always locked. Needless to say, I flew into a mild panic, but I remembered having seen a police station on my walk around town. So here I am in a sundress blowing hither and yon by the wind gusts, bare feet walking down the main road toward the police station.  I also remembered  that small town police stations often are closed. So I had in the back of my mind that I might not be able to find a police officer to help with my situation. At the first corner, I found a woman standing outside of a lovely shop and I explained what had happened in my wildly deficient Spanish. And I asked if I could use her computer to maybe find the Airbnb host and get in touch with her that way, because of course I had left my phone in the living room.  Long story short. I couldn't reach the host. The police station was indeed closed. She had to call police from the next town over, who saved the day by borrowing a ladder from the restaurant across the street, going in through the master bedroom slider, which luckily I had left open, and letting me back in to the house. Learn the Language of Business Why am I telling you this story as I walk this morning on the shores of Rincon? It's because I've been thinking about the importance of financial acumen And the tendency of so many women I've met to dismiss it as unimportant. When in fact, it is the language of business. I don't know what would have happened to me or how long it might have taken to resolve my situation if I didn't speak Spanish albeit imperfectly. I had the confidence that I would be able to resolve my situation because I did speak Spanish. I was able to speak up and ask for help because I did speak Spanish. There's a very real danger in dismissing the importance of financial acumen when it comes to all of the career enablers that help women have rewarding, fulfilling careers.Speaking the language of business: Enhances your ability to self promote. Will enhance your confidence. Adds  to your leadership brand. Assures that when it comes to delivering business savvy messages, you are able to demonstrate executive presence. Makes it easier to figure out  who to connect with inside and outside the organization to solve organizational challenges, thereby strengthening your network. And I could go on. It's funny, so many years after starting my career, that I'm here talking about the importance of financial acumen because, as with so many of the women I meet, I always thought: I was a people-person, not a numbers-person. That leadership success was about human interaction - never thought it had to do with business savvy. Financial reports were indecipherable, and That all hands meetings talking about the performance of the business were just so much blah, blah, blah. When in fact, I would have been so well served if someone had said to me then, as I am saying to you now, the language of business is the language of outcomes.Financial reporting is one of the most important ways that your executives and the board,  analysts and shareholders understand how well your organization is doing. That's not to say that there aren't other non financial metrics that matter. And I do talk about those  in the Business Savvy You! course. There I pair financial acumen, with the course on strategic acumen because you cannot build strategic acumen or demonstrate strategic acumen without a grounding in business acumen that gives you your grounding in financial acumen.  Avoid Getting Locked Out No actionable tips in this podcast. Instead, I want to leave you with this important final message,  If you want to thrive inside an organization (whether for profit or nonprofit) you must enhance your financial acumen so that you are speaking the language of business and so you don't stay locked out of career opportunities in the way that I could have stayed locked out of my rental house. Catch you next time, Susan Go Deeper Links ⭐ Business Savvy YOU! delivers the business, financial and strategic acumen you need to succeed: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/overview-business-savvy-you ⭐ Discover The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed FREE email course: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/newsletter-opt-in-1 ⭐ Receive unique and transformative career advice: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/BusinessSavvyNewsletterOpt-In ⭐ Turn Career Advice from Flawed to Fantastic!: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/lead-magnet-7-career-tips-keeping-1  Podcast produced* and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com *Megan creates a listenable pod from a truly imperfectly created original containing my walking huffs & puffs, footfalls, background noises - birds, waves, cars, dogs, roosters and more. Thank heavens for Megan!

TLDR: This is already a very short summary of key info about strategic acumen. Please Read ON! Strategic acumen is perhaps my favorite of the three elements of Business Savvy, because I had to unlearn everything that I thought I knew about strategic acumen, and perhaps you will too.  Strategy Isn't...and Is I grew up in organizations being told that strategy was comprised of mission, vision, and values. I'm here to tell you that while they might be important elements of an organization's identity and they might shape strategy, they are not strategy and understanding them and being able to create them for your own teams or team does not demonstrate strategic acumen. So what is strategy? A strategy is designed to achieve three goals. Win the customer's preference Create a sustainable competitive advantage Leave enough money on the table for shareholders that is in for-profit companies or for re-investment for nonprofits. The core of strategy work is always the same, "discovering the critical factors in a situation and designing a way of coordinating and focusing actions to deal with those factors."These definitions and my understanding draw heavily on the work of Ram Charan and Richard Rumelt. Through their work, I've learned that there are three key, interdependent elements that are examined when setting strategy. And there's one skill that rests at the center of these three elements through which strategy is derived.The three elements have to do with: External forces and trends Financial targets Internal capabilities External Forces & Trends External forces and trends are wide ranging and in our Business Savvy YOU! course, we help you narrow them down as to those most important for you to be attending to. They could include anything from legislative actions to consumer purchasing trends to demographic shifts,to the price of raw materials. etc. Financial Targets Financial targets have to do with and touch on your financial acumen. They are key metrics that have to be attained or exceeded in order to avoid the red zone of failure, in order to lift your organization above its competitors and to draw customers and or investors. Internal Capabilities Internal capabilities have to do with the people, their skills, the systems smallest, so those can be processes and  or automated systems and other processes. The Crux The skill in the middle is what Richard Rumelt calls The Crux. It involves the ability to disentangle the complex findings as you analyze external forces and trends, financial targets and internal capabilities to clearly identify a path forward that will address the external trends and forces that will allow the achievement or surpassing of financial targets through changes in the internal capabilities.I always say, "Leadership is about change all the time," and this is one of the reasons. It is impossible for an organization to perform at a higher level, unless it changes "the way we do things around here." Strategic Acumen @ Different Levels  So what does strategic acumen look like at varying levels?At the individual contributor level, it is working to understand why "the way you do things" is changing At the manager level, regardless of whether you're a team leader or a middle manager, it has to do with understanding the strategic initiatives that are yours to further and effectively communicating them and changing processes. Also changing team metrics in a way that helps align your direct reports to the strategy. And at senior manager levels, you're expected to be spending about 80% of your time thinking strategically and proposing strategic initiatives up to the top.   At executive levels, you're responsible for setting strategy and ensuring its execution. Or as Cynthia Montgomery writes in The Strategist, "A strategist's primary job is setting an agenda and putting in place the organization to carry it out."Because ultimately, a strategy is a promise to shareholders that your organization will continue to return value to them. If you're a non profit, it's a promise to the community that you will continue to add value to the community. So Let's Recap. Strategic acumen means knowing that strategy is not mission, vision, and values. It means understanding strategy and how it set. It means Making strategic recommendations appropriate to your level. And it means understanding it is a complex interdependent and iterative process involving the forces outside the organization, it's financial targets and it's internal capabilities in order to determine the crux of the path forward for a viable and vital future. What's a Woman To Do? Let go of your belief that strategy is mission, vision, and values.  Level up your financial acumen because companies generally, aren't very good at telling employees what the strategy is. And if yours is one of those companies, you can discern the strategy by making connections between what's going on inside the company and the financial targets that are being publicized outside. Pay attention to what's happening in the external marketplace - what trends and forces your executives are attuned to, the trends and forces that analysts (if you're a publicly traded company) are attuned to.  Pay attention to the strategic importance of the changes that are going on inside the organization, especially those that impact you or for which you're responsible. Demonstrate all of you understanding and insights in ways that are appropriate to your level.  We explore all of this more deeply in Business Savvy YOU! I hope to see you there.    Catch you next time, Susan PS Putting time into setting mission, vision, and values could demonstrate strategic acumen to the extent that you are using them to realign your organization toward a new strategy. But aside from that, mission, vision, and values are not strategy and putting effort into defining them is time and effort that would be better spent on other actions that align your team or teams to the organization's new strategy. Because after all, if you're working on the strategy for your team or function or division, one of your external factors, is the overall organizational strategy and aligning to that should be the primary goal of the strategy that you are developing. Go Deeper Links ⭐ Business Savvy YOU! delivers the business, financial and strategic acumen you need to succeed: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/open-business-savvy-you ⭐ Discover The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed FREE email course: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/newsletter-opt-in-1 ⭐ Receive unique and transformative career advice: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/BusinessSavvyNewsletterOpt-In ⭐ Turn Career Advice from Flawed to Fantastic!: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/lead-magnet-7-career-tips-keeping-1  Podcast produced* and original theme music by Megan Tuck www.megantuckaudio.com *Megan creates a listenable pod from a truly imperfectly created original containing my walking huffs & puffs, footfalls, background noises - birds, waves, cars, dogs, roosters and more. Thank heavens for Megan!