We are ten days away. Members of my Samita Lab Mastermind head to Tuscany for the annual retreat. All 8 are giving a Tedx style talk on a NYC stage November 16th. The retreat is a time for deep reflection and writing time to flesh out the message each will leave the audience. Afterwards, I return to Florence to host a VIP Day. I'm excited to take my one on one client to the Roman Baths. I'm delighted to do yoga at sunset, overlooking the Duomo. However, the most importa...
I run the Samita Lab Mastermind for women leaders. All eight are working on building a powerful personal brand in 2023, culminating in them giving a Tedx style talk on a New York City stage on November 16th (I've applied for the official Tedx license.) I can't think of a quicker way to build a personal brand than having to get on a stage in front of 200 people I never met and give a talk from my zone of genius. It's like personal branding, put on steroids. The fear is real. When I first ...
Why ParisI first went to Paris in high school. It was a chaperoned trip of London, Paris and Spain.I remember arriving in Paris, with a pocket full of English pounds jingling in my pocketNow I was fussing with francs. We were kids. A woman had an ice cream cart and we all bum rushed her, asking for the flavors. I picked vanilla. I was still fumbling with my change and I guess I gave her the wrong number of coins. My little high school brain was still trying to convert dollars to francs. She w...
In this audio you will get, How I come up with event ideasHow to get high quality attendees (and low drop out rates)How to add value on the spotOver the last 10 years, I’ve built a business mastermind with an element of adventure. My mission is to help women build a powerful personal brand.I help both corporate women and business owners tell better stories about themselvesI am the founder of the Women’s Leadership Lab.My portfolioI am the founder and CEO of the Women’s Leadership La...
In Season 4 of the Drink Like a Lady Podcast, we have focused on how to kickstart the process if you need to lay out strategy. We also shared how that strategy worked at Spanx and Amazon. In this final episode of Season 4, we offer up SIGNS that you are, in fact, a strategic thinker. And steps you can take to make your strategic thinking skills BETTER.HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE A STRATEGIC THINKER?Here are some signs that you're a strategic thinker:Spending time in self-reflection: If you fre...
In this episode, we share two lines of questioning you can use to become a more strategic thinker. We use Spanx as the case study to illustrate both schools of thought.PART ILook for solutions, not problems.When she wanted to find manufacturers to make her prototype of her shape wear, all she could find was men making hosiery.She, her mother, and her friends personally testing the garments. This was innovative at the time, as the industry did not test products with people. Blakely's research ...
In EPISODE 8, we take a deep dive into Amazon’s business model. The company started out selling books. But that was a beta test for everything else it could sell online.We look at the company's strategy to sell everything else and how it keeps customers in its ecosystem.We leave you with questions you can ask yourself about your business. What can you do to become indispensable?WHERE AMAZON STARTEDJeff Bezos started Amazon with $245,000 from his parents, in his garage. It launched in 199...
We take a look at companies with successful business models and companies who successfully pivoted their business models. We share questions you can ask yourself as a leader if you think you need to make a pivot too? COMPANIES WITH SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS MODELS When they were founded, they didn’t have rivals. Apple: Valuation in Trillions is 2.2 Founded in 1975. Function and design can co exist.Amazon: Valuation in Trillions is 1.7 Founded in 1994. Reliable delivery of any item yo...
Let's talk about benchmarks. Better known as KPI's. These are the 10 or so metrics that will be used to track progress. We also talk about how to talk strategy to team members so they can execute on the HOW. STEP 1 THE LANGUAGE FOR SHARING STRATEGY WITH OPERATIONSCOMMUNICATE GOALS AND MEASURES to your team leaders and/or team membersTURN STRATEGY INTO TARGETS. You want to set the goals that convert the strategic objectives into specific performance targets.THINK BIG PICTURE IMPROVEMENTS....
How do you road test your strategy? How do you poke holes in it to see if it can stand up to the market forces? In this episode, we are going to share how to do a SWOT Analysis.1. START BY ASKING ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS.How do we create sustainable growth?How will we diversify our revenue streams?When I was in the wholesale business in fashion, it was always a challenge to not put all of your revenue growth into one retailer. (Or eggs in one basket as we would normally say). Many times, we have ...
Let’s say you are ready to think strategy, how do you get started? In this episode, we will talk about the steps to take and much of this is shaped by Kathie's time at the Wall Street Journal to build up the Lifestyle Brands division.THINK STRATEGY1. To Get Started You Will Need to:Plan your teamCreate a ScheduleGather documents, data, and information for decision-making 2. Establish a TimelineMost productive strategic planning sessions take 3-4 months on the average.Make sure that...
Currently, only 63% of individuals take the time to “strategize/plan” for the future of their organization or their team.In this episode, we will explore WHY we don’t strategically plan? What is strategic planning? WHY DON'T WE STRATEGIZE?We have to look forward and not focus on the current situation.It takes imaginationIt is using a different set of skills that is based on the “belief” that you can reach your vision and a new future.We do not understand the POWER of strategy and t...
In Season 4, Episode 2 of the "Drink Like a Lady" podcast, we talk about how to improve your decision making skills as a female leader.The focus for Season 4 is "How to Think Strategically." Strategy and decision making are close cousins. In Episode 2, Meghna Shah, Director at PwC and a member of my Women’s Leadership Academy, leads teams and is client facing. She speaks from her experience, on what makes for GOOD decision making skills. 1. Not all decisions are created equalU...
It's Season 4 Episode 1 of the Drink Like a Lady podcast, designed to get you, as a female leader, a seat at the bar and a seat in the boardroom. This season, we are focused onHOW TO THINK STRATEGICALLY as a woman leader. I'm joined by guest host Deb Boulanger, The Great Do-OverStart with the end in mind - how does your initiative connect to the strategic goals of the organization?What are the potential benefits of this initiative if successful? Can you cite other use cases or similar challen...
American entrepreneur and author Jim Rohn said "Your level of success will rarely exceed your level of personal development." With the demands of family, work, kids, home schooling, self-care and personal development gets siloed to the back burner.What if we flipped the paradigm?What if we worked harder on ourselves?So when we do show up forImmediate FamilyExtended familyWorkSide hustlesKidsWe show up with our best-selves. We're more *effective* as leaders.Imagine that.In episode ...
As women leaders, we can't blame ourselves for the stories in our head. Some of those stories have been whispered in our ear by our grandmothers, parents and reinforced by our community. According to a recent study conducted by the United Nations, 50% of the world's population believes men make better leaders. In some countries, 70% believe men deserve a job more than women do. Even though its like turning around the Titanic, we have to start somewhere. In this episode of Dr...
Each week, business strategist Kathie (De Chirico) Stuart and I host the "Drink Like a Lady Podcast," designed to help women leaders get a seat at the bar--and a seat in the boardroom.In Season 3 Episode 9, we talk about the 6 tips to help women leaders get the best performance out of their teams as we transition back to the office.1. Make space to lead. Make space for learning. 2. Be able to anticipate and get ahead of problems. 3. Communicate, communicate, communicate4. Keep the team goals ...
In Season 3 Episode 8, we talk about transitioning back to the office. Emotions are running high Some are still working from home. Some are back in the office. Some are resisting coming back to the office. Culture is difficult to maintain with a hybrid schedule.When so much change is in the air, it's easy to lose your cool. In this episode, we walk you through eight tips to keep a calm as we transition back.1. Build that awareness muscle2. Set boundaries3. Keep things simple...
In Season 3 Episode 7 of the The Drink Like a Lady Podcast, we talk about 7 tips to optimize stress for top performance.KNOW WHAT STRESS ISstress is a hormonal jolt of adrenaline and cortisol brought on by our nervous system to deal with actual or perceived threats.The calm that ensues after stress allows us to tap into our decision-making brainChronic stress is the pathway to burnout. Our stress-response capabilities expand when they get “practice.” 2. KNOW YOUR STRESS TRIGGE...
In Season 3 of the The Drink Like a Lady Podcast, we are focusing on what we learned from the pandemic and where the growth opportunities are. This as the conversation turns to recovery. In Episode 6, we will be discussing the most inviting of leadership skills for the post-pandemic —creating PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY for employees.The benefits of creating psychological safety is agile teams and the ability to adapt quickly. IDENTIFY BURNOUTSigns of “burn out” includeBecoming more cynical wi...