Empowerment

Conventional wisdom has taught us it’s more important to be respected than liked. But there is something to be said about the power of likeability.

The bridge between you and success is built around likeability. Sure, there are successful people who are not liked. But the road to success can be easier, and more profitable, by being likeable.

If you want to earn support from your peers, have the loyalty of your employees, lead your followers to a better future, and finally achieve your life’s dreams, you must first be liked.

When is enough enough? Is your "truth-telling" getting you in trouble? What happens when you first meet someone? Do you get diarrhea of the mouth? Do you clam up not saying a word?

There’s a fine balance between truthfully representing your personality and making a good first impression. You need to choose your words carefully and give the right "spin" – yes, spin. This is where you begin to shape the perception others will have of you.

Successful working women have many misconceptions to overcome.

Serial entrepreneur Sarah Stedman sidles up to the organic snack bar to meet with an exciting potential client she's wanted to pitch to for a long time. She's feeling smart, sassy and super-energized after a hard morning workout. She has her best suit on, her new haircut has taken 10 years off her face, and she has, what she considers, a dynamite proposal sitting in her sleek, black, soft briefcase.

One of Murphy’s Law states, "There’s never enough time to do something right, but there’s always enough time to do it over."

Doing it right the first time would mean no mistakes, no regrets and no doubts. But if you didn’t make mistakes, have regrets or deal with doubts, then what would you learn?

Very little. At least not the important stuff.

It’s the challenges, missed opportunities and mistakes that create the biggest lessons. The only time it doesn’t serve you is when you fail to pay attention. That alone is a lesson to learn.

Think I'm talking about the Oprah factor? No, not this time. This particular O factor, which can be a challenge for practically every woman in business, is critically important to your success. What is it? It's Organization - with a capital O!

The saying, "Lonely At The Top" is true for women now more than ever. Why? There simply aren’t enough women moving in forward motion. Now, some of you may totally disagree, but let’s look at the facts.