Professional Development

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.

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!

It's no secret that what you wear says a lot about who you are, your self-esteem, and your professionalism. Additionally, your work clothes "brand" your image on the job. So if you want to be taken seriously and be successful in your career, you have to dress accordingly. But you don't have to wear stodgy stuff or be endlessly confined in panty hose. As Mark Twain said, "Clothes make the man." They also make the woman!

Job stability seems a rare promise these days. Downsizing and resizing companies continues to be a predominant sign of our economically-challenged times, and there is plenty of worry about the axe falling when you least expect it. However, on the other side of the coin, you may be hanging onto a job that is actually doing you more harm than good.

When it comes to running a business, there is so much to think about. Organizing and keeping on top of daily operations, marketing, bookkeeping, customer service, employees, vendors, etc. It all pretty much takes up a business owner's time. These are definitely important areas to focus on, but when have you (or have you ever) made a point of literally stepping outside of your business and into the shoes of your customer to see how your business is perceived?