Success

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.

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.

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!

When you speak, do others hear you? Do they "listen" to you? Are you listening to them?

Listening and hearing are different actions. Hearing is the physical act of the ear picking out sounds from another’s voice. It simply happens. Listening is what you consciously choose to do. Listening requires concentration so your brain can create meaning from words and sentences.

Listening leads to learning.

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.

Every relationship’s cornerstone is based on trust. And trust comes from telling the truth. So what is the reason so many relationships fail? Here are five:

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?