10 Tips to Grow Allies in Your Network

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Kathy and Miguel work for a mid-sized manufacturing company. Kathy works in operations, while Miguel is in Finance.  Both have worked for the company about five years and have worked together on various projects over the years.  They have formed a good working relationship. There have been times when Kathy needed a custom report run … Read more

Sponsors: Your Career Game Changer

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Women still struggle to get ahead.  That’s evident in the results of the recent Women in the Workplace Study* by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company.  The corporate playing field for women remains uneven.  The study* found that women’s experiences at work differ.  And, women question the fairness in opportunities in the workplace. Will you sit … Read more

Navigating the Corporate Environment – Mentors & Sponsors

Navigating the Corporate Environment "Two colleagues engaging in a discussion during a team meeting, with a whiteboard in the background."

If you’re frustrated with your career progression and it seems like your total commitment to working endless hours, doing whatever it takes to get the job done and then some, Navigating the Corporate Environment is not being recognized or rewarded… and you feel like you’re trying to push through the journey on your own… it’s … Read more

Make the Most of your Mentor

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The Mistake: You don’t manage the mentoring relationship and fail to get the outcomes you’re looking to achieve.  A good mentoring experience doesn’t just happen without planning and care throughout the process. There are four stages of a mentoring relationship that define your progress: Selecting Engaging Progressing Closing  Each stage has its own set of … Read more

Get Out of That Rut

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Lisa was one of the hardest-working people on her team. She would come into the office early most days and stay late to get the job done. Then, she’d head home for the evening. She got a lot of pats on the back; plenty of attaboys, and ’thanks for being so committed.’  But, she found herself … Read more

Relationships – Quality Or Quantity?

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“Women get less access to the people and opportunities that advance careers and are disadvantaged in many of their daily interactions.”  LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company, 2016 Women in the Workplace Report Why has this situation not improved for women? Both sides contribute to this challenge. Company leaders tend to have rose-colored glasses. They don’t realize or … Read more

Women Play Catch-Up Their Entire Careers

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In my coaching practice, I run across a number of female professionals who are frustrated with their career progression. They feel like they’ve been committed to the company, working endless hours and doing what it takes to get the job done and then some.  A big part of the problem is, they feel like they’re … Read more

8 steps to survive being a “stayer”…

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Your employer has announced layoffs and extended early retirement to a number of employees. You’re among the employees who are not leaving and, at least for now, will remain employed. We often consider the colleagues who are staying the lucky ones, yet, don’t realize that this is an emotional and challenging time for them, too. … Read more

5 steps to surviving a career transition

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“Fortune 100 Company Lays Off Employees” “Corporate Restructuring Offers Early Retirement to Hundreds of Employees.” You see these headlines all too often. You may have been personally impacted or know someone who has by announcements like these. My family has been personally impacted by both. An unexpected layoff or early retirement brings with it a … Read more

Leading through transitions

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Even though unemployment is low, companies are still restructuring. Companies are facing uncertainty in healthcare, new business models in grocery retail, and new competition in other industries. In order to remain competitive and take out cost, companies turn to restructuring their workforce with approaches such as layoffs or early retirement offers. My husband’s employer offered … Read more

Copyright 2023 Vivian Blade