As we wrestle with life’s challenges, gain new awareness, and learn more about ourselves, words can take on new, deeper meanings.  Words like forgiveness, love, boundaries, and joy, become attached to personal experiences that make them rich and meaningful.

Mary Cox Garner, author of The Hidden Souls of Words:  Keys to Transformation Through the Power of Words, says words can stimulate us to make powerful transformations in our lives if we let them.  These five words have empowered and transformed mine.  My hope is that they will inspire you to identify the five words that have empowered and transformed you.

Empowerment Word #1:  No.  Of all the words in the English language, you might be surprised that the first, most empowering word for me as a woman is two simple letters.  Learning to say no was a huge step in overcoming my internal good girl and claiming my boundaries as an adult woman.

Empowerment Word #2:  Yes.  When your No really means No, then your Yes can really mean Yes.   That’s when yes has power.  The idea of yes comes in many forms.  All right, Okay, Sure, Why not?, No problem, Of course, Agreed, and Fair enough all communicate the essence of yes.  Yes is life-affirming.  Yes is people-affirming.  Oh yes!

Empowerment Word #3:  Choice.  Another common word, but one we often skim right over and take for granted.  Choice means you have the freedom to decide what’s best for you among options.  On a national level, it’s nothing less than miraculous to live in the United States where the freedom of choice is a birthright.  On a personal level, it’s incredibly empowering to recognize and act on the notion that indeed, no matter what, you DO have a choice!  No matter the circumstance, no matter the situation, each and every one of us can respond yes, no, or anywhere in between.

Empowerment Word #4:  Woman.  If you are a female over the age of 18, I know this news is going to blow you away:  You are no longer a girl.  You are an adult woman!  You might be a scared woman, a worried woman, or an insecure woman at times, but you’re still a woman.  You might also be a confident woman, an authentic woman, a loving woman, and a Bodacious Woman. Thinking of yourself as a girl only diminishes your personal power.

Empowerment Word #5:  Bodacious.  I never expected the word bodacious would become the word that represents my personal tipping point in my journey of being an empowered woman.  In the midst of constant pressure to perform, dealing with a difficult marriage, and hitting the glass ceiling, being bodacious became a personal rallying cry during my ten years at America Online.   Today, bodacious still gives me courage to make choices, small and large, that are good for me. Being bodacious gives me the courage to take risks.  And on hard days, being bodacious gives me the courage to put one foot in front of the other.

5 Empowering Words for Women is a post from: She Takes on the World

The Cinderella: She’s a hard worker but so sweet that you can’t count on her to lay down the law with her department. Toughen up this employee by encouraging her to actively voice her opinion in group meetings. While you can’t make a born leader out of everyone, the simple act of believing in a person can boost their esteem and build confidence from within.

The Sleeping Beauty: This one is exactly that; zzz’ing and daydreaming on the job. Have a meeting together to see what the real deal behind the constant exhaustion is. Just daydreams? A lack of being challenged could be the answer. Form a plan to get her back in the game and focused again with new assignments.

The Jasmine: While a fast learner, she’s got a mind of her own and may be hard to convince to work on projects that she doesn’t consider to be as important. You may have to override her opinion to get to work on more pressing issues that need addressing first. State your reasons as to why you’ll be doing that clearly and that the next priority will be on her material and you should be good.

How to Recognize the Disney Princess in Your Office is a post from: She Takes on the World

In case you haven’t heard, today, April 17, is Equal Pay Day. Why the 17th of April? It’s based on a calculation women would have to work until today to earn what their male counterparts did in 2011.

Depending on which media outlets you visit, you’ll hear several contrasting opinions on Equal Pay Day. Kristin Maschka explores how the United States income tax policy encourages women to drop out of the workforce, leading to a gap in lifetime earnings. David Futrelle asks “Should we be ‘celebrating’ Equal Pay Day in January instead?” Then there’s a Forbes op-ed by Carrie Lukas who’s calling an end to the “Equal Pay Day myth.”

No matter where you’re reading about Equal Pay Day you’ll hear one stat over and over again that we don’t just hear today but throughout the entire year: women earn 77 cents to a man’s dollar.

Note: Women entrepreneurs are earning less than their male counterparts as well and women only own 1 in 5 businesses with revenue over one million dollars.

I think it’s time we start reframing the Equal Pay Day issue.

We can take matters into our own hands in a big way, by doing one thing:

ASK.

Too many women don’t ask for what they are worth and sadly, so many more don’t know how valuable they really are. Women expect a salary between 3 and 32 percent less than men in the same job. For Equal Pay Day I want to encourage women professionals, students, and women entrepreneurs everywhere to ask. Ask for a higher starting salary out of school, ask for that raise you know you deserve, raise your rates if you’re self-employed.

I believe that to close the pay gap asking is what we have to do and that’s why I’ve teamed up with Levo League and an amazing group of organizations to encourage women to #ask4more today.

When you ask for more you are stepping into your power and saying “I am worthy.” It will be one of the most pivotal points in your career.

We hope that you will join us as we come together to support one another to #ask4more.

You can show your support for this movement by sharing www.ask4more2day.com with your twitter followers and Facebook friends using the hashtag #ask4more.

Reframing Equal Pay Day: ASK for What You’re Worth is a post from: She Takes on the World

Locally and globally, we continue to see that the nature of jobs is profoundly changing, and what we do in order to earn our incomes, and how we do it, will never be the same. In the evolving world of work, everything is in motion.

Technology is radically changing the nature of work — e.g., artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, biometric security, sensor-driven smart buildings, unified communications, and other breakthroughs like the ability for people to wear or even implant digital devices. According to initial findings from CoreNet Global‘s comprehensive and futuristic look at the workplace, here are some of the ways in which the workplace of 2020 will change:

• BYOT

  : More employees will “bring their own technology” with them to work, and the workplace will shift to wherever an employee is located. BYOT will effect the size and design of the corporate office, as fewer square feet per employee will be needed.

• Biometric-Based Security

  : Personal, biological identifiers will provide employees access to important information, thereby representing another breakthrough for changing the way we work.

• Predictive Modeling

  : Predictive modeling technologies will be used to more effectively forecast future demand for office space, among many other things. As these techniques continue to improve, they are increasingly driving efficiency, creating opportunities for increased sales, improving risk management, and mitigating strategic risks.

• Brick and Mortar Offices Take a Back Seat

  :  Work will increasingly go to where people are located; people won’t necessarily go to work. But that won’t diminish the importance of place, because people and companies alike, still need human interaction to thrive.

All of this means there will have to be evolutionary change, if not revolutionary change, in the way people are prepared for work, for life, and for life between jobs and after work.

The Nature of Work in 2020 is a post from: She Takes on the World

Image Courtesy of Shutterstock

In a time when keeping your job is crucial, employees are feeling the need to only provide the best excuses when it comes time to miss a day at the office.  “I’m feeling a little off” seems to no longer cut it when employees are feeling so easily replaced with the herds of unemployed just waiting to pounce.

Over the years I’ve seen it all: from hardly believable to most creative. In honor of the approaching mental health and wellness week I’m going to lay out some of the best excuses I’ve heard over the years; yearbook style.

Most pathetic goes to: “My dog/cat is sick so I have to stay home.”

Come now, I truly do feel for the health of family animals, but what would you do at home that would sufficiently help Fido so much so that he could not go on had you come into the office today? I’m sure a local veterinary could help you out or an elderly neighbor could pop on by around lunch time to check up on the poor little darling.

The TMI award is a tie between two: “I’m having girl problems” and “I’m sick on both ends.”

See specifically for the second one, now I have a highly unwarranted visual that is inappropriate whether you’re telling your sister or your boss (but especially your boss). I in no way need to know how it is you are sick or in which ways you are feeling sick. All I really need to know is that you are not well enough to make it to the office.

Most spectacular goes to: “I’m 2 cm dilated and I can’t make it to work because I’m going to have a baby today.”

Now, back in the day I remember running out of the office to have a baby—meaning I did indeed go into work that morning. But of all work place excuses I believe giving life is pretty up there with acceptable.

Most consistent goes to: “I have a family emergency.”

This one is just vague enough that it has to always be acceptable. You can never be sure whether emergency means ‘my sister wants to have tea unexpectedly’ or if there’s a death in the family. Obviously you can’t ask if the person was so purposefully vague, so you just have to trust that your employees would be in if they could.

Of all the excuses I’ve heard, the one instant that has stuck out to me is from an employee that actually did show up in the morning. However, we were left with an ‘See ya in 15’ prior to him leaving for his break. The employee seemed to have forgotten to wake up and come back to work after his accidental five hour nap!

I’ve heard em’ all, but never will I forget peering into that car window on my way out of the parking garage at the end of the day to see our long lost employee still on his 15.

Excuses, Excuses – The Worst Alibis to Skip Work is a post from: She Takes on the World

Image Courtesy of Shutterstock

It’s 2011 and women are still fighting for their voices to be heard in the workforce.

The New Zealand Herald recently reported that Avivah Wittenbert-Cox, an international expert on gender balance and best-selling author is fighting the good and all too familiar fight for female equality in the workplace. This goal is to start hiring more women and stop sending the few already there to training courses designed to teach them how to work like a man.

With more and more women graduating with college degrees in their field, there is an expectation that these numbers cannot be ignored and organizations will begin to adapt to them and to their needs and working styles. But many companies still use the glass ceiling metaphor in how far women may advance on the management train. Should you get sidetracked by family or personal reasons that women and men alike cannot help, Wittenbert-Cox says that this is the case where, “the career train passes only once and if you miss it, you can’t get back on -ever.”

What is happening here?

Granted this is an international publication I’m quoting from, but that should not make this sort of practice acceptable. I should not have to state that women are making progressive strides in business because it should be a given. There are Renaissance women all around us, wearing and working with different hats all day long. Not one of those women should have to change their working style if it has been proven to be successful because it isn’t like a man’s. In order to survive in the future, companies throughout the world had better listen to the sound because women today aren’t going anywhere but to the top- we’re Renaissance women you know!

Be Your Own Renaissance Woman is a post from: She Takes on the World

Image Courtesy of Shutterstock

Hire Smart Now So You Don’t Have to Fire Later

One of the best things you can do for your company is hire quality employees — and don’t take their word for it. Whether you are a businessman or a businesswoman, you want to create the best possible staff for your company. There are several ways a company can determine whether an employee will be a good fit without taking a blind leap of faith; one being background checks.

Background checks allow you to know exactly who you are hiring before making the job offer. According to hrscreening.com, over 35% of job applications and resumes reveal a distortion, and according to William M. Mercer, Inc., turnover costs a minimum of $10,000. Although background checks are becoming more and more popular (and unfortunately more necessary) with companies, performing a Google search or checking a potential candidates Facebook simply isn’t enough. The best way to avoid these types of unnecessary costs is to catch the problem before it starts and complete a few simple checks.

What to Check and What to Avoid

There are several types of records that you should check before hiring a prospective employee and some that have to be avoided:

The reason that some records should be avoided is because they are not always accessible to just any company, and in many states these kinds of background checks are not supported. In some states an employer is allowed to ask about things such as criminal records, while other states cannot. If you feel you need to check someone that is typically avoided, the best thing you can do is check with a lawyer to determine your states policy.

Tips to Hiring that Perfect Employee

1. Consent – An employer must always get the consent of the applicant before performing any sort of background tests. If an applicant has nothing to hide, this should not be a problem. The easiest way to do this is to create a portion of your job application that asks whether or not the applicant would be willing to undergo a list of specific background checks. This way, if there is an issue it will come up before all the formalities of an interview.
2. Pick and Choose Your Battles –When conducting a background check, make sure that your tests and checks are related to the job position your candidate is applying (you are not expected to conduct every test you can). For example, if you are looking to hire an office worker, driving records would not be necessary. It is up to the employer to decide which tests make sense for the position. In fact, if your tests are unreasonable you run the risk of being sued.
3. Credit Report Issues – The background check that would probably give you the most problems would be credit reports. In some states, looking at an applicant’s credit is not allowed. If this is allowed in your state and you want to use a credit report to make your decision, be advised that the applicant has a right to challenge your decision if they are not hired.
4. Use Public Record Databases – Much of the information you need to conduct a background check, such as driving records or court records, can be found online. Other things you need, such as drug tests or past employment references, can be done in your office.
5. Double Check Those Resumes – It is worth your time to call Universities for education verification and past employers for work history confirmation. Many applicants can come in for an interview and smooth talk their way into your good graces, but once the job starts you may find yourself spending too much time on the training a past education or job seemed to “miss.”

Unfortunately, many start-up companies see backgrounds checks as confusing and intimidating, and therefore ignore them. This is sure to cost you more trouble in the future if you do hire an employee who is bad news, so follow a few of the simple tips listed above. After all, you can NEVER be too safe with your business.

How to Perform a Successful Employee Background Check is a post from: She Takes on the World

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Short on time? No problem!

It’s rare to have a whole day to devote to your passion projects, so make the most of the time you do have. Last month, I explained how you can use short increments of time to make a difference in productivity. Now, we’ll figure out what to do with that time.

Here are a variety of things you can do in 15 minutes during your breaks at work, long lines at the DMV, and other downtime -like waiting to pick up your kids at school -to take your productivity and your business to the next level!

Read

• A book or magazine about your industry.
• Research relevant websites.
• Email blasts from competitors.

Stay on top of what’s happening in your field. This gives you a competitive edge and increases your level of expertise.

Write

• A to-do list, grocery list, or quick journal entry.
• A query, blog post, or blog and social-networking comments.
• Your bio, press release, or a draft of your business plan.

Instead of spending a lot of time mulling  over the items you have to write, write them quickly. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how effective focused writing-time can be. You can always edit queries, blog posts, and publicity materials later.

Relax

• Take a walk, exercise or power-nap.
• Cook, garden, meditate.
• Sketch, take photos, work a crossword puzzle or Sudoku.

Do whatever it takes to do a personal “system re-boot.” You will feel refreshed and will be more productive when you head back to your daily routine.

What Can You Do in 15 Minutes? is a post from: She Takes on the World

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Autumn is just around the corner and before the clock makes us fall back for Daylight Savings, savvy business ladies and moms need to be sure they don’t fall behind on their priorities. With the kids going back to school, interns heading in for another year of college, and the office hours (and attire) changing over to be a bit longer and a bit more bulkier than the light-hearted nature of summertime, it’s all about balancing out work, school, and if there is time, the good ole personal life again.

Balancing acts are never easy to handle but become even more difficult to work with when a company is rigid on the rules.

Tardiness for work once school starts up again is all the more frequent. If you’re a college student working as an intern, your blame could come from the commute being filled with traffic or a class running late. For employees with children, it could be that they missed the bus and had to drive out of their way to school. Some afternoons, kids get sick at school or have unexpected half-days and if someone can’t be there to pick them up, the parent has to leave work early. For college interns and parents, the more frequently these instances turn up could cause employers to become irritated and ultimately affect the rest of the office, particularly if the office is rule-abiding.

In the defense of parents and students, these things happen and most of the time nothing can be done about it.

As a mother myself with a busy office filled with parents and students alike, I understand what they’re going through and do my best to accommodate to different schedules. It’s all about flexibility. Discuss with your employee or intern their upcoming schedule and work out times that are comfortable for them to come in and do their work and still balance classes and kids. If possible, especially in the case of those working with social media, see if working from home is an easier option. Be wary of anyone who tries to take advantage of your kindness though- not coming in to work because you had to audition for American Idol isn’t going to fly with anyone. So long as you have a strong team on-board though, I can’t foresee this one happening. Also, keep your communication lines open too in the event of a new semester schedule change.

I believe a happy worker is a good worker.

If your boss works with you to help create a schedule that fits all of your needs, stay focused while on the job and give it 150% percent of your effort. What goes around comes around. By supporting your team of hard workers, they’ll support you and the business overall and stay loyal to the company for years to come.

Made the balancing act a lot less harder, huh? It’s a win-win situation all around!

Staying On Schedule: The School and Work Balancing Act is a post from: She Takes on the World

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

There is always that moment in the life of a working woman in which the babysitter gets unexpectedly sick or the nanny takes the day off. The grandparents are out of town and school is having a half-day. I think you can already tell where I’m headed with this one – the kids can’t go home because you can’t be there to supervise them. So they’re coming to work with you for the day.

Yay?

For children, this is awesome! I get to see where mommy works and hang out in her office! She’ll probably take me to lunch too and let me bring my toys along! Maybe she’ll buy me a present too! Meanwhile, depending on how her work embraces children onsite, Mom will either be excited for the event or worried about the liability her kids bring along with them.

Kids only see the positives of going to work with their parents.

This is an outing to a place they seldom get to visit, in a world where mom works with the other “grown-ups.” Many children also have a vague idea of what their parents actually do for a living and taking them to work these days is often seen as a learning experience – one that even has an entire organization dedicated to the movement.

Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work is an entire day of the year (with the next one slated to be on April 26th, 2012) in which workplaces and organizations throughout the country and overseas work to produce the program of showing boys and girls a sneak peek into the working lifestyle. Appropriately enough for this blog, the day first originated for daughters only and was founded by Gloria Steinem and the Ms. Foundation. Children get the day off from school, as allowed by the administration, to attend a day in the life of 9-5 with their parents. The organization itself has been around for over 18 years and employs hands-on interactive activities in the workplace that teach children the early basics of looking into their future and the balance between work life and home life.

So if you get the opportunity to, should you encourage a take your daughter or son to work day at your workplace?

I’ve done one before with the company I own, MyCorporation. While it was a fun event (we made stuffed bears together) and great to see the employees and their children interacting and working together, I’ll admit that it isn’t an event I could host every year. Having children in the workplace makes it difficult to stay on task with your workload for the day and keep them preoccupied and busy in the meantime. For this type of event, your child would know in advance that it is a special day and to be on their best behavior. The bigger problem at hand though is the legal liability children present in the workplace. The other days of the year, the ones where the nanny is sick or you have to bring your children in for the afternoon, are the ones where you’ll bring your child in for a short burst of time – perfectly fine if done a few times. Some corporate offices offer daycare centers, but many of these have been phased out due to the liability issue.

If you can’t host a ‘take your daughter or son to work day’ during an actual workday, you might want to consider holding an outside family event instead. Plan a picnic outing or attend a baseball game and offer employees discounted tickets. It might not be in the workplace, but when it comes to the balance of work life and home life, it’s always important to ensure that your home life is just as strong as your work life!

Should You Participate in Take Your Kid To Work Day? is a post from: She Takes on the World