Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Discussion: How do you feel about the word "girl?" Love it? Hate it? Would rather be called a woman/lady/chick? Let us know!

Bringing in cake to celebrate successes...something girl leaders love to do!


When I started writing and collecting stories under the banner "Lead Like a Girl," I thought it was a fun way to let people know the stories were about women in leadership and make it a positive spin on the old adage, "You hit like a girl!"

Along the way, I've found people either love it or hate it...there doesn't seem to be a middle ground. On the positive side, the feedback I've gotten is:
--It's fun
--It's youthful
--I love it...I want to learn more!

On the opposite spectrum, I've also gotten some people who are a bit miffed by the name. These folks tend to focus specifically on the "girl" word. Some of the feedback I get from people who don't like the name is:
--It's demeaning
--I'm skilled and knowledgeable...I'm way past the "girl" stage
--I prefer to be called xxxxxxx (insert woman, lady, chick, female, or your choice of word here)

I'm intrigued by the polarization the word girl seems to cause. My intent was to take women back to a time when they weren't so focused on trying to fit in to a "man's world" and just did what came naturally to them as leaders.

For example, when my best friend & I were co-editors of the yearbook our senior year in high school, we baked a cake for each person's birthday as it came up throughout the year. This seemed to me to be something a girl was more focused on...remembering birthdays and celebrating. People loved the attention (or maybe they just wanted the cake) and seemed to genuinely appreciate the effort we made which was our way to say, "Thanks for being part of the team and all your hard work…even on your birthday!"

So good or bad, I'm sticking with "Lead Like a Girl."

What do you think? Are you a girl? A woman? A lady? A chick? Or do you have the ability to be each of them when you need to and enjoy your unique ability to do so?

Friday, June 5, 2009

How to Lead Like a Girl Artistically!

Check out http://www.leannelainefineart.com/, a cool gallery of "women in wine" art you're sure to love!

Gotta love twitter for the exposure to cool things you never would have otherwise stumbled upon! Here's a link to Leanne Laine's gallery with some pretty cool pieces. She's internationally known as "The Women in Wine" Artist. If you're a woman and/or like wine...you'll love these pieces!

So stop by & support a cool girl with cool art. Enjoy!


Thursday, June 4, 2009

How to Lead Like a Girl...Road Trip Style!

Nothing says fun like a road trip...but what does that mean about how we lead?

Have you ever noticed the differences between men & women on a road trip? I mean aside from the obvious. Clearly only one group would choose to listen to Metallica’s Greatest Hits half way across country. Have you ever taken it a step farther and thought about how these differences might translate into how we lead? Ok, maybe that’s just me…I seem to look for leadership in everything. But I swear it’s true…the way we take road trips translates into how we lead.

I’m guessing for the most part most girls have been on a “guys only” road trip. We are, after all, girls! Doesn’t our mere presence CHANGE the way the road trip happens? Of course. But…having gone to a mostly male university and then spending seven years in the army, I had the (mis?)fortune of sometimes being viewed as “one of the guys.” It was almost as if they forgot I wore lip gloss and high heels when I wasn’t in uniform. Sheesh!

The good news is that these adventures let me see some interesting difference between the male & female way of life and start to understand how the other half lives.

So let me paint a picture for you.

Girls on the Open Road
When setting out on a road trip, girls get a little giddy and excited to be spending time together. Everyone piles in the car, no real worry about who sits where as we know there will be lots of giggling and conversation no matter where we may end up in the car. There may be a specific destination or purpose for the trip…or maybe it’s just a trip to the mall to grab lunch and see what’s on sale.

Girls start cruising down the open road (or around town) with a list of topics we can’t wait to discuss. Did you see last night’s episode of our favorite show? Who are you dating and is it going well? What are you using in your hair…it looks fabulous! How are the kids and have they done anything funny lately? What’s going on at work and is your boss still a huge pain in the a**? And on & on. Never once on a girls’ road trip have I run out of things to talk about. Ever!

Sometimes when the standard topics run dry, we end up talking about spirituality, deep feelings, and I’m pretty sure we’ve solved major world issues once or twice…all while cruising down the highway listening to a road trip CD of our favorite songs, which somebody burned just for this particular adventure.

And speaking of music, here’s where we have a MAJOR difference from the guys.
When we get in the car and pop in the CD burned just for the trip (which probably includes at least one song by the Indigo Girls, usually ‘Closer to Fine’ or ‘Galileo’), we set the volume to low and commence conversation immediately with our life’s soundtrack in the background.

When that Indigo Girls song does start playing, someone in the front responds to the phrase, “Oh, I love this one…turn it up!” At this point, the music is blared and the passengers sing along to the parts of the song they know. EVERYONE joins in on the chorus, using hairbrushes or water bottles as make-shift microphones. One talented person usually knows how to sing harmony and for just a moment we transform into our own version of a girl-band (30-something or 40-something style). It’s a hoot!

After the song is over, the volume returns to low and the conversation continues where it left off. Until the next favorite song comes on…then the singing scene happens all over again! But the ride is definitely a conversation punctuated with bouts of singing as loud as we can into our Evian bottles.

If, for some reason, girls get lost on a road trip, they pull into a gas station to ask for directions. This is a great chance to use the restroom, restock on fun candy you only find at gas stations, and chat with people who might know about interesting stuff to do in the area. Also, girls are never lost…they’re just on what my friend Sara likes to call, a “tiki tour.” Besides…the wrong turns are often the best adventures! Not knowing where you are just means you might accidentally stumble across a hidden road trip treasure like the world’s largest ball of yarn or a goat farm in Amish country where you can take a buggy ride with Joseph, the 80-year old Amish farmer. What’s the down side of that?!

Purpose of the trip: irrelevant…the bonding is fantastic! (**Note: The original purpose is accomplished…only in a much grander fashion than possibly imagined!)

Guys on the Open Road
When guys set out on a car trip, there is definitely a pecking order of who sits where and it is known well before the guys ever approach the car. Just like the show Entourage. Have you ever seen Vince anywhere but the front seat? Or Turtle anywhere but behind the wheel? Guys need to have a specific destination to hit and if it involves shopping, there’s a list…or at least a specific item in mind. Guys want to be in and out of the store as quickly as possible. No dilly-dallying.

The play list on a guy’s trip is quite different than their female counterparts. Guys do not have special CDs just for their road trips. They have an iPod with all the Metallica, Pink Floyd, and AC/DC songs ever written. Recorded and live versions.

When they get in the car, the volume is already pumped up pretty high…and there’s no need to turn it down just because there are passengers. The volume is probably what the passengers are hoping for and expect.

Driving commences and the music continues to play loud and long. There’s no reason to turn it down until one guy adjusts the volume and says to the rest of the car, “Are you hungry?” This means HE is hungry and wants to stop. Everyone generally agrees to stop at the next exit and then the music returns to its full volume.

And just for the record…guys don’t get lost. And more importantly, no guy would ever suggest to another guy that he pull in somewhere and ask for directions. There’s a code…and that would definitely be breaking it.

Purpose of the trip: to get where they are going.

So what does this say about how we lead?

Well…I think it says a lot! More importantly, I think there are some really positive things women naturally do that they might not recognize as talents, skills or gifts. Let’s take a look at the top three things women do on road trips that translate into smart business:

  1. Women tend to create environments where open communication is easy. Not only is it easy, it’s expected. Everyone gets to contribute. Ideas vetted by people with opposing views tend to be stronger and when everyone is encouraged to participate early in the process, mistakes can be identified sooner at a lower cost.

  2. Women, while like men in that they set out to accomplish a specific mission, are open to detours that may lead to better ideas. Making great time to the hotel is good. Making good to time to the hotel and getting to tour the nation’s largest basket factory…which is ACTUALLY shaped like a basket…is even better. In business this could mean stumbling upon the next big thing because you weren’t in a hurry to go directly from A to B.

  3. Not having the same pecking order every time leads to well-rounded car-trippers (Hey look…I can backseat drive AND operate the radio). It also leads to people who can step into other roles when there are changes within an organization. If all I’ve ever done is sit in the backseat, I may not be a good navigator when you need one. And you’re going nowhere fast without a good navigator. Women tend to give different people chances to learn and grow into the roles they may step into in the future.

And there you have it…proof that singing into your water bottle and discussing hair products really does lead to better business decisions. So go ahead. Burn a CD of your favorite tunes, gather your girlfriends, and take the road less traveled. You’re next great work or life idea may just come to you on the 2nd chorus of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun!”

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Job Resources Geared Towards Women



Are you looking for a job? Has this economy got you down? Check out MiHW (Make it Happen for Women) for a bevy of job-search related tools geared towards women! Their marketing toolbox (under the services tab) can help you figure out what kind of resume you want to create for your search. Confused about the difference between an e-resume & a CV? Stop by & get some clarity! Visit www.makeithappenforwomen.com.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Weekly Discussion: Do you feel like you failed "Lipstick 101?" What's the yardstick you use to measure your girl-ness?


Who gets to decide whether "Lipstick 101" or "Athlete 101" is more valuable? What kind of 101-girl are you? Click "comments" below and share your 101 tale!


I was having a mini-reunion brunch at my house yesterday of women in the local area who graduated from West Point. We're a constantly-on-the-go kind of crowd, so getting eight of us together all at one time was a small miracle.


We did some catching up and chatting about what we've been up to. No one in this group is still in the military and since getting out, we've all gone in a million different directions. Among us we had two lawyers, a Harvard business school grad, a graduate of the Kennedy School of Government, a teacher, a government military intelligence analyst, a small business owner, a government contractor, three moms, a budding author, an independent jewelry stylist/consultant, the COO for a charitable foundation...the list goes on and on. How could eight people do so much?! It was all at once inspiring and exhausting to think about how far & how fast this group had come since our days in itchy gray wool at the academy!

One of my favorite moments of the day (aside from the story of one girl who'd recently gone on a glass-blowing trip with her colleagues and created a horribly misshapen paperweight that was not at all appropriate for a work environment...if you get my drift!) was a comment by one of the girls about not having gone to "Girl School." She said she failed Lipstick 101.

Lipstick 101? How many women out there feel like they're in the same boat? Fashion and make-up aren't your thing. You feel like you somehow missed this class and therefore never got your "Girl School " diploma?!

The funny thing is, when I looked at this girl, I saw someone powerful, amazingly smart, and definitely feminine in her own way. I wondered who's yardstick she'd been measuring herself against to determine she failed Lipstick 101? Perhaps the owner of that yardstick failed Chap stick & Go 101!

The best thing about women is their ability to fill SO MANY ROLES!!! They are all different but equally important! Where would we be without all the women we know who are moms, coaches, sisters, executives, and friends. And where would we be if they weren't all so uniquely different?!

So this week's discussion question is about passing (or failing) the 101-series classes in "Girl School." Which 101-program track did you take? Lipstick 101? Athlete 101? Get it Done 101? What's the best part about being who you are...whatever "Girl School" program you graduated from?!

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