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Geek girls are Chic: 7 Career Hacks

The document provides 'seven career hacks' aimed at empowering women, particularly in the tech industry, to enhance their careers and build community. It emphasizes the importance of active listening, sharing knowledge, and developing personal connections, while encouraging women to embrace technology and take risks. This guide, dedicated to 'geek girls,' serves as a playbook for navigating the modern workforce and breaking down stereotypes about women's capabilities in technical fields.

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Seven Career Hacks GEEK GIRLS ARE CHIC Sandy Carter ,Foreword by Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code
01 Seven Career Hacks GEEK GIRLS ARE CHIC Sandy Carter
02 The smartest person in the room is the room Copyright © 2015 by Sandra A Carter All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author.
03 I dedicate this book to all the girls and women who are proud Geek Girls, including my two wonderful daughters Cassie and Maria. Keep moving forward, as you are my personal heroes and are definitely chic to me!
04 FOREWORD INTRODUCTION CAREER HACK #1: LISTENING IS A NINJA SKILL CAREER HACK #2: ACT LIKE AN OPEN API CAREER HACK #3: BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT SOCIAL INFLUENCE CAREER HACK #4: TO WIN THE HARD SALE, SHOW YOUR SOFT SIDE CAREER HACK #5: HOMEWORK IS NOT A MOOC POINT CAREER HACK #6: LIFELONG RELATIONSHIPS – BREAKAWAY PLAY CAREER HACK #7: DEFINE YOUR “ALL” CLOSING: SO NOW LET’S GET (CAREER) HACKING Table of Contents 05 06 10 15 20 25 31 36 42 49
05 Tech-savvy women have been changing the way we live and work for over 100 years — from Ada Lovelace, the world’s first computer programmer, to Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer of SpaceX. While women have made history in technology, today they only account for 18% of the technology workforce. Imagine the change we could achieve if that number were 50%? This quest is what inspired me to start Girls Who Code, an organization dedicated to empowering young women to develop technical skills and change the world. In just a few years, our alumni have already shown me that this generation challenges the way the world views women in technological fields. They seek to break down the stereotypes surrounding women and teach them they can do anything with programs and mentors geared to their success. Geek Girls are Chic is the playbook for this movement. More than just a guidebook for women of all ages, it’s a way of life and way of building stronger skills and a sense of community with your fellow women in the tech workforce! It provides key career and personal tips, while encouraging women to embrace technology, take risks, and embrace failure to give them the courage to crash through the glass ceiling for their personal and business goals! Read it, soak it up, and let it aid you on your next adventure in technology. Foreword Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code
06 IntroHacking compliments of “the room”
07 Everyone today is talking about hacks. There are even life hack TV shows like “Hack My Life” that teaches viewers ways to create or “hack” a better solution for less money. Hacks are in vogue because they present a “wild duck” way to accomplish a goal through an alternative and different way. And that’s what we will do in this book. We will be wild ducks around career hacks. With so many smart leaders in the world, I crowdsourced many stories to teach the concepts of our top career hacks. Why might you ask? Well, I believe that the smartest person in the room is the room! THE SMARTEST PERSON IN THE ROOM IS THE ROOMSandy Carter To set the stage, let’s first take a look at some characteristics of hacks by reviewing the most popular hacks: growth hacking. Growth hacks are about innovation, scalability, connectivity, and building potential into the product. Most growth hacks help accelerate a product to growth, but in a non-traditional way. Growth hacking was created by start-ups and entrepreneurs as a way to market, but I really consider it an intersection of product, marketing, and data. They always say that “necessity is the mother of invention,” and that’s why the young companies have innovated around this methodology. IntroIntroduction: Hacking compliments of “the room” EVERYONE TODAY IS TALKING ABOUT HACKS. THERE ARE EVEN LIFE HACK TV SHOWS LIKE “HACK MY LIFE” THAT TEACHES VIEWERS WAYS TO CREATE OR “HACK” A BETTER SOLUTION FOR LESS MONEY. HACK Control Shift Caps lock
08 There are some characteristics of growth hacking • It is typically an alternative to costly ways of doing things • It is part of an online marketing ecosystem – meaning it is done with others, not alone • It involves “A/B testing” and experimentation with the understanding that mistakes will be made • And it runs on the engine of content and expertise One way to learn about growth hacking is to do growth hacking One of the things that I love about growth hacking is that to really understand it, you have to jump into it. For instance, blogging may be a good start to growth hacking. But this is about career hacks The introduction on growth hacking was to allow a thought process to be solidified. Career hacks are about the new ways of operating in the new world. Our career hacks have similar traits • Alternative approaches to the workforce today, based on trends in the market • They will not be alone, rather with an ecosystem of support • They will involve taking risks and experimenting • And finally, they will be based on your expertise The Missing 33%™ Susan Colantuono, CEO and Founder Leading Women I loved the TED Talk on The Missing 33%™ by Susan Colantuono. The research shows that there is a missing 33% in most of the mentoring and sponsorship done today – especially for women. Susan talks about the need for strong expertise in business, strategic and financial areas. This got me thinking about how I can help women advance their careers with seven hacks that I have used through my career that have helped me. Hacking compliments of “the room” Intro
09 = GROWTH HACK Today’s SPAM Tomorrow’s Hacking compliments of “the room” Intro Updated Career Hacks: Because the world is always changing These Career Hacks are new and improved.​I used to love reading Alice In Wonderland to my daughters and our favorite quote from the book is: “I have to run twice as fast just to stay in the same place​.”​The world is moving fast and changing constantly. That’s why I love these hacks. They are constantly on the move! For instance, in the past world, knowledge was power. Today our Career Hack is “acting like an Open API.” T​hings have changed! Seven career hacks Old: Action first Today: Listening is a ninja skill Old: Knowledge is power Today: Act Like an Open API Old: Social’s for kids Today: Be intentional about social Old: It’s just about business Today: To win the hard sale, you have to show your soft side Old: Use your gut Today: Homework is a MOOC point Old: Transactional relationships Today: Lifelong Relationships Old: Climb the career ladder Today: Define your “all” Make sure you don’t just read, but take action. I dedicate this book to all you Geek Girls who are definitely chic!
10 01Career Hack #1: Listening is a ninja skill that drives a successful MVP Chapter
11 Active listening is a true skill because it aids in problem solving, conflict resolution, relationship building, and accuracy improvement. In your personal life, it means stronger friendships and careers. In your business life, it drives more effective and efficient outcomes. Action-oriented people fill today’s world, with many solving problems before they even manifest. They create, they talk, and they perform, but they don’t always listen. The digital universe currently holds over 2.7 zetabytes of information to share, but without active listening skills, action-oriented people are missing out.1 Active listening can be disruptive. It really is a ninja skill. As James Miller said, “There is no such thing as a worthless conversation, provided you know what to listen for.” By actively listening, it can drive a successful set of explorations or experiments. What is an MVP? There’s a new term used in today’s world called an “MVP” – a Minimum Viable Product. An MVP is one that tests whether an idea is on target. It’s an iterative process of idea generation, prototyping, presentation, data collection, analysis, and learning. By actively listening to customer feedback, you’re able to change your design quickly. Being able to discuss your results and accomplishments will make you the other kind of MVP – a Most Valuable Player. The secret to being a great MVP is all about listening! What is active listening? Active listening is a type of listening that engages people to improve understanding. By doing so, you’re better equipped to establish a connection with the people you meet. Asking thoughtful questions allows you to identify the deeper need in your business and interpersonal lives. Active listening occurs BOTH in social media and in person. When solving a problem, go beyond the request and ask, “What else is possible?” 01Career Hack #1: Listening is a ninja skill that drives a successful MVP ACTIVE LISTENING OCCURS BOTH IN SOCIAL MEDIA AND IN PERSON . 1 Search Engine Watch. Digital Data Trends – Search, Social & Content Fusion. Published April 10, 2014. http://searchenginewatch.com/sew/how-to/2339110/digital-data-trends-search-social-content-fusion
12 How has the market changed? Over the past 10 years, the act of listening has greatly diminished. In 1980, people spent about 55% of the day on activities that involved listening. Today, that number is less than 30%.2 We spend more time communicating our message than listening for and processing feedback. Even in social media, many people focus on broadcasting their message, but spend no time listening to the point of view of others who leverage their networks! How is this a competitive advantage? Research has found that by listening effectively, you gain more information from the people you manage. You increase their trust, reduce conflict, better understand how to motivate others, and inspire a higher level of commitment. In today’s environment of information overload, listening is disruptive because it is rare. Practice this ninja skill! “LISTENING IS A NINJA SKILL IN TODAY’S INFORMATION OVERLOAD SOCIETY.” Sandy Carter What’s important about active listening? When engaging in active listening, keep these things in mind: • Maintain eye contact. This technique helps maintain engagement • Stay in the present. Avoid distractions and other activities • If needed, ask for clarification when the speaker pauses. Make sure you hear the speaker’s words and understand their intent • Keep an open mind and try to put yourself in the speaker’s place Listening in person, as opposed to in the social universe, comes with its own set of challenges. Career Hack #1: Listening is a ninja skill that drives a successful MVP 01 2 Laura A. Janusik, Andrew D. Wolvin. 24 Hours in a Day: A Listening Update to the Time Studies. Department of Communication and Fine Arts, Rockhurst University, Department of Communication, University of Maryland. Published July 2009. http://www.academia.edu/4366491/24_Hours_in_a_Day_A_Listen- ing_Update_to_the_Time_Studies.
13 In person There’s an advantage to listening in person, as it enables communication of unspoken messages. In a spoken message, 55% of the meaning is translated non-verbally, and 38% is indicated by the tone of voice, while only 7% is conveyed by the words used.3 While you listen, analyze key points and keep an open mind. Ask questions that clarify anything that needs a deeper understanding. Try to reserve judgment. In the social universe Tools can really help you listen and capture potential MVP ideas. One of my favorites is Hootsuite™ , a social media management tool that allows you to track both your social network channels and targeted words. By monitoring a set of targeted words, listening is streamlined across multiple channels such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, with options to post updates or reply directly. How do you become an active listener? Here are three ways you can get started on the path to active listening: 1. Practice By removing distractions and focusing, you can hone your skills. Below are some suggestions. Personally: • Turn off the TV and play games with your family • Put your phone away when having dinner with family or friends • Have one conversation at a time. Don’t multi-task • Pay attention. Silence your inner voice focused on everything about the speaker except for what they’re saying! Professionally: • Book a lunch with your coworkers or partners and step away from the mobile devices! • Social is a great way to listen. Leverage social media tools like Hootsuite to listen around top key words and topics that matter to your business • Know your audience – make sure you are listening to the right people • Experimentation helps you “actively” listen and learn. Don’t be afraid to fail and start again. Feedback is introspection but should be action oriented. 2. Create a picture Next time you’re listening to a speaker, be it a friend, spouse, or peer, build a mental picture of their words. Try visualizing the comments and thoughts. By focusing on the picture, you remove the focus on a planned answer question; you focus on the person speaking – or engage in active listening. 3 Laura A. Janusik. Listening Facts. http://d1025403.site.myhosting.com/files.listen.org/Facts.htm Career Hack #1: Listening is a ninja skill that drives a successful MVP 01 THE VALUE OF SOCIAL LISTENING IS THAT IT ASSISTS YOU IN UNDERSTANDING YOUR PROSPECTS, CLIENTS, AND, OF COURSE, YOUR COMPETITORS .
14 3. Experiment with social listening tools The value of social listening is that it assists you in understanding your prospects, clients, and of course, your competitors. It leads to action and awareness of conversations. Today, a URL is more than a website address; it’s one of the most prominent forms of identification in the digital world and helps govern your public perception. Listening is important to your digital presence while you build and maintain your brand through images and tests. Fail to listen, and you’ll find your head on the “guillotine” every day if you just rest and don’t stay aware of your social surroundings. Try Hootsuite and IBM Connections to help you listen in an organized fashion. Driving engagement through collaboration and listening by Clarissa Felts, Vice President, Collaboration, Diversity & Inclusion at Lowe’s Home Improvement Maureen Ausura, our Chief Human Resources Officer, launched a Women’s Leadership Summit at Lowe’s five years ago. It focused on inspiring and motivating women in leadership. It was a day-and-a-half of outstanding speakers and networking. In 2015, we will host our fifth annual leadership event. As Vice President, Collaboration, Diversity & Inclusion, Clarissa Felts identified an opportunity to bring female leaders together at our national sales meeting. Our first event took place three years ago. It was all of our female field leadership with 400 attendees. In 2015, we hosted our third annual event at our national sales meeting, and it was our most engaging one to date. These events were catalysts. The truly amazing development is the ongoing collaboration, networking, and mentoring that is taking place across the enterprise virtually. There are several dozen virtual communities focused on development, networking, mentoring, and opportunity. There are several thousand participants. Women are able to reach out across the landscape and share, learn and grow. As a global company, this technology has enabled us to connect across former barriers and discuss plans and events, as well as share thought-provoking articles and videos. The women’s meetings in the field have grown from a few to more than 150 events in 2014. We are able to leverage these experiences, as well as knowledge and expertise. We celebrate accomplishments and recognize achievements of females. The opportunity for any individual to have a voice and share, regardless of rank or location, is a powerful platform. Results speak for themselves, as our engagement numbers in the field in 2014 were the highest in four years. Collaboration and listening are breaking down silos and are a driving force for employee engagement. Career Hack #1: Listening is a ninja skill that drives a successful MVP 01 THE TRULY AMAZING DEVELOPMENT IS THE ONGOING COLLABORATION, NETWORKING, AND MENTORING THAT IS TAKING PLACE ACROSS THE ENTERPRISE VIRTUALLY.
15 02Career Hack #2: Act like an open API Chapter
In the past, value was found in hoarding information. In fact, promotions and rewards were targeted to those with the “knowledge power.” But in today’s Internet world, power is in the hands of those who share knowledge. Similar to an open API, it changes the old norm where you’re actually sharing information and generating value, rather than hoarding the information. Steve Mills, Senior Vice President, IBM (one of my favorite IBM executives) has a kindergarten diploma on his wall. He always says that he learned everything he needed to know in kindergarten because that’s where you learn how to share. What is an API? An API (Application Programming Interface) is simply a way of sharing technical knowledge and enabling others to gain access to the function without having to write the function. For example, there is a “Give me the GPS Coordinates” API call on your smartphone that programmers can trust will be there. This way, not everyone has to write the code to obtain the GPS coordinates. One person wrote the code and shared it with the world! Another way to view it is with this analogy: In a grocery store, you can buy a cake mix or all the ingredients for the cake. The cake mix is like an API. It contains a recipe of knowledge that is shared with you to shorten your cooking time. An API is a way to share knowledge and insight. Market changes Today, every business is a digital business. Every digital business ecosystem is powered by APIs. APIs allow others to access and use your company’s knowledge and vice versa. This knowledge and market shift applies to individuals, as well. Consider this example from my experience: When I grew up, I was measured in school on how much I memorized. Today, my daughters are given assignments to find the answers 02Career Hack #2: Act like an open API 16
17 online, and then they must prove their answers came from trusted sources. Companies still reward employees for patents, but today companies are also increasing their awards for those employees who share their ideas. Companies are looking for trusted advisors who are acting like “human APIs.” In the business world, technology companies become known for sharing their APIs. Those who share their APIs tend to have higher value and engagement with the ecosystem and community. The same is true for individuals who share their knowledge inside your company, as well as externally. How is this a competitive advantage? Did you know that over $31.5B is lost by Fortune 500 companies because their employees don’t share knowledge?4 This is a very scary figure in this global economy filled with turbulence and change. Actively managing knowledge can help companies increase their chances of success by facilitating decision-making, building learning environments by making learning routine, and stimulating cultural change and innovation. Companies need people who will openly and proactively changing the paradigm. By proactively implementing a sharing culture, you can drive a change in the company. You know that saying, that “Change is inevitable, growth is optional?” Your actions can change that to “Change is inevitable, growth is intentional!” Acting like an open API is about sharing your knowledge. Being able to quickly locate the right people or published content containing the expertise needed to solve a problem makes businesses more effective and allows people to respond more quickly to client needs. By shifting the focus from discrete knowledge transactions to on-going knowledge relationships, value can be achieved for companies and individuals. With the creation of value ­— from sharing knowledge across multiple silos, businesses, and types of people, as well as the traditional borders between them, their partners and customers — speed and agility are achieved. By documenting and sharing your reusable solutions to common issues, you become part of the solution and help to create highly-engaged and productive employees. For your company, if you can become the example and change the culture, your company can see up to a 30% improvement in speed of accessing experts!5 IN THE NEW WORLD, VALUE IS IN SHARING. Sandy Carter Career Hack #2: Act like an open API 02 CHANGE IS INEVITABLE, GROWTH IS INTENTIONAL. $31.5B+ IS LOST when employees don’t share knowledge 4 Pamela Babcock. Society for Human Resource Management. HR Magazine. Shedding Light on Knowledge Management. Published May 1, 2004. http://www.shrm.org/publications/hrmagazine/editorialcontent/pages/0504covstory.aspx 5 IBM white paper. Applying social business: The repeatable patterns that improve business processes and provide return. Published January 2014.
What’s important in an API? Since I started us with an analogy of an open API, let’s take a look at what makes a technical artifact a valued API: • There has to be a differentiated reason for someone to use the API — for example, to make the developer’s job easier • It must be easy to use • It must be supported and kept up to date For you to become an API, you need to have a strategy for the knowledge that you want to share openly! • It needs to be your POV (point of view) that is differentiated and valued • It must be easy to get to the knowledge • It must be up to date and must allow for questions How do you become an open API? Since it is difficult for most people to locate the best expertise needed to resolve problems quickly or best address a business opportunity, whether that expertise resides inside another person or within published content, let’s think through how your open API strategy becomes a reality. These are the 3 ways to get started: 1. Create your open API strategy Explore what you are known for doing. Is it your brilliant technical expertise with mobile devices or doing taxes? Be purposeful in what you want to share; that adds value to others. 2. Make the information available in an easy form like speaking engagements, blogs, or classes Present an event on the subject, start a blog or Twitter handle on the topic, or teach a class at your company or a local university. Make sure you make the information both simple and valuable. Go into teaching mode! 3. Keep the information updated and answer questions Content curation is crucial, so make sure your information is up to date. Be a continuous learner so that you can always be up to date. If you have a blog, you have a great way to answer questions and refine the way you tell your story! Career Hack #2: Act like an open API 02 AN API OFFERS A WAY TO UNLOCK THE VALUE OF A BUSINESS’S DIGITAL ASSETS AND TO EXTEND ITS REACH, SO THINK THROUGH YOUR OPEN API IN THE SAME WAY. 18
19 Girls Who Code Example: From so shy to so fly! Elizabeth Caudle, East Region Director for Girls Who Code In Girls Who Code, Elizabeth Caudle, East Region Director for Girls Who Code, told this story. The students were asked in the first week of the Girls Who Code program to introduce themselves. One student was too terrified to speak publicly. Many of the girls and teachers got together to share their knowledge on public speaking, and by the end of the program, this young girl was able to present to all the executives! The growth in the girls from the overall class, acting as an open API, has led to growth in the girls as individuals. Being seen and being heard in the work place, communicating cross-functionally, that young girl received funding for her project because of her presenting skills! Girls Who Code depends on women from all sorts of business areas — from robotics engineers to program managers to CTOs — to share their knowledge and skills. We focus on showing the entire career span; so we have speakers come in that are 22 years old and just graduated from college all the way through senior executives. This really impacts the girls profoundly because they’re able to put themselves in these women’s shoes and build on the knowledge that our professional women volunteers have already gained throughout their careers. This open API extends to mentoring. One of the most valuable parts of Girls Who Code is the mentorship piece. We pair each girl in the program with a mentor. They meet for one hour at the company where they’re being hosted over the summer, and they meet for one hour once a week for career and academic mentorship. The conversations usually focus on aspirations and interests, creating smart goals, and helping the girls choose work that excites them. We also identify post-program opportunities based on their experience, and then figure out how these girls’ experiences can translate into their future academics and career. Thus far, Girls Who Code has paired over 540 girls with mentors over the past three years. Sometimes these mentorships last just the seven weeks of our summer programs, but some girls and mentors are still talking three years later! The Girls Who Code program has been a valuable resource for the girls as they move along in their college careers and eventually into the workforce. At Girls Who Code, they cannot stress enough how important it is for us to share knowledge as women in technology and also to encourage the younger generation to be great examples to inspire the next generation of girls who code. Career Hack #2: Act like an open API 02
20 03Career Hack #3: Be intentional about social influence Chapter
21 Reputation matters. Your social influence is a measurement of the reputation that you have earned online. Since this influence is about what others believe to be true about your company, product, brand, or you, it is important to keep a watch on the outcome. I was just with a client who was screening applicants by their social influence score (they used a combination of Klout® , Kred and Hootsuite). This social influence matters today, but will increase in value over the years. What is social influence? Social influence is a measurement of your knowledge, and perceived knowledge, about a topic in the online world. Influence is typically a combination of the size of your social media audience, reach and resonance of your story or message. According to Wikipedia, social influence occurs when one’s emotions, opinions, or behaviors are affected by others. In other words, your thinking and point of view influences the thinking and point of view of many others. Powerful social media influencers have mastered the art of sharing their perspectives and using that to shape others. Social influence is being able to appropriately shape your reputation by doing the following: • Showcasing your subject matter expertise • Having the right listening to know what others think about you • Building positive opinions through action, and debating counter opinions Your social influence matters a great deal, so you need to be able to measure your influence and value in the market. It is not measured by numbers of views or friends, but by the value people find in your content. Social influence has become so important to both companies and people that there are now many tools that attempt to quantify its value. 03Career Hack #3: Be intentional about social influence YOUR THINKING AND POINT OF VIEW INFLUENCE THE THINKING AND POINT OF VIEW OF MANY OTHERS.
22 Some examples of types of influence metrics that provide insight on your social influence include these: • Comments on your website, Facebook page, LinkedIn and so on (neutral, positive or negative) • Influence metrics to understand the level of influence you have with your fans, followers and friends (will a recommendation or suggestion lead to a purchase?) • Klout, Kred, and many other tools available in the market as a standardized view “SOCIAL INFLUENCE IS THE NEW CURRENCY” Sandy Carter Market changes Since the birth of social networks, our social influence is becoming a major factor in how we prove our value. A strong personal brand can really help differentiate us in a competitive job market. Klout is just one way in which social influence can be measured, but one to which more and more recruiters are turning to. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer study in 2014, we increasingly trust messages from experts and our peers. Influence is becoming a real currency. In fact, over 60% of people trust experts from Academia, Technology or a person like them! This market shift is a big one and should be noted for both people and companies. How is this a competitive advantage? According to Vala Afshar, new markets are no longer limited to geographies. While China and India still have the world’s largest populations, Facebook, Tencent, and WhatsApp have the third through fifth largest populations in the world! Consider that fact... it means that your social influence can impact six of the top ten markets in the world! Career Hack #3: Be intentional about social influence 03
23 According to Gina Kerr — an entrepreneur, speaker and marketing expert with a healthy Klout score of 78 — decisions today are made based on influence, and social influence algorithms like Klout provides a good way to quantify the amount of influence a person has online. In fact, she wrote a book entitled, “Klout Matters: How to Engage Customers, Boost Your Digital Influence— and Raise Your Klout Score for Success,” just to emphasize this point. Your social influence is a competitive advantage. What’s important in social influence? Social influence is driven by 3 core things: 1. Quality content. Content is queen. Any person can gain social currency with the right content at the right time. This is true across all industries. 2. Consistent interaction. Being on social networks is work. You need to have a plan to tweet every day or blog every week. 3. Targeted connections. You need to figure out who matters in your “subject matter expert area.” Connecting with the right people is critical as your social influence rises. I once tweeted I was heading to London. I have a high Klout score, especially in the area of social media. When the CMO of a financial institution invited me to a meeting that my local colleagues had not been able to set up after trying for a year, I knew the power of social influence. He wanted to chat with me because he knew I had a point of view and that I had experience that was respected in the industry. Sales reps hadn’t been able to get in to talk to him, nor had competitors, but my social influence opened the door and closed the deal. How do you become an intentional social influencer? Make it intentional. Below are three tips to help you get started on your social influence! 1. Determine your goal The first thing to do is to determine your goal. On what topic do you want to be known as an expert and influencer? Is it a work topic, or something else that drives your passion? Do you want to drive your influence up in social media or in selections of wine, for instance? Both can help you in business! One tip that I use is to focus on 1-2 topics. Then you can become THE person or one of the key people in that particular topic. In order for you to be the “go to person,” you must have solid skills, be authentic, and stay consistently up to date. 2. Have a social media calendar Plot out your topics and invest the time to create a monthly calendar to showcase what you are going to write, speak, or tweet about. Schedule it in! What’s important to me makes my calendar (this includes not just social, but exercise, my family and everything else). Career Hack #3: Be intentional about social influence 03
24 3. Watch your score I’d recommend that you know your Klout score (you can see it in Hootsuite!), PeerIndex, and Kred score. Understand what drives them and experiment with what is making an impact. Constantly be experimenting and determining what is impacting your influence in your chosen topic. What if you don’t have time? The #1 question I get asked on social media is “How do you find the time?” People prioritize what’s important to them, and I find that the most successful people plan it out. For instance, I have a monthly calendar that I create on topics that I think my “tribe” will be most interested in. I schedule 15 minutes in the morning, at lunch and in the evening but because I love it, you will see me on social channels while mobile too! Make sure you create a checklist that fits your lifestyle and time, check out the productivity tools like Hootsuite, Dynamic Signal, TweetDeck, and even Google Alerts that are now available, and determine what content you can repurpose or how much time you want to spend creating it. For instance, one of my friends only does a video blog, because for her, this is the most time efficient way to share her terrific content! Social Media Today, Robin Carey, CEO and Founder “Social influence” is hard to define. Is it a Klout Score, is it the #followers on Twitter, or is it some combination of online and measurable influence with what you are able to achieve in the real world? Whatever it is, for women, achieving “social influence” is critical because it can be measured, usually in real time. Unlike the closed-door influence of Wall Street or Sand Hill Road, social influence can be marshaled by women who are willing to be open, authentic and responsive in their preferred social channels. These connective tissues, whether they exist on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn® or in increasingly influential networks like Snapchat, can be marshaled for business purposes when the need arises – like finding a new job, launching your start-up, selling your services. It’s a countervailing force to traditional networks that women should be taking full advantage of now, before the “old school,” male-dominated circles of influence wake up and catch on. It’s still a new world out there, ladies, so don’t be shy. But also be aware that your network, as my friend Porter Gale puts it, is “your net worth,” so, as in any asset, don’t draw it down for trivial reasons. Respect the members of your networks and at the same time, give them reason to join you in whatever your cause or case may be. Also, you owe it to yourself and to your networks to make sure that your purpose is tied to a greater good, whether that is something that saves the planet or helps your community or pushes other women to get to a level playing field with men. Finally, “sharing” alone is not the answer to success in social influence; ultimately, your goals should produce real results – or ROI – to keep your influence growing inside – and outside – of social. Career Hack #3: Be intentional about social influence 03 ACHIEVING SOCIAL INFLUENCE IS CRITICAL BECAUSE IT CAN BE MEASURED IN REAL TIME.
25 04Career Hack #4: To win the hard sale, show your soft side Chapter
26 A soft side sounds weak, not tough. In fact, to some men, saying they have a soft side would be fighting words. A soft side is associated with speaking from the heart and being genuine. But choosing to communicate in an authentic fashion and to do so on a sustained basis leads to strong and meaningful relationships. These relationships thrive because of the emotional connection and “authenticity” of the interaction. I love the advice from author and business trainer Jeffrey Gitomer, who says: “People do business with people they like and people they trust.” Having a soft side is about generating trust and relationships. What is a soft side? Your soft side is about showing personal interest. It is about showcasing who you are as a person. Trust is an essential element of your soft side. Trust is the reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, and surety of a person who generates confidence. It’s about being who you are — your true self! The key point is every interaction and experience is a non-neutral brand transaction. Make every interaction one people remember. “IT’S NOT ABOUT B2B OR B2C. IT’S ABOUT P2P – PERSON TO PERSON.” Sandy Carter 04Career Hack #4: To win the hard sale, show your soft side
27 The markets are changing Since more people today rely on word of mouth than even a company’s website, relationships have risen to the forefront. In fact, have you noticed how much value companies apply to on their CRM systems and growth in CRM software? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 70% of all jobs are found through networking. This has changed over the years. In the past, sending in a resume and having great skills made the difference. Today, it is as much who you know as what you know. How is this a competitive advantage? In every part of your life and business, having a soft side has an impact on forming and keeping relationships. Did you know people with more than 20 connections on LinkedIn are 34 times more likely to be approached with a job opportunity than people with less than five?6 Gone are the days of B2B and B2C. Today, it is all about people to people, which means you must show your soft side to win. In branding, where a person forms a relationship with a company, we can see parallels. Brands lose their competitive edge when they fail to deliver on a promise, don’t adapt to change, or if another brand is recommended by someone they trust. Strengthening your soft side provides a way to strengthen your personal brand. Showing my Soft Side I showed my soft side when I took over a team that was having both poor growth and low morale. As I learned the team, I decided that we would do weekly ‘chat’ sessions to get us in sync and to engage all of my employees. Since I love quotes and the motivation they bring, I decided that each Monday I would search for a personalized quote for each person on the team and leave it in a little container so they could open it and be inspired. After I had done these three weeks in a row, one of the guys on my team — Fred ­— asked for a one-on-one meeting. “We, the team and I, don’t like these silly quotes,” he said as he closed the door. “Remember, we are all men and this girly stuff doesn’t help us.” He immediately walked out. In Career Hack #4: To win the hard sale, show your soft side 04 6 J. Elad. LinkedIn for Dummies. Published January 28, 2014. Ch. 1, page 17.
28 spite of this feedback, I decided that I had to continue to show my soft side. We finally turned around the business and I had one of the highest ratings on my management survey. But what really touched my heart? Years later, Fred invited me to his retirement dinner —when I met his wife she said, “You’re the Sandy with the quotes!” I told her that yes that was me, and that yes, I know that Fred didn’t like them. Much to my surprise she told me that he saved every quote in a shoebox and still had them. That was my a-ha moment — the soft side is important. What’s important in your soft side? Your soft side is driven by: • Authenticity: You have to be genuine. In the context of engagement, it is the act of being open and true to the actions and words, online and offline. Be interested in others • Receptivity: Be open to other ideas. If the discussion is difficult, it is not about defending yourself, but about truly seeking to understand another viewpoint • Transparency: Be open and with a propensity to freely share skills, knowledge, talent, and always learning Relationship building is not just about engagement, but about being practically useful for both your business and customers. How do you sustain effective relationships that show that soft side? 1. Personalized communications One of the cornerstones for memorable interactions is communications. Did you know that most breakups occur from the lack of communication? In today’s texting culture, many people don’t communicate enough. Strike up a conversation with your boss on how she is doing. Show interest in your peers in the things they are working on. And ask questions if you don’t understand something. Be personalized in your communications. Remembering a topic and sending a link to a URL on that topic can help form a relationship or even continue to build one. 2. Your “regulars” are your rock Whether it be online or in person, make sure you show appreciation for those who are your regulars – they could be regular clients, supporters, friends or more. Make sure you pay attention to your regulars and ensure that you continue to nurture those relationships. 3. Don’t just focus on the relationship, but the value Relationships are not just about engagement, but about shared values. Make sure you keep up regular communications about those shared values, and visions. Remember that you have to add value for the relationship to be valued. Career Hack #4: To win the hard sale, show your soft side 04
29 To win the hard sale, you have to show your soft side Stephanie L. Trunzo, Chief Creative Officer, PointSource All good leaders learn two critical things over time and experience: 1. You need many tools to effectively address different situations and people 2. Some approaches are in nurture (acquired) and some are in nature (innate) I admire the managers who can give a directive, step away, and then hold people accountable for delivering to their clear message. It is a skill that I emulate; that leadership tool is something I have to intentionally foster. For me, listening, synthesizing and helping connect ideas (while weaving in my own) is in my nature. At PointSource, we are constantly evolving around our mission to craft and deliver mobile strategies. That means we hire talented and opinionated people, and as a rule, we venture into new territory. Opinions and unknowns, paired with egos and ambition -- it could be a recipe for constant conflict. Instead, I find the women leaders in our company, myself included, are able to provide a grounding base to the alkaline of the majority. Recently, a major retailer asked us to create design concepts to pitch visionary ideas for the upcoming year’s roadmap to their CEO. It was a big opportunity for us… a short timeline (three weeks!) and a deliverable we had never explored before. I watched as anxiety mounted and ideas started to clash. Taking control of the conversation did not mean dominating it, asserting direction, or boxing in roles. To me, taking control of the conversation meant enabling people, facilitating open exchange of ideas, and giving praise and credit for every collaboration I witnessed (no matter how small.) By raising everyone on the team up, I raised up the team. We produced something spectacular and knocked it out of the park with the CEO. But that part isn’t the part that makes me feel proud; it is watching every contributor realize they were an integral part of that outcome. Soft management not only plays a strong role when collabora- tion is needed, but also when the situation calls for empathy. At PointSource, we value relationships, and our employees form strong bonds with one another. After having to make the hard decision to let someone go recently, one of my talented employees was visibly upset. It would have been easy to ignore the situation outside my office door, shruging, “it’s just business.” Instead, I asked that person into my office for privacy, gave her a hug, and talked through the reality of how the situation was difficult for us both. Business is not just business; it is personal. As women leaders, there are soft management skills that enable us to tell people they aren’t a fit for our company and end the conversation with a hug, honoring the value they have as a person. As women leaders, we can find a way to take tough conversations and turn them into learning moments for the talented voices participating. As women leaders, we teach others to be better listeners, and we help the team produce better results. There are many ways to lead, and understanding the areas we each need to improve is no less important than valuing and evangelizing the innate skills we bring. Career Hack #4: To win the hard sale, show your soft side 04
30 Okay, so now you built it but will they come? Jean Balbo, Director, Process Management, Prudential Financial It takes skill and imagination to build the technology we use to run our businesses, but we cannot overlook the soft skills we need to encourage employees to use it. To truly succeed, we have to keep an eye on the way technology is used...and sometimes it’s not only about how well a new system is designed, often it’s about the need to change traditional behavior. A good example from my experience is the roll out of social tools in a highly regulated, conservative environment. Social tools are very much about the soft skills. The success of this type of platform depends on activities like collaboration, communication, sharing, liking, etc. These are not the type of words we generally use to describe the technology we need to get a job done. Engagement must be encouraged and nurtured... something women are naturally wired to do. Encouragement to engage in social behavior must come from the top in order to be accepted. Our earliest success came from the use of social media by our leadership team. Blogging as a communication vehicle provided a virtual “face time” with leadership that was not previously possible. The important messages being shared could now be two-way conversations, no matter the level or location. Our earliest adopters were women in leadership. To encourage participation, the subject of some blogs was more personal. Topics included talent management strategy, personal development and even features that talked about the advice they would give to their 20-year-old self. This quickly became a new way to mentor on a much larger scale. Talent management plays a critical role in a company’s overall business strategy. Collaboration, communication and relationship management are necessary skills for employee development, engagement and succession planning. Employee recognition and celebrating success in a more visible way further encouraged participation. The introduction of well designed social tools, as well as the strategies used to encourage adoption, played a part in improved employee opinion survey results, which is key to talent retention. We may tend to focus on metrics and measurement, but softer skills assist us in achieving our goals.
31 05Career Hack #5: Homework is not a MOOC (moot) point Chapter
32 Homework is hard work, but for success, you must be prepared. The United States has even declared September as National Preparedness Month to encourage states to be prepared for emergencies like hurricanes or other disasters. Being prepared is not just for the big, one-time events. Your brand is impacted for each interaction, whether positive or negative. So ensure every interaction is a positive one – be ready ahead of time! Preparing is now more of a necessity than a suggestion. What is a MOOC? A MOOC is a massive open online course, where study is made available over the Internet without a charge to huge numbers of people. It is both a play on words – MOOC and moot – but equally important, MOOC is a way to become more prepared. Being ready and prepared through MOOCs provides everyone with an equal playing field of free education. The MOOC movement makes it simple for anyone to learn without cost and location barriers. This creates competition, as more people are skilled. To stay ahead of the game, you should keep advancing your skills by taking advantage of MOOC opportunities (such as Khan Academy and Lynda.com® ) and by participating in social networks like GitHub for collaborative building and learning. What does prepared really mean? Being prepared means two things. First, it is about being skilled enough to be ready for the challenge. And secondly, being able to anticipate how situations might play out, then being proactive in the way you respond. Doing your homework is a successful and positive standard for your personal and business life. 05Career Hack #5: Homework is not a MOOC (moot) point DOING YOUR HOMEWORK IS A SUCCESSFUL AND POSITIVE STANDARD FOR YOUR PERSONAL AND BUSINESS LIFE
33 There are two quotes to support the importance of this hack: “Fortune favors the prepared mind,” – Louis Pasteur “I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” – Thomas Jefferson Market changes Given the volume of requests and the increase in information, being prepared in today’s world helps you to stand out. Today, we live in an age of information overload. Given the volume of data, today’s market demands that you have the right skills at the right time, and that you can anticipate what is needed. How is this focus on homework a competitive advantage? Break through the noise with your preparedness. In Jeffrey Gitomer’s book, “Little Black Book of Connections,” he writes, “Preparation requires work. Homework. Before-hours and after-hours work. If you are looking to connect, preparation is not the best way. Prepa- ration is the only way. When you show up to a networking event, how prepared are you? When you go to some kind of connection meeting, either business or social, how prepared are you?” Preparation involves anticipating what is needed, then being ready. Those are lasting val- ues for your career hack. What’s important about doing your homework and being prepared? I think the most important thing in homework preparedness is to anticipate tough questions and issues that you might face. Practice answering tough questions – and get others engaged to assist. For example, before I do a major presentation to a board of directors, I practice with others and have them present me with tough questions. That way, I can adjust my presentation to be ready for those tough questions. That enables me to offer better insight to my clients, peers, boss, etc. Understanding skills that are needed is crucial for me to be prepared — both today and in the future. Being prepared helps me build up credibility and competency. At Girls Who Code, they focus on teaching young girls to focus on abstract thinking skills and fundamentals, rather than specific computer languages. The Girls Who Code Program speaks to the core tenants on computational thinking and creative thinking. That’s how they prepare girls on the concepts of solving problems and not just coding. Career Hack #5: Homework is not a MOOC (moot) point 05
34 “NOTHING BIG WILL HAPPEN IN YOUR LIFE, UNTIL YOU ANTICIPATE. PREPARE. GET SKILLED.”Sandy Carter How do you become a prepared individual? 1. Do a skill assessment Set aside time to assess what skills you believe you need to be successful. Do it both for your current role and the roles that you want to have! Make sure you look at technical skills, as well as other required skills. Stretch your skills to grow your career and increase your eminence or brand. You are going to have to step outside your comfort zone. But in addition, make sure you expand your cultural reach. For instance, according to IBM’s Advancing Women Research, one of the top three attributes that leaders of tomorrow will need to succeed is a global mindset. Know what matters! Career Hack #5: Homework is not a MOOC (moot) point 05 Meaty Assignment 42% Peer Collaboration 17% Other Attributes 17% Personal Attributes 17% Politics 7% 2014 IBM Smarter Workforce study: “Meaty Assignments” is #1 way to rise the ranks
35 2. Make time to prepare Make sure you have the proper amount of time to prepare. Since every interaction with your personal brand matters, make time to give each interaction the attention it needs. I would even encourage you to cut back on speaking engagements, networking, and blogging if you don’t have time to prepare for each one in the right fashion. 3. Seek out highly visible stretch and growth roles Look for roles that provide an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to work through complex and business-critical tasks to your peers, leaders, and decision-makers across the company. Homework is a not a MOOC point! Lisa Seacat DeLuca, IBM’s most prolific female inventor Lisa Seacat DeLuca is IBM’s most prolific female inventor with over 375 inventions filed to date, over 150 of which have been granted. Below is her advice on being prepared: As an inventor, the single most important advice I could give on being successful is to do your homework. To inventors, “homework” is called prior art searching. Once you’ve thought of an idea that you think is new, it’s important to see what is out there, what other companies are doing, what existing patents have been filed or issued, and what technologies are being talked about in your space. I can’t tell you how many times I thought of an idea, only to search the Internet to find that someone else has thought of that same idea already. A good inventor might move on to a new idea once they find a “direct hit,” but a great inventor will be able to reshape their original idea to extend beyond the prior art and come up with something even more creative. Another benefit to being prepared and knowing what exists in your space is that during the review process, “showing your work” tells the other people who are judging your idea that you did your due diligence and you’re an expert in the space. It gives you credibility and saves everyone time. Career Hack #5: Homework is not a MOOC (moot) point 05
36 06Career Hack #6: Relationships are the breakaway play Chapter
37 I have read a lot of books on leadership, and the one piece of advice that was common in every book was about networking for lifelong relationships, not short term gain. It turns out that among the things that successful people do, building relationships ranks high as a top use of their time and focus. In fact, I would assert business is personal, and relationships do matter. “You will get all you want in life, if you help enough people get what they want.” – Zig Ziglar This quote sets a tone of giving your value to others, seizing knowledge, and growing trust over the long term. What is a business relationship? A business relationship is about a connection between people. The connection could be a business, personal or strategic one. It involves an emotional connection with your client, mentor, employee or associate, usually created by exceptional experiences. Relationships can have great returns, but the goal of building a relationship should not be centered on your promotion or selfish goals. Great relationships are based on a desire to add values to others, regardless of who they are or what authority they have over you. “EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCES BUILD GREAT RELATIONSHIPS. RELATIONSHIPS YIELD UNBELIEVABLE RESULTS.” Sandy Carter 06Career Hack #6: Relationships are the breakaway play
38 How is the focus on “relationships” a competitive advantage? Being successful does mean meeting your quotas or goals. However, these numbers are only part of your success. If you can’t get the people around you to support you and your strategy, you won’t succeed. There is a Return on Relationship (ROR). Relationships increase your competitiveness in knowledge and in business results. When you have a close relationship, the open communication instills a sharing of information. This sharing includes getting feedback, learning more about the business, and gaining market insight. In some cases, the relationship is “idea generation” that emerges as well. From a business perspective, a solid long-term relationship with clients or colleagues means they are more willing to help or to tolerate a difficult situation. It positively impacts the business. What’s important in “lifelong relationships?” Lifelong relationships take work. In fact, it takes setting the stage and following through. Most successful people do a few things consistently: 1. They know the objective State the objective of the relationship. When I take on a new mentee, I always ask, “What do see as the objective of the relationship?” Some people will say overall learning, some will say help on specific situations, and others want an overall sponsor. It is very important for you to understand the goal of a relationship. Career Hack #6: Relationships are the breakaway play 06
39 2. They think long term In fact, they treat relationships like gold, like fortune, and that’s what lasting relationships can do for you in life. They don’t wait until they need a favor, but they form relationships early on. 3. They are consistent Giving is the theme for building a lasting relationship. The giving could be time, expertise, power, position, or energy. Supporting the person with help, insight and care. They watch out for them, they guard their reputation, and they represent them to others as they’d want to be represented themselves. How do you start a relationship? I want to share some of the most unconventional ways that I have learned from people to start a valued relationship. 1. Mix the media Early on, a mentor recommended that I mix the media when forming a relationship. What does this mean? When you get an email, call the person and chat. When you get a business card at a show, text the person to let them know it was a pleasure to meet him or her. People love the fast response and personal touch! 2. Network A network can be created every day from those you interact with on the phone, through e-mail, social media, etc. Nurture and protect your network; your network will nurture and protect you. Career Hack #6: Relationships are the breakaway play 06
40 3. Find those of similar interests You can network in mass through sharing your knowledge in local events. I love sharing knowledge at local events. You can network in mass by sharing your insight and get to know a set of people with similar interests. Local contacts are great, since you can grow them in person and through social networks. How do you grow a relationship? Forming a relationship is great, but a lifelong relationship is really where the value is. Here are tips to building the relationship for the long term! 1. Show interest and go personal I really like Susan Cain’s TED Talk on the Power In Introverts. She recommends that all of us learn about the individual interests and skills of those around us. Leverage this knowledge to show your value. For instance, one colleague has a wife who has a chronic illness. I recently found new research in that area, and I forwarded the note to him. It helped to grow our relationship. So after you had a great conversation, make sure you reach out and show the person that you valued the interaction. Offer a resource or a new insight that would prove valuable. 2. Engage regularly Be proactive in your outreach. I have a set of relationships on LinkedIn, and I have a trigger to reach out to my “tribe” on a regular basis. This could be through social networking, a call, or a quick text message. This proactive outreach is essential to retaining the relationship. 3. Create a “career advisory team” Create a team of people around you who know your skills, talents, and career aspirations. Over time, it is the best way to drive success. Continue to have proactive career discussions with your managers and your team, and ask for honest feedback on your work, performance, skills, and potential. Also, be part of another’s career advisory team. Give back to others! As an example of the power of building relationships, personal and professional, below is a story shared from Carolyn Leighton, founder of Women in Technology International. Her story is a great “aha!” moment when she realized how vital building relationships is to success. Sitting in the front row grew a lifelong relationship I was heading to a conference to hear a speaker to hear Jeffrey Gitomer, a prolific author of best-selling business books. As I entered the room, I noticed that no one was in the front row. As a speaker, it is always easier to have someone in the front row to speak to. So I took the plunge, walking all the way up to the front. During his presentation ­— which was amazing — I tweeted and nodded and learned a lot. After the session ended, Jeffrey introduced himself. Later, an email with the subject line “Holy Wow!” caught my attention. After more conversation, and a lunch in Charlotte, the city where my parents live, Jeffrey and I are colleagues, mutual Career Hack #6: Relationships are the breakaway play 06 CONTINUE TO HAVE PROACTIVE CAREER DISCUSSIONS WITH YOUR MANAGERS AND YOUR TEAM, AND ASK FOR HONEST FEEDBACK ON YOUR WORK, PERFORMANCE, SKILLS, AND POTENTIAL
41 fans and friends. He has collaborated with me on books, and I have advised him on working with large corporations. I even had him speak to my sales team, given he wrote the “Sales Bible.” By sitting in the front row, a great lifelong relationship began — and as we continue to mix the media and add value for one another, the relationship continues. Building lifelong relationships Carolyn Leighton, founder of Women in Technology International When I started my career, I was so focused on my goals, I believed then I had no time for networking or relationships. After all, I had goals to reach, meetings to attend, phone calls to return, a family to take care of, and one thousand more reasons why relationships could not even make it to my radar screen. That all changed the day I met Sandy Carter. I was attending a WITI reception in Boston, when I noticed three women engaged in discussion and pointing to me. As my brain was swirling with imagined stories about what they were saying, one of the women, Sandy Carter, walked over to me and said, “Hi, my name is Sandy Carter, I want you to know how much I love WITI and want to know how I can help WITI grow.” I realized in that one moment the power of building relationships by focusing on how you can help and support someone, rather than focusing on what you want and need from the relationship. Today, Sandy Carter is chair of the WITI Advisory Board and has become a lifelong friend. Sandy opened the door to that possibility by attending a WITI event, introducing herself to me and asking how she could help WITI. We call these experiences “WITI miracles.” WITI miracles happen every time we bring together our group of smart, talented women – and men – focused on and committed to supporting each other, opening doors for each other, celebrating each other, and collaborating instead of competing. We want you to experience WITI miracles! Join WITI and use the promo code “miracles” to get a $250 membership for $100. And, when you become a member, WITI gives a free student WITI membership in your name. And don’t forget to introduce yourself to me personally, so we can connect. MIRACLES HAPPEN EVERY TIME WE BRING TOGETHER OUR GROUP OF SMART, TALENTED WOMEN
42 07Career Hack #7: Define your “all” Chapter
43 People say that you can’t have it all. But I disagree. I believe you can have it all–but you have to decide what “all” means to you. Defining your all takes time. But it is well worth the time dedicated to the thought process. One woman I respect greatly is Mary Lynne Heldmann, an executive coach with the ACHIEVE Institute and a sought after lecturer and keynote speaker. She has been a guest expert for magazines, radio and television, including the Oprah Winfrey Show. She is an amazing woman focused on women leadership. In this hack, before we get into our usual format, I wanted to share her story. “Defining your all — what you bring to the table and what brings you joy.” – Mary Lynne Heldman, Achieve Institute Civil rights leader Howard Thurman once said, “Don’t ask what the world needs, ask what makes you come alive — because what the world needs most are people who have come alive.” What makes you come alive? Your personal lives (families, friends and communities) are probably a great source of joy and hopefully a place where you can fully express yourself. You bring your gifts and talents to all those that you touch in your personal lives. Spend time connecting to your gifts and the value you bring, feel the confidence of that value and express it fully. You spend most of your waking hours at work. What lights you up there? How do you bring your all to work? 07Career Hack #7: Define your “all” DON’T ASK WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS, ASK WHAT MAKES YOU COME ALIVE — BECAUSE WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS MOST ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME ALIVE.
44 When I’ve asked those questions to thousands of people over the years, I frequently get a blank stare. First of all they haven’t thought about their all in relationship to work. Meaning: all that I am and all that I bring. They think about getting the job done. People also often think of work as hard, demanding and full of long hours. How “alive” can you be under those circumstances? Is work really that difficult and hard? Left unattended, our minds tend to go negative, focusing on the 25% that isn’t going well vs. the 75% that is. It’s hard to come alive under those circumstances. That’s why it’s important to practice self-awareness, to watch where your mind takes you. When it goes negative, bring it back to the present moment. Focusing on the negative wears you down. That’s just for starters. To really come alive and bring your all to work, connect to the gifts and talents you bring there – to everyone and everything you touch. The universe works in perfect balance when we humans cooperate. Each human being has unique gifts. When we operate from those gifts, expanding them into talents and strengths, we are then aligned with what we’ve been created for. We go with the flow and bring all of our talents to everything we do. The next thing to do is to ask: “What’s my purpose? What am I here to contribute?” For the most part, human beings want to contribute. It gives us a sense of purpose beyond a good living, a big house, etc. Keep asking that question and you will get answers. Finding a deep sense of purpose is inspiring and uplifting. Finally, to come alive, and bring your all to everything you do ask yourself this: “What’s possible for me, my family, team, and organization moving forward?” Instead of expecting more of the same, ask what’s possible and then work to create the future you want—not the one you think you have to settle on, given the past.” What is your all? The all varies by people. For instance, for some, all is having a great executive career, others want to run a startup, and for some it is being a super mom. Defining what brings you joy and drives you is important. This exercise takes time. Find some free time–maybe driving in a car, blocking off some time on a weekend, or even just taking an afternoon off. The time is worth it. In fact, I do this on a yearly basis because your all will change as you go through life’s many great adventures. “KNOW WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY. GO FOR THAT AND NOTHING ELSE.”Sandy Carter Career Hack #7: Define your “all” 07
45 Market changes: Goals change over time. In fact, today’s generation values speed and skipping career levels, like a video game. In addition, we have become an entrepreneurial generation. There are more startups now than ever driven by the recession and the new generation’s desire to be individu- alistic. Add to that the technology disruptions, and knowing where you are heading helps you to stay ahead. More than ever, you need to think through what gets you up in the morning. How is “defining your all” making you more competitive? Knowing what’s important to you will help to drive your focus and choices. For instance, taking a coding class or that entrepreneur seminar may move higher on your priority list if those are goals for you. I recently met with the Nat Friedman, the CEO of Ximian, an IBM Business Partner, and one who is committed to the best skilled contributors. He told me the story of his sister, Victoria Friedman, who is an amazing woman and agreed to share her story on how understanding her talents and her ‘all’ changed her life. Moving from a bakery to a coder to changing the world. Victoria Friedman, Life Changer, Flatiron Pre-College Academy For my entire life, I self-identified as a creative. All through elementary, middle, high school and college, I was an athlete and a writer. I liked to write poems, draw pictures and play sports. My university required one math class that I took first semester freshman year and the rest of my time I spent on the lacrosse field, in the newsroom editing articles for our student-run newspa- per and buried in Shakespeare anthologies. So how in the world did I become a developer working for a cutting-edge tech education startup in NYC? I graduated from The University of the South in 2011 and headed out into the working world with a major in English Literature and a minor in French Literature. I’d managed to snag an in- ternship for a magazine in Charleston, SC, and was thrilled at the opportunity to flex my writing muscles in the real world. My experience in the editorial world was less than stellar. I worked for an editor who was far from supportive. I felt like I was competing with every single intern and editor. Print media is an ever-shrinking market, I discovered. One year out of school, I moved to New York City and spent my time applying for over 75 editorial jobs that I never got. I felt like my dream job as an editor at Vogue was light years beyond my reach. I felt lost. I knew I liked working with people. I knew I liked creating things, specifically things that brought joy to other people. So maybe writing wasn’t for me. I spent time talking to people in every industry I thought I could possibly see myself in: event planning, personal assistant, even a pastry chef. Career Hack #7: Define your “all” 07
46 In fact, I seriously considered becoming a pastry chef. I love to bake. People love to eat sweets. You can watch the happiness creep over their face as they eat a bite of a brownie or a cookie. People feel good eating treats. Baking was creative, and I could bring joy to people. This was going to be perfect. I applied to the International Culinary Center, got a job at a bakery and was ready to dive into this new life as a pastry chef. Working in a bakery was nothing like I imagined. The work hours were crazy, the work very physical, and nothing about the job was close to the creative and beautiful pastries I dreamed of making. It was mass amounts of butter and flour going into industrial sized mixers. After a few months, I knew that I couldn’t enroll full-time in pastry school. I didn’t even want to continue working at the bakery. I was lost again! At this moment, in stepped my much older and much wiser brother. I’d always envied how driven my brother had been toward one goal. He knew from age six that he wanted to work in technology and spent his life holding that one passion dear to his heart. He wanted me to love my career choice as much as he loved his, and urged me to learn some basic programming, starting with HTML and CSS. But he loved math and used to solve mathematical proofs on airplanes during family vacations while I read books and drew pictures. There was no way I could be good at this. Then… woah, HTML and CSS made sense to me. You type some text and tell it to appear in the bottom left corner in Comic Sans in size 20 font and in red. And then you open that file in the browser, and there it is. A light bulb went off, and suddenly this work wasn’t mathy and nerdy, it was creative. It involved art, and color and text and styling. I started dedicating roughly 3-4 hours a day working through HTML and CSS books and actually liked it. It was logical, but nothing like the algorithms I experienced in calculus. About two months into this self-driven exploration into web design, I learned about The Flatiron School, a high-end vocational program in New York City that runs intensive programs to teach adults to code for web or mobile development. They taught Ruby. I didn’t even know what that meant but I was sold. I enrolled in the Flatiron School’s three-month web development immer- sive course in the winter of 2013. Every stereotype I had clung to about what a pro- grammer is and likes and acts like was completely taken apart. I met ex-lawyers and artists and musicians and bankers and designers, all putting their lives on hold to learn to code and pursue a career as a developer. Through Flatiron, I learned that the world of programming is about problem solving, about how to break down a big problem into manageable chunks, about creating things to make the world a better place, and in my opinion, most importantly it’s about learning how to learn. I graduated from The Flatiron School in April of 2013 and took a position as a developer for Time Inc., a print media company that publishes magazines like In Style, People, Sports Il- Career Hack #7: Define your “all” 07 A LIGHT BULB WENT OFF, AND SUDDENLY THIS WORK WASN’T MATHY AND NERDY, IT WAS CREATIVE.
47 lustrated, Southern Living, and Time. I spent that year diving into the world of professional web development and learned that the communication skills I honed during my college years translated well to the workplace. I was a developer who could explain my technical problem to the non-technical members of my team. I was a developer who took a personal interest in the apps we were building. I was in fact our target audience, allowing me to provide unique insight to the product. My passion for writing enhanced my performance in my job. Because I loved magazines and writing, I loved building their products. In March 2014, I left Time Inc. to return to The Flatiron School to launch Flatiron Pre-College Academy, a program dedicated to educating high school students in web development. Learn- ing to code showed me that building software is an inherently creative endeavor that anyone can participate in and appreciate. When I joined Flatiron School, it was because I wanted to share with future technologists what becomes possible when they learn how to code. Three takeaways from Victoria’s story and start the quest for your all: • First, dedicate the time to document your all Document it in a notebook that you will keep with you as you will do this assessment each year. When I was young, I had a mentor ask me to write down 100 things I wanted to do in life. I still have the list, add to it, cross things off and use it to drive big decisions, reminding me in the heat of the decision, what’s most important. • Build your eminence Taking stock of your own personal eminence internally and externally will help you understand how well known you are in your field. Next, determine your skills and talents. These are your gifts and usually drive you as you “define your all.” If you are missing a skill, then go aggres- sively and creatively to acquire them to make yourself more marketable. • Understand your legacy goal Sit down and write your press headline. It helps to frame how you will write the headline one day. If you were sitting at a café with a friend five years from now, what would you want to be celebrating? Your successful IPO? Your technology being named as one of the most innovative of the year? How do you want to be remembered? Let’s define our all — here are 3 tips for success: 1. Seek out highly visible stretch and growth roles Look for roles that provide an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to work through complex and business-critical tasks to your peers, leaders and decision-makers across the company. 2. Take a risk In order to reach your goals, you will have to take risks. To grow your career and increase your eminence or brand, you are going to have to step outside your comfort zone and stretch your skills. Write that app. Start that company. Go for the promotion. Career Hack #7: Define your “all” 07
48 3. Seek out role models Sometimes realizing that you are not alone in a struggle or decision is a great comfort. Understand the resources and people that you can learn from and grow with. Sophie Kelly is an amazingly creative woman. She runs a very disruptive agency that helps other companies in their breakthrough thinking. I asked her to share her story on how to have it All! A Woman CEO’s Perspective on Having it All Sophie Kelly, CEO, The Barbarian Group An intimidating concept. Is it you at your most whole content being? Is it you making the most of it ALL? Is it you having everything you imagine is ALL? Having my all is always a balance of… my emotional and professional self, it’s knowing when it’s time for me, for family, for friends and for forging my life. You need to understand what you want. What sort of life you want, what makes you fulfilled. For me that has always been about maximizing experiences, being curious, never settling and being around people who get and understand me best. My advice… Think about your best day, What happened, what was in it, what did you do? That will help you know what your all is. My career hacks: Be authentic and own who you are. Show up and give everything all of your energy. Do what you believe is right regardless the environment. Be willing to learn and fail. Occasionally stop to look back and check your progress and feel proud. Make friends, network and have great mentors. Career Hack #7: Define your “all” 07
49 08Closing: So now let’s get (career) hacking Chapter
50 The importance of the seven career hacks These seven hacks come from many successful women and men I have met during my career and their years of experience. Some of these are disruptors, and some are basic skills. Start here Defining your “all” is the way to begin your career hacking. Figuring out what makes you happy is essential in your pursuit. You can find your passion at any age. You may start in high school or college, or in any stage of your career. But you must take time to search for the “all” – the passion. You will not find this passion by browsing the Internet or surfing YouTube. Sometimes you have to go your own path. I loved Larry Smith in his TED Talk when he said, ” Your passion is what you would do even if you won the lottery... success also demands persistence, focus, discipline, independence of mind, resourcefulness, experimentation, and high creativity.” And that passion could change. I have a friend who began in corporate America, but now at 55, her passion is helping travelers in Italy. Remember, growth hacks are constantly changing, and sometimes your passion changes. As one mentor told me, she has had five careers with different passions that she discovered. Constantly reevaluate. However, finding that passion it is not enough Remember, hacks are continuous – and require work. The base skills that are required are listening, preparing, and forming relationships. This is why my career hacks focus on these activities in a modern way. 08Closing: So now let’s get (career) hacking YOUR PASSION IS WHAT YOU WOULD DO EVEN IF YOU WON THE LOTTERY.
51 Re-commit or learn the skills by reading and practicing the below: • Listening. Listening is a ninja skill that drives a successful MVP • Preparation. Homework is not a MOOC point • Relationships and networking. Lifelong relationship—breakaway plan These form the base of a great career passion. You do have to be persistent at any age. Pursuing my passion at 16 by Maria Carter-Allensworth My name is Maria Carter-Allensworth, and I am sweet 16! Of course I know that math and com- puter science are important. Even though I love math, when I speak up in class sometimes, I get made fun of for having the right answer. Coming from a different culture, math at first was hard for me. But with the help of my math teachers and my mom, over the years I’ve learned that math is easy and fun. To me, math is like learning a new language. It’s fun and unique in its own way. When I was younger, I used to hate math and tell my mom that when I am older, I won’t need to apply math to the career I wanted to do. But she gave me that look, you know the one, and explained how my dream job would require math and computer science. So then I named three more jobs that I was exploring, and of course, she explained how math would help me there, too. I decided to apply myself, even though it definitely was not the most popular thing for me to do. I realized that math and computer science would help me be more successful. Besides, it is a lot of fun! Even though I might get made fun of for having the right answers and teased because I am in love with math and computer science as a girl, it is something I am going to continue. I’m going to keep looking for opportunities to learn more and to become a chic geek girl like my mom (and dad)! What is a great career? A great career is very personal. It could be about the relationships you form, the level you achieve, the fun you have each day, the learning you experience, or the money you make. For a great career, manage it like you manage your own business. It takes hard work and persistence, and sometimes, pushing past the jokes and teases. Your dreams should never be put on the back burner because of what someone else said. Amplify your career through hacks In the seven career hacks, three of them serve to amplify. Amplification is about extending and Closing: So now let’s get (career) hacking 08 YOUR DREAMS SHOULD NEVER BE PUT ON THE BACK BURNER BECAUSE OF WHAT SOMEONE ELSE SAID. START LISTEN PREPARE NETWORK SHARE EXPERTISE PERSONAL FOCUS SOCIAL BASE Define Your All: Go to Base and Amplify AMPLIFY
52 expanding the impact. Boost the impact of your focus through social influence, sharing your expertise, and paying attention to networking authentically while forming lifelong relationships. The below are the career hacks that help you amplify: Amplifiers: • Social: Be intentional about social influence • Share expertise: Act like an open API • Personal focus: To win the hard sale, show your soft side “GO BEYOND!FIND YOUR PASSION AND GO FOR IT! CHANGE THE WORLD.” Sandy Carter Let’s close the Missing 33%™ by integrating these hacks today by way of hu- man and social interaction: family, colleagues, Twitter followers, and more I wrote this book because this is a personal movement to me. With Science, Technology, Engi- neering, and Math (STEM) education initiatives, jobs are on the rise, and there will be 1.4 million new computer science jobs by 2020. 1.4 MILLION! • These new jobs pay better, 33% more than non-STEM positions • Women are the perfect candidates for these new jobs. Women hold a greater percent- age of all bachelor’s degrees • Unfortunately, they also hold an increasingly smaller percentage of computer science degrees, with just 18% in 2012, as compared to 37% in 1984 • Women represent 48% of the workforce, but only a quarter of STEM and IT careers. • When women are in positions of leadership, there is a 35% higher return on equity and 34% better return to shareholders So let’s get some more women into the roles they can be qualified to fill! The gap in mentoring and sponsorship for young girls and women can be closed by us – all of you who are reading this book. You can help close the gap by sharing your knowledge, starting with this ebook and then of course your personal commitment to pull someone through. Let me expand on that concept. Ted Childs, a former executive who led IBM’s Diversity Initiative, always coached to me to always reach back and pull someone through and up. I’d like your personal commitment to do this in your life – regardless of your age or state of life. Start hacking your career Helping women and girls achieve their highest potential is an expectation for everyone – wheth- er you are an executive, student, leader, technologist, or entrepreneur. It is an important way for you to demonstrate leadership. Closing: So now let’s get (career) hacking 08
53 I am personally committed to this movement. Tweet me your thoughts using #sachack and include @sandy_carter. IBM supports you in your pursuit. If you are a coder, IBM is offering free 90-day free trial of our IBM Bluemix™ cloud solution to help you reach your dream of starting a new way of working. Go to this url https://ibm.biz/bluemix-GeekGirlChic and apply to get started today! And join the Women in Tech developerWorks community: developer.ibm.com/connect/women. In addition, we’d like you to mentor someone and help pull him or her through. Share your story with me by sending it to: sandraanncarter@yahoo.com. And, finally, tweet out the following to raise awareness of these career hacks and the need for all of us to drive for change: Be intentional about your social presence – one of the 7 career hacks! Read the rest in this ebook ibm.biz/cartercareerhacks #sachack @sandy_carter Wanna know how to empower others? Share your knowledge! 7 career hacks by @sandy_carter ibm.biz/cartercareerhacks #sachack Do you know what the 7 career hacks are? @sandy_carter does, and she wrote an ebook! Check it out here ibm.biz/cartercareerhacks #sachack Sandy Carter IBM General Manager Cloud Ecosystem and Developers and Social Business Evangelist A recognized leader in social business, best-selling author, and one of the most influential women in Web 2.0 technology, Sandy Carter is IBM General Manager Cloud Ecosystem and Developers, and a Social Business Evangelist. She is responsible for IBM’s worldwide focus on building and expanding the Cloud ecosystem for ISVs, Entrepreneurs, Developers and Academics. Author of 3 books, including “Get Bold,” which has been translated into 9 languages, Sandy is a recognized expert and has received numerous awards such as: Forbes Global Top 40 Social Marketing Masters, 10 Most Powerful Women in Tech, Women of M2M for Internet of Things (IoT), CNN Women of the Channel, Top Nifty-50 Women in Technology, Top 50 Social Business Influencers, and Top 10 in Social Media. She is Board Chair of WITI (Women in Technology International) and a founding member of WITI Global Executive Network (GEN) for executive women, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Inner Circle, and Working Mother Summit Board Advisor. Sandy is an avid social business evangelist, blogger and community builder. Visit Sandy at: http://www.socialbusinesssandy.com. Tweet her @sandy_carter. Closing: So now let’s get (career) hacking 08
<STORIES FROM> ACHIEVE INSTITUTE FLATIRON PRE-COLLEGE ACADEMY GIRLS WHO CODE IBM LEADING WOMEN LOWE’S HOME IMPROVEMENT POINTSOURCE PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL SOCIAL MEDIA TODAY THE BARBARIAN GROUP WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL (WITI)
COM03006-USEN-00

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Geek girls are Chic: 7 Career Hacks

  • 1.
    Seven Career Hacks GEEK GIRLS ARE CHIC SandyCarter ,Foreword by Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code
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    02 The smartest personin the room is the room Copyright © 2015 by Sandra A Carter All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author.
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    03 I dedicate thisbook to all the girls and women who are proud Geek Girls, including my two wonderful daughters Cassie and Maria. Keep moving forward, as you are my personal heroes and are definitely chic to me!
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    04 FOREWORD INTRODUCTION CAREER HACK #1:LISTENING IS A NINJA SKILL CAREER HACK #2: ACT LIKE AN OPEN API CAREER HACK #3: BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT SOCIAL INFLUENCE CAREER HACK #4: TO WIN THE HARD SALE, SHOW YOUR SOFT SIDE CAREER HACK #5: HOMEWORK IS NOT A MOOC POINT CAREER HACK #6: LIFELONG RELATIONSHIPS – BREAKAWAY PLAY CAREER HACK #7: DEFINE YOUR “ALL” CLOSING: SO NOW LET’S GET (CAREER) HACKING Table of Contents 05 06 10 15 20 25 31 36 42 49
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    05 Tech-savvy women havebeen changing the way we live and work for over 100 years — from Ada Lovelace, the world’s first computer programmer, to Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer of SpaceX. While women have made history in technology, today they only account for 18% of the technology workforce. Imagine the change we could achieve if that number were 50%? This quest is what inspired me to start Girls Who Code, an organization dedicated to empowering young women to develop technical skills and change the world. In just a few years, our alumni have already shown me that this generation challenges the way the world views women in technological fields. They seek to break down the stereotypes surrounding women and teach them they can do anything with programs and mentors geared to their success. Geek Girls are Chic is the playbook for this movement. More than just a guidebook for women of all ages, it’s a way of life and way of building stronger skills and a sense of community with your fellow women in the tech workforce! It provides key career and personal tips, while encouraging women to embrace technology, take risks, and embrace failure to give them the courage to crash through the glass ceiling for their personal and business goals! Read it, soak it up, and let it aid you on your next adventure in technology. Foreword Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code
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  • 8.
    07 Everyone today istalking about hacks. There are even life hack TV shows like “Hack My Life” that teaches viewers ways to create or “hack” a better solution for less money. Hacks are in vogue because they present a “wild duck” way to accomplish a goal through an alternative and different way. And that’s what we will do in this book. We will be wild ducks around career hacks. With so many smart leaders in the world, I crowdsourced many stories to teach the concepts of our top career hacks. Why might you ask? Well, I believe that the smartest person in the room is the room! THE SMARTEST PERSON IN THE ROOM IS THE ROOMSandy Carter To set the stage, let’s first take a look at some characteristics of hacks by reviewing the most popular hacks: growth hacking. Growth hacks are about innovation, scalability, connectivity, and building potential into the product. Most growth hacks help accelerate a product to growth, but in a non-traditional way. Growth hacking was created by start-ups and entrepreneurs as a way to market, but I really consider it an intersection of product, marketing, and data. They always say that “necessity is the mother of invention,” and that’s why the young companies have innovated around this methodology. IntroIntroduction: Hacking compliments of “the room” EVERYONE TODAY IS TALKING ABOUT HACKS. THERE ARE EVEN LIFE HACK TV SHOWS LIKE “HACK MY LIFE” THAT TEACHES VIEWERS WAYS TO CREATE OR “HACK” A BETTER SOLUTION FOR LESS MONEY. HACK Control Shift Caps lock
  • 9.
    08 There are somecharacteristics of growth hacking • It is typically an alternative to costly ways of doing things • It is part of an online marketing ecosystem – meaning it is done with others, not alone • It involves “A/B testing” and experimentation with the understanding that mistakes will be made • And it runs on the engine of content and expertise One way to learn about growth hacking is to do growth hacking One of the things that I love about growth hacking is that to really understand it, you have to jump into it. For instance, blogging may be a good start to growth hacking. But this is about career hacks The introduction on growth hacking was to allow a thought process to be solidified. Career hacks are about the new ways of operating in the new world. Our career hacks have similar traits • Alternative approaches to the workforce today, based on trends in the market • They will not be alone, rather with an ecosystem of support • They will involve taking risks and experimenting • And finally, they will be based on your expertise The Missing 33%™ Susan Colantuono, CEO and Founder Leading Women I loved the TED Talk on The Missing 33%™ by Susan Colantuono. The research shows that there is a missing 33% in most of the mentoring and sponsorship done today – especially for women. Susan talks about the need for strong expertise in business, strategic and financial areas. This got me thinking about how I can help women advance their careers with seven hacks that I have used through my career that have helped me. Hacking compliments of “the room” Intro
  • 10.
    09 = GROWTH HACK Today’s SPAM Tomorrow’s Hacking complimentsof “the room” Intro Updated Career Hacks: Because the world is always changing These Career Hacks are new and improved.​I used to love reading Alice In Wonderland to my daughters and our favorite quote from the book is: “I have to run twice as fast just to stay in the same place​.”​The world is moving fast and changing constantly. That’s why I love these hacks. They are constantly on the move! For instance, in the past world, knowledge was power. Today our Career Hack is “acting like an Open API.” T​hings have changed! Seven career hacks Old: Action first Today: Listening is a ninja skill Old: Knowledge is power Today: Act Like an Open API Old: Social’s for kids Today: Be intentional about social Old: It’s just about business Today: To win the hard sale, you have to show your soft side Old: Use your gut Today: Homework is a MOOC point Old: Transactional relationships Today: Lifelong Relationships Old: Climb the career ladder Today: Define your “all” Make sure you don’t just read, but take action. I dedicate this book to all you Geek Girls who are definitely chic!
  • 11.
    10 01Career Hack #1: Listeningis a ninja skill that drives a successful MVP Chapter
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    11 Active listening isa true skill because it aids in problem solving, conflict resolution, relationship building, and accuracy improvement. In your personal life, it means stronger friendships and careers. In your business life, it drives more effective and efficient outcomes. Action-oriented people fill today’s world, with many solving problems before they even manifest. They create, they talk, and they perform, but they don’t always listen. The digital universe currently holds over 2.7 zetabytes of information to share, but without active listening skills, action-oriented people are missing out.1 Active listening can be disruptive. It really is a ninja skill. As James Miller said, “There is no such thing as a worthless conversation, provided you know what to listen for.” By actively listening, it can drive a successful set of explorations or experiments. What is an MVP? There’s a new term used in today’s world called an “MVP” – a Minimum Viable Product. An MVP is one that tests whether an idea is on target. It’s an iterative process of idea generation, prototyping, presentation, data collection, analysis, and learning. By actively listening to customer feedback, you’re able to change your design quickly. Being able to discuss your results and accomplishments will make you the other kind of MVP – a Most Valuable Player. The secret to being a great MVP is all about listening! What is active listening? Active listening is a type of listening that engages people to improve understanding. By doing so, you’re better equipped to establish a connection with the people you meet. Asking thoughtful questions allows you to identify the deeper need in your business and interpersonal lives. Active listening occurs BOTH in social media and in person. When solving a problem, go beyond the request and ask, “What else is possible?” 01Career Hack #1: Listening is a ninja skill that drives a successful MVP ACTIVE LISTENING OCCURS BOTH IN SOCIAL MEDIA AND IN PERSON . 1 Search Engine Watch. Digital Data Trends – Search, Social & Content Fusion. Published April 10, 2014. http://searchenginewatch.com/sew/how-to/2339110/digital-data-trends-search-social-content-fusion
  • 13.
    12 How has themarket changed? Over the past 10 years, the act of listening has greatly diminished. In 1980, people spent about 55% of the day on activities that involved listening. Today, that number is less than 30%.2 We spend more time communicating our message than listening for and processing feedback. Even in social media, many people focus on broadcasting their message, but spend no time listening to the point of view of others who leverage their networks! How is this a competitive advantage? Research has found that by listening effectively, you gain more information from the people you manage. You increase their trust, reduce conflict, better understand how to motivate others, and inspire a higher level of commitment. In today’s environment of information overload, listening is disruptive because it is rare. Practice this ninja skill! “LISTENING IS A NINJA SKILL IN TODAY’S INFORMATION OVERLOAD SOCIETY.” Sandy Carter What’s important about active listening? When engaging in active listening, keep these things in mind: • Maintain eye contact. This technique helps maintain engagement • Stay in the present. Avoid distractions and other activities • If needed, ask for clarification when the speaker pauses. Make sure you hear the speaker’s words and understand their intent • Keep an open mind and try to put yourself in the speaker’s place Listening in person, as opposed to in the social universe, comes with its own set of challenges. Career Hack #1: Listening is a ninja skill that drives a successful MVP 01 2 Laura A. Janusik, Andrew D. Wolvin. 24 Hours in a Day: A Listening Update to the Time Studies. Department of Communication and Fine Arts, Rockhurst University, Department of Communication, University of Maryland. Published July 2009. http://www.academia.edu/4366491/24_Hours_in_a_Day_A_Listen- ing_Update_to_the_Time_Studies.
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    13 In person There’s anadvantage to listening in person, as it enables communication of unspoken messages. In a spoken message, 55% of the meaning is translated non-verbally, and 38% is indicated by the tone of voice, while only 7% is conveyed by the words used.3 While you listen, analyze key points and keep an open mind. Ask questions that clarify anything that needs a deeper understanding. Try to reserve judgment. In the social universe Tools can really help you listen and capture potential MVP ideas. One of my favorites is Hootsuite™ , a social media management tool that allows you to track both your social network channels and targeted words. By monitoring a set of targeted words, listening is streamlined across multiple channels such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, with options to post updates or reply directly. How do you become an active listener? Here are three ways you can get started on the path to active listening: 1. Practice By removing distractions and focusing, you can hone your skills. Below are some suggestions. Personally: • Turn off the TV and play games with your family • Put your phone away when having dinner with family or friends • Have one conversation at a time. Don’t multi-task • Pay attention. Silence your inner voice focused on everything about the speaker except for what they’re saying! Professionally: • Book a lunch with your coworkers or partners and step away from the mobile devices! • Social is a great way to listen. Leverage social media tools like Hootsuite to listen around top key words and topics that matter to your business • Know your audience – make sure you are listening to the right people • Experimentation helps you “actively” listen and learn. Don’t be afraid to fail and start again. Feedback is introspection but should be action oriented. 2. Create a picture Next time you’re listening to a speaker, be it a friend, spouse, or peer, build a mental picture of their words. Try visualizing the comments and thoughts. By focusing on the picture, you remove the focus on a planned answer question; you focus on the person speaking – or engage in active listening. 3 Laura A. Janusik. Listening Facts. http://d1025403.site.myhosting.com/files.listen.org/Facts.htm Career Hack #1: Listening is a ninja skill that drives a successful MVP 01 THE VALUE OF SOCIAL LISTENING IS THAT IT ASSISTS YOU IN UNDERSTANDING YOUR PROSPECTS, CLIENTS, AND, OF COURSE, YOUR COMPETITORS .
  • 15.
    14 3. Experiment withsocial listening tools The value of social listening is that it assists you in understanding your prospects, clients, and of course, your competitors. It leads to action and awareness of conversations. Today, a URL is more than a website address; it’s one of the most prominent forms of identification in the digital world and helps govern your public perception. Listening is important to your digital presence while you build and maintain your brand through images and tests. Fail to listen, and you’ll find your head on the “guillotine” every day if you just rest and don’t stay aware of your social surroundings. Try Hootsuite and IBM Connections to help you listen in an organized fashion. Driving engagement through collaboration and listening by Clarissa Felts, Vice President, Collaboration, Diversity & Inclusion at Lowe’s Home Improvement Maureen Ausura, our Chief Human Resources Officer, launched a Women’s Leadership Summit at Lowe’s five years ago. It focused on inspiring and motivating women in leadership. It was a day-and-a-half of outstanding speakers and networking. In 2015, we will host our fifth annual leadership event. As Vice President, Collaboration, Diversity & Inclusion, Clarissa Felts identified an opportunity to bring female leaders together at our national sales meeting. Our first event took place three years ago. It was all of our female field leadership with 400 attendees. In 2015, we hosted our third annual event at our national sales meeting, and it was our most engaging one to date. These events were catalysts. The truly amazing development is the ongoing collaboration, networking, and mentoring that is taking place across the enterprise virtually. There are several dozen virtual communities focused on development, networking, mentoring, and opportunity. There are several thousand participants. Women are able to reach out across the landscape and share, learn and grow. As a global company, this technology has enabled us to connect across former barriers and discuss plans and events, as well as share thought-provoking articles and videos. The women’s meetings in the field have grown from a few to more than 150 events in 2014. We are able to leverage these experiences, as well as knowledge and expertise. We celebrate accomplishments and recognize achievements of females. The opportunity for any individual to have a voice and share, regardless of rank or location, is a powerful platform. Results speak for themselves, as our engagement numbers in the field in 2014 were the highest in four years. Collaboration and listening are breaking down silos and are a driving force for employee engagement. Career Hack #1: Listening is a ninja skill that drives a successful MVP 01 THE TRULY AMAZING DEVELOPMENT IS THE ONGOING COLLABORATION, NETWORKING, AND MENTORING THAT IS TAKING PLACE ACROSS THE ENTERPRISE VIRTUALLY.
  • 16.
    15 02Career Hack #2: Actlike an open API Chapter
  • 17.
    In the past,value was found in hoarding information. In fact, promotions and rewards were targeted to those with the “knowledge power.” But in today’s Internet world, power is in the hands of those who share knowledge. Similar to an open API, it changes the old norm where you’re actually sharing information and generating value, rather than hoarding the information. Steve Mills, Senior Vice President, IBM (one of my favorite IBM executives) has a kindergarten diploma on his wall. He always says that he learned everything he needed to know in kindergarten because that’s where you learn how to share. What is an API? An API (Application Programming Interface) is simply a way of sharing technical knowledge and enabling others to gain access to the function without having to write the function. For example, there is a “Give me the GPS Coordinates” API call on your smartphone that programmers can trust will be there. This way, not everyone has to write the code to obtain the GPS coordinates. One person wrote the code and shared it with the world! Another way to view it is with this analogy: In a grocery store, you can buy a cake mix or all the ingredients for the cake. The cake mix is like an API. It contains a recipe of knowledge that is shared with you to shorten your cooking time. An API is a way to share knowledge and insight. Market changes Today, every business is a digital business. Every digital business ecosystem is powered by APIs. APIs allow others to access and use your company’s knowledge and vice versa. This knowledge and market shift applies to individuals, as well. Consider this example from my experience: When I grew up, I was measured in school on how much I memorized. Today, my daughters are given assignments to find the answers 02Career Hack #2: Act like an open API 16
  • 18.
    17 online, and thenthey must prove their answers came from trusted sources. Companies still reward employees for patents, but today companies are also increasing their awards for those employees who share their ideas. Companies are looking for trusted advisors who are acting like “human APIs.” In the business world, technology companies become known for sharing their APIs. Those who share their APIs tend to have higher value and engagement with the ecosystem and community. The same is true for individuals who share their knowledge inside your company, as well as externally. How is this a competitive advantage? Did you know that over $31.5B is lost by Fortune 500 companies because their employees don’t share knowledge?4 This is a very scary figure in this global economy filled with turbulence and change. Actively managing knowledge can help companies increase their chances of success by facilitating decision-making, building learning environments by making learning routine, and stimulating cultural change and innovation. Companies need people who will openly and proactively changing the paradigm. By proactively implementing a sharing culture, you can drive a change in the company. You know that saying, that “Change is inevitable, growth is optional?” Your actions can change that to “Change is inevitable, growth is intentional!” Acting like an open API is about sharing your knowledge. Being able to quickly locate the right people or published content containing the expertise needed to solve a problem makes businesses more effective and allows people to respond more quickly to client needs. By shifting the focus from discrete knowledge transactions to on-going knowledge relationships, value can be achieved for companies and individuals. With the creation of value ­— from sharing knowledge across multiple silos, businesses, and types of people, as well as the traditional borders between them, their partners and customers — speed and agility are achieved. By documenting and sharing your reusable solutions to common issues, you become part of the solution and help to create highly-engaged and productive employees. For your company, if you can become the example and change the culture, your company can see up to a 30% improvement in speed of accessing experts!5 IN THE NEW WORLD, VALUE IS IN SHARING. Sandy Carter Career Hack #2: Act like an open API 02 CHANGE IS INEVITABLE, GROWTH IS INTENTIONAL. $31.5B+ IS LOST when employees don’t share knowledge 4 Pamela Babcock. Society for Human Resource Management. HR Magazine. Shedding Light on Knowledge Management. Published May 1, 2004. http://www.shrm.org/publications/hrmagazine/editorialcontent/pages/0504covstory.aspx 5 IBM white paper. Applying social business: The repeatable patterns that improve business processes and provide return. Published January 2014.
  • 19.
    What’s important inan API? Since I started us with an analogy of an open API, let’s take a look at what makes a technical artifact a valued API: • There has to be a differentiated reason for someone to use the API — for example, to make the developer’s job easier • It must be easy to use • It must be supported and kept up to date For you to become an API, you need to have a strategy for the knowledge that you want to share openly! • It needs to be your POV (point of view) that is differentiated and valued • It must be easy to get to the knowledge • It must be up to date and must allow for questions How do you become an open API? Since it is difficult for most people to locate the best expertise needed to resolve problems quickly or best address a business opportunity, whether that expertise resides inside another person or within published content, let’s think through how your open API strategy becomes a reality. These are the 3 ways to get started: 1. Create your open API strategy Explore what you are known for doing. Is it your brilliant technical expertise with mobile devices or doing taxes? Be purposeful in what you want to share; that adds value to others. 2. Make the information available in an easy form like speaking engagements, blogs, or classes Present an event on the subject, start a blog or Twitter handle on the topic, or teach a class at your company or a local university. Make sure you make the information both simple and valuable. Go into teaching mode! 3. Keep the information updated and answer questions Content curation is crucial, so make sure your information is up to date. Be a continuous learner so that you can always be up to date. If you have a blog, you have a great way to answer questions and refine the way you tell your story! Career Hack #2: Act like an open API 02 AN API OFFERS A WAY TO UNLOCK THE VALUE OF A BUSINESS’S DIGITAL ASSETS AND TO EXTEND ITS REACH, SO THINK THROUGH YOUR OPEN API IN THE SAME WAY. 18
  • 20.
    19 Girls Who CodeExample: From so shy to so fly! Elizabeth Caudle, East Region Director for Girls Who Code In Girls Who Code, Elizabeth Caudle, East Region Director for Girls Who Code, told this story. The students were asked in the first week of the Girls Who Code program to introduce themselves. One student was too terrified to speak publicly. Many of the girls and teachers got together to share their knowledge on public speaking, and by the end of the program, this young girl was able to present to all the executives! The growth in the girls from the overall class, acting as an open API, has led to growth in the girls as individuals. Being seen and being heard in the work place, communicating cross-functionally, that young girl received funding for her project because of her presenting skills! Girls Who Code depends on women from all sorts of business areas — from robotics engineers to program managers to CTOs — to share their knowledge and skills. We focus on showing the entire career span; so we have speakers come in that are 22 years old and just graduated from college all the way through senior executives. This really impacts the girls profoundly because they’re able to put themselves in these women’s shoes and build on the knowledge that our professional women volunteers have already gained throughout their careers. This open API extends to mentoring. One of the most valuable parts of Girls Who Code is the mentorship piece. We pair each girl in the program with a mentor. They meet for one hour at the company where they’re being hosted over the summer, and they meet for one hour once a week for career and academic mentorship. The conversations usually focus on aspirations and interests, creating smart goals, and helping the girls choose work that excites them. We also identify post-program opportunities based on their experience, and then figure out how these girls’ experiences can translate into their future academics and career. Thus far, Girls Who Code has paired over 540 girls with mentors over the past three years. Sometimes these mentorships last just the seven weeks of our summer programs, but some girls and mentors are still talking three years later! The Girls Who Code program has been a valuable resource for the girls as they move along in their college careers and eventually into the workforce. At Girls Who Code, they cannot stress enough how important it is for us to share knowledge as women in technology and also to encourage the younger generation to be great examples to inspire the next generation of girls who code. Career Hack #2: Act like an open API 02
  • 21.
    20 03Career Hack #3: Beintentional about social influence Chapter
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    21 Reputation matters. Yoursocial influence is a measurement of the reputation that you have earned online. Since this influence is about what others believe to be true about your company, product, brand, or you, it is important to keep a watch on the outcome. I was just with a client who was screening applicants by their social influence score (they used a combination of Klout® , Kred and Hootsuite). This social influence matters today, but will increase in value over the years. What is social influence? Social influence is a measurement of your knowledge, and perceived knowledge, about a topic in the online world. Influence is typically a combination of the size of your social media audience, reach and resonance of your story or message. According to Wikipedia, social influence occurs when one’s emotions, opinions, or behaviors are affected by others. In other words, your thinking and point of view influences the thinking and point of view of many others. Powerful social media influencers have mastered the art of sharing their perspectives and using that to shape others. Social influence is being able to appropriately shape your reputation by doing the following: • Showcasing your subject matter expertise • Having the right listening to know what others think about you • Building positive opinions through action, and debating counter opinions Your social influence matters a great deal, so you need to be able to measure your influence and value in the market. It is not measured by numbers of views or friends, but by the value people find in your content. Social influence has become so important to both companies and people that there are now many tools that attempt to quantify its value. 03Career Hack #3: Be intentional about social influence YOUR THINKING AND POINT OF VIEW INFLUENCE THE THINKING AND POINT OF VIEW OF MANY OTHERS.
  • 23.
    22 Some examples oftypes of influence metrics that provide insight on your social influence include these: • Comments on your website, Facebook page, LinkedIn and so on (neutral, positive or negative) • Influence metrics to understand the level of influence you have with your fans, followers and friends (will a recommendation or suggestion lead to a purchase?) • Klout, Kred, and many other tools available in the market as a standardized view “SOCIAL INFLUENCE IS THE NEW CURRENCY” Sandy Carter Market changes Since the birth of social networks, our social influence is becoming a major factor in how we prove our value. A strong personal brand can really help differentiate us in a competitive job market. Klout is just one way in which social influence can be measured, but one to which more and more recruiters are turning to. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer study in 2014, we increasingly trust messages from experts and our peers. Influence is becoming a real currency. In fact, over 60% of people trust experts from Academia, Technology or a person like them! This market shift is a big one and should be noted for both people and companies. How is this a competitive advantage? According to Vala Afshar, new markets are no longer limited to geographies. While China and India still have the world’s largest populations, Facebook, Tencent, and WhatsApp have the third through fifth largest populations in the world! Consider that fact... it means that your social influence can impact six of the top ten markets in the world! Career Hack #3: Be intentional about social influence 03
  • 24.
    23 According to GinaKerr — an entrepreneur, speaker and marketing expert with a healthy Klout score of 78 — decisions today are made based on influence, and social influence algorithms like Klout provides a good way to quantify the amount of influence a person has online. In fact, she wrote a book entitled, “Klout Matters: How to Engage Customers, Boost Your Digital Influence— and Raise Your Klout Score for Success,” just to emphasize this point. Your social influence is a competitive advantage. What’s important in social influence? Social influence is driven by 3 core things: 1. Quality content. Content is queen. Any person can gain social currency with the right content at the right time. This is true across all industries. 2. Consistent interaction. Being on social networks is work. You need to have a plan to tweet every day or blog every week. 3. Targeted connections. You need to figure out who matters in your “subject matter expert area.” Connecting with the right people is critical as your social influence rises. I once tweeted I was heading to London. I have a high Klout score, especially in the area of social media. When the CMO of a financial institution invited me to a meeting that my local colleagues had not been able to set up after trying for a year, I knew the power of social influence. He wanted to chat with me because he knew I had a point of view and that I had experience that was respected in the industry. Sales reps hadn’t been able to get in to talk to him, nor had competitors, but my social influence opened the door and closed the deal. How do you become an intentional social influencer? Make it intentional. Below are three tips to help you get started on your social influence! 1. Determine your goal The first thing to do is to determine your goal. On what topic do you want to be known as an expert and influencer? Is it a work topic, or something else that drives your passion? Do you want to drive your influence up in social media or in selections of wine, for instance? Both can help you in business! One tip that I use is to focus on 1-2 topics. Then you can become THE person or one of the key people in that particular topic. In order for you to be the “go to person,” you must have solid skills, be authentic, and stay consistently up to date. 2. Have a social media calendar Plot out your topics and invest the time to create a monthly calendar to showcase what you are going to write, speak, or tweet about. Schedule it in! What’s important to me makes my calendar (this includes not just social, but exercise, my family and everything else). Career Hack #3: Be intentional about social influence 03
  • 25.
    24 3. Watch yourscore I’d recommend that you know your Klout score (you can see it in Hootsuite!), PeerIndex, and Kred score. Understand what drives them and experiment with what is making an impact. Constantly be experimenting and determining what is impacting your influence in your chosen topic. What if you don’t have time? The #1 question I get asked on social media is “How do you find the time?” People prioritize what’s important to them, and I find that the most successful people plan it out. For instance, I have a monthly calendar that I create on topics that I think my “tribe” will be most interested in. I schedule 15 minutes in the morning, at lunch and in the evening but because I love it, you will see me on social channels while mobile too! Make sure you create a checklist that fits your lifestyle and time, check out the productivity tools like Hootsuite, Dynamic Signal, TweetDeck, and even Google Alerts that are now available, and determine what content you can repurpose or how much time you want to spend creating it. For instance, one of my friends only does a video blog, because for her, this is the most time efficient way to share her terrific content! Social Media Today, Robin Carey, CEO and Founder “Social influence” is hard to define. Is it a Klout Score, is it the #followers on Twitter, or is it some combination of online and measurable influence with what you are able to achieve in the real world? Whatever it is, for women, achieving “social influence” is critical because it can be measured, usually in real time. Unlike the closed-door influence of Wall Street or Sand Hill Road, social influence can be marshaled by women who are willing to be open, authentic and responsive in their preferred social channels. These connective tissues, whether they exist on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn® or in increasingly influential networks like Snapchat, can be marshaled for business purposes when the need arises – like finding a new job, launching your start-up, selling your services. It’s a countervailing force to traditional networks that women should be taking full advantage of now, before the “old school,” male-dominated circles of influence wake up and catch on. It’s still a new world out there, ladies, so don’t be shy. But also be aware that your network, as my friend Porter Gale puts it, is “your net worth,” so, as in any asset, don’t draw it down for trivial reasons. Respect the members of your networks and at the same time, give them reason to join you in whatever your cause or case may be. Also, you owe it to yourself and to your networks to make sure that your purpose is tied to a greater good, whether that is something that saves the planet or helps your community or pushes other women to get to a level playing field with men. Finally, “sharing” alone is not the answer to success in social influence; ultimately, your goals should produce real results – or ROI – to keep your influence growing inside – and outside – of social. Career Hack #3: Be intentional about social influence 03 ACHIEVING SOCIAL INFLUENCE IS CRITICAL BECAUSE IT CAN BE MEASURED IN REAL TIME.
  • 26.
    25 04Career Hack #4: Towin the hard sale, show your soft side Chapter
  • 27.
    26 A soft sidesounds weak, not tough. In fact, to some men, saying they have a soft side would be fighting words. A soft side is associated with speaking from the heart and being genuine. But choosing to communicate in an authentic fashion and to do so on a sustained basis leads to strong and meaningful relationships. These relationships thrive because of the emotional connection and “authenticity” of the interaction. I love the advice from author and business trainer Jeffrey Gitomer, who says: “People do business with people they like and people they trust.” Having a soft side is about generating trust and relationships. What is a soft side? Your soft side is about showing personal interest. It is about showcasing who you are as a person. Trust is an essential element of your soft side. Trust is the reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, and surety of a person who generates confidence. It’s about being who you are — your true self! The key point is every interaction and experience is a non-neutral brand transaction. Make every interaction one people remember. “IT’S NOT ABOUT B2B OR B2C. IT’S ABOUT P2P – PERSON TO PERSON.” Sandy Carter 04Career Hack #4: To win the hard sale, show your soft side
  • 28.
    27 The markets arechanging Since more people today rely on word of mouth than even a company’s website, relationships have risen to the forefront. In fact, have you noticed how much value companies apply to on their CRM systems and growth in CRM software? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 70% of all jobs are found through networking. This has changed over the years. In the past, sending in a resume and having great skills made the difference. Today, it is as much who you know as what you know. How is this a competitive advantage? In every part of your life and business, having a soft side has an impact on forming and keeping relationships. Did you know people with more than 20 connections on LinkedIn are 34 times more likely to be approached with a job opportunity than people with less than five?6 Gone are the days of B2B and B2C. Today, it is all about people to people, which means you must show your soft side to win. In branding, where a person forms a relationship with a company, we can see parallels. Brands lose their competitive edge when they fail to deliver on a promise, don’t adapt to change, or if another brand is recommended by someone they trust. Strengthening your soft side provides a way to strengthen your personal brand. Showing my Soft Side I showed my soft side when I took over a team that was having both poor growth and low morale. As I learned the team, I decided that we would do weekly ‘chat’ sessions to get us in sync and to engage all of my employees. Since I love quotes and the motivation they bring, I decided that each Monday I would search for a personalized quote for each person on the team and leave it in a little container so they could open it and be inspired. After I had done these three weeks in a row, one of the guys on my team — Fred ­— asked for a one-on-one meeting. “We, the team and I, don’t like these silly quotes,” he said as he closed the door. “Remember, we are all men and this girly stuff doesn’t help us.” He immediately walked out. In Career Hack #4: To win the hard sale, show your soft side 04 6 J. Elad. LinkedIn for Dummies. Published January 28, 2014. Ch. 1, page 17.
  • 29.
    28 spite of thisfeedback, I decided that I had to continue to show my soft side. We finally turned around the business and I had one of the highest ratings on my management survey. But what really touched my heart? Years later, Fred invited me to his retirement dinner —when I met his wife she said, “You’re the Sandy with the quotes!” I told her that yes that was me, and that yes, I know that Fred didn’t like them. Much to my surprise she told me that he saved every quote in a shoebox and still had them. That was my a-ha moment — the soft side is important. What’s important in your soft side? Your soft side is driven by: • Authenticity: You have to be genuine. In the context of engagement, it is the act of being open and true to the actions and words, online and offline. Be interested in others • Receptivity: Be open to other ideas. If the discussion is difficult, it is not about defending yourself, but about truly seeking to understand another viewpoint • Transparency: Be open and with a propensity to freely share skills, knowledge, talent, and always learning Relationship building is not just about engagement, but about being practically useful for both your business and customers. How do you sustain effective relationships that show that soft side? 1. Personalized communications One of the cornerstones for memorable interactions is communications. Did you know that most breakups occur from the lack of communication? In today’s texting culture, many people don’t communicate enough. Strike up a conversation with your boss on how she is doing. Show interest in your peers in the things they are working on. And ask questions if you don’t understand something. Be personalized in your communications. Remembering a topic and sending a link to a URL on that topic can help form a relationship or even continue to build one. 2. Your “regulars” are your rock Whether it be online or in person, make sure you show appreciation for those who are your regulars – they could be regular clients, supporters, friends or more. Make sure you pay attention to your regulars and ensure that you continue to nurture those relationships. 3. Don’t just focus on the relationship, but the value Relationships are not just about engagement, but about shared values. Make sure you keep up regular communications about those shared values, and visions. Remember that you have to add value for the relationship to be valued. Career Hack #4: To win the hard sale, show your soft side 04
  • 30.
    29 To win thehard sale, you have to show your soft side Stephanie L. Trunzo, Chief Creative Officer, PointSource All good leaders learn two critical things over time and experience: 1. You need many tools to effectively address different situations and people 2. Some approaches are in nurture (acquired) and some are in nature (innate) I admire the managers who can give a directive, step away, and then hold people accountable for delivering to their clear message. It is a skill that I emulate; that leadership tool is something I have to intentionally foster. For me, listening, synthesizing and helping connect ideas (while weaving in my own) is in my nature. At PointSource, we are constantly evolving around our mission to craft and deliver mobile strategies. That means we hire talented and opinionated people, and as a rule, we venture into new territory. Opinions and unknowns, paired with egos and ambition -- it could be a recipe for constant conflict. Instead, I find the women leaders in our company, myself included, are able to provide a grounding base to the alkaline of the majority. Recently, a major retailer asked us to create design concepts to pitch visionary ideas for the upcoming year’s roadmap to their CEO. It was a big opportunity for us… a short timeline (three weeks!) and a deliverable we had never explored before. I watched as anxiety mounted and ideas started to clash. Taking control of the conversation did not mean dominating it, asserting direction, or boxing in roles. To me, taking control of the conversation meant enabling people, facilitating open exchange of ideas, and giving praise and credit for every collaboration I witnessed (no matter how small.) By raising everyone on the team up, I raised up the team. We produced something spectacular and knocked it out of the park with the CEO. But that part isn’t the part that makes me feel proud; it is watching every contributor realize they were an integral part of that outcome. Soft management not only plays a strong role when collabora- tion is needed, but also when the situation calls for empathy. At PointSource, we value relationships, and our employees form strong bonds with one another. After having to make the hard decision to let someone go recently, one of my talented employees was visibly upset. It would have been easy to ignore the situation outside my office door, shruging, “it’s just business.” Instead, I asked that person into my office for privacy, gave her a hug, and talked through the reality of how the situation was difficult for us both. Business is not just business; it is personal. As women leaders, there are soft management skills that enable us to tell people they aren’t a fit for our company and end the conversation with a hug, honoring the value they have as a person. As women leaders, we can find a way to take tough conversations and turn them into learning moments for the talented voices participating. As women leaders, we teach others to be better listeners, and we help the team produce better results. There are many ways to lead, and understanding the areas we each need to improve is no less important than valuing and evangelizing the innate skills we bring. Career Hack #4: To win the hard sale, show your soft side 04
  • 31.
    30 Okay, so nowyou built it but will they come? Jean Balbo, Director, Process Management, Prudential Financial It takes skill and imagination to build the technology we use to run our businesses, but we cannot overlook the soft skills we need to encourage employees to use it. To truly succeed, we have to keep an eye on the way technology is used...and sometimes it’s not only about how well a new system is designed, often it’s about the need to change traditional behavior. A good example from my experience is the roll out of social tools in a highly regulated, conservative environment. Social tools are very much about the soft skills. The success of this type of platform depends on activities like collaboration, communication, sharing, liking, etc. These are not the type of words we generally use to describe the technology we need to get a job done. Engagement must be encouraged and nurtured... something women are naturally wired to do. Encouragement to engage in social behavior must come from the top in order to be accepted. Our earliest success came from the use of social media by our leadership team. Blogging as a communication vehicle provided a virtual “face time” with leadership that was not previously possible. The important messages being shared could now be two-way conversations, no matter the level or location. Our earliest adopters were women in leadership. To encourage participation, the subject of some blogs was more personal. Topics included talent management strategy, personal development and even features that talked about the advice they would give to their 20-year-old self. This quickly became a new way to mentor on a much larger scale. Talent management plays a critical role in a company’s overall business strategy. Collaboration, communication and relationship management are necessary skills for employee development, engagement and succession planning. Employee recognition and celebrating success in a more visible way further encouraged participation. The introduction of well designed social tools, as well as the strategies used to encourage adoption, played a part in improved employee opinion survey results, which is key to talent retention. We may tend to focus on metrics and measurement, but softer skills assist us in achieving our goals.
  • 32.
    31 05Career Hack #5: Homeworkis not a MOOC (moot) point Chapter
  • 33.
    32 Homework is hardwork, but for success, you must be prepared. The United States has even declared September as National Preparedness Month to encourage states to be prepared for emergencies like hurricanes or other disasters. Being prepared is not just for the big, one-time events. Your brand is impacted for each interaction, whether positive or negative. So ensure every interaction is a positive one – be ready ahead of time! Preparing is now more of a necessity than a suggestion. What is a MOOC? A MOOC is a massive open online course, where study is made available over the Internet without a charge to huge numbers of people. It is both a play on words – MOOC and moot – but equally important, MOOC is a way to become more prepared. Being ready and prepared through MOOCs provides everyone with an equal playing field of free education. The MOOC movement makes it simple for anyone to learn without cost and location barriers. This creates competition, as more people are skilled. To stay ahead of the game, you should keep advancing your skills by taking advantage of MOOC opportunities (such as Khan Academy and Lynda.com® ) and by participating in social networks like GitHub for collaborative building and learning. What does prepared really mean? Being prepared means two things. First, it is about being skilled enough to be ready for the challenge. And secondly, being able to anticipate how situations might play out, then being proactive in the way you respond. Doing your homework is a successful and positive standard for your personal and business life. 05Career Hack #5: Homework is not a MOOC (moot) point DOING YOUR HOMEWORK IS A SUCCESSFUL AND POSITIVE STANDARD FOR YOUR PERSONAL AND BUSINESS LIFE
  • 34.
    33 There are twoquotes to support the importance of this hack: “Fortune favors the prepared mind,” – Louis Pasteur “I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” – Thomas Jefferson Market changes Given the volume of requests and the increase in information, being prepared in today’s world helps you to stand out. Today, we live in an age of information overload. Given the volume of data, today’s market demands that you have the right skills at the right time, and that you can anticipate what is needed. How is this focus on homework a competitive advantage? Break through the noise with your preparedness. In Jeffrey Gitomer’s book, “Little Black Book of Connections,” he writes, “Preparation requires work. Homework. Before-hours and after-hours work. If you are looking to connect, preparation is not the best way. Prepa- ration is the only way. When you show up to a networking event, how prepared are you? When you go to some kind of connection meeting, either business or social, how prepared are you?” Preparation involves anticipating what is needed, then being ready. Those are lasting val- ues for your career hack. What’s important about doing your homework and being prepared? I think the most important thing in homework preparedness is to anticipate tough questions and issues that you might face. Practice answering tough questions – and get others engaged to assist. For example, before I do a major presentation to a board of directors, I practice with others and have them present me with tough questions. That way, I can adjust my presentation to be ready for those tough questions. That enables me to offer better insight to my clients, peers, boss, etc. Understanding skills that are needed is crucial for me to be prepared — both today and in the future. Being prepared helps me build up credibility and competency. At Girls Who Code, they focus on teaching young girls to focus on abstract thinking skills and fundamentals, rather than specific computer languages. The Girls Who Code Program speaks to the core tenants on computational thinking and creative thinking. That’s how they prepare girls on the concepts of solving problems and not just coding. Career Hack #5: Homework is not a MOOC (moot) point 05
  • 35.
    34 “NOTHING BIG WILLHAPPEN IN YOUR LIFE, UNTIL YOU ANTICIPATE. PREPARE. GET SKILLED.”Sandy Carter How do you become a prepared individual? 1. Do a skill assessment Set aside time to assess what skills you believe you need to be successful. Do it both for your current role and the roles that you want to have! Make sure you look at technical skills, as well as other required skills. Stretch your skills to grow your career and increase your eminence or brand. You are going to have to step outside your comfort zone. But in addition, make sure you expand your cultural reach. For instance, according to IBM’s Advancing Women Research, one of the top three attributes that leaders of tomorrow will need to succeed is a global mindset. Know what matters! Career Hack #5: Homework is not a MOOC (moot) point 05 Meaty Assignment 42% Peer Collaboration 17% Other Attributes 17% Personal Attributes 17% Politics 7% 2014 IBM Smarter Workforce study: “Meaty Assignments” is #1 way to rise the ranks
  • 36.
    35 2. Make timeto prepare Make sure you have the proper amount of time to prepare. Since every interaction with your personal brand matters, make time to give each interaction the attention it needs. I would even encourage you to cut back on speaking engagements, networking, and blogging if you don’t have time to prepare for each one in the right fashion. 3. Seek out highly visible stretch and growth roles Look for roles that provide an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to work through complex and business-critical tasks to your peers, leaders, and decision-makers across the company. Homework is a not a MOOC point! Lisa Seacat DeLuca, IBM’s most prolific female inventor Lisa Seacat DeLuca is IBM’s most prolific female inventor with over 375 inventions filed to date, over 150 of which have been granted. Below is her advice on being prepared: As an inventor, the single most important advice I could give on being successful is to do your homework. To inventors, “homework” is called prior art searching. Once you’ve thought of an idea that you think is new, it’s important to see what is out there, what other companies are doing, what existing patents have been filed or issued, and what technologies are being talked about in your space. I can’t tell you how many times I thought of an idea, only to search the Internet to find that someone else has thought of that same idea already. A good inventor might move on to a new idea once they find a “direct hit,” but a great inventor will be able to reshape their original idea to extend beyond the prior art and come up with something even more creative. Another benefit to being prepared and knowing what exists in your space is that during the review process, “showing your work” tells the other people who are judging your idea that you did your due diligence and you’re an expert in the space. It gives you credibility and saves everyone time. Career Hack #5: Homework is not a MOOC (moot) point 05
  • 37.
    36 06Career Hack #6: Relationshipsare the breakaway play Chapter
  • 38.
    37 I have reada lot of books on leadership, and the one piece of advice that was common in every book was about networking for lifelong relationships, not short term gain. It turns out that among the things that successful people do, building relationships ranks high as a top use of their time and focus. In fact, I would assert business is personal, and relationships do matter. “You will get all you want in life, if you help enough people get what they want.” – Zig Ziglar This quote sets a tone of giving your value to others, seizing knowledge, and growing trust over the long term. What is a business relationship? A business relationship is about a connection between people. The connection could be a business, personal or strategic one. It involves an emotional connection with your client, mentor, employee or associate, usually created by exceptional experiences. Relationships can have great returns, but the goal of building a relationship should not be centered on your promotion or selfish goals. Great relationships are based on a desire to add values to others, regardless of who they are or what authority they have over you. “EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCES BUILD GREAT RELATIONSHIPS. RELATIONSHIPS YIELD UNBELIEVABLE RESULTS.” Sandy Carter 06Career Hack #6: Relationships are the breakaway play
  • 39.
    38 How is thefocus on “relationships” a competitive advantage? Being successful does mean meeting your quotas or goals. However, these numbers are only part of your success. If you can’t get the people around you to support you and your strategy, you won’t succeed. There is a Return on Relationship (ROR). Relationships increase your competitiveness in knowledge and in business results. When you have a close relationship, the open communication instills a sharing of information. This sharing includes getting feedback, learning more about the business, and gaining market insight. In some cases, the relationship is “idea generation” that emerges as well. From a business perspective, a solid long-term relationship with clients or colleagues means they are more willing to help or to tolerate a difficult situation. It positively impacts the business. What’s important in “lifelong relationships?” Lifelong relationships take work. In fact, it takes setting the stage and following through. Most successful people do a few things consistently: 1. They know the objective State the objective of the relationship. When I take on a new mentee, I always ask, “What do see as the objective of the relationship?” Some people will say overall learning, some will say help on specific situations, and others want an overall sponsor. It is very important for you to understand the goal of a relationship. Career Hack #6: Relationships are the breakaway play 06
  • 40.
    39 2. They thinklong term In fact, they treat relationships like gold, like fortune, and that’s what lasting relationships can do for you in life. They don’t wait until they need a favor, but they form relationships early on. 3. They are consistent Giving is the theme for building a lasting relationship. The giving could be time, expertise, power, position, or energy. Supporting the person with help, insight and care. They watch out for them, they guard their reputation, and they represent them to others as they’d want to be represented themselves. How do you start a relationship? I want to share some of the most unconventional ways that I have learned from people to start a valued relationship. 1. Mix the media Early on, a mentor recommended that I mix the media when forming a relationship. What does this mean? When you get an email, call the person and chat. When you get a business card at a show, text the person to let them know it was a pleasure to meet him or her. People love the fast response and personal touch! 2. Network A network can be created every day from those you interact with on the phone, through e-mail, social media, etc. Nurture and protect your network; your network will nurture and protect you. Career Hack #6: Relationships are the breakaway play 06
  • 41.
    40 3. Find thoseof similar interests You can network in mass through sharing your knowledge in local events. I love sharing knowledge at local events. You can network in mass by sharing your insight and get to know a set of people with similar interests. Local contacts are great, since you can grow them in person and through social networks. How do you grow a relationship? Forming a relationship is great, but a lifelong relationship is really where the value is. Here are tips to building the relationship for the long term! 1. Show interest and go personal I really like Susan Cain’s TED Talk on the Power In Introverts. She recommends that all of us learn about the individual interests and skills of those around us. Leverage this knowledge to show your value. For instance, one colleague has a wife who has a chronic illness. I recently found new research in that area, and I forwarded the note to him. It helped to grow our relationship. So after you had a great conversation, make sure you reach out and show the person that you valued the interaction. Offer a resource or a new insight that would prove valuable. 2. Engage regularly Be proactive in your outreach. I have a set of relationships on LinkedIn, and I have a trigger to reach out to my “tribe” on a regular basis. This could be through social networking, a call, or a quick text message. This proactive outreach is essential to retaining the relationship. 3. Create a “career advisory team” Create a team of people around you who know your skills, talents, and career aspirations. Over time, it is the best way to drive success. Continue to have proactive career discussions with your managers and your team, and ask for honest feedback on your work, performance, skills, and potential. Also, be part of another’s career advisory team. Give back to others! As an example of the power of building relationships, personal and professional, below is a story shared from Carolyn Leighton, founder of Women in Technology International. Her story is a great “aha!” moment when she realized how vital building relationships is to success. Sitting in the front row grew a lifelong relationship I was heading to a conference to hear a speaker to hear Jeffrey Gitomer, a prolific author of best-selling business books. As I entered the room, I noticed that no one was in the front row. As a speaker, it is always easier to have someone in the front row to speak to. So I took the plunge, walking all the way up to the front. During his presentation ­— which was amazing — I tweeted and nodded and learned a lot. After the session ended, Jeffrey introduced himself. Later, an email with the subject line “Holy Wow!” caught my attention. After more conversation, and a lunch in Charlotte, the city where my parents live, Jeffrey and I are colleagues, mutual Career Hack #6: Relationships are the breakaway play 06 CONTINUE TO HAVE PROACTIVE CAREER DISCUSSIONS WITH YOUR MANAGERS AND YOUR TEAM, AND ASK FOR HONEST FEEDBACK ON YOUR WORK, PERFORMANCE, SKILLS, AND POTENTIAL
  • 42.
    41 fans and friends.He has collaborated with me on books, and I have advised him on working with large corporations. I even had him speak to my sales team, given he wrote the “Sales Bible.” By sitting in the front row, a great lifelong relationship began — and as we continue to mix the media and add value for one another, the relationship continues. Building lifelong relationships Carolyn Leighton, founder of Women in Technology International When I started my career, I was so focused on my goals, I believed then I had no time for networking or relationships. After all, I had goals to reach, meetings to attend, phone calls to return, a family to take care of, and one thousand more reasons why relationships could not even make it to my radar screen. That all changed the day I met Sandy Carter. I was attending a WITI reception in Boston, when I noticed three women engaged in discussion and pointing to me. As my brain was swirling with imagined stories about what they were saying, one of the women, Sandy Carter, walked over to me and said, “Hi, my name is Sandy Carter, I want you to know how much I love WITI and want to know how I can help WITI grow.” I realized in that one moment the power of building relationships by focusing on how you can help and support someone, rather than focusing on what you want and need from the relationship. Today, Sandy Carter is chair of the WITI Advisory Board and has become a lifelong friend. Sandy opened the door to that possibility by attending a WITI event, introducing herself to me and asking how she could help WITI. We call these experiences “WITI miracles.” WITI miracles happen every time we bring together our group of smart, talented women – and men – focused on and committed to supporting each other, opening doors for each other, celebrating each other, and collaborating instead of competing. We want you to experience WITI miracles! Join WITI and use the promo code “miracles” to get a $250 membership for $100. And, when you become a member, WITI gives a free student WITI membership in your name. And don’t forget to introduce yourself to me personally, so we can connect. MIRACLES HAPPEN EVERY TIME WE BRING TOGETHER OUR GROUP OF SMART, TALENTED WOMEN
  • 43.
    42 07Career Hack #7: Defineyour “all” Chapter
  • 44.
    43 People say thatyou can’t have it all. But I disagree. I believe you can have it all–but you have to decide what “all” means to you. Defining your all takes time. But it is well worth the time dedicated to the thought process. One woman I respect greatly is Mary Lynne Heldmann, an executive coach with the ACHIEVE Institute and a sought after lecturer and keynote speaker. She has been a guest expert for magazines, radio and television, including the Oprah Winfrey Show. She is an amazing woman focused on women leadership. In this hack, before we get into our usual format, I wanted to share her story. “Defining your all — what you bring to the table and what brings you joy.” – Mary Lynne Heldman, Achieve Institute Civil rights leader Howard Thurman once said, “Don’t ask what the world needs, ask what makes you come alive — because what the world needs most are people who have come alive.” What makes you come alive? Your personal lives (families, friends and communities) are probably a great source of joy and hopefully a place where you can fully express yourself. You bring your gifts and talents to all those that you touch in your personal lives. Spend time connecting to your gifts and the value you bring, feel the confidence of that value and express it fully. You spend most of your waking hours at work. What lights you up there? How do you bring your all to work? 07Career Hack #7: Define your “all” DON’T ASK WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS, ASK WHAT MAKES YOU COME ALIVE — BECAUSE WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS MOST ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME ALIVE.
  • 45.
    44 When I’ve askedthose questions to thousands of people over the years, I frequently get a blank stare. First of all they haven’t thought about their all in relationship to work. Meaning: all that I am and all that I bring. They think about getting the job done. People also often think of work as hard, demanding and full of long hours. How “alive” can you be under those circumstances? Is work really that difficult and hard? Left unattended, our minds tend to go negative, focusing on the 25% that isn’t going well vs. the 75% that is. It’s hard to come alive under those circumstances. That’s why it’s important to practice self-awareness, to watch where your mind takes you. When it goes negative, bring it back to the present moment. Focusing on the negative wears you down. That’s just for starters. To really come alive and bring your all to work, connect to the gifts and talents you bring there – to everyone and everything you touch. The universe works in perfect balance when we humans cooperate. Each human being has unique gifts. When we operate from those gifts, expanding them into talents and strengths, we are then aligned with what we’ve been created for. We go with the flow and bring all of our talents to everything we do. The next thing to do is to ask: “What’s my purpose? What am I here to contribute?” For the most part, human beings want to contribute. It gives us a sense of purpose beyond a good living, a big house, etc. Keep asking that question and you will get answers. Finding a deep sense of purpose is inspiring and uplifting. Finally, to come alive, and bring your all to everything you do ask yourself this: “What’s possible for me, my family, team, and organization moving forward?” Instead of expecting more of the same, ask what’s possible and then work to create the future you want—not the one you think you have to settle on, given the past.” What is your all? The all varies by people. For instance, for some, all is having a great executive career, others want to run a startup, and for some it is being a super mom. Defining what brings you joy and drives you is important. This exercise takes time. Find some free time–maybe driving in a car, blocking off some time on a weekend, or even just taking an afternoon off. The time is worth it. In fact, I do this on a yearly basis because your all will change as you go through life’s many great adventures. “KNOW WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY. GO FOR THAT AND NOTHING ELSE.”Sandy Carter Career Hack #7: Define your “all” 07
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    45 Market changes: Goals changeover time. In fact, today’s generation values speed and skipping career levels, like a video game. In addition, we have become an entrepreneurial generation. There are more startups now than ever driven by the recession and the new generation’s desire to be individu- alistic. Add to that the technology disruptions, and knowing where you are heading helps you to stay ahead. More than ever, you need to think through what gets you up in the morning. How is “defining your all” making you more competitive? Knowing what’s important to you will help to drive your focus and choices. For instance, taking a coding class or that entrepreneur seminar may move higher on your priority list if those are goals for you. I recently met with the Nat Friedman, the CEO of Ximian, an IBM Business Partner, and one who is committed to the best skilled contributors. He told me the story of his sister, Victoria Friedman, who is an amazing woman and agreed to share her story on how understanding her talents and her ‘all’ changed her life. Moving from a bakery to a coder to changing the world. Victoria Friedman, Life Changer, Flatiron Pre-College Academy For my entire life, I self-identified as a creative. All through elementary, middle, high school and college, I was an athlete and a writer. I liked to write poems, draw pictures and play sports. My university required one math class that I took first semester freshman year and the rest of my time I spent on the lacrosse field, in the newsroom editing articles for our student-run newspa- per and buried in Shakespeare anthologies. So how in the world did I become a developer working for a cutting-edge tech education startup in NYC? I graduated from The University of the South in 2011 and headed out into the working world with a major in English Literature and a minor in French Literature. I’d managed to snag an in- ternship for a magazine in Charleston, SC, and was thrilled at the opportunity to flex my writing muscles in the real world. My experience in the editorial world was less than stellar. I worked for an editor who was far from supportive. I felt like I was competing with every single intern and editor. Print media is an ever-shrinking market, I discovered. One year out of school, I moved to New York City and spent my time applying for over 75 editorial jobs that I never got. I felt like my dream job as an editor at Vogue was light years beyond my reach. I felt lost. I knew I liked working with people. I knew I liked creating things, specifically things that brought joy to other people. So maybe writing wasn’t for me. I spent time talking to people in every industry I thought I could possibly see myself in: event planning, personal assistant, even a pastry chef. Career Hack #7: Define your “all” 07
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    46 In fact, Iseriously considered becoming a pastry chef. I love to bake. People love to eat sweets. You can watch the happiness creep over their face as they eat a bite of a brownie or a cookie. People feel good eating treats. Baking was creative, and I could bring joy to people. This was going to be perfect. I applied to the International Culinary Center, got a job at a bakery and was ready to dive into this new life as a pastry chef. Working in a bakery was nothing like I imagined. The work hours were crazy, the work very physical, and nothing about the job was close to the creative and beautiful pastries I dreamed of making. It was mass amounts of butter and flour going into industrial sized mixers. After a few months, I knew that I couldn’t enroll full-time in pastry school. I didn’t even want to continue working at the bakery. I was lost again! At this moment, in stepped my much older and much wiser brother. I’d always envied how driven my brother had been toward one goal. He knew from age six that he wanted to work in technology and spent his life holding that one passion dear to his heart. He wanted me to love my career choice as much as he loved his, and urged me to learn some basic programming, starting with HTML and CSS. But he loved math and used to solve mathematical proofs on airplanes during family vacations while I read books and drew pictures. There was no way I could be good at this. Then… woah, HTML and CSS made sense to me. You type some text and tell it to appear in the bottom left corner in Comic Sans in size 20 font and in red. And then you open that file in the browser, and there it is. A light bulb went off, and suddenly this work wasn’t mathy and nerdy, it was creative. It involved art, and color and text and styling. I started dedicating roughly 3-4 hours a day working through HTML and CSS books and actually liked it. It was logical, but nothing like the algorithms I experienced in calculus. About two months into this self-driven exploration into web design, I learned about The Flatiron School, a high-end vocational program in New York City that runs intensive programs to teach adults to code for web or mobile development. They taught Ruby. I didn’t even know what that meant but I was sold. I enrolled in the Flatiron School’s three-month web development immer- sive course in the winter of 2013. Every stereotype I had clung to about what a pro- grammer is and likes and acts like was completely taken apart. I met ex-lawyers and artists and musicians and bankers and designers, all putting their lives on hold to learn to code and pursue a career as a developer. Through Flatiron, I learned that the world of programming is about problem solving, about how to break down a big problem into manageable chunks, about creating things to make the world a better place, and in my opinion, most importantly it’s about learning how to learn. I graduated from The Flatiron School in April of 2013 and took a position as a developer for Time Inc., a print media company that publishes magazines like In Style, People, Sports Il- Career Hack #7: Define your “all” 07 A LIGHT BULB WENT OFF, AND SUDDENLY THIS WORK WASN’T MATHY AND NERDY, IT WAS CREATIVE.
  • 48.
    47 lustrated, Southern Living,and Time. I spent that year diving into the world of professional web development and learned that the communication skills I honed during my college years translated well to the workplace. I was a developer who could explain my technical problem to the non-technical members of my team. I was a developer who took a personal interest in the apps we were building. I was in fact our target audience, allowing me to provide unique insight to the product. My passion for writing enhanced my performance in my job. Because I loved magazines and writing, I loved building their products. In March 2014, I left Time Inc. to return to The Flatiron School to launch Flatiron Pre-College Academy, a program dedicated to educating high school students in web development. Learn- ing to code showed me that building software is an inherently creative endeavor that anyone can participate in and appreciate. When I joined Flatiron School, it was because I wanted to share with future technologists what becomes possible when they learn how to code. Three takeaways from Victoria’s story and start the quest for your all: • First, dedicate the time to document your all Document it in a notebook that you will keep with you as you will do this assessment each year. When I was young, I had a mentor ask me to write down 100 things I wanted to do in life. I still have the list, add to it, cross things off and use it to drive big decisions, reminding me in the heat of the decision, what’s most important. • Build your eminence Taking stock of your own personal eminence internally and externally will help you understand how well known you are in your field. Next, determine your skills and talents. These are your gifts and usually drive you as you “define your all.” If you are missing a skill, then go aggres- sively and creatively to acquire them to make yourself more marketable. • Understand your legacy goal Sit down and write your press headline. It helps to frame how you will write the headline one day. If you were sitting at a café with a friend five years from now, what would you want to be celebrating? Your successful IPO? Your technology being named as one of the most innovative of the year? How do you want to be remembered? Let’s define our all — here are 3 tips for success: 1. Seek out highly visible stretch and growth roles Look for roles that provide an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to work through complex and business-critical tasks to your peers, leaders and decision-makers across the company. 2. Take a risk In order to reach your goals, you will have to take risks. To grow your career and increase your eminence or brand, you are going to have to step outside your comfort zone and stretch your skills. Write that app. Start that company. Go for the promotion. Career Hack #7: Define your “all” 07
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    48 3. Seek outrole models Sometimes realizing that you are not alone in a struggle or decision is a great comfort. Understand the resources and people that you can learn from and grow with. Sophie Kelly is an amazingly creative woman. She runs a very disruptive agency that helps other companies in their breakthrough thinking. I asked her to share her story on how to have it All! A Woman CEO’s Perspective on Having it All Sophie Kelly, CEO, The Barbarian Group An intimidating concept. Is it you at your most whole content being? Is it you making the most of it ALL? Is it you having everything you imagine is ALL? Having my all is always a balance of… my emotional and professional self, it’s knowing when it’s time for me, for family, for friends and for forging my life. You need to understand what you want. What sort of life you want, what makes you fulfilled. For me that has always been about maximizing experiences, being curious, never settling and being around people who get and understand me best. My advice… Think about your best day, What happened, what was in it, what did you do? That will help you know what your all is. My career hacks: Be authentic and own who you are. Show up and give everything all of your energy. Do what you believe is right regardless the environment. Be willing to learn and fail. Occasionally stop to look back and check your progress and feel proud. Make friends, network and have great mentors. Career Hack #7: Define your “all” 07
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    49 08Closing: So now let’sget (career) hacking Chapter
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    50 The importance ofthe seven career hacks These seven hacks come from many successful women and men I have met during my career and their years of experience. Some of these are disruptors, and some are basic skills. Start here Defining your “all” is the way to begin your career hacking. Figuring out what makes you happy is essential in your pursuit. You can find your passion at any age. You may start in high school or college, or in any stage of your career. But you must take time to search for the “all” – the passion. You will not find this passion by browsing the Internet or surfing YouTube. Sometimes you have to go your own path. I loved Larry Smith in his TED Talk when he said, ” Your passion is what you would do even if you won the lottery... success also demands persistence, focus, discipline, independence of mind, resourcefulness, experimentation, and high creativity.” And that passion could change. I have a friend who began in corporate America, but now at 55, her passion is helping travelers in Italy. Remember, growth hacks are constantly changing, and sometimes your passion changes. As one mentor told me, she has had five careers with different passions that she discovered. Constantly reevaluate. However, finding that passion it is not enough Remember, hacks are continuous – and require work. The base skills that are required are listening, preparing, and forming relationships. This is why my career hacks focus on these activities in a modern way. 08Closing: So now let’s get (career) hacking YOUR PASSION IS WHAT YOU WOULD DO EVEN IF YOU WON THE LOTTERY.
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    51 Re-commit or learnthe skills by reading and practicing the below: • Listening. Listening is a ninja skill that drives a successful MVP • Preparation. Homework is not a MOOC point • Relationships and networking. Lifelong relationship—breakaway plan These form the base of a great career passion. You do have to be persistent at any age. Pursuing my passion at 16 by Maria Carter-Allensworth My name is Maria Carter-Allensworth, and I am sweet 16! Of course I know that math and com- puter science are important. Even though I love math, when I speak up in class sometimes, I get made fun of for having the right answer. Coming from a different culture, math at first was hard for me. But with the help of my math teachers and my mom, over the years I’ve learned that math is easy and fun. To me, math is like learning a new language. It’s fun and unique in its own way. When I was younger, I used to hate math and tell my mom that when I am older, I won’t need to apply math to the career I wanted to do. But she gave me that look, you know the one, and explained how my dream job would require math and computer science. So then I named three more jobs that I was exploring, and of course, she explained how math would help me there, too. I decided to apply myself, even though it definitely was not the most popular thing for me to do. I realized that math and computer science would help me be more successful. Besides, it is a lot of fun! Even though I might get made fun of for having the right answers and teased because I am in love with math and computer science as a girl, it is something I am going to continue. I’m going to keep looking for opportunities to learn more and to become a chic geek girl like my mom (and dad)! What is a great career? A great career is very personal. It could be about the relationships you form, the level you achieve, the fun you have each day, the learning you experience, or the money you make. For a great career, manage it like you manage your own business. It takes hard work and persistence, and sometimes, pushing past the jokes and teases. Your dreams should never be put on the back burner because of what someone else said. Amplify your career through hacks In the seven career hacks, three of them serve to amplify. Amplification is about extending and Closing: So now let’s get (career) hacking 08 YOUR DREAMS SHOULD NEVER BE PUT ON THE BACK BURNER BECAUSE OF WHAT SOMEONE ELSE SAID. START LISTEN PREPARE NETWORK SHARE EXPERTISE PERSONAL FOCUS SOCIAL BASE Define Your All: Go to Base and Amplify AMPLIFY
  • 53.
    52 expanding the impact.Boost the impact of your focus through social influence, sharing your expertise, and paying attention to networking authentically while forming lifelong relationships. The below are the career hacks that help you amplify: Amplifiers: • Social: Be intentional about social influence • Share expertise: Act like an open API • Personal focus: To win the hard sale, show your soft side “GO BEYOND!FIND YOUR PASSION AND GO FOR IT! CHANGE THE WORLD.” Sandy Carter Let’s close the Missing 33%™ by integrating these hacks today by way of hu- man and social interaction: family, colleagues, Twitter followers, and more I wrote this book because this is a personal movement to me. With Science, Technology, Engi- neering, and Math (STEM) education initiatives, jobs are on the rise, and there will be 1.4 million new computer science jobs by 2020. 1.4 MILLION! • These new jobs pay better, 33% more than non-STEM positions • Women are the perfect candidates for these new jobs. Women hold a greater percent- age of all bachelor’s degrees • Unfortunately, they also hold an increasingly smaller percentage of computer science degrees, with just 18% in 2012, as compared to 37% in 1984 • Women represent 48% of the workforce, but only a quarter of STEM and IT careers. • When women are in positions of leadership, there is a 35% higher return on equity and 34% better return to shareholders So let’s get some more women into the roles they can be qualified to fill! The gap in mentoring and sponsorship for young girls and women can be closed by us – all of you who are reading this book. You can help close the gap by sharing your knowledge, starting with this ebook and then of course your personal commitment to pull someone through. Let me expand on that concept. Ted Childs, a former executive who led IBM’s Diversity Initiative, always coached to me to always reach back and pull someone through and up. I’d like your personal commitment to do this in your life – regardless of your age or state of life. Start hacking your career Helping women and girls achieve their highest potential is an expectation for everyone – wheth- er you are an executive, student, leader, technologist, or entrepreneur. It is an important way for you to demonstrate leadership. Closing: So now let’s get (career) hacking 08
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    53 I am personallycommitted to this movement. Tweet me your thoughts using #sachack and include @sandy_carter. IBM supports you in your pursuit. If you are a coder, IBM is offering free 90-day free trial of our IBM Bluemix™ cloud solution to help you reach your dream of starting a new way of working. Go to this url https://ibm.biz/bluemix-GeekGirlChic and apply to get started today! And join the Women in Tech developerWorks community: developer.ibm.com/connect/women. In addition, we’d like you to mentor someone and help pull him or her through. Share your story with me by sending it to: [email protected]. And, finally, tweet out the following to raise awareness of these career hacks and the need for all of us to drive for change: Be intentional about your social presence – one of the 7 career hacks! Read the rest in this ebook ibm.biz/cartercareerhacks #sachack @sandy_carter Wanna know how to empower others? Share your knowledge! 7 career hacks by @sandy_carter ibm.biz/cartercareerhacks #sachack Do you know what the 7 career hacks are? @sandy_carter does, and she wrote an ebook! Check it out here ibm.biz/cartercareerhacks #sachack Sandy Carter IBM General Manager Cloud Ecosystem and Developers and Social Business Evangelist A recognized leader in social business, best-selling author, and one of the most influential women in Web 2.0 technology, Sandy Carter is IBM General Manager Cloud Ecosystem and Developers, and a Social Business Evangelist. She is responsible for IBM’s worldwide focus on building and expanding the Cloud ecosystem for ISVs, Entrepreneurs, Developers and Academics. Author of 3 books, including “Get Bold,” which has been translated into 9 languages, Sandy is a recognized expert and has received numerous awards such as: Forbes Global Top 40 Social Marketing Masters, 10 Most Powerful Women in Tech, Women of M2M for Internet of Things (IoT), CNN Women of the Channel, Top Nifty-50 Women in Technology, Top 50 Social Business Influencers, and Top 10 in Social Media. She is Board Chair of WITI (Women in Technology International) and a founding member of WITI Global Executive Network (GEN) for executive women, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Inner Circle, and Working Mother Summit Board Advisor. Sandy is an avid social business evangelist, blogger and community builder. Visit Sandy at: http://www.socialbusinesssandy.com. Tweet her @sandy_carter. Closing: So now let’s get (career) hacking 08
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    <STORIES FROM> ACHIEVE INSTITUTE FLATIRONPRE-COLLEGE ACADEMY GIRLS WHO CODE IBM LEADING WOMEN LOWE’S HOME IMPROVEMENT POINTSOURCE PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL SOCIAL MEDIA TODAY THE BARBARIAN GROUP WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL (WITI)
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