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6 Science-Backed Activities For Leaders To Become More Zen In Life by @AngeKYoumatter

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by Angela Kambouris | Featured Contributor

Whether it’s mothers trying to separate teens from their screens to the busy executive going from conference calls to meditation, the evolution of technology impacts all facets of life. The digital world is permeating the fabric of life and its time to redefine the future of living.

As of December 2018, there are over 2.32 billion monthly active users worldwide on Facebook. There were 1.15 billion mobile daily active users. The average time spent per Facebook visit is 20 minutes and every 60 seconds, 510,000 comments are posted.

The average American spends 24 hours a week online. E-marketer trends forecasted that US adults would spend an average of 3 hours, 35 minutes per day on mobile devices in 2018 and by 2019 mobile will surpass TV as the medium attracting the most minutes in the US.

Smartphones and apps have changed the way we work, communicate and play. Technology is a double-edged sword. It brings people together, makes it easier for people to collaborate however the negative impact can be soul-destroying. People’s physical health is being compromised due to poor eating habits, working more late hours, exercising less through to posture issues, headaches, and the quality and quantity of sleep and emotional wellbeing being impacted.

It’s time to take back your overrun attention and life. Let’s dive into 6 actionable activities that support you to get your focus back, live more consciously and build a more mindful life.

Work Smart Rule

The Pareto principle, 80/20 rule is well known for 20% of your work is going to account for 80% of your results. If you apply this universal truth to business and life, you invest 20% of the time on the tasks that yield 80% of the results. Leveraging the principle involves in asking quality questions to decipher what you are investing your time in:

  • What have l done that has moved me closer to my vision?
  • What have l invested my time in that has had a negative or no impact on moving me towards my vision?
  • What would be the steps that l would need to take to move one step closer to my vision?
  • What would be the first thing l would implement to bring me closer?

By being specific, you will determine the very step you need to execute daily to become the most productive version of you. By organizing your daily tasks, you prioritize the key bite-sized chunks, you focus on the tasks with the highest payoffs and you tackle your top 20% of tasks first.  When you execute those tasks, your brain release dopamine, the feel-good hormone. By cultivating small achievements, you propel yourself to greater success.

Zen Time

The practice of mindfulness and meditation has been around for thousands of years. In more recent times, the business world has embraced these practices because research supports how these practices can change the wiring and makeup of your brain. Companies such as Google, Salesforce,  and Toyota have understood the personal benefits of mindfulness to support business objectives.

Training the mind to focus is becoming more critical than ever as your attention is being pulled in 1000 different directions at once. Learning the basics of mindfulness and meditation through courses, books, apps, and YouTube videos is readily available. Commitment to a daily practice, starting with dedicated time in your day to learning to be present. This can be a sitting meditation using an app such as Headspace or practice being in the moment when going for a walk.

The Art of Now

Being in the moment can be a reminder for you to be more mindful of wherever you happen to be. When emotions, thoughts or desires arise, you notice them, be kind to them and allow them to be just as they are. When you embrace the moment with an open mind, you merely observe without judgment. By being in the moment, research supports that by fine-tuning your ability to be present, you decrease your stress responses and increase your positive emotions. When you make room for the full range of your human experience, you will live with more inner peace.

Self-inquiry

Another way is to focus on the inner orchestra of your body by scanning from head to toe. Notice which part of the body you connect with and notice what you feel. Another way is to focus on one part of your body and notice the physical sensations you can feel. When you focus on bodily sensation you release tension that perhaps you were not aware of before. When you bring attention to areas of discomfort within the body you decrease symptoms of stress and improve psychological well-being.

Purposeful Action

Multi-tasking is a mere illusion and addictive. Your brain convinces you that it loves to multitask when in fact training your mind to focus on one thing at a time allows you to produce more meaningful results. When you commit to your actions being purposeful and deliberate, you slow everything down. You shut down your mental autopilot to allow the logical part of your brain steps into the driver’s seat.

Act of Nature

In our modern work, distraction is running rife. Being able to disconnect and go into nature, whether it be a walk, hike or just sitting, you re-sensitize yourself to the life and beauty around you.  Environmental Health and Preventative Medicine published a study that found participants that walked in a forest had lower blood pressure and levels of cortisol (referred to as the stress hormone) afterward than those who strolled through a city environment.

Shinrin-Yoku or “forest bathing” was developed in Japan during the 1980’s, designed to combat stress from overwork. Today, it has become a cornerstone of preventive health care and healing in Japanese medicine. By simply being in nature, connecting through your senses of sight, hearing, tastes, smell and touch. By opening your senses, it bridges the gap between you and nature.

Your repeated experiences will shape your thinking and the way you live your life. What your practice, grows stronger.

8 Ways Women Leaders Inspire The Next Generation by @AngeKYoumatter

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by Angela Kambouris | Featured Contributor

Women throughout history have led through great wisdom. J.K Rowling’s hopeful 2008 Harvard commencement speech, Oprah’s powerful 2018 Golden Globe acceptance speech and Lady Gaga’s 2019 Oscar’s acceptance speech reminding you that if you have a dream, fight for it. There is a discipline for passion, and it is not about how many times you get rejected or fall, it is about how times you stand up, are brave and keep moving forward. As Marilyn Monroe once said, “give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world”.

Inspiring women derive from all walks of life. In today’s world, there is nothing more important than lifting each other up to thrive in success, to empower one another and to dare to lead by being brave in the face of fear.

Women today are CEO’s, entrepreneurs and so much more. When women lead with compassion, they inspire the next generation to rise to great heights than ever before.

Today, it is our responsibility to pay it forward by empowering all women to embrace opportunities and possibilities beyond the limits of their imagination. That within lies the power to reclaim your power, strength, and vulnerability to stand in your truth and propel yourself towards what you want for your life. By planting the seeds, women collectively can stand strong.

Women’s International Day will be celebrated on March 8 this year. It’s a perfect opportunity to celebrate women to better the world. Here are eight ways women leaders inspire the next generation.

 Refusal to stay in a box

Behind every successful woman is a tribe of other successful women who have her back. Women who came before us, fought for our freedom and laid the foundation that provides us the platform to honor the truest expression of ourselves today – Coco Chanel forward thinker revolutionalized societal expectations around fashion and relationships, Eleanor Roosevelt First Lady of the United States, independent and outspoken on the rights of women and other humanitarian causes, Indira Gandi the first female  prime minister of India strongly advocated for women’s rights and advanced India on the international stage and Oprah Winfrey had the longest-running daytime talk show on television, broadcast in 145 countries around the world and established her leadership academy for girls. These extraordinary women paved the way for modern movements and created pathways that altered the course of history for all women.

Breakthrough and rise

With so many obstacles on the road to gender equality, women must uplift each other despite culture’s habit of trying to pit us against each other. Women must propel each other forward instead of holding each other back. By harnessing the collective energy of women, you can inspire future and aspiring women leaders.

One project that has brought this to life is the Girl Child Empowerment Trust in Zimbabwe to engender active participation in the upliftment of the girl child, raising awareness of issues impacting girls and creating a common platform for communicating their needs. There is a fundamental understanding that empowering African women and girls in the spheres of economics, education, human rights, and politics has significant advantages, both for the women and their families and their culture.

Be the leader you always were

Leadership always starts with you. As women, you must delve deep into your reflection to truly witness self-love and empowerment. Sustainable success will not come from fitting into anybody else’s mold, its imperative to live your own life and lead like the woman you are.  One cannot lead others, if you cannot lead yourself.

Embracing your feminine energy

As more women enter the C-suite or start their own companies, investing in embracing your feminine energy by trusting intuition, amplifying compassion and embodying patience, leads to a more holistic business. Traditionally women have been encouraged to emulate masculine leadership qualities to climb the corporate ladder however when women step into their true identities with openness, transparency, owning emotions, being clear about values, vulnerabilities and fears, modern audiences embrace the humanness when it comes to leading.

Want to lead like a woman, know your leadership journey

When women are fully aligned with their values, you preserve your energy, create flow states where you become a force for positivity. Conscious and inclusive leaders have stories about how they achieved their success. Sharing the story and your vulnerabilities hold power by connecting authentically with your people, customers, and investors.

Influencing relationships

When it comes to the workplace, women bring tremendous executive social skills that increase team work, they work more egalitarian and focus on bringing out the best in their people. Women encourage a high level of self-awareness and are conscious of the health of their teams. Psychology today supports due to women’s neurological make-up, women are more empathetic and as a result more likely to be better at tapping into their senses about how others are reacting.

Women who tap into their expansive thinking tend to expand strategy to a longer-term view. Women see possibilities through new ideas and innovative thinking, value empathy and collaboration which is part of their hard-wiring. Women leaders express competition differently by influencing relationships rather than hunting for the kill.

Queen Bee phenomenon

Unfortunately, the “queen bee” phenomenon surfaces within organizations as senior-level women distance themselves from junior women to be more accepted by male colleagues. When women snub other women, fail to support each other and communication breakdowns, these environments permeate and stain the fabric of the organization.

To breakthrough cultural experiences of competition rather than collaboration, creating a dedicated space, such as women-owned lunches to share challenges and celebrate success are opportunities within male-dominated industries. When you bring groups of people together, you appreciate that problems are not specific to you but in fact, are collective challenges. Being together creates an improved flow of information and a sense of unity that we are in this together.

Invest in women

Every time a woman brings her personal style confidently, you signal to other women that it is okay. If you want to uplift other women, lead by example. Women bring different flavors to the table and when you recognize excellence in other women, and yourself, you strengthen the capacity to let others shine through you.

Sponsorship is a phenomenal way to capture achievements, create a culture of support, recognizes and celebrates people and as an advocate, you can link them with opportunities on their behalf. It is an excellent way for future leaders to be brought to the attention of executives.

Today, the world demands moments where the power of women’s voices must be heard. Women must be invited to illuminate the world in their unique way. You all have the responsibility and the capacity to stand in your power, embrace your vulnerabilities and amplify your strengths in your approach to empower future generations of women.

8 Ways To Create A Workplace No One Will Ever Want To Leave by @AngeKYoumatter

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by Angela Kambouris | Featured Contributor

People are the engine that keeps companies growing, improving and innovating. Given the nature of today’s workplace, environments demand collaboration, the ability to tap into deep thinking and the embodiment of mentorship. When people blend these skills, they become their own inspiration and maximize opportunities where both people and business thrive.

Harvard Business Review article “Creating the best workplace on earth” highlighted that your business is operating at its fullest potential by creating environments where individual differences are nurtured, where companies add value to employees rather than suck the energy out of people, when information is not suppressed and when business stands for something meaningful.

Here are 8 ways that a workplace operates at its fullest potential by allowing people to do their best work, bringing their whole selves to work, and never wanting to leave.

Development and progression are your own business

When people can express their full selves at work, they exhibit higher levels of organizational commitment, individual performance and a burning desire to help others. By allowing people to tap into their fullest potential, they engage in discussions, debate ideas and bring their perspective to conversations that enable a richness for innovation and growth.

Managers make their expectations clear, but individuals decide how to meet them. Self-determination means delineating your path and being accountable for your success. Facebook, the largest social media network, deeply invests in the professional development and well-being of its people through delivering quality training, employees having the flexibility to set personalized work schedules as their progress is measured by impact not hours and unites global employees for team connection.

Thriving culture club

Gallup released their State of the American Workplace report highlighting that 70 percent of the American works are disengaged at work. Employees are checking out because of the lack of growth and opportunity within the company.

Wayne Dyer said, “There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love; there’s only scarcity of resolve to make it happen”. When professional and personal development program opportunities knock at your door, identify what elevates your profession, skills, status, and circumstances. There is no progress without taking a risk.

Forbes partnered with Statista to identify companies specific to ranking America’s best employers for women. Principal Financial Group, Iowa ranked number one spot with a workforce containing 59% of whom are women, support flexible work schedules, prenatal care programs, and onsite childcare center. Career development became a priority to elevate women however investment in how both men and women can support each other in the workplace was deemed paramount.

Business leaders today invest in personal development for themselves as it helps you improve as a leader, so what do you think it will do for your people?

Let the water flow – create a culture of honesty

Companies must not deceive, distort or spin information, challenges or celebrations. In a digital world where all is posted, swiped or filtered, telling people the truth must be a core business value. Respecting your people’s need to know what is really going on about their jobs or workplace, demonstrates the greatest level of respect.

Leaders must eliminate the need to put a positive spin on even the most negative situations. They mustn’t strangle the flow of information because of not wanting to be the bearer of bad news.

There will be times where critical information requires confidentiality and sensitivity. Honesty won’t necessarily stop problems from arising, however, senior leaders must err on the side of transparency.

When trust levels amongst the workforce are low and background noise is high, companies must work hard to communicate what is going on if they are to be heard and believed. Complete, transparent and timely communication is vital.

Stand for something bigger

People want to live brands. By making the environment more meaningful, people choose to stay. People want to do good work, to feel they matter in an organization that makes a difference. They want to work is an environment that amplifies strengths, where autonomy is promoted, and transparency is not negotiable.

Forging powerful connections between personal and business values fosters individuality and a strong culture at the same time. Great Place to Work surveyed employees working for companies around the globe. Salesforce, a global CRM leader, hit the number one spot again as a company that works to deliver success as a team for customers while giving back to communities. Salesforce demonstrated its commitment to their people through the quest to provide a healthy workspace that limits its impact on the environment through having installed filtered water taps in all its offices. On a global scale a positive impact through volunteer efforts such as having launched “CoderDojo” in Kenya for the visually impaired, providing opportunities for every child to learn how to code.

Mentorship

If you don’t have a mentoring program in your business, it’s time to implement one. In a workforce management insights report, Adecco advised that 61% of companies believe mentorship is essential to employee happiness. Chronus reported that 25% of employees who took part in a company’s mentoring program had a salary grade change, compared with 5% of employees who didn’t participate in the program. Mentors were promoted six times more often than those not in the program; mentees were promoted five times more often than those not in the program.

Great companies use both coaching and mentoring to develop strong, efficient teams while identifying the next group of company leaders to mentor. Giving people a chance to succeed and grow, supports companies to recruit and keep talent.

Promoting from within

If you are not investing in your people, you are not investing in the future of your business. When your people feel like they are stagnant, employees will look for employment opportunities elsewhere. Setting up an individual development plan creates a conversation to identify both short-term and long-term goals. Individuals empower themselves to ask quality questions about how they can close the gap to where they are and to where they want to be. Using this as a platform for monthly check-ins creates opportunities for both the individual to progress and creates collective growth for them and the business.

A culture of friendship and inclusion

Women and men having a best friend at work leads to better performance. Gallup stated that “employee engagement shows that two out of 10 U.S. employees strongly agree they have a best friend at work and by moving that ratio to six in 10, organizations could realize: 36% fewer safety incidents; 7% more engaged customers; and 12% higher profit.”

Forcing connections is indeed not the message, and investment in creating spaces where a human connection can be fostered and nurtured is worth the investment. Yearly team retreats, attending conferences as a collective group, or hosting team building activities is another way to invest in the workforce. Another alternative may be implementing a mentorship program, identifying a specific project for the team and incentivizing such as a bonus-based opportunity on the achievement of the goal.

A caterpillar must come out of the pupa to fly away like a butterfly

Expanding your unfamiliar zone is critical if you are committed to investing in your development. Breaking through your fear, insecurity or lack of self-confidence allows you to prioritize your potential and open doors to possibilities. You know that is it easy to go with the flow rather than swim upstream.

When your business is operating at its fullest potential, you have achieved an inclusive environment where work can be liberating, where the human potential at work is fully realized and your workplace remains the exception rather than the norm. A place where people dare to lead, live their dreams every day and will never want to leave.

Queen Bee? Myths and Stereotypes of Women in Leadership by @JoynicoleM

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by Joynicole Martinez | Featured Contributor

Is there a special place in hell for women who do not help each other?

As Madeleine Albright spoke her famous words, raucous cheering erupted. The sound of the moment was palpable as the crowd cheered, but the underlying sentiment is an unfortunate and unspoken myth. This silent ‘girls rule’ that women have a moral obligation to support one another is as fictional as the Queen Bee idea that women are nastier toward other women than to men.

The Myths and Stereotypes

The Queen Bee myth stems from women’s reputation, particularly those in leadership positions, treating women in junior positions women poorly. These female bosses display what’s called “queen bee” behavior, distancing themselves from other women and refusing to help other women as they rise through the ranks.

In fact, humans behave imperfectly in their interpersonal relationships. Blinders manufactured of personal history, prejudices, and assumptions impede our ability to “seek first to understand then be understood.”

Woman are no less or more subject to this blindness than men. Conflict occurs when our blind spots hinder our ability to intentionally listen and we react discriminately to an incorrectly received message. Conflict among women is perceived as negative, contradicting deeply ingrained gender bias – the ideal woman attributes of compassion and submission. These righteous woman qualities would, in the prejudiced mind, keep women from conflict because women are too virtuous to fall prey to preconception.

What’s the reality?

Women in leadership seek out methods to support and encourage others. A study of approximately half a million workers found the gender wage gap increases when women share peer positions. However, where greater numbers of women held higher ranking positions, the rate of promotion for females in lower levels increased. This pattern of promotion exists within the U.S. Army, where research indicates an increased percentage of women among leadership decreases the time to promotion for women in lower ranks.

Talent management experts, Development Dimensions International (DDI), found that while nearly 80% of women in senior roles had served as formal mentors, few of them had mentors of their own. According to DDI, women are willing mentors, other women are simply not seeking them out.

How Women Help.

Corporations developing formal mentoring programs are fostering cultures where it is acceptable for women to seek out and ask other women to serve as mentors. PayPal’s Recharge Program helps skilled women technologists who have taken a career break for personal or family reasons to feel equipped to return to the workforce.

Many women deliberately support and encourage others without formal request. Marketing and communications consultant and CEO of The P3 Solution, Sherron Washington is one such female entrepreneur. Sherron’s Women’s History Month national campaign highlighting the work and achievement of women across industries is in its 4th year. When asked why she engages online communities to highlight the work of other women, she points to her belief in teaching other people the value of the contributions of unsung women and celebrating them. Beyond highlighting the achievements of women and training them to excel at marketing and communications, Sherron’s second book, “The Oops Moment: Eliminating Marketing Mistakes, Mishaps and Missteps” offers entrepreneurs help in mitigating the pain of trying to skillfully navigate constant changes in the marketplace.

The latest “Beautifully Made” campaign highlights women working in varying industries and representing diversity in age, race, and ethnicity. Showcasing the uniqueness of each woman and her professional expertise exposes her to potential clients, customers, and alliances. This is why women support one another. The reason is more than an obligation thrust upon the unsuspecting, more than a need to prove goodness. Leaders recognize the value of thought diversity and the safety of counsel. Effective leaders identify potential, draw it closer, then lift it higher. That is the purpose of mentorship, and women are taking on the challenge. Moreover, she owns it.

Empower Women Entrepreneurs+Amp Up Your Business Credibility by @XLConsultingGro

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by Elaine Slatter | Featured Contributor

The “know, like and trust” factor is essential for business credibility, especially if you are new to entrepreneurship.   You can achieve this credibility quickly by sharing your expertise to empower women entrepreneurs. How can you do this?  Be a part of an influencer’s community.  Here are some ideas.

  • Participate in a Podcast

Podcasts are very popular because you can listen to them on the go, wherever you are.   These interview opportunities you can do in your PJ’s because there is no video!  Just sound only.  Anna Letitia Cook is always looking for experts for her WomenUp radio.  I recently had the opportunity to be on her show and it was a lot of fun.  Anna was in France and I am in Canada.  The power of Zoom technology provided the magic.  Jo-Ann Hamilton, founder of Secret Birds, will soon be launching her podcast series.

  • Apply to speak at a global conference

At the beginning of May, each year,  Dr. Harbeen Arora, founder of the Women Economic Forum holds a women’s empowerment conference in New Delhi, India.  There are many opportunities to speak during this global event.  Get on the list for next year.

  • Look for a local women’s empowerment community

Offer to start a chapter in your local area.  Hone your leadership skills, while at the same time connecting and forming relationships for future business opportunities.

  • Write a Book of Authority

Nothing amps up your credibility more than writing a book.  It makes it easy for influencers and organizers to book you for speaking engagements because a book gives you instant credibility.  Did I say INSTANT!

  • Start Your Own Facebook Group

Facebook groups are formed around “interests” and are not to be confused with business pages.  As the host of a facebook group, you can determine the rules of the group.  Find a topic which speaks to your expertise.

Kimra Luna started a group a few years ago that has attracted over 40,000 followers.   She offers a forum for people looking to launch online and has made a huge success of her group. The #1 reason is ….SHE shows up to contribute to the Freedom Hackers mastermind.  Kimra is adding her value.

  • Guest Blog

Looking to spread the word about your area of expertise.  Look no further than this very site.  Connect to apply to become a monthly blogger and enjoy the influence of Melissa Stewart’s  123K+  Twitter followers to engage new followers. Share the content of other “She Owns It” experts and empower the crowd of contributors.

  • Unleash The Power Of LinkedIn

Don’t be afraid to link with influencers on LinkedIn. Always write a personal note as to why you want to link with them.  Once connected, comment on their posts to show your interest in the topics they are interested in.  They are already where you want to be.   They are an influencer with a large, active community.   You can tag along, too.

  • Volunteer At Your Local Chamber of Commerce

The “Old Boys Club” hang out here.  Do you want to be in their club, but do business with women?  Why not change the dynamic and offer to start a Women’s Business Network within your local Chamber of Commerce.  Think about the kind of influence this will have in your local business community and what kind of different events you could suggest.   WOW, that’s powerful!

Could any of these ideas work for you?  Why not step out of your comfort zone and give one of these suggestions a try and amp up your business credibility.

Have you tried any of these ideas?   Let us know how they have worked for you or make suggestions that we haven’t even thought of!

PS:  To make it easy for influencers to book you, put together a media page on your website to showcase your credibility.  This can include your logos, headshots, speaking topics and links to articles or books you have written.

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Elaine SlatterElaine Slatter is a Small Business Expert, founder of  XL Consulting Group and author of the popular book, “Fabulous Fempreneurship”, a complete business guide for women.  XL Consulting Group helps entrepreneurs with market planning, strategy, branding, web design and social media. She has over 30 years of executive business and marketing experience and is ready to help you rocket your business to success.  Elaine is passionate about mentoring women to become successful women entrepreneurs.   To find out more, visit XL Consulting Group or join the Fabulous Fempreneurship mastermind.

You can connect with Elaine on social media at:  Facebook Group | Twitter | Facebook