Women Grow Business

“Marissa, you need to slow down. People need a chance to catch their breath and catch up with you.”

Those were the words that hit me hard in a conversation with one of my VPs recently. I can’t remember the day because at the rate I have been running, all of the days, meetings, and conversations blur into one another.

Image: Alexander Goodyear, Creative Commons

The “Acceleration Trap”

According to an article entitled “The Acceleration Trap” in the April 2010 issue of Harvard Business Review, I’m not alone.

In response to intensifying competition, organizations increase the number and speed of their activities, raise performance goals, shorten time-to-market cycles, and introduce new organizational systems and technologies at an unprecedented rate.

On the surface, all of these initiatives may indicate a growing, thriving company – a company that’s moving forward at a brisk and healthy pace.

But if you dig deeper, you may realize that the organization at hand may be in danger of becoming its own worst enemy. Aggressive deadlines coupled with a consistent demand for innovative ways to be faster, better, and smarter can give way to chronic overloading, lack of focus, and burnout.

As I read through “The Acceleration Trap,” I was able to identify with some of the symptoms that are found inside organizations suffering from uncontrolled acceleration – and this bothers me because I am very committed to maintaining a healthy culture.

Too much work?

The authors of this article studied more than 600 companies over the past nine years to understand acceleration. For example, 60% of surveyed employees agreed or strongly agreed that their companies lacked sufficient resources to get their work done.

As the CEO of a firm that has not experienced a dry spell in workload in 10 years, and has identified recruitment as one of the most important strategies to keep up with our growth, I can relate to this challenge.

When people make light of my challenge to manage our ever-growing workload, I explain that CEOs lose just as much sleep when they have too much work, as when they don’t have enough work.

Business owners are constantly balancing the need to build the pipeline and backlog with ensuring our employees are not overloaded.

Further, 86% of respondents said they did not regularly get a chance to regenerate after working at full-capacity for an extended period of time. This is also something that concerns me.

Now that I’m aware of the risks of falling prey to the acceleration trap, how can I – the person who consciously or subconsciously sets the organizational pace – avoid landing in the trap?

Setting the pace

I recently brought in a business development expert to lead a proposal development boot-camp, and one of the topics he discussed was the importance of mirroring the cadence of your customer.

When you are engaging or presenting to a customer, how aware are you of their cadence… their pace? Do you speed up or slow down to mirror their rhythm and their posturing so that you are synchronized with them? This is one technique that you can use to you align with your customer.

I thought about this concept, and how I can apply it to my employees as well. “Mirroring the cadence” … What a great concept both inside and outside of your organization. As the CEO, how does your pace compare to the pace of those you lead?

What signals are you giving?

As the CEO, you own the cadence and pace of your organization. If you are seeing signs of acceleration and burnout around you, what are you able to personally do to halt them?

The first thing may be to examine what signals you are giving, and what expectations you are communicating – whether you are aware of them or not.

Are you asking for the development of new initiatives before existing initiatives have even been implemented?

Are you constantly asking employees to suggest new initiatives to improve the company, when perhaps the real question is what initiatives should be put on the back burner or even terminated?

Online, all the time

What is the pace of your communication? Do you as the CEO consistently send emails outside of business hours… at 10 PM during the week, or throughout the weekend? Now that home offices and blackberries are natural extensions of our regular offices, there is no “typical” work day.

Employees in virtually every position across the organization are online all the time, leaving no room for disconnection.

For better or for worse, when a company executive sends an email, the recipient feels compelled to respond. What implication does that have on your culture? What message does this send about constant communication?

The burden to set the pace of the organization heavily relies on the executive leadership. As leaders, our employees are constantly watching – and responding to – our behaviors.

Striving for “Sustaining Energy”

Ideally, a company is powered by what the Harvard Business Review article authors call “sustaining energy” – a joyful urgency among the employees that never burns out. When this occurs, the energy in the company is intense, positive, and definitely conspicuous.

But if the leader gets greedy, demanding the same level of urgency and output every day with no respite, energy will evaporate, morale will suffer, and both individual and organizational performance will fizzle.

Conversely, working at a sustainable pace will protect the organization and its people over the long term.

So for the CEO, this means vigilantly protecting against the dangers of burnout and acceleration by setting a healthy pace for everyone to mirror, starting with themselves… inside and outside the company.

Cross-posted with minor edits and permission from the DC Women’s Entrepreneurship Examiner

More from:

• Regular contributor Francie Dalton on seeding business and preserving life
• Sibyl Edwards on when it’s time to fire your client
• Stacey Hanke’s excellent two-part guest post on communicating to enhance leadership

Guest contributor Marissa Levin is Founder and CEO of Information Experts. Marissa was named a 2008 BRAVO Award winner, and a Smart100 CEO for both 2009 and 2010, by SmartCEO Magazine (which honors the region’s 25 most influential women CEOs); recently she was listed in Washington’s 100 Technology Titans by Washingtonian Magazine. She is also the DC Women’s Entrepreneurship Examiner. Describing her true passion as “helping other business owners be successful with their own business growth,” Marissa can be reached through her blog Marissa Levin.

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Editor’s Note: this is the second in a guest post series of two on crystal-clear communications by author Stacey Hanke

Um, Er, What I Mean To Say Is…

Another uh, challenge we have, you know, that is preventing, um, us from, like, getting to the point, um, are the words, you know, that clutter, you know, our language.

When you hear your female leaders using these words in italics, how do you perceive them?  Knowledgeable, credible and confident probably don’t come to mind.

The number one challenge women need to overcome if they want to influence, is the ability to replace their non-words with a pause.

We use non-words to buy ourselves time to think about what we want to say.

These words become distracting and your listener misinterprets your message. Instead, give your listeners time to hear and understand your message.

Give yourself permission to think on your feet by replacing your non-words with pauses. Speak in shorter thoughts or sentences.

As a result, you will:

• Get to the point and avoid rambling.
• Hold your listener’s attention.
• Gain control over your message and how you communicate your message.
• Give your listeners time to hear, understand and act on what you say.

When we’re trying to break old habits, it’s difficult to accomplish this grueling task on our own because we’re unaware of our behavior and our word choice.

The key to creating new habits is to receive immediate feedback to make a change.

Without immediate feedback you’ll:

• Continue to be in denial.
• Choose to use qualifiers and non-words.
• Annoy your listeners because you never get to the point.
• Be perceived with a lack of knowledge, confidence, trust and credibility.

How can you make sure your communication isn’t breaking up and negatively impacting your business?

1. Give yourself permission to think on your feet. You may be using over-qualifiers to buy yourself time.

In reality, they don’t help you think on your feet. Instead, they throw you off. PAUSE to give yourself the time you need to collect your thoughts so that you sound confident, credible and knowledgeable.

2. Pre-plan.  Prior to a meeting or face-to-face conversation, take the time to think through your words and choose words that will tap into what’s important to your listeners.

3.  Videotape yourself delivering a presentation, facilitating a meeting or having a face-to-face conversation.  When you review the tape, ask yourself the following:

• “Is what I’m saying consistent with how I say it?”
• “What worked and didn’t work for me and for my listener?”
• “What can I do and say to increase my confidence, credibility and trust?
• Here’s the most challenging question of them all, “Could I sit through my presentation, meeting or face-to-face conversation more than once?”

Enhancing our communication is a lifelong process.

The advantage you have as a leader is that you have numerous opportunities to practice and enhance your ability to communicate with impact and influence.

Practice doesn’t make perfect.  Practice makes permanent.

Want more? Here you go:

• Stacey Hanke’s first post in this two-part series on crystal-clear communications
• Take this quiz from MindTools to evaluate your communication skills

Image: Tim Parkinson, Creative Commons

Stacey Hanke is founder of 1^st Impression Consulting, Inc. Author of Yes You Can!  Everything You Need From A to Z To Influence Others To Take Action.  Visit www.1stimpressionconsulting.com.

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Editor’s Note: This is the first in a two-part guest post series on crystal clear communications.

We don’t know what we don’t know and this is why communication can be challenging.

How many of us can honestly say we’re 100% sure our messages are heard and that we’re always perceived as confident, credible and trustworthy?  If our customers’, peers’ and associates’ perception of us isn’t positive, we negatively impact profits, morale and the ability to grow our business.

As a leader inspired to grow your business, you must be able to clearly communicate.

Most of us are under the blurred assumption; “If I communicate a message, it’s heard.”  In reality, your message may not have been heard at all.

What makes it difficult for our listeners to hear and understand our message is that we over-qualify what we want to say before we make our point.

Women over-qualify more than men.  Why don’t we just say what we mean?

For example, a client asked me to observe her interaction with her team to identify her strengths and areas of improvement. As I was doing so, I quickly realized it was her choice of words that was minimizing her confidence, authority and professionalism.

Before she’d make a point she’d say, “I’m probably way off base here …”

– She was shooting her credibility in the foot without realizing what she was doing.

When members of her team would ask her a question she’d begin her response with, “To be honest with you …”

- Does this mean she was lying prior to their questions?

We fall into a trap of not getting to the point.

Women leaders frequently communicate to me they don’t want to come across as aggressive or too strong. Therefore they begin their statements with qualifiers.  These qualifiers minimize your credibility, confidence and trust.

Imagine how much time you could save in meetings and face-to-face conversations if you would get to the point.

Last week during my observation of a client’s meeting, she opened the meeting with the following statement: “I want to ask you a question. What is your number one challenge for working smarter?”

Just ask it!

Her message and presence would’ve been more powerful if she would’ve opened her session with: “What is your number one challenge for working smarter?” Do you hear the difference between these two examples?

Remember…

When speaking to clients, peers and associates, be careful of using the following qualifiers:

• “I was wondering if we might consider …”
• “I think …”
• “I’m probably way off base here …”
• “This might be a stupid idea, but …”
• “To be honest with you …”
• “I’m going to tell you a story.”

Beginning TODAY ask your peers, friends and family to immediately let you know when you use these qualifiers.  You then can begin communicating with clearer and more concise messages.

More from:

• Stacey Hanke at BusinessWeek on e-mails that inspire action
• Regular contributor Katie Kemple on how defining your corporate culture will help you cut through the communication – and client – clutter
• A humorous look at voicemail from When Falls the Coliseum

Image: floeschie‘s Flickrstream, Creative Commons

Stacey Hanke is founder of 1^st Impression Consulting, Inc. Author of Yes You Can!  Everything You Need From A to Z To Influence Others To Take Action.  Visit www.1stimpressionconsulting.com.

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A workaholic nation

I moved to the U.S. from India almost a decade ago. And it’s taken me almost a decade to get used to the shocking lack of holidays Americans put up with (Ten? Seriously, people – 10 federal holidays?!).

There can’t be much worse than coming out of the holiday season with no breaks to look forward to. Which is why Presidents’ Day, falling as it does close to Valentine’s Day, feels like a welcome reprieve.

Image: shallowend‘s Flickrstream, Creative Commons

I’ve always thought it interesting, though, that despite the numerous female American thought-leaders – including some of the world’s richest women – not a single one has been able to break through the ultimate glass ceiling – of leading the country.

Especially when you think of the positions women have held, not just in the modern era, but through the centuries.

Indira Gandhi. Golda Meir. Sirimavo Bandaranaike (the first female Prime Minister in the world… in 1960!). Catherine the Great. Margaret Thatcher. Elizabeth I… and so on.

Is that something we can look forward to in this next decade?

Shonali Burke is editor of Women Grow Business and one of the country’s leading business communicators, who was named to PRWeek’s inaugural top “40 Under 40″ list of US-based PR professionals. She specializes in creating and implementing integrated (online and off), results-based, measurable communication programs for clients both large and small at Shonali Burke Consulting. An accredited business communicator, she is also Adjunct Faculty at Johns Hopkins University’s M.A. in Communications program and active in the local communications community as President of IABC/Washington. Talk to her via her blog, Waxing UnLyrical or Twitter.

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It’s funny where life will take you.

If you’d told me, 10 years ago, that not only would I be living and working in the capital of a world superpower, I’d have giggled. If you’d told me, five years ago, how incredibly important social media would become to my life, I’d have raised my eyebrows. And if you’d told me, one year ago, that today I would be part of an incredibly vibrant community of women entrepreneurs and leaders, I’d have shaken my head in disbelief.

Amazing, isn’t it? Someone, pinch me.

As I step into Jill Foster’s editorial shoes at Women Grow Business, I’m extremely aware those are some big shoes to fill. Jill has done an incredible job building this community, populating it with women who have incredibly big spirits, overwhelming smarts and the generosity to share both, and garnering the accolades it so richly deserves.

And that’s what makes this community so exciting; not just the intelligence that buzzes through it, but the dialog it engenders.

The Power of Community

Women Grow Business is nothing without you – the women who have built it. And I know that together we’ll take it to higher and higher levels, talking and teaching and helping each other to grow and learn and succeed.

But really – it’s nothing without you.

So please do keep the great thoughts and ideas coming, so that we can build upon the foundation Jill set in place (and cheer her on as she lives her talk, something she’s taught us all to do).

Ladies, let’s crush (h/t Gary) 2010.

Image: nascarOsO, Creative Commons

Shonali Burke is editor of Women Grow Business and one of the country’s leading business communicators, who was named to PRWeek‘s inaugural top “40 Under 40″ list of US-based PR professionals. She specializes in creating and implementing integrated (online and off), results-based, measurable communication programs for clients both large and small at Shonali Burke Consulting. An accredited business communicator, she is also Adjunct Faculty at Johns Hopkins University’s M.A. in Communications program and active in the local communications community as President of IABC/Washington. She is frequently invited to speak on public relations and integrated communications-related topics, including measurement, effective integrated public relations, cause marketing, PR on a budget, and social media. Talk to her via her blog, Waxing UnLyrical, or Twitter.

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One of the great things about joining a professional development organization is that you can get hands-on leadership experience as a volunteer; experience which, they say, will serve you well in your “real” job. Certainly that’s a selling point for such organizations and in the PR/communications field, organizations such as IABC and PRSA thrive on it.

What kind of leadership skills do volunteer leaders actually gain though? And do these skills actually benefit them in their careers, or are they simply good volunteer leaders because of skills they’ve acquired through their day jobs?

At the end of the day, is being a volunteer leader—with all the time it takes—worth it?

I recently started my term as President of IABC/Washington after having previously served on the chapter board as VP, Professional Development, for three years until a couple of years ago. Before moving to the DC area, I served on the board of San Francisco Bay Area Publicity Club and now, in addition to my duties at IABC/Washington, I volunteer on IABC International’s Accreditation Council.

Lessons in leadership
Here are three leadership lessons I continue to learn that have been assets in my own business:

• “Decision by committee” and “democracy” are two different things.

I’m all for healthy debate and respectful disagreement. Heck, that’s why we have boards—to discuss and debate the pros and cons of decisions that will affect chapter members as a whole and, possibly, be held up by other chapters as precedents or best (or worst) practices.

But if you’re in a leadership position such as president, you’ve got to know when to close that debate and make a decision.

It’s ok if all decisions are not unanimous. That’s why boards have quorum requirements. What’s not ok is to drag on the debate until you’ve practically twisted everyone’s arm to agree with your viewpoint.

Debate the heck out of the issue, get the majority vote, make the decision (setting your ego aside, if you have to) and move on.

• Boundaries don’t just work, they’re necessary.

It’s easy, as a volunteer, to get sucked into doing things that other board members should be doing, but aren’t, or delay on…because you’re passionate about the organization you’re volunteering with, and want to succeed. “If so-and-so can’t do it, or doesn’t do it, I’ll just do it myself.” That’s all well and good, but you’ll get very tired being Superwoman after a while.

Successful delegation is a critical aspect of successful leadership, management and growth. If you don’t learn to set boundaries on your time and activities, you’ll constantly be at the receiving end of unrealistic expectations and will burn out. So be clear about what you expect and when you expect it, and then—and this is the tough part—let your team work its way through its collective charge. You can’t do everything for everyone all the time and if you do, it’s an indication that your team has some serious weaknesses.

• Setting benchmarks and measures of success is critical.

I write (you may have to log in to read this op-ed I wrote in PRWeek earlier this year) and present often on measurement in public relations, because that’s my field.

But measurement itself is intrinsic to the success or failure of a business—and it should be at a volunteer level as well.

Passion, by itself, does not make for success. By definition, success implies meeting or exceeding stated goals and objectives. Which means we’ve got to start at the end—what do we want to achieve? Put it in writing, and working towards it will be so much easier. And if you don’t meet your goals, there’s no shame in that. But tracking your progress will at least show you what’s working and what’s not. And when it’s time to pass the torch, the new set of volunteer leaders will be grateful for the lessons you can pass on to them.

It’s quite a ride, this volunteer thing.
It’s exhausting, energizing and exhilarating all at the same time (and I’m sure you could come up with a few choice words yourself). And it’s the very best thing I could have done for myself to grow not just in my profession, but as a leader, manager and now, business owner. I very much hope it is for you too, and I would love to know what lessons in leadership your volunteerism have taught you.

Based in the Washington, D.C. area, Shonali Burke is the IABC-accredited, award-winning principal of Shonali Burke Consulting, which specializes in “integrated communication to the nth degree.” She blogs at Waxing UnLyrical, under the watchful eyes of Chuck, Suzy Q. and Lola, her three rescue dogs. Much to her husband’s chagrin, Shonali can most often be found on Twitter.

Image Out in Front, Creative Commons.

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Recently I was blessed with the opportunity to hear Don Yaeger speak. Don is a four-time New York Times best-selling author and Editor of Sports Illustrated. His professional and life experience really made an impression on me – in regard to personal and professional leadership.

His insight relates to how we can impact our companies, as women and innovators in business and more.

In addition to actually getting past Michael Jordan to make a three-pointer during a charity sport weekend, Don has experienced some other life-changing circumstances that have taught him what it truly means to overcome adversity, muster strength from deep inside at the times you need it most when you don’t think you have anything left, and live a life of intention and passion.

Some of these experiences include:

• Walking into Afghanistan with the mujahadeen as they fought the Soviets
• Going into Baghdad with the victorious Iraqi soccer team as the battle between insurgents and the US Military waged around them
• Visiting China in pursuit of underworld characters counterfeiting American golf clubs
• Heading to Damascus to find the last living terrorist from the 1972 Olympics
• Living with football legend Walter Payton and his family as Payton was dying to write Payton’s biography
• Roaming around Europe and the Middle East interviewing Iraqi athletes tortured by Saddam Hussein’s son Uday, chairman of the Iraqi Olympic Committee

Shaping his perspective
Throughout his exceptional career, Don has developed deep, lasting relationships with the most elite athletes that you and I will only get to admire from afar. From Tiger Woods and Tom Brady to Serena Williams and Shaq, these are the people that has shaped Don’s perspective on life… and now Don is sharing those insights with the rest of us.

16 Characteristics of Greatness
Throughout Don’s entire speech, I was engaged in every story of both triumph and adversity… his own as well as the stories of others. But the greatest take-away for me that I want to share with you is what Don has identified throughout his journey as Sixteen Consistent Characteristics of Greatness. These traits describe the sports leaders that are the best in their field – the people that we admire every day.

How they think:

1. It’s personal
They hate to lose more than they love to win. People that aspire to greatness know that defeat just isn’t an option.

2. Rubbing elbows
They understand the value of association. I always say that we become the people that surround us. Those of us who are aspiring to greatness, it is our job to rub elbows with the right people and to learn what makes them successful and what keeps them going. In turn, it is up to them to help us better ourselves. And if you can’t change the people around you, then choose different people to be around. Think about it.

3. Believe
They have faith in a higher power. It is proven that a strong spiritual commitment, and a strong belief in faith is linked to a positive outcome. In our current economic state, always remember the power of a positive mind-set and the importance of belief in beating the impossible.

4. Contagious enthusiasm
They are positive thinkers… They are enthusiastic… and that enthusiasm rubs off. When you’re trying to work through your challenge-professional or personal – do so with the belief that the best is yet to come. Stay positive.

How they prepare:

5. Hope for the best but…
They prepare for all possibilities before they step on the field. I am an eternal optimist. But I am also a realist. When I enter into any situation, I am excited about the possibilities it may bring. But I also know that there are a lot of variables beyond my control. So I contingency-plan.

6. What off-season?
They are always working towards the next game… The goal is what’s ahead, and there’s always something ahead. if you visualize where you want to be and work backwards from there, you can always be moving the ball forward.

7. Visualize victory
They see victory before the game begins. Positive visualization is a proven ingredient of a successful outcome.

8. Inner fire
They use adversity as fuel.One thing in life is certain… none of us gets through without adversity. What matters is that we find the strength to work through it. When we are knocked down, it may take hours, days, weeks, or months, but we need to get back up. For me, I’m at the point where challenging situations invigorate me. I’m mentally tough enough to embrace the adversity heading my way, overcome it, and learn from it.

How they work:

9. Ice in their veins
(Image Ice Drip by Scott Kinmartin, Creative Commons)

They are risk-takers and don’t fear making a mistake. Failure is one of our greatest teachers. I’m amazed at how much risk-tolerance I have acquired. But it’s the one component that enables me to keep growing. If I stopped to think about how much I have on the line, I would be paralyzed.

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career,” NBA legend Michael Jordan, who was known for his late-game heroics in addition to six national titles, once said. “I’ve lost almost 300 games – 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed.”

10. When all else fails
They know how – and when – to adjust their game plan. Flexibility and adaptability is essential to survival. I wrote a previous column on this exact topic… the ability to shift when everything around you is shifting too.

11. Ultimate teammate
They will assume whatever role is necessary for the team to win. Individual accomplishments are important, but the sum is always greater in value than the individual parts. How much do you step up to help those around you? When others around you thrive, you thrive as well.

12. Not just about the Benjamins
They don’t play just for the money. It’s never about the money. And if it is, it’s about the wrong thing. The money will come if you follow your passion… if you become a part of something bigger than yourself. As a business owner, I view our profits as a catalyst to build a greater organization.

How they live:

13. Do unto others
They know character is defined by how they treat those who cannot help them. One of the greatest sources of satisfaction is helping others, from a truly altruistic standpoint. We all have something to give… our time, our experiences, our compassion.

14. When no one is watching
They are comfortable in the mirror… they live their life with integrity. I always tell my kids… “What matters is not what you do when everyone is watching. What matters is what you do when no one is watching.” Your ultimate accountability has to be to yourself.

15. When everyone is watching
They embrace the idea of being a role model. As leaders, we have an obligation to promote positive leadership, and demonstrate the positive influence we can have on others. Our actions shape those coming behind us.

16. Records are made to be broken
They know their legacy isn’t what they did on the field. They are well-rounded. A legacy isn’t what you took from this world. A legacy is what you leave behind.

More from:

• Marissa Levin and her Women Grow Business series on women in business, leadership, and sales;
• Sibyl Edwards and observing the mindset of entrepreneurs.

Guest contributor Marissa Levin is Founder and CEO of Information Experts. Launching a new Women Grow Business series on sales strategy, Marissa was named a 2008 BRAVO Award winner by SmartCEO Magazine (which honors the region’s 25 most influential women CEOs) and recently was listed in Washington’s 100 Technology Titans by Washingtonian Magazine. Describing her true passion as “helping other business owners be successful with their own business growth”, Marissa can be reached through her blog Marissa Levin.

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I’m thrilled about many things in 2009, both inside and outside my business. And I wanted to share a few that continually motivate me.

An accomplishment: seeding every day no matter what
My company hasn’t emerged unscathed from this recession.

We took some heavy hits. But action – consistent action – not fear – was the daily strategy. Some of the actions were counter-intuitive, like spending scarce cash on new marketing initiatives and professional development for staff when resources were low. Some were high risk, like making a new hire in a particular market segment when business was down in other segments. Most were just plain grunt work.

Some actions were successful; some weren’t. But our mantra was to stay busy seeding, and trust that the harvest would come. Once we committed to finding seeding opportunities, they appeared everywhere.

Networking. Helping. Prospecting. Brokering. Innovating. We stayed busy on purpose, seeding everyday, no matter what. Turns out it’s a great fear management tool. Looking back on this year, I don’t remember being afraid. I just remember being almost overwhelmed with seeding opportunities, frantically trying to fit them all in. And the harvest? We’re looking at a TON of little green sprouts!

An insight: preserving life
Last month, one of my virtual assistants, Kristy, who lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia found a not-yet-weaned kitten on a compost heap. She rescued it, and because she knows I’m an animal lover, emailed me to ask if I knew anyone who might want it. I didn’t, but was willing to foster it. So we each drove half way and I got the little fur ball and took it to my vet for a checkup. Happily, the kitten seemed OK (pictured above), and the vet even knew a couple that might want to adopt it.

Getting confused about how many people were involved in this?

I ended up fostering for only one night, because the folks my vet contacted did indeed want the kitten.

That kitten would not have survived a cold night out on the compost heap. Kristy only saw it by merest chance. In less than 48 hours that tiny little life passed through four sets of hands, 100 miles apart, to finally have a chance at life.

Only the 4th set of hands could give it a home – but other hands helped along the way. Makes me wonder – whose life could each of us advance just a little bit today?

A success: radiance in a staff member
I have a middle-aged female staff member who honestly has no idea how smart and capable she is. No one takes her more for granted than she does. This lack of confidence makes her shun opportunities that would elicit demonstrations of her strengths. A few weeks ago, I insisted that she attend my course on professional presenting, during which she would have to make 5 video-taped presentations in front of others over a 2-day period.

The first day she was huffy and defensive – her usual response to feeling vulnerable. By the end of day two, though, she was RADIANT.

And she deserved to be. She had done a great job of integrating all the learning, and delivered really terrific presentations. She knows she’s good at a particular set of functions, but has been unwilling to believe she can be good an expanded set of functions. This experience helped her discover another dimension of her existing strengths. It was absolutely wonderful to see that realization dawn on her. Can’t wait to see what’s next!

What about you?
What benchmarks, successes, or insights have been revealed through this year?

More from:

• Francie Dalton and her Women Grow Business series;
• Heavy Hitter Sales Blog and credibility in your sales team (hint: honest forecasts are key);
• Marissa Levin and how imagination impacts her leadership and success.

Guest contributor Francie Dalton, CMC, is founder and president of Dalton Alliances, Inc. and author of the recently published book Versatility. Her Washington, DC based consultancy helps the C-Suite solve business nightmares. Francie equips clients to deal with what they didn’t see coming (and shows them there’s always another way to win!). She welcomes a chance to meet you via Twitter or on LinkedIn.

Image of the rescued kitten used with permission by blogger Francie Dalton.

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Being warm and safe
With the fall season in full swing, nearing winter – many of us think of the wonderful gifts that the season brings us: the beautiful changing foliage, the opportunity to wear our favorite sweaters & jackets, evenings with friends & family as we share warm meals and blazing fires. But for too many in our society, the changing season brings a sense of dread because of plunging temperatures, lack of substantive food to warm our bodies, and a warm, safe place to sleep.

Homelessness is happening everywhere we turn.
It is not somebody else’s problem. It is everyone’s problem. Regardless of where you live, it is highly likely that you have come across a homeless individual or homeless family. Perhaps you’ve simply walked right past them as you carry on a conversation on your cell phone. Or maybe you’ve rolled up your window as they pass by cars stopped at a city traffic light.

As entrepreneurs, we can do better.
As entrepreneurs – leaders who are driven by a need to improve the world around them – we have an obligation to do better.

Business owners have tremendous reach and influence. They have the ability to inspire others to take positive steps, and call others to action.

Did you know that children under 18 make up 27% of the homeless population?
Families with children are now among the fastest growing group of the homeless population. They account for about 40% of the people who become homeless each year. 38% of the people already homeless are families with children. And 50% of America’s homeless of women and children are running from domestic abuse.

Homeless veterans
Did you know that of all of the homeless men, 40% of them have served in the armed forces? Compare that the the total adult male population, in which only 34% of the population has served in the armed forces. 19% of the urban homeless population are veterans. Think about that next time you roll up your window when someone walks by your car asking for help at a city light.

Homelessness among families upsets nearly every part of the family’s life. It disrupts children’s education and development. It affects the emotional and physical health of the family. It often forces family members to separate because of gender or age. Families with children constitute 20% of the homeless. Of those families who become homeless, 40% are families with children. That makes them the fastest growing segment of the homeless population.

So now I’ve pulled at your heartstrings, and you are saying, “Wow, that hits home a lot closer than I ever thought it did. Marissa, what can I do?” Well, I am glad you asked.

As a business owner, you can align with one of the many homeless shelters in your region to become a corporate donor.

We happen to support Reston Interfaith because our office is located in Reston, VA. We participate in coat drives and Thanksgiving drives every year. Like all homeless and transitional shelters, Reston Interfaith is in desperate need of food for its pantry. Donations are down significantly at all shelters, while the need for their services continues to escalate.

As a business owner
You can support Reston Interfaith’s need for food to fill Thanksgiving baskets so that needy families can have an enjoyable, food-filled Thanksgiving…something many of us take for granted. Reston Interfaith posts the information for the Thanksgiving baskets and the coat drive on their website, if you would like more information.

There are shelters all across the country
Just like Reston Interfaith, they need your help. If you have not visited a shelter, you should. For our older son’s birthday, in lieu of birthday presents for past birthday parties, he has collected donations to Reston Interfaith, and then has presented them to Kerrie Wilson, Reston Interfaith’s CEO. (Kerrie is a fellow SmartCEO BRAVA Award Winner, and has worked tirelessly to ensure that Reston Interfaith’s families get the support they need to regain self-efficacy and self-sufficiency).

Lessons in embarrassment, community, my son, and compassion
Through this experience, not only did my son gain the gift of a greater appreciation for his own life, he discovered the gift of compassion for children that are just like him…only living in a different environment. He donated the money he collected to purchase books and toys for these children.

One notable memory that has remained with him is that these children who live at the shelters board their school buses first in the morning, and exit the school buses last in the afternoon to avoid the embarrassment of living in a shelter.

So it is very possible that if you have children who attend school, they have school mates who live in a shelter, and your family would not even know about it.

There are so many ways a business owner can make a difference in the lives of others.

Toy drives, canned food drives, and clothing drives are just a few ways to make a difference. Supporting specific charities is another way. Donating products or services pro-bono is yet another way to give back.

Action plan for the next homeless person you meet or see
At the individual level, we can all take small steps to make a big impact. One thing I want to suggest to everyone is to go to Costco or another food warehouse and purchase a case of bottled water and perhaps some granola bars or another non-perishable item. Keep these in your car, on the floor behind your seat. The next time you are approached by a homeless person, or you see someone on the street, do not pretend you do not see them.

Give them a bottle of water and a couple of granola bars.
It very well be the only thing they have to eat and drink all day. In addition to giving them nourishment and sustenance, you will also give them something that is just as important… hope in humanity that we will take care of one another.

How are you and your organizations helping the local area?

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the struggling, and tolerant of the weak. Because someday in life you will have been all of these. – George Washington Carver

More from:

• Mahalo and where to help the homeless in the Washington, DC region;
• Thrive DC on helping homeless women in the DC area;

Guest contributor Marissa Levin is Founder and CEO of Information Experts. Launching a new Women Grow Business series on sales strategy, Marissa was named a 2008 BRAVO Award winner by SmartCEO Magazine (which honors the region’s 25 most influential women CEOs) and recently was listed in Washington’s 100 Technology Titans by Washingtonian Magazine. Describing her true passion as “helping other business owners be successful with their own business growth”, Marissa can be reached through her blog Marissa Levin.

Image I Wanna Hold Your Hand by San Diego Shooter, Creative Commons

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Ladies, I’m back.
-with more of the top 10 women’s networking groups in the DC area. I hope you found the first five of this list useful. And the added suggestions from Women Grow Business readers to that list were fantastic (so if you have any more to add, please do in the comments for this post!).

1. YES!Circle.
   YES!Circle is the creation of Margarita Rozenfeld, who is an exceptional career coach, and completely committed to both entrepreneurship and helping others. YES!Circle brings together entrepreneurs from all industries, in all phases of the business lifecycle. Many of the YES!Circle events are held in the downtown DC area. The events provide an intimate setting of brainstorming and learning, and are true peer advisory groups for anyone looking to learn the nuts and bolts of entrepreneurship. One of YES!Circle’s most popular annual events is a weekend-long visionary retreat. The next one happens June 26 – 28, 2009 at Berkley Spring, WV. These retreats are for entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and creative types who want to get crystal clear about their vision, mission and action steps to get to their next level of business growth. There are still a few spots available, so check the website for details if an immersion in entrepreneurship interests you. Yes!Circle meets monthly, and the meetings are always full of successful, passionate entrepreneurs looking to connect with like-minded individuals.
2. Executive Women’s Roundtable.
   EWR has evolved into an outstanding group of executive women from all facets of business and government in the DC region. This rapidly growing group meets monthly at Maggianos in Tyson’s Corner, VA. This wonderful setting provides great networking opportunities, and the luncheon speakers are among the best that any networking group has to offer. Speakers include leaders and business owners from all types of businesses, government leaders, political experts, national news correspondents, business coaches, chefs, international authors, women’s rights advocates, health experts, and many more. The leadership of Executive Women’s Roundtable is extremely strong, which ensures top-notch programming and ongoing participation from the best and brightest in our business community.
3. eWomenNetwork.
   eWomenNetwork has been around for many, many years. What started out as a small networking group has mushroomed into one of the most far-reaching women’s networks in the United States. The group has hundreds of networking events occurring during any given month, and the DC Chapter is particularly active. It is run by Susan Wight, who has transformed the DC chapters (meeting in both Tyson’s Corner and Leesburg, VA) into excellent networking events with strong speakers and great attendance. The unique aspect of eWomenNetwork is its national reach. The founder of this group had a vision to create a nationwide, cost-effective network for women, and she has achieved it. There are annual conferences, an author’s network, a coaching network, a speaker’s network, and many other benefits. You can find Susan’s information on the main website, under Managing Directors.
4. National Speakers Association.
   I am a newcomer to NSA, but I attended an event last week, and I know the President of NSA, Susan Trivers. I also know several incredibly gifted colleagues (Sally Strackbein, Jennifer Abernathy, Vernice Armour) that are active in NSA, and they are among the best speakers you could ever hope to see. Not only was I very impressed with the quality, talent, creativity, and diversity of the speakers I saw at their monthly June meeting; I learned so much in the short time that I was there. Professional speaking is truly an art. It is a discipline that requires knowledge in many aspects that extend way beyond an understanding of a specific topic. If you have any interest in pursuing a speaking career, or if you are required to give presentations in your line of work (and most business owners are required to do so), you should consider attending a NSA event or explore their membership options. I hope to be spending more time with NSA.
5. Women’s Business Center of Northern Virginia.
   The Women’s Business Center of Northern Virginia is one of the SBA-run women’s business centers around the United States. It is the flagship women’s business center; truly setting the standard for what all women’s business centers should be. These centers fall under the supervision of Ana Harvey, President Obama’s appointed Assistant Administrator for the Office of Women Owned Business within the SBA. Ana is dedicated to ensuring all of the Women’s Business Centers nationwide provide the resources that women business owners need to thrive. This center offers so much to women business owners. It provides classes in virtually every topic, from writing a business plan to securing financing. It provides excellent conferences and workshops, and is a phenomenal springboard and resource for all women business owners.

So there you have my top 10 list. I hope you found a few resources that you have not experienced, and I hope you have been inspired to get out there and connect with other like-minded women.

One more resource
I would like to mention just one more resource. The Hot Mommas Project was launched by an amazing, inspiring woman named Kathy Korman-Frey — who has contributed to Women Grow Business. She’s been teaching women’s entrepreneurship and leadership at George Washington University for years. And here is a description of the Hot Mommas Project:

The Hot Mommas Project is an award-winning women’s leadership program housed at the George Washington University School of Business. The research initiative started in 2002 to fill a gap in the education system:

Scalable access to role models, particularly female ones. Thus, our mission is to increase self-efficacy of women and girls across the globe through exposure to role models. To accomplish our mission, we are building the world’s largest women’s case study library to produce not just vignettes, but credible academic tools that can be utilized in a classroom environment.
I encourage you to visit Hot Mommas to learn more about this groundbreaking program, and to be inspired by heroic tales of entrepreneurship from across the globe.

Thank you for reading my post … more valuable information to come for sure. And what other networking groups and events have been a great support to you in the Washington, DC area?

Happy Networking!

More from Women Grow Business:

• Marissa Levin and her series on sales strategy and leadership;
• Liz Scherer and building quality partnerships (hint: would you marry them?);
• Patricia Frame and women entrepreneurs: value of building your development plan for 2010.

Guest contributor Marissa Levin is Founder and CEO of Information Experts. Launching a new Women Grow Business series on sales strategy, Marissa was named a 2008 BRAVO Award winner by SmartCEO Magazine (which honors the region’s 25 most influential women CEOs) and recently was listed in Washington’s 100 Technology Titans by Washingtonian Magazine. Describing her true passion as “helping other business owners be successful with their own business growth”, Marissa can be reached through her blog Marissa Levin.

Image High Five by LinksmanJD, Creative Commons.

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