Category: Communication Skills

Remote Work Best Practices

Whether you run a small business that relies on remote and/or hybrid workers, you are part of a large organization navigating how the post-COVID workplace looks or you are a remote worker yourself, figuring out best practices to support this work arrangement is critical for corporate success.

This post on Business.com discusses critical best practices to consider to ensure that remote work is a success including technology adaptations, work scheduling and IT security concerns to name a few. The piece also discusses the important of outlining a remote work policy and provides tips on how to navigate that process.

Tips for Women Entrepreneurs

This article from AllBusiness provides advice for women entrepreneurs from successful female business owners. The piece includes 21 tips that cover a range of topics such as cultivating storytelling skills, bringing a fresh perspective, finding purpose, taking control, avoiding self-discrimination, hiring passionate staff, charging appropriately for services, and surrounding oneself with supportive people. Many of the tips emphasize the importance of amplifying women’s unique strengths, including communication, empathy, and problem-solving abilities, in building successful businesses.

Six Reasons Why Small Businesses Fail

The article from Business News Daily discusses six common reasons why small businesses fail and provides advice on how to minimize or avoid their negative impact. These reasons include poor cash flow, inadequate leadership, disengaged employees, lack of business planning, strong competition, and failure to adapt to changes in the market.

The article suggests that to address these challenges, small business owners should prioritize financial planning, establish clear organizational structures, foster employee engagement, create comprehensive business plans, conduct competitive analyses, and be adaptable to industry trends. Additionally, the article highlights the importance of cultivating a supportive and collaborative work environment and investing in leadership development programs to ensure that businesses are well-positioned for success.

Which Dialogue Are You Listening To?

There is a piece just posted today in Fast Company entitled “The mindset shift you need in order to stop your inner voice from sabotaging you”.

In the article, author Lydia Fenet reflects on how “Imposter Syndrome” can often sneak up on us in our professional lives. Specifically she makes the important point of pausing to consider whether you are listening to what colleagues are actually saying or if you are listening to what you *think* they are saying. Read the article for the example – great content to ponder on your entrepreneurial journey.

Passing on Generational Wealth

As we head into Thanksgiving this week in the US, many families will be gathering around tables where multiple generations are present. In this interview and podcast from NPR’s Life Kit, Pamela Jolly, founder and CEO of the strategic investment firm Torch Enterprises shares thoughts on what generational wealth includes and how to create structures in which it can be shared. Specifically, Jolly states that wealth isn’t just about cash. It can be whatever you want it to be – from your relationships to your education and knowledge to the things you own – “wealth” can be anything you can pass down to make your mark on the world.

Squashing the Negative

Many successful individuals – especially women – struggle with negative self-talk (sometimes referred to as having an Inner Critic). In this podcast from NPR’s Lifekit, Joy Harden Bradford, Ph.D., an Atlanta-based clinical psychologist and the host and founder of Therapy for Black Girls, shares several strategies to tame those voices. From reframing how you speak to yourself to reducing the time you spend doom-scrolling on social media, her tips are a worthwhile listen!

New Work Rules For Marginalized People

This article featured in Fast Company highlights the five lessons from Alan Henry’s new book, Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized. His book is intended as a guide for employees who find themselves often marginalized – including people of color, women, and those in the LGBTQ+ community. It is also a great read for leaders who want to make sure that their companies and teams are serving all employees well. Some suggestions from the book include: learning to collaborate, leveraging remote work options to work best for you, acknowledging when it is time to leave toxic work environments that aren’t likely to change, and making sure to have a solid work-life balance as well as time for reflection.

When Women Step Into Executive Roles, Attitudes Towards Risk Change

Studies over time have found that when women step into executive roles at a company (CEO, CFO, director, etc), the company will experience an increase in profitability – in one study that increase was 15%. On NPR’s Planet Money podcast The Indicator, this reality is explored with Professor Corinne Post, a professor of management at the Villanova School of Business. One of the interesting findings in Professor Post’s research was that “after women were appointed to top executive positions, two things happened. A management team’s tendency to take risks dropped by between 13 to 14%, and then their willingness to become more innovative – their openness to new ideas – that increased by about 10%.” To hear more about the research and a discussion on the topic, listen to “The Indicator” podcast.

Accelerating Your Success As A Female Founder

woman entrepreneur standing outside door holding "welcome - we are open" sign

This recent piece in Entrepreneur entitled “How to Accelerate Your Success as a Female Founder” shares that there are basically two steps to starting a business: doing something to get the ball rolling, and then saying, “I’m doing this.” The article states that many female entrepreneurs struggle with the second part and provides ideas on how to get unstuck and feel more comfortable with self promotion.