To friends

To family

To colleagues

To creativity

To excellence

To effervescence

To science

To study

To laughter

To love

To peace

To prosperity

To the past

To the future

To each of you!

Best wishes for a wonderful 2009.

Please feel free to add to the list!

TAGS: 2009, holidays, New Year, toast

As I prepare to take some time off between now and January 2, 2009 to spend along the California Coast, I think about how far The Thin Pink Line has come since its inception earlier this year.  Our readership climbs every month, we hear interesting perspectives (some quite different than our own!), and we have the pleasure of knowing our blogs are helping women to maneuver through their financial and workplace challenges.   Making a difference is what matters most to me and your feedback is assuring that despite the fact you may never write a response or give your opinion on our blog, our words are of value to you.  For all of this — and for you — I am grateful. 

My mousepad reads, “In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, it is gratefulness that makes us happy.”  I got it from a wonderful website: www.gratefulness.org.  The website allows you to light a candle for anyone or any reason and I’ve chosen to light one for you.  You can see the candle and light your own at http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=TPL.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Thin Pink Line bloggers filled up the page with lit candles?

Through these difficult financial times, uncertain political scene, and what feels like a decaying infrastructure, I consciously choose to be grateful for what I have, not for what I don’t have or what I’ve lost.  Every day I find one new thing to consider with gratefulness.  And it is true, gratefulness brings happiness.  I wish you an adundance of both not only at the holidays but all through the year ahead.

TAGS: Gratefulness, happiness

A reader asks:

Does the current economic situation mean that a promotion is out of the question? When I explored the possibility with my boss, he seemed to think that I should be grateful to have a job, never mind expecting anything more. Is ambition one of the casualties, or are there opportunities among the threats?

Despite the serious challenges we face, I believe there is still an opportunity get promoted.  But now, more than ever, you will have to be proactive to make it happen. Being reluctant to raise the possibility because you don’t want to seem ungrateful is self-defeating behavior.

Consider the following:

• Did you read your boss’s reaction correctly? Is this type of behavior typical for your boss? Does she really think that no advancement is possible (perhaps she knows something you don’t?) or was she simply taking the path of least resistance?
• If it is the latter, think about the concerns your boss may have. Assuming he is convinced you are qualified to move up, there still may be other issues. Is she worried that other people in the department will be disaffected? Is he worried about making the case for your promotion to his boss? Are budgets so frozen solid that the raise tied to the promotion is a problem? Is she concerned that with head-count frozen she would not be able to replace you?
• Once you think know what the stumbling blocks are, plan a strategy to enlist your boss’s support. Your plan should make it clear to your boss how he will benefit from your promotion and how his concerns can be solved. Perhaps by advocating for your promotion, she’ll be viewed as an excellent talent developer or perceived as a team player who is willing to share the subject matter expertise you bring more broadly with others in the firm.

If, on the other hand, your boss is delivering news that promotions are frozen, it’s your choice — take her at her word and wait it out or start exploring your other options. It surprises me that more companies don’t realize the power of promotion as a way to motivate people in tough times. Help them to understand that a promotion will go a long way to keep you engaged.

TAGS: bosses, difficult economy, Economy, promotion

First, welcome to the new Thin Pink Line bloggers who I met at the Massachusetts Conference for Women last week.  You were a great group!  Today’s blog is a continuation of the discussion we had when a woman in the audience asked how to assimilate to a new geographic and corporate culture — and when another woman asked if one person could change the culture.  As we discussed, every organization has its own playing field, and when we move from one geographic location to another (eg New York City to Boston) there are additional challenges.  Having moved from New York to Los Angeles I know first-hand that the survival skills I may have used in NY don’t always work in L.A.  As I told someone just today, “I’m glad I didn’t have to bring out my NY to resolve this issue.” 

The simple saying, “When in Rome, do as the Romans,” holds true in the workplace.  If you’re just starting a job you can’t focus on “proving yourself” until you get the lay of the land.  Here are some coaching tips for assessing your playing field before deciding it is or is not right for you:

• Remember when Hillary Clinton was elected Senator in NY?  She went on a listening tour.  This is what we should all be doing in new situations.  Too often we are eager to show what we know rather than gather the information needed to be successful in the long term.  Make a conscious effort to identify the people who appear to be succeeding in your new workplace.  You’ll know who they are because they exhibit confidence by speaking up in meetings, are asked for their opinion, and are those who others seek out for casual activities.  Ask these people if they would be willing to show you the ropes by spending a few minutes each week answering your questions.  More likely than not, they’ll be flattered.  Just make sure you make good use of their time by being prepared for each meeting with them.
• Assess the breadth of the playing field by watching how far others push the envelope.  Are people careful about what they say in meetings?  Is management open to new ideas when they’re presented by others or do they quickly shoot them down?  Is risk taking encouraged or punished?  This will give you an idea of how much room you have to maneuver. 
• Don’t assume what worked in your last workplace will work in your new one.  I often tell the story of when I was comparing the “creative playing fields” in the entertainment industry vs. the defense industry.  I told a group that whereas the boundaries are practically nonexistent in entertainment, defense reins people in a bit more.  A woman in the audience raised her hand and exclaimed, “That explains everything!  Whereas I could do no wrong when I worked in entertainment I came to my new [defense] company and I could do nothing right.”  Every workplace has rules, boundaries, and strategies you’ll be expected to adhere to.  If you find the field too narrow for you, then you probably need a different playing field.
• Don’t expect to change the boundaries alone.  In over 30 years in human resources I’ve never seen one person change the boundaries.  As much as they may have tried, they wound up frustrated or being viewed as a malcontent.  Corporate cultures are well-defined for a reason — they work.  If you want to make changes to your culture look for similarly-minded people and band together to create change.  This is your best alternative to leaving prematurely.  If it doesn’t work, you can always vote with your feet.
• Do a thorough self-assessment.  How realistic are your expectations?  Will any company meet them?  You could go from job to job only to find it’s you who needs an attitude adjustment.  Talk to friends about their experiences to get an idea of whether you’re on track or expecting too much.  If it’s the latter and you don’t want to change, then self-employment might be the answer for you.
• Collect lots of reciprocal chips.  When you’re new to a job you can start your bank account of reciprocal chips by letting others know you’re willing to go the extra mile (within reason of course).  When you do favors for people, let them know you’re happy to go out of your way by staying late, working week-ends, etc.  Don’t make it look seamless — get credit where credit is due.  When you have plenty of chips in your account you’ll be able to “cash them in” on favors or giving you slack if you make a mistake.
• If you’re new, say so when sharing an alternative viewpoint.  I normally don’t like women to use premables, but if you’re new, it’s a good way to put out a new idea and not appear overly critical.  Just be careful not to add, “This is how we did it at my last company.”  Instead, say something like, “I realize I’m new here and don’t know exactly how things are done, but I do have any idea that might shift the current situation.  Let me share it and see if it might work.” 
• Use the “salami” approach to introducing new concepts.  Most of us wouldn’t sit down and eat an entire salami, would we?  Well the same holds true when presenting a new idea.  People need time to digest it a little bit at a time.  So break it into pieces and serve a little bit at a time.  Rather than suggest an entire process be overhauled, start with something simple that can be easily implemented and evaluated.  If that works, go on to the next phase.  And by the way, this holds true when negotiating as well.  If you want a few stars, don’t ask for the galaxy, just one at a time. 

If you’ve done all these things and you realize you’ve made a mistake in selecting a particular company to work for, don’t be afraid to make a change sooner than later.  Mismatches are common — and they’re made by both hiring sources and employees.  It’s not until you get into the situation that you can accurately assess the realities.  Leaving prematurely won’t provide you with the lessons you need to learn.  Staying too long will diminish your self-confidence.  Give it time, but know when to cut bait.

TAGS: Acclimating to a new job, corporate culture, how to know when to quit, new to the job

Earlier this year, The Conference Board (a global research and membership organization) in collaboration with TNS (a market research company) released a survey that showed that 25% of internet users use social networking sites including MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn among others. And, half of those visit these sites on a daily basis. They’re logging in at home (75%) at work and in public places. And women are more likely to frequent these sites than men.

With all that activity, there’s an element of risk. Take, for example, the case of Jonathan Favreau, 27, recently named as President-elect Obama’s Director of Speechwriting. As part of a series it is running on Obama’s new team, today’s New York Times reported that he had little “baggage” coming in to his new role except for some embarrassing photos that appeared on his Facebook wall. Evidently, Jonathan was at a party and posed with a cardboard cut-out of Senator Hillary Clinton. Of course, the pictures in question were quickly removed but the damage was done.

Recently, I wrote about the potentially awkward situation you may face if a colleague “friends you“. Although it wasn’t the main focus, I did make the point:

Of course, once you post information to Facebook (or on the internet more broadly) you lose control of it ─ enough said about that. Smart people are circumspect because they know employers do their Google due diligence not to mention the fact that some day they may have to explain why they were doing whatever they were doing to their future children.

Comments by Denise, Tricia and Emile underscored the importance of being very careful about what you post (and what your friends post!).

Jonathan was lucky.  The pictures on his wall didn’t prevent him from getting what I assume is his dream job but it very well might have.  But he still has the awkard moment to face when he runs into the new Secretary of State at the White House and wonder if she knows the story that his wall once told…

TAGS: "friend", Facebook, social networking

Thin Pink Line blogger, Valerie, wrote in asking how to handle holiday gift giving vis-a-vis the boss.  She said she was planning on giving gifts to the people who report to her but not to the boss – then she heard others were giving gifts to the boss. 

The best time to address this sticky situation in an office is BEFORE gifts are purchased or start to be exchanged.  Shortly after Thanksgiving agreements should be reached about how it will be handled.  Departments or even entire companies should come up with guidelines for having “Secret Santas,” grab bags, or other ideas that prevent employees from feeling like they have to give gifts to all of their co-workers — bosses included.  If the company or management doesn’t bring it up, you can do it and I’m sure others will be grateful that you did. 

My own preference as an alternative to gift giving in the office is to have departments or companies choose nonprofit organizations to raise money for.  In this way employees can give what they can afford and not feel pressured to buy gifts for all of their co-workers and the boss. 

With that said, and realizing it’s already late, my suggestion to you, Valerie, is that you do one of two things. If you feel strongly that it’s important to give a gift to the boss (and I don’t think you should in any way feel pressured to do so), ask around and see if several colleagues might be willing to go in with you on a modest gift for the boss — such as a gift card to his or her favorite store.  In this way you all keep from going over budget.   If it’s already too late for that, or if you really don’t think giving the boss a gift is necessary but you do want to find a way to recognize him or her at the holidays, consider making a donation to a nonprofit organization that your boss supports or that’s related to a cause important to him or her.  The amount is entirely up to you, it’s tax deductible, and they’ll usually send a card to person being honored indicating a gift has been made in his or her name or provide you with a card that you can send yourself — just be sure to ask for it.

TAGS: gifts for the boss, holiday gifts for co-workers, Office holiday gifts

Readers of my books know that I recommend chess as a way to build your strategic thinking muscle. While most of us think of chess champions as being men, for centuries women have practiced the game as well.  In the Medieval ages chess training accompanied reading, fashion, and appropriate manners for women of the wealthy class. 

The picture to the right shows Ben Franklin playing chess with Lady Howe in 1774 as they discussed how to keep the crown and colonies from going to war.  And did you know that the Women’s Olympic Chess Team beat out 111 other countries for the Bronze Medal during the 38th Olympiad?

I recently became familiar with the work of Jim Egerton, President of Chess Now, a company that teaches teams of business people how to play chess and use it for their competitive advantage.  He can work with your professional association, company or team of any kind to help you improve:

• Strategic thinking
• Calculating outcomes
• Tactical awareness
• Competitor threat analysis
• Time management

I love Jim’s model and I know it works.  Whether you bring Jim into your company or just learn to play chess on your own, it’s a fun way to build critical thinking skills that will serve you well in any professional arena. 

TAGS: chess, Chess and work, critical thinking, strategic thinking

A reader asks:

A woman who had been my supervisor transferred out of our department a few months ago. She and I had gotten along very well and we have stayed in touch since she left by email and occasional phone calls. So I wasn’t surprised to see a message from her pop up in my inbox ─ until I read it and learned that she’s been give a pink slip. I feel just terrible but I’m not sure of what to do.

It’s one thing to read about the number of people losing their jobs in the newspapers, it’s another thing altogether when it hits this close to home. This is someone with whom you used to work and, to make matters worse, she was still employed by your company. Very scary indeed.

Yet your emotions aren’t really the issue here; you must summon up the courage to respond supportively.  Some suggestions:

1. Think before you act.
   What can you do to help? Perhaps you can help in a tangible way ─ offer to make introductions or offer to proof read his/her resume (but don’t make any offers until you read #3 first). Perhaps your contribution will be to lend a sympathetic ear. Whatever it is, be clear in your own mind not only what you can promise but what you can actually deliver.
2. Take your cues from your colleague regarding the method you use to respond.
   What is your colleague’s style? What, if anything, can you surmise from the fact that your colleague informed you about her situation via email rather than a phone call? Is he/she an expressive who might like to get together to talk? If so, pick up the phone this very minute. Or is he/she more likely to appreciate an email response? Be sensitive to the situation and respond accordingly.
3. Don’t offer unsolicited advice.
   People tend to appreciate advice (no matter how well-intentioned or simply brilliant it is) only when they ask for it.
4. Cut him/her some slack.
   People react in very different ways to a job loss. Don’t be surprised if you have to do most of the heavy lifting to carry the relationship for a while.

Support during difficult times will long be remembered.

TAGS: colleagues, Handling layoffs, lay-offs, support

I asked Thin Pink Line blogger, Marilyn Ziemann, for some advice for those of you thinking about year end tax planning — and that should be all of you!  Marilyn is a seasoned CPA on a mission to help people keep more of what they make.  You won’t go wrong with these tips:

It’s not too late to think about ways to save money on your personal or business income taxes for this year.  Here are just a few basic opportunities to think about for 2008.

1.     Time transactions in your favor.  Timing can provide tax savings opportunities even at this late date. If you anticipate that you will be in a lower marginal tax bracket next year, defer income and accelerate expenses for 2008.  What that means is to delay income from this year into 2009.  A good example would be to take that bonus in January instead of in December.  Many employers are flexible in the timing of year end bonuses.  Accelerate deductions for this year.  Common examples would be to prepay property taxes or pay any deductible business expense such as January’s office supply bill in December. Another way to accelerate expenses would be to purchase deductible items by credit card, and pay the bill in January.  Items are deductible when purchased, not paid. This includes charitable contributions.

2.     IRA and retirement plan opportunities.  You can open a Traditional or Roth IRA by April 15. You can fund it by then as well. Business owners can open an SEP and pay the contribution by the time the tax return is due. You get a 2008 deduction for the contribution and don’t have to fund it until 2009.

3.     New and extended provisions.

a.       For 2008 you’ll continue to have the option to deduct state and local general sales tax (instead of state and local income tax) on Schedule A.

b.       Extended though 2009 are the above-the-line deduction (maximum $4,000 deduction) for qualified higher education expenses and teacher’s above-the-line deduction for up to $250 of out-of-pocket classroom expenses.

c.       Taxpayers age 70 ½ or older now have through 2009 to make charitable contributions of up to $100,000 directly from an IRA to a qualified charity, without including the distribution in income.

d.       Beginning this year and continuing for 2009, individuals who do not itemize deductions are able to claim an additional standard deduction of up to $500 ($1,000 for married couples filing jointly) for real estate property taxes paid.

Develop a relationship with a professional tax advisor.  Whether you now go to a tax professional to prepare your taxes or prefer to do it yourself, talking to a professional from time to time can help you make better decisions.  Knowledge is power. With guidance and education, she can help you evaluate and make the best choices for your specific situation. 

Check out these websites for more information.

www.ZiemannCPA.com Marilyn’s website reports the latest financial information and current tax rates and also has a number of financial calculators and links to other useful websites.  The site is frequently updated and Marilyn genrously provides this information free of charge.

www.IRS.gov Take advantage of this website as a resource when you want to download a tax form or learn about any tax topic.  There is also a Spanish translation of the whole site.

TAGS: Women and Money;Financial Planning; Tax Advice;Year End Tax Planning

Recently the Wall Street Journal has published a couple of articles regarding “inflated credentials” The headline is that a “survey of 358 officers at 53 publicly-traded companies has turned up at least 10 instances of senior executives or directors who claimed academic degrees they didn’t earn”.

Bad behavior in the executive suite may not surprise you but it turns out that others commit “resume fraud” too.

Here’s the ugly picture:

• 38 percent of those surveyed indicated they had embellished their job responsibilities
• 18 percent admitted to lying about their skill set
• 12 percent indicated they had been dishonest about their start and end dates of employment
• 10 percent confessed to lying about an academic degree
• 7 percent said they had lied about the companies they had worked for
• 5 percent disclosed that they had been untruthful about a job title

Source: Career Builder.com, August 2008

What are these people thinking?

Do they think they won’t be caught? Slim chance if their prospective employers do their due diligence.

Do they think that because we are in a challenging economy that the usual rules are suspended?

Do they think they’ll be able to conveniently “forget” about the deception if they get the job and not be worried that they will be found out at some point in the future?

Do they think it doesn’t really matter?

Whatever they are thinking, they should think again ─ when integrity is the issue, there is no room for rationalization.

People who are tempted to “shade the truth” should face the fact that lying on a resume is just plain fraud. Instead, they should tell the truth and nothing but the truth on the resume and use the cover letter and interview process to explain the reasons behind whatever “problems” they are concerned about.

TAGS: fraud, integrity, job seeking, Resume writing