Hemma's Must Reads

Hemma recently turned 2 this month and it made me reflect on how much the company evolved since the initial brainstorm meetings at Think Coffee right after graduation. We evolved tremendously learning a great deal about the industry, business, and ultimately life. Recently, we have been talking more about the separation that must exist between business and personal life. Not allowing set-backs in business to permeate into our everyday life along with not allowing it to have a negative effect on future business matters.

On a continual quest to learn more, I picked up “Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office – 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make that Sabotage Their Careers” by Lois P. Frankel. Frankel is the president of a successful consulting firm specializing in executive coaching and leadership development. Although some references were outdated and tailored towards women on Wall Street, I found this book extremely eye-opening. Here are two mistakes from “Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office” that I am working on -

1. Making Miracles – “Women take pride in the fact that they can do more with less, meet or beat impossible deadlines…you must be realistic about establishing work habits and not thinking you have to be a superwoman to be effective.” Tips: Set realistic daily or weekly goals, ask for help, & manage people’s expectations.

2. Ignoring the Importance of Networking Relationships – “We all need to call on relationships every now and then to help us out professionally. And remember: When you need that relationship, it’s already too late to build it.” Tips: Join and actively participate in groups that involve your profession, tell yourself spending time building relationships is not a waste of time, & keep a database that includes the people you meet and information they shared with you.

The other 99 mistakes outlined by Frankel include habits that one may not immediately deem detrimental as polling before making decisions. I appreciated Frankel’s attempt to touch on societal roles that influence the behavior and treatment of women in the workforce. Pick it up to find out more.