Tag Archives: novofemina

Options?

Posted on November 8, 2013 | Leave a comment

‘It has a lot to do with how women see their options,’ observed a leader of gender studies at an esteemed Boston university.  She participated as an industry expert in last spring’s Research Jam.  This remark was in response to our discussion about when & why women choose to transition.  Her perspective was incredibly simple.   Do women perceive that they have options?  Some do.  Many others don’t.  In your world what role do options play?  What would happen if you expanded your aperture for options just a bit? Continue reading →

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Is anyone listening?

Posted on October 25, 2013 | Leave a comment

“I think I have more confidence in what I want for myself — instead of valuing what other people think of me,” shared an incredibly honest focus group participant.  She went on to describe this renewed perspective as a critical milestone in her transition.   The comment came amidst a discussion about the difficulty of declining job opportunities – and their accompanying salaries — despite the fact that the jobs no longer aligned with her personal requirements.   Her transition allowed her to arrive at, “No, that’s not what I want for myself, this is what I want for myself.”   You could hear the personal pep talk in her remark….she’d arrived but her status was tenuous at best. Continue reading →

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The Big Picture….

Posted on October 11, 2013 | 2 comments

Have you ever missed an opportunity to transition?   Knew that something wasn’t right but felt it wasn’t the right time to address it?  Or better yet, ignored the signs?  Or maybe you were oblivious to the signs entirely.  If I’m honest I completely missed an opportunity to transition about five years prior to my current one.  It wasn’t so much that I ignored the signs.   I was aware that I needed a change.  What I didn’t get was the enormity of the change required.  I can’t help but wonder if I’m not alone in this borderline clueless category.  Continue reading →

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Assessing forward progress…

Posted on September 27, 2013 | Leave a comment

“What has been the most difficult part of your transition?” asked a friend in a shaky voice.  Her tone underscored her status.  She sounded on edge.   My guess was that she was reeling from yet another setback.    Ever been there?  I was momentarily silent in response to her question.  Which  parts?   In my mind several were vying for the preeminent spot…most difficult. Continue reading →

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A decade’s lesson: maintain relationships

Posted on August 16, 2013 | Leave a comment

“I figured out how the guys do it,” screeched an exasperated friend following a conversation with a former colleague.  Over the course of the call my friend learned about a common practice in the financial services industry…parking certifications.  It seems that if a person leaves a large firm to ‘work’ in a consulting capacity said professional can hold onto their certifications.   Not so if that person simply becomes unemployed.  ‘That’s how the old boys network does it,” she fumed.  “They park someone’s certs and say they are ‘consulting.'”  She was beside herself.  From her perch….this ‘parking’ courtesy wasn’t often extended to women regardless of their vocation after leaving a large firm.  Continue reading →

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Summer Book Review #30: Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success

Posted on August 2, 2013 | 1 comment

“Part of me has been taken away,” shared a bright energetic woman during a 1:1 interview I conducted for Novofemina’s Research Jam.  We had pivoted to her personal story after she had agreed to share some transition observations from a women’s economic development organization where she worked.   A career change. A new husband.  A first child.  Mixed in with these life events I heard isolation and failure, or something that resembled it.  Her reaction?

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Marquee Moments….

Posted on June 18, 2013 | Leave a comment

“What are they going to ask me,” queried a former colleague as we were talking about her upcoming job interview.    ‘Marquee projects,’ I responded without even thinking.   She sought a new, expanded role in another company.   When we worked together she led a huge enterprise-wide initiative.   Yes, this was in addition to her day job.  Sound familiar?  Continue reading →

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Transition Requirement: Progress?

Posted on May 24, 2013 | Leave a comment

“Let’s not measure something simply because we can… let’s measure something because it’s meaningful,” challenged a woman sitting next to me as she stood and spoke into a cordless microphone at a corporate dinner I attended earlier this week.   She saw a gap between the items the company had the capability to measure versus the things that were perhaps more difficult to measure but really important indicators of the company’s future.   I understood her cautionary remark.  Can action feel like progress even if it isn’t progress at all? Continue reading →

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Transition: Embracing ‘New’

Posted on May 9, 2013 | 1 comment

“That may be good science — but it is bad archaeology,” said anthropologist and archeologist Professor Rosemary Joyce in the Berkeley Blog last June.   She was critiquing reports of archeological findings in Honduras.   It seems that researchers, although not archeologists, used a plane outfitted with LIDAR, a laser detection technology, to map remote portions of the Honduran jungle rumored to house ‘lost cities.’  Joyce publicly maligned the findings.    Was it simply the technology’s newness that upended her?  Continue reading →

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Transition: Necessary Anxiety?

Posted on April 25, 2013 | 2 comments

“I’ll probably head to the Caribbean with some friends,” remarked a recent college grad during a quick conversation we had over chips and dip at the graduation party of a mutual friend.  Imagine.  No responsibilities for a few weeks or a month.  Wow!  What would you do? Continue reading →

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