Workplace Wisdom...
Discover Fulfillment in Life and Work
with Michelle Y. Drake

Working from home is like a dream come true for most people. Imagine not having to deal with terrible weather or traffic jams or other commuters every morning and evening. Imagine scuffling around in pajamas and slippers at 3 p.m. or stopping for a cup of coffee (and a quick peek at the TV) any time you want to. Imagine curling up on your sofa during the Monday morning meetings.

As glorious as that might sound, the dream of working from home can quickly become a career nightmare if you don't know how to manage it. I'm not even talking about giving into the urge to slack off and missing deadlines or important meetings; I'm talking about how working from home can hurt your chances for promotion.

According to a recent study, 60% of executives downgraded tele-commuters' advancement chances compared to those employees that they see on a regular basis in a traditional office setting.

That's the bad news.

The good news is...

*****
For more FREE tips on advancing your career and navigating the workplace, sign up for my FREE e-zine "Lipstick Leadership" at LipstickLeadership.com today! And check out the products I've developed to guide you toward the success you deserve!

Labels: career-advancement, workplace-survival

Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Carol Fishman Cohen, co-author of the book Back on the Career Track: A Guide for Stay-at-Home Moms Who Want to Return to Work. She was a speaker at The Conference Board's Women's Leadership Summit, and she presented a session and facilitated a panel discussion on the topic of relaunching your career after having children.

As former stay-at-home moms ourselves, both she and I know the challenges of trading in baby bottles for briefcases after leaving the workforce for an extended period of time. When faced with trying to merge back onto the business beltway, mothers often feel frustrated and alone as they try to figure out a game plan to do it successfully. Everyone knows how nerve-wracking it can be to start a new job or even return to an old one after weeks, months or even years. Pile on top of that the high emotions of separating from newborns and children and you can imagine the kind of stress mothers are under when they try to ease back into working full-time!

Cindy from Lindenhurst, Long Island is one such new mom:

Dear Michelle,

I became a mom recently, and now I'm faced with returning to work after my maternity leave. While it's difficult enough to imagine leaving my newborn, I'm even more nervous about coming back to my job after all of this time has passed. I worry that not only am I going to suffer from major separation anxiety, but that I won't be able to fit back into my organization and my team.

Do you have any advice on how to make this huge transition a little easier for me?


*****
For more FREE tips on advancing your career and navigating the workplace, sign up for my FREE e-zine "Lipstick Leadership" at LipstickLeadership.com today! And check out the products I've developed to guide you toward the success you deserve!

Labels: career-advancement

A team or not a team - that is the question.

In the business world, the word "team" is used almost as often as the word "the." Teams are an essential part of success in many corporations and organizations: they bring together people with different skill sets to create products and services, reach goals, and deliver innovation to the world. We often refer to ourselves as "teammates" or "team players." But if we closely examine our "teams," many of us will find that we're not part of teams at all; instead, we're functioning in "work groups."

So how can we tell the difference?

*****
For more FREE tips on advancing your career and navigating the workplace, sign up for my FREE e-zine "Lipstick Leadership" at LipstickLeadership.com today! And check out the products I've developed to guide you toward the success you deserve!

Labels: organizational-effectiveness

"They just don't make music like they used to," my assistant sighed one afternoon. "It all sounds the same, and I don't know why they insist on playing it so loud."

Suddenly, a horrified look crossed her face and she clapped her hand over her mouth.

"Oh no! I sound just like my father!"

I couldn't hide my grin. Welcome to the wonderful world of aging.

As I walked back to my office, chuckling over the fact that the music she considers superior to today's was probably the same music I rejected as being inferior to what I grew up listening to, I was struck by the generation gap between us.

Though TECHNICALLY I'm old enough to be her...much older sister, we don't seem to have much trouble bridging the years in age between us. Sure, I don't completely understand why she has so many tattoos or why she gets separation anxiety from her computer when the network is down, but I do have an inkling considering I was young...youngER once too.

In our roles as boss (me) and employee (her), we communicate exceptionally well, and our teamwork has brought many successful projects and satisfied clients to my organization.

But what if SHE was the boss and I was the employee? Would we work so well together then?

Labels: workplace-survival