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

I am sitting in my living room, getting ready to watch a young woman whom I have mentored for the past 2 years take the first step toward realizing her dream of directing feature films with a social message.

When Shalini Kantayya first told me that she was thinking about submitting her film to a new reality show called "On the Lot" - launched by Steven Spielberg, Mark Burnett and DreamWorks - I asked her: "What is there to think about? Just do it!"

Don't you know...SHE DID!!!

When I first met Shalini Kantayya, she was screening her film A Drop of Life at a women's leadership retreat in Texas. Utne Magazine sponsored Shalini's film screening at their Revolutionary Women Retreat in Austin, TX. Kathy LeMay (CEO of Raising Change) and I met Shalini for all of three minutes at that retreat, and we immediately knew that there was something special about Shalini and her work. We knew that we could really help Shalini get her message out there on a very large scale.

I began mentoring Shalini within a few weeks of the retreat. When Shalini asked Kathy and I to sit on the Board of Directors for 7th Empire Media - Shalini's production company - we were both happy to be a part of Shalini's dream. Over the past few years, I have become very close to this amazing young filmmaker. I am happy to share some of what I know about Shalini and her favorite causes with you through my new blog "Our Voices in Media."

Oh! "On the Lot" is about to begin! Guess I'll write while I watch!

As a social activist, Shalini had to pitch A Drop of Life to potential funders to get her message out. What a great first challenge to highlight her poise and passion! How wonderful that her pitch was about a struggling priest! Her spirituality is a strong part of who she is. She and I have had many long conversations about the role of religion and spirituality in our lives. I am not surprised that she made it over that hurdle.

24 hours to put a short film together...quite a challenge, especially among strangers and fierce competitors! I guess we'll have to wait until Thursday at 9:30 p.m. to see the outcome of that challenge!

As Shalini opened the show, my wish for Shalini is: "May The Force be with you!" I hope you feel all of the people sending positive thoughts out to you!

Want a sneak peek at who Shalini Kantayya is and what she stands for? I'll be sharing moments from my interviews with Shalini for my upcoming book and will be interviewing many of Shalini's friends to get their favorite Shalini stories on my "Our Voices in Media" blog.

Support Shalini Kantayya: the woman who represents...

Labels: inspiration, news, success-stories

Usually, I like to keep things light around here and make this an amusing (and informative) stop during your work day. But recently I was e-mailed a very serious question, and I feel that it's my responsibility to address it with the solemnity it deserves.

You would think in today's society - with all the information and legislation there is out there - that sexual harassment would be a thing of the past. Well, unfortunately for some people, it's come back into style in their workplaces.

A woman we'll call "Miranda" reached out to me for advice because she is being sexually harassed in her office. A co-worker has been continually stepping over the line with off-color jokes, comments and even gestures of a sexual nature. Miranda explains that he does it in such a way that it's never really overt or obvious, and no one else in the office seems to mind. But it bothers her; it makes her feel uncomfortable, and she worries that if she reports it, she'll be the one cast in a poor light.

To Miranda and all of the other people out there who are in similar situations, the first thing I want to tell you is...

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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: workplace-survival

With all the gorgeous spring weather we've been having lately here in New England, I've successfully shaken off the doldrums of winter and was even motivated and energized enough to tackle cleaning out my attic.

What a headache!

Boxes and boxes of...STUFF! My stuff, my husband's stuff, my kids' stuff: it was definitely a project that required a strategic plan, a cohesive team, a clear set of procedures...and a lot of garbage bags.

While I was sifting through a box of my old elementary school memories, I came across several of my report cards from first and second grade, and I realized that the box could actually be labeled "My First Performance Reviews." I was being graded on my skills, my successes (and failures), and my attitude as a student - just like most employees called into their supervisor's office once a quarter to discuss their job performance.

(And weren't we all disappointed to find that the end of school DIDN'T mean the end of report cards??)

As I looked over my grades, I began feeling that familiar sense of frustration start to bubble up inside me. The marks were low in most of my subjects. Why? Because no one detected that I needed glasses to see the chalkboard - and learn the concepts the teacher was scrawling across it - until the third grade. Up until that point, my grades suffered because of a physical ailment - not because I was "slow" (as one teacher constantly reminded me) or not interested in learning. I thought about how unfair those grades are and how I wish there was a way I could go back and change them.

How many employees feel the same way walking out of their supervisor's office after receiving mediocre performance reviews that they don't feel they deserve? How can they address the situation, or should they even try and risk making things worse?

Labels: workplace-survival

Here's a story from the F-P Files (as in "Face-Palm"...as in you'll want to slap your face with the palm of your hand when I tell you this one...):

The other night I was practicing a little life-work balance when the phone rang. Elbow-deep in a bowl of bread dough and dusting my laptop in a fine sheen of flour as I prepared for an upcoming speaking engagement, I wisely let the answering machine pick up. The next thing I know, I'm listening to a garbled stream of sobbing and hiccupping and what I can only assume were words tucked in here and there. "Ginny...call me," was the only thing I could make out, so I immediately washed up, pushed my computer aside, and called her back.

"I got FIRED!!!!" she wailed and my heart immediately went out to her. I consoled her like the friend that I was, assuring her there would be other job opportunities, before my inner strategist took over.

When she'd calmed down enough to speak in full sentences, I firmly told her that before we hung up, we'd figure out exactly what went wrong and develop a plan of action!

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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