Women@Work Mar/Apr 2014

Get your great ideas heard at our Connect event on March 4! (See pg. 46 for details)

Sticky Situations at Work (and how to deal with them) MARCH/APRIL 2014

Stop Getting

In Your Own Way!

Bored?

Burned Out?

5 Signs

You Might Get

Fired

Consider a lateral move

Got ADD?

You’re not alone

Kathy Sheehan Mayor of Albany

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Publisher George Hearst III Editorial Janet Reynolds, Executive Editor Brianna Snyder, Senior Editor Genevieve Scarano, Editorial Intern Design Tony Pallone, Design Director Colleen Ingerto, Emily Jahn, Designers Contributing Writers Molly Belmont, Melissa Fiorenza, Jennifer Gish, Anna Zernone Giorgi, Merci Miglino, Stacey Morris, Anne Saile, Cari Scribner Contributing Photographers Colleen Ingerto, Joann Hoose, Emily Jahn, Tyler Murphy Sales Kurt Vantosky, Sr. Vice President, Sales & Marketing Kathleen Hallion, Vice President, Advertising Tom Eason, Manager, Display Advertising Michael-Anne Piccolo, Retail Sales Manager Jeff Kiley, Magazine Sales Manager Circulation Todd Peterson, Vice President, Circulation Dan Denault, Home Delivery Manager Business Ray Koupal, Chief Financial Officer TimesUnion.com Paul Block, Executive Producer Women@Work Advisory Board: Anne Saile†, chair; Marri Aviza†, Kristen Berdar†, Debra Best†, Nancy Carey-Cassidy†, Andrea Crisafulli-Russo†, Kathleen Godfrey†, Ann Hughes†, Theresa Marangas†, Frances O’Rourke, Lydia Rollins†, Curran Streett†, Joella Viscusi, Karen Webley, Kirsten Wynn †

Advisory Board founding members

Capital Region Women@Work is published six times per year. If you are interested in receiving home delivery of Capital Region Women@Work magazine, please call (518) 454-5768 or visit capregionwomenatwork. com. For advertising information, please call (518) 454-5358.

Capital Region Women@Work is published by Capital Newspapers and Times Union 645 Albany Shaker Road, Albany, NY 12212 518.454.5694 The entire contents of this magazine are copyright 2014 by Capital Newspapers. No portion may be reproduced in any means without written permission of the publisher.

Capital Newspapers is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Hearst Corporation.

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Is your company in this issue? pg.

26

Contents March/April 2014

www.capregionwomenatwork.com

@ WORK 10 Bitstream

38 Waiting for the Boot

Business tidbits for all

14 Tips from the Top 10 magic words

40 The Fine Print

16 On the Cover Meet Albany’s first woman mayor

Helping the 1 in 5 adults in the Capital Region who can’t read

45 Book Review: I Hear You!

18 I Did It Kathe Sheehan makes costumes for school theaters around the country

22 Getting Started Some invaluable advice on success

24 Sticky, Tricky Situations How to defuse difficult workplace situations

26 ADHD in the Workplace Employers and employees working together is the key to success

31 Sideways Is a lateral career move right for you?

34 Dreaming Big Getting your dream idea approved

“

Five signs you may be getting fired (or laid off)

Three steps to effective communication

47 Book Review: Who Are You, Anyway?

Why the answer matters — always

58 The Last Word How to make a great first impression

@ HOME 48 Meals on the Go For the love of bread

52 Blinded by the Flaws Fixing problems you don’t even know you have

54 Getting Away Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.

”

— ALBERT EINSTEIN, as quoted in I Hear You. See our book review on pg 45.

 ON THE COVER: Kathy Sheehan, Mayor of Albany. Photo by Joann Hoose.

6 | women@work

ADD Coach Academy......................................26 Albany Institute of History and Art..................22 Ambient Environmental, Inc............................22 Baker Public Relations.....................................34 BGB consulting and Retreats..........................37 Bonadio Group................................................34 Bond, Schoeneck & King.................................16 BST..................................................................22 Capital Region Human Resource Association.....24 Capital Region New York Adult ADHD Support Group.........................26 Career by Design Consulting...........................31 Commercial Investigations LLC.......................58 Community Loan Fund of the Capital Region.....58 The Costumer..................................................18 Crisafulli Bros. Plumbing & Heating................22 Deb Best Practices...........................................22 D’Orazio Peterson...........................................26 Fidelis Care.....................................................22 General Corporation.......................................16 Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York.............58 Global Foundries.......................................22, 40 Godfrey Financial Associates...........................22 Judi Clements Training & Development...........58 Key Private Bank.............................................22 Henry Street Taproom......................................48 Lee Hecht Harrison..........................................52 Literacy New York Greater Capital Region......40 Morgan Stanley ..............................................22 Nfrastructure...................................................24 Picotte Companies..........................................22 Pinnacle Human Resources LLC......................37 Pride Center of the Capital Region..................22 Rumors Salon & Day Spa................................22 Saile Group, LLC........................................14, 22 Saratoga Human Resources Solutions, Inc......24 She’s A Boss....................................................58 Siena College............................................52, 58 Skidmore College............................................31 Solid Ground Center for Balanced Life............52 Strategic Resources.........................................31 Tangible Development....................................34 TL Metzger and Associates..............................58 Tri City Rentals................................................22 Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker.....22 WNYT-TV NewsChannel 13.............................58 Women Presidents’ Organization....................22

Just around the corner...

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Thinking Big I don’t know about you, but I have some of my best ideas while driving.

It’s the place where I sort out the chaos of the day or strategize about the best ways to approach something at work or even in my personal life. It’s also where I have most of my new ideas — ideas for improving a process we’re struggling with at the magazine, for instance, or perhaps the best way to address a sales initiative.

The challenge — for us all — is taking our Big Idea — you know, the one that is going to Change the World — out of our heads and getting it approved by the powers that be. No small task as I’m sure you all know. Unless you’re the person at the top who holds the golden approval key to all ideas — and even that person can’t operate in a vacuum, at least not

successfully — it’s easy to get stymied ... and give up.

Which is a shame because statistically speaking, that means a lot of good ideas never get beyond the walls of our brains.

And that means everyone loses.

We’ve got some ideas about how to improve your success rate here. We’ve got a story on page 34 that offers tips and our next Women@Work Connect event on March 4 at the College of Saint Rose will feature Dale Klein on this very topic.

A professional who knows how to ensure you make your best pitch every time, she’ll give a short presentation on selling your best ideas. See the ad on page 46 for more details and then come to Saint Rose.

Plenty of people will be there ready to hear your next Big Idea. W

Janet Reynolds Executive Editor jreynolds@timesunion.com

Success Is Essential

to Business Leaders.

The Birkman Method replaces guesswork with specific, actionable information for better leadership, teamwork, hiring, conflict management and career planning.

As a Certified Birkman Consultant I utilize the assessment results to provide a comprehensive report and consultation guiding you in aligning the roles of individuals in your company or making high stakes decisions about your own future.

Anne Saile

Certified Birkman Consultant

As an experienced CEO of multi million dollar companies, I find the Birkman method a powerful tool for continued growth and success of my own business.

The Saile Group, LLC | 855 Executive Woods, Suite 240 | Clifton Park, NY 12065 | 518-288-5240 | www.sailegroup.com

LEARN FROM INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS LEADERS

Milos Korenko in Prague, 2013 Marketing Director AVAST Sof tware

You can learn from international business leaders in the Weekend MBA Program! You will be immersed in the business and culture of a foreign country and interact with international executives as they share their experiences in the global marketplace.

Information Sessions:

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S M T W

P 518.956.8330 F 518.442.4042 E dpurdy@albany.edu W albany.edu/business/weekendmba @UAlbanyMBA youtube.com/ualbanymba facebook.com/weekendmba

E ARNED E XCELLENCE T HE B EST B USINESS S CHOOLS I N T HE W ORLD T HE B EST A CCOUNTING P ROGRAMS I N T HE W ORLD

BITSTREAM Compiled by Brianna Snyder

Y

ou know how to save money: Turn the thermostat down, carpool, buy clothes on sale. Make a spreadsheet. Well, we say that stuff might be responsible but it’s also boring. We like this very clever savings plan that’s been circulating on Facebook. The 52-week Save Money Challenge requires you to put one dollar into your savings account on week 1, two dollars on week 2, three dollars on week 3, and so on. By the time you hit 52 weeks — when you deposit 52 dollars into your account — you will have saved $1,378.

Not bad, right? source: tinyurl.com/ww14savings

1962 ‘64 ‘67 ‘68 ‘70 ‘74 ’75 ‘76 ’78 ‘79 ’80 ‘81 ’90 ‘91 2000 ‘05 ’06 ‘07 ‘09 ’13

1.15 $ 1.25 $ 1.50 $ 1.60 $ 1.85 $ 2.00 $ 2.10 $ 2.30 $ 2.65 $ 2.90 $ 3.10

$

10 | women@work

The Most O

n December 31, 2013, New York finally raised its minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $8. It’ll increase to $8.75 by the end of this year, and to $9 by the end of 2015. However, advocates are lobbying to accelerate the raise to $9 by the end of 2014. It’s about time, after all: According to the New York Department of Labor, the minimum wage was last increased in 2009, when it rose from $7.15 to $7.25 per hour.

Minimum of Wages

source: tinyurl.com/ww14minwage

3.35

$

10-25 cent raise 30-70 cent raise 75-90 cent raise

3.80

$

$

4.25

5.15

$

6.00

$

6.75

$

7.15 $ 7.25

$

8.00

$

Photos: GettyImages. Calendar, klenger; Cash, malerapaso. Graph by Emily Jahn. Salad Jars photo courtesy of Creative Commons/ampersandyslexia.

Fiscal Diet Plan

The Jarred Salad A

t this point you’ve probably heard about the ingenious Salad in a Jar. (If not, it’s just what it sounds like: salad! in a Mason jar!) But here’s the thing: According to Food52 and Women’s Health, you’ll want to follow a sort of formula for optimum SIAJ. You can stuff a tossed salad in a jar but it’ll be messy. But you, too, can have Instagram-worthy, clever SIAJs. Number one: go in order! Salad dressing goes in first. Next, a healthy grain or protein — that guards the more delicate ingredients from getting soggy in the dressing. (Plus, the grains/protein soak up some of the dressing and get really delicious.) Then put in your other veggies, saving the lettuce or leafy greens for the very top of the jar. They won’t get smooshed up there and, Women’s Health adds, when you pour the jar into a bowl or onto a plate, the greens will be at the bottom where they belong! Gorgeous. source: tinyurl.com/ww14salad

9 to 5

By Jeanne A. Benas

capregionwomenatwork.com | 11

BITSTREAM

Get A

t the most recent CEO Space business growth conference, business coach Paul Lemberg and sales analyst Rhonda Anderson gave a presentation on sales acceleration, Forbes reports.

They shared four secrets with enterprising salespeople.

1. “It’s all in the close.”

Lemberg says people who sell mostly via presentations — “stage sellers” — tend to

“

have weak closings. That’s why it’s important to have a script — and to stick to it. He suggests his own best finishing line: “I can help you if you want my help. Do you?”

2. Commission structure.

Are your salespeople incentivized to do the things they need to do most? Lemberg and Anderson emphasize that those in sales will do whatever it is that nets them the most

profit. So regularly re-evaluate your commission strategy and put the biggest profits on the most challenging, rewarding-for-the-company tasks.

3. Training.

In one experiment, a realty organization began holding training sessions every day for its employees. Sales increased by 480 percent in less than 9 months.

4. Self-sustaining organizations.

A company with a great foundation will do well and continue to do well with whatever the market throws at them. When team members and management know the process and have training to deal with whatever comes at them, the company will run itself smoothly through most any challenge. source: tinyurl.com/ww14sell

I was raised to believe that excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism. And that’s how I operate my life.

12 | women@work

”

— Oprah Winfrey

Photos: GettyImages. Business Woman, Comstock; Cover Letter, dane_mark.

Sales Savvy

The Cover Letter

Connection

W

riting cover letters is a decidedly tedious and challenging chore for job-seekers. A good cover letter requires, yes, a specific format, but to be great it also needs some research and creative thinking. According to a piece in Forbes, “When it comes to cover letters, hiring managers want the answers to two major questions: What can you do for us, and how will you fit in if hired?”

What’s the best way to answer those questions? The first thing, Forbes advises, is to “read, read and read some more.”

Get onto the company’s website and really dig down deep.

Get a sense of the corporate culture. Are they traditional?

Off-beat? Community-based and -oriented? Match that tone in your cover letter; show the hiring manager that you’re a) a good fit and b) aware of the company’s climate. And find a way to incorporate your personality, too.

Finally, and this is bad news for people who’ve been suffering prolonged job-seeking, never, ever reuse a cover letter. source: tinyurl.com/ww14coverletter

TIPS FROM THE TOP

Ten Magic Words

“If it is to be, it is up to me.”

Anne Saile is an award-winning CEO, entrepreneur, executive coach, author and owner of the Saile Group LLC, a leadership and business consulting company. For more information, visit sailegroup.com.

Photo by Andrea Uvanni

By Anne Saile

I

once had a friend who was a great mentor as well as a very successful business owner and philanthropist who would hand out two-dollar bills with those 10 words on them. He built a multimillion dollar company on his conviction that he alone was the architect not only of his life, but also of his business.

Hard work and belief in his ability were what he needed the most to be successful.

He was 90 years old when we became friends. On my first visit to his office in Manhattan, I was surprised that he didn’t have a fancy office; it was messy, piled high with stacks of papers, pictures of his friends and family and a lifetime of awards and plaques of recognition. His office was on a high floor of a modest building overlooking New York City. But he didn’t have the best view; in fact, his office didn’t really have a view at all. He saved that for a conference room for visitors to enjoy. I often think of the advice he shared with me, and I want to share some of his favorite tips with you.

1. Be generous. Really generous. Be outrageously generous with both your time and, most of all, your talent. Only you can decide how much of yourself there is to give. But give as much as you’ve got. It will come back into your life a thousandfold. He gave his advice, support and more than a few million dollars to the work and people he believed in.

14 | women@work

2. Anything is possible. You can do anything you really want to do. The hardest part is figuring out exactly what that is.

He had no patience for people who would not help themselves. He was a generous philanthropist and I never saw him give money to anyone who was just looking for a donation from him to solve his or her problems. He expected people to come to him with a solid business plan that included what the person doing the asking planned to do to help the situation.

3. Fail fast and fail cheap. If something isn’t working the way you planned, don’t keep putting money into it just because you don’t want to admit your idea isn’t working out.

4. You are never too young or too old to take a chance on a big idea. He was always coming up with new ideas for businesses and he was excellent at making them work. He started his own business when he was in his 20s and he worked on creating new ventures into his 90s.

5. Use the talent that you have, and use it every time you have the opportunity.

6. Be grateful, laugh often, and be a good listener.

7. Cry if something is heartbreaking.

8. “You hear everything you say.” In other words, watch what you say about

yourself. People often speak as though they don’t believe in themselves — they won’t take a compliment without putting themselves down. Avoid this at all costs.

Say thank you instead.

9. Life is one big story — make yours one that people will talk about forever. He loved to tell stories and other people’s stories were important to him. After he was long gone, his stories about how he grew up, what made him happy, and situations that disappointed him still stick with me. The stories he loved to tell the most (aside from how much he loved his family) usually had to do with times that he would come up with a business idea that others would think was outrageous, but because he believed it was possible, his vision became a reality.

“Life is so simple; people try to make it a complicated story.”

10. Don’t dream alone. He wasn’t a secretive kind of guy. He loved to think out loud. He taught me that the best ideas come from talking your plans over with someone you trust.

My friend Marty is gone now, but his words live on for me. Every time I am faced with a particularly difficult task, I know what Marty would say… those 10 magic words he believed were the only directions we need for success: “If it is to be, it is up to me.” W

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ON THE COVER

During her campaign, Sheehan was forthright about the challenges Albany faces in the wake of the Great Recession.

She also prioritized engagement and empowerment, and went out of her way to explain how economic and social justice play into more traditionally touted political planks such as economic development and education.

“The challenges that some of our neighborhoods are having around violence, around illegal activity going on, can all be traced back to the fact that we have too many kids who were not able to get that promise of an education and a path to being able to support themselves,” she says. In short, high school drop-outs aren’t just a problem for social workers; they’re a challenge for the city’s economic viability.

“For me there’s a huge human piece to this, but even if all you want to do is analyze it based on dollars and cents, getting our kids the best education possible, and building supports around families in our economically challenged neighborhoods, will pay huge dividends.”

U

Ms. Mayor Meet Albany’s first woman mayor

By Molly Belmont | Photo by Joann Hoose

K

athy Sheehan, the first woman mayor in Albany’s history, didn’t plan a career in politics.

In fact, when a group of people approached her about running for city treasurer, she wasn’t interested.

“I said, ‘Treasurer? Why would I do that job?’” says Sheehan. But in 2010, the city charter changed, turning the treasurer into the city’s chief financial officer, and Sheehan was interested in that. “I 16 | women@work

thought it was really important that we have that business perspective in city hall,” she says.

Sheehan beat long-time incumbent Betty Barnette, and in 2012, announced she would run for mayor. The community connections she’d forged during her time on various boards on several charitable organizations combined with her business acumen to quickly make her the candidate to beat.

nlike most mayors in recent memory, Sheehan is not an Albany native. She was born outside Chicago in 1964, one of six children. Her father worked for a large insurance company and during her childhood the family lived in several Midwestern cities. Growing up, Sheehan always equated moving with success, because each new city meant a promotion for her father. When she came to Albany after college for a job, she assumed it would just be the first step on her own professional path, she says.

“But I fell in love with Albany. I met my husband here, and I started to think that as enriched as I think that I was by having the opportunity to move around and learn how to adapt, I wanted to plant my roots somewhere.”

She started Albany Law School in 1991, and upon graduation, joined the law firm Bond, Schoeneck & King. In 1996, she joined Intermagnetics General Corporation, a medical device manufacturer in

single tax rate and we have to look very seriously at how we grow this tax base,” she says.

L

ike all working mothers, Sheehan struggles to find balance between her personal and professional life. “If you look back at any day, it’s not in balance. If you look back at a week, it’s not in balance. But if you take the longer view, and look back over a year, and say, ‘You know, I got it about right,’ then you don’t drive yourself completely crazy with having the stress of those demands on a daily basis,” Sheehan says. A good support system — Sheehan has a tight network of friends and her husband, Bob, pitches in around the house, works out logistics for their 13-year-old son’s hockey schedule and long ago took responsibility for dinner — also lightens the load and helps her keep perspective.

In addition to being Albany’s first female mayor, Sheehan is also the first new mayor in 20 years in a city that is not known for new mayors (there have been just three since 1942).

That’s a lot of firsts to contend with, but Sheehan isn’t feeling bound by history. “I look forward to being able to make my mark and set a tone that is authentic to me.” Twenty years ago, Sheehan says, the expectation was that women fit the male model for success, “and that if we get into those positions, we’re expected to act like the men who held those positions before us.”

Today, because so many women have been first in other areas, Sheehan says she has the courage to hold office in her own way. “It gives me more of an ability to say, I am not going to try to be like anyone else, I have to be who I am, and in that, I think I will ultimately be more successful.” W Want to learn more about Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan? Check out her thoughts on condos downtown, how she plans to maintain engagement as mayor and why she loves Albany, online at timesunion.com/womenatwork.

arche shoes

Latham, and while there, helped negotiate the $1.3 billion acquisition of the company by international electronics giant, Philips.

Sheehan says she was part of the senior management team that took a good company and made it great, and she hopes to apply those same lessons to her new role as head of the city, and keep Albany in the black.

Currently, the city of Albany faces a structural deficit of $16 to $18 million, she says. The escalating cost of pensions — $17 million last time around — and a declining tax base — down 6 percent since the recession ended, have contributed to an over-reliance on one-time fixes, and the city’s already prohibitively high tax rate — one that is higher than surrounding areas for homeowners and businesses alike — mean that Albany cannot tax its way back to a balanced budget.

Fortunately, this is not a story unique to Albany, and what’s working in cities like Baltimore is something called goalsbased budgeting, where officials plan spending based on desired outcomes rather than simply tacking on more money each year. It’s a strategic approach that Sheehan, who we interviewed shortly before she took office, likes. “Everybody’s looking for that silver bullet,” Sheehan says. “We’ve got to start finding 100-, 200-thousand-dollar things where we can save money,” she says.

Identifying those places to save money starts with adopting technology that makes city spending more transparent. A “real-time dashboard” to track spending on labor, over-time, fuel, materials, and even compare costs with cooperative purchasing options, would go a long way toward reigning in spending, she says.

Building a three- to five-year spending plan would also go a long way toward creating a sustainable strategy for the city’s finances. Sheehan says her first order of business will be to take the city’s budget “back down to the bones.”

Another key priority?

“We have to have a path toward a

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I DID IT

The Business of

Playing Dress-up Kathe Sheehan makes costumes for school theaters around the country

By Brianna Snyder Photos by Colleen Ingerto

I

t all started in the early ’70s, when Kathe Sheehan’s late husband, Jack, went to The Costumer in search of a policeman costume.

No, he wasn’t looking to become a Village Person. Jack, like Kathe, ran the theater department of a local high school and needed costumes for a production of Tennessee Williams’ The Case of the Lost Petunia.

Ordinarily, Kathe says, they would travel to New York City for their students’ costumes. But when Jack mentioned he needed the outfit, a colleague tipped him off to a costume shop in Schenectady: The Costumer.

Inside, he found “a room full of wonderful costumes.” On his way out the door, costume in hand, Jack told the clerk to call him if they ever wanted to sell the place.

They got the call that night..

“We bought The Costumer the next week,” Kathe Sheehan says. She stopped teaching and learned, over time, to run the business. continued on page 20

Costumer owner and president Kathe Sheehan holds one of her shop’s costumes ­— the golden ballgown Belle wears in Beauty and the Beast.

18 | women@work

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I DID IT

continued from page 18

“Despite our complete lack of business knowledge we went into the costume business,” she says.

Over the past 40 years, the little shop has grown exponentially; they house more than 100.000 costumes.

Last year alone, The Costumer provided 30,000 costumes to over 1,000 schools.

Scholastic theater is the niche Sheehan set to fill with The Costumer. She says whenever she and her husband went to the city for costumes, the shop owners were snotty. “Nobody wanted to deal with high school theaters,” Sheehan says. “They wanted Broadway, TV, films. The attitude was always like, ‘Ugh, we have to deal with those high school directors.’ So we said, ‘Why don’t we deal with the high school directors?’ Because we know what it feels like.”

The Costumer creates costumes from the bottom up: they design and make the outfits, including Sheehan says her business takes wigs!, and alter them in any way necessary for the wearer. At the top right, opposite page, you a lot of work off of directors’ hands. can see a Fiona wig (from Shrek) and seamstresses measuring out fabric for new costumes.

High school theater directors have few resources, limited finances and lots to deal with: teaching kids to act and them on. If they need any adjustments, sing, arranging lighting and designing Sheehan’s staff makes them and overstage sets. It’s not easy. nights a new costume so that every“So we try to design everything to make thing’s in order before opening night. their jobs easier,” Sheehan says. “[ManagThat sounds like a lot of sewing (and it ing the costumes is] a lot and a vendor can is), but Sheehan says the letting out and come along and take a chunk of that away the taking in of the clothes is really only from your attention. That’s a good thing.” about 25 percent of what the business Here’s how it works: The Costumer does. “Making the costume is really only sends catalogs to about 23,000 schools part of it,” she says. “Storing the cosaround the country. Directors pick the tume, knowing where it is, being able to costumes they need, get measurements retrieve it, taking care of it, drycleaning from all the kids in the play, and send it, sewing the sequins back on — it’s a lot their orders to The Costumer. (A typical of maintenance.” costume costs about $44, Sheehan says.

But Sheehan’s a theater lifer. She asks Often parents help out with that part, me what play I was in when I was in and $44 is generally fairly affordable for high school and what my costume was. an elaborate costume rental.)

It was a stage adaptation of the TV show Once they get their orders, Sheehan’s Get Smart, I tell her. My costume was a staff (which hovers around 50, dependgreen, plastic-y skirt. ing on time of year) works on customiz“See? Everyone remembers their cosing and making costumes. Once they’ve tume,” she says. “I think the experience of gotten them all made, the costumes are being in a school play is transformational. shipped the school a week or so before It makes a memory for a lifetime.” W the production so that the kids can try 20 | women@work

The History: The Costumer has been a woman-owned business since 1917, when it was founded by seamstress Anna White. (Sheehan points out that White owned the business three years before she was even allowed to vote.) White made costumes for dance recitals, vaudeville and for the Rockettes. “She sent many an outfit to the stage,” writes Sheehan in The Costumer bio, “and we are happy to still be doing so 95 years later. We hope we can keep going for another 100 years.”

The Download On

Kathe Sheehan: Title: Owner and president, The Costumer Age: “I’ve been in business almost 40 years. People can do the math.”

Lives in: Scotia Family: Two adult children What she does for fun: “I like to read. I garden. I love to travel.”

Favorite production: “My favorite Broadway moment was seeing The King and I with Yul

Brynner. It was an unbelievable experience. There was something very special about it.”

Most harrowing transaction: A kid playing a Canadian mountie in a play in Maine was injured in rehearsals. So his alternate, about a foot taller than the original actor, needed a new costume — about two days before opening night. They got it done, but too late to overnight it, so: “We put the costume in a cab and had it driven to Maine and it got there just in time,” Sheehan says. “Like an hour before the show.” Whew.

Getting Started Some invaluable advice on success

By Brianna Snyder and the Women@Work Advisory Board

H

ave you just left school and started looking for your first real job? Or are you just starting off in a brand-new career?

Without much experience, it’s tough to know the best way to succeed. There are so many variables across so many offices and industries. But there are a few universal truths.

Here’s some of our best advice, offered by the 2014 Women@Work Advisory Board, a group of powerful Capital Region professional women who’ve been there — where you are now starting or relaunching your career — and where you’ll be eventually! — moving way, way up the ladder.

Anne Saile President, The Saile Group

Every day that you spend at work is a stepping stone for creating your future.

Handle yourself in a way that will create your reputation for being a credible, trustworthy, reliable, efficient team member who can be counted on. Never hide mistakes — ask questions when you don’t understand how to do something. Don’t feel you have to ‘work like a man;’ you have to work like a capable competent women who has a passion for her job who speaks up and asks for what she needs and works to become the best.

Kathleen Godfrey Founder, Godfrey Financial Associates

Get experience in many different facets of your career — don’t pigeonhole yourself. Breadth of experience is as important as any professional credentialing. Having both breadth and depth will make you an indispensable team member.

Theresa Marangas

Be open, smile a lot, don’t take things personally, be professional and remember it’s your choice whether to soar with the eagles or run with the roaches. My last piece of advice is a bit controversial: if you need to cry due to a job-related issues, I suggest you leave your desk and take a walk outside the work area. If your job prevents you from leaving your desk, pop something with mint in your mouth (gum, mentos) and drink warm water to get you through to end of day.

Marri Aviza President, Rumors Salon & Day Spa

If I was to lend one piece of advice to any young professional just starting out, it would be to grow and develop your professional network.

It is through these reciprocal relationships that you will achieve the greatest success.

22 | women@work

New Career photo: ML Harris/GettyImages.

Partner, Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker

Curran Streett

Frances O’Rourke

Andrea Crisafulli Russo

Executive Director, Pride Center of the Capital Region

Market Manager, Key Private Bank – Capital Region

President, Crisafulli Bros.

Plumbing & Heating

When interviewing for jobs, prepare questions to ask the interviewer. This can be what sets you apart. Go above and beyond as much as you can in your position, volunteer when the chance arises. You may get exposure you wouldn’t otherwise and learn new and transferable skills.

Karen Webley Senior Manager/Deputy Director Head of Business Services Procurement Global Foundries

Own your personal and professional success. Take personal responsibility for your career development of skills, knowledge and expertise.

Figure out how to balance work and family early in your career and don’t compromise your own personal needs.

Kristen Berdar Partner, BST

My advice to women just starting out is that you learn as much from doing things wrong as you do from doing things right. Make every day a learning experience; be proactive and be engaged in your career.

Julie Massry Knox Sales and Marketing Manager Tri City Rentals

My advice to young women just starting their careers is to not only focus on their specific job description but to expand their knowledge base within their company. It’s rare for a department to be self-contained and a great way to stand out and become more knowledgeable about your company and industry is to learn how other departments in the organization work.

Nothing can take the place of hard work and integrity. Give your all to the challenges in front of you but remember to also keep your sense of humor — it will help you keep perspective.

Nancy Carey Cassidy Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Picotte Companies

When beginning your career, make sure to listen and observe. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake, as long as you bring it to a supervisor’s attention and learn from it so it is not repeated.

Tammis Groft Executive Director and Chief Curator

Present a strong work ethic. Always conduct yourself in a highly professional manner, be respectful of others, be positive, be on time, be willing to work on any project and go the extra mile to get the job done. And be a team player.

Kirsten Wynn Director of Special Projects and International Initiatives Women Presidents’ Organization

My advice to those just beginning their career is to be flexible and willing to take on new challenges to show that you can be trusted, respected and seen as a versatile asset to the company.

Joella Viscusi President, Ambient Environmental, Inc.

Keep a positive attitude! Albeit difficult at times, don’t get discouraged — push forward and maintain a positive attitude. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!!

In light of today’s job market, I would encourage you to go ahead and accept a position even if it isn’t exactly what you may want. No matter how well you plan, you will travel down many unexpected paths in your career. Trust your intuition and stay open to new opportunities within, and outside, of the organization currently employing you.

Deb Best Principal and owner, Deb Best Practices

Build your ‘Board of Directors’ early on! Your BOD is comprised of mentors and sponsors, women and men, who appear in your path (e.g. your parents, teachers, colleagues, supervisors, older ‘siblings from other mothers’ who have traveled a similar path before you, etc.) not only to act as guideposts along your career path, but who also see who you are, reflecting back your strengths and gifts authentically, giving you multiple data points with which to make critical and informed decisions.

Lydia Rollins Senior Vice President-Financial Planning Specialist Morgan Stanley

1. Work hard. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.

2. Consider no task too menial.

3. Attitude is everything.

4. Own your work.

5. Think.

6. The ultimate goal should be to make yourself invaluable to your team and workplace.

Ann Hughes Fidelis Care public relations manager

Make a real investment in your work.

Commit to doing it well and growing in your position. Be accountable, be conscientious, and try to learn something from everyone you work with. W capregionwomenatwork.com | 23

Sticky, Tricky & Downright

AWKWARD Offer a sincere apology, without making excuses.

A co-worker confronts you for gossiping about her.

You send an email to the entire office … but didn’t mean to.

You’re asked to contribute to charity or cause, but you’re feeling maxed out.

You want a raise.

Was the content serious?

Do you want to?

Yes

Yes

Did you badmouth someone?

Take the high road.

Yes No

No

No

Do Say nothing.

No.

Give according to your own guidelines, such as a flat rate of $5.

Do your research.

How to defuse difficult workplace situations

Ask for regular performance reviews and feedback.

Be professional.

Encourage him/her to contact an EAP. Ask if the conversation can happen on a break.

or

Encourage him/her to look for a new job.

No Yes

Have an honest conversation.

Do you mind listening?

Yes

Exhaust all your options, including staying late/ coming in early.

You want to quit, but don’t want to burn bridges.

A coworker constantly complains about his job to you.

Did you try as hard as you could?

You’re going to miss a big deadline.

No

You discover someone with less experience/ lower job title makes more money than you do.

Show your value.

By Melissa Fiorenza | Chart by Emily Jahn

A co-worker confronts you for gossiping about her.

Spoke a little out of line at the water cooler last week? As tempting as it is to lie if confronted — “That’s not what I said!” —

24 | women@work

experts suggest taking the high road.

“Take responsibility and own up to what you said. Apologize, not in a gratuitous way, but a sincere apology — without making excuses,” says Amy Harlow, senior vice president of Human Resources at nfrastructure in Clifton Park and treasurer for the Capital Region Human Resource Association. “Assure him/her that it won’t happen again, and resolve to change your ways.” It’s important to realize that if you had a relationship with this co-worker prior to the incident, she adds, it may take a while to get back to a place where he or she will trust you — if ever.

That said, Harlow suggests giving the coworker the space she needs to move on beyond the incident.

You’re going to miss a big deadline.

No matter how badly you want to hit “send” or hand over a big project you’ve been working on right when it’s due, sometimes it just doesn’t work out according to schedule. When this happens, communication is key. “The only thing worse than missing a deadline is letting it be a surprise to the person expecting the deliverable,” says Harlow.

“If you have exhausted all options to meet the date — including coming in early/staying late — have an honest conversation with all stakeholders so they can adjust accordingly.”

Photo: chris screndon/GettyImages.

B

etween co-worker drama, technology snafus and money matters, we can find ourselves in tough predicaments while on the job for a host of reasons. And whether or not we got ourselves there in the first place, how we react is critical to keeping the peace. To help, just in case, we asked HR and career professionals for their take on how to deal with common conundrums.

Here’s their advice.

A coworker constantly complains about his job to you, and while it’s OK to vent to you, it wastes a lot of your time.

“Your response to this colleague depends upon a number of factors,” says James E. Marco, Jr., president and principal consultant of Saratoga Human Resources Solutions, Inc. “If you don’t mind listening, ask them if it can wait until a break, lunch, or after work. After all, you have to get your job done too.”

Another option is to encourage your colleague to contact the free and confidential Employee Assistance Program, if your company has one. Good EAPs are generally staffed by trained mental health and social work professionals, explains Marco, and they may help your colleague find a solution. “Lastly, encourage them to look for a new job if they don’t see any resolution to the current situation. People like this can become poison in a workplace, and sometimes it is best for all concerned if they move on to a different opportunity.”

You discover someone with less experience/lower job title makes more money than you do.

Finding out that a newbie with less experience than you takes home a bigger paycheck can be frustrating — but it’s a tough conversation to initiate. “There may be a myriad of reasons for the pay disparity, and your boss is under no obligation to discuss them with you. You also risk being labeled as disgruntled,” warns Marco. “Instead, ask for regular feedback on your performance, and make any changes that your boss suggests.”

Ask about your personal development, he adds, whether it be college degrees,

“

training programs, certificates or professional certifications, or simply more job responsibility. And ask about career progression; what do you need to do to prepare to grow with the company?

“Again, integrity comes from taking responsibility for yourself. Ensure that you are a value added member of your team, and the rest will follow.”

You want a raise.

Before you request a meeting to ask for more money, do some research. Do you know what your employer’s policy is regarding pay increases? What’s the going rate for your position? (Here’s where a quick Google search, and particularly salary.com, can be helpful.) The information you dig up will dictate your next step. “If you determine that you are paid less than the range or at the low end of the range, you may have a greater chance of succeeding in getting a market adjustment,” says Harlow. “When you do meet with your manager, be prepared. Be able to show that you have met or exceeded your individual goals and made significant contributions to the overall company goals.” If, in the end, you’re told that an increase is not possible at this time, Harlow suggests asking your manager when the right time would be to approach the topic in the future and how to prepare.

You send an email to the entire office … but didn’t mean to.

There are a couple of options here, depending on the severity of the contents.

“If the message is just a waste of people’s time, just ignore it and don’t do it again,” says Barbara Pachter, career coach, trainer and author of The Essentials of Business Etiquette: How to Greet, Eat, and Tweet Your Way to Success. “I have this saying:

I have this saying: ‘address in last.’ Write the email message first; then consciously think about who you’re sending it to.

”

— BARBARA PACHTER, author of The Essentials of Business Etiquette: How to Greet, Eat, and Tweet Your Way to Success

‘address in last.’ Write the email message first; then consciously think about who you’re sending it to.”

What if the content is more serious?

You could send another email, she says, saying you were rushing and didn’t mean to send it to everyone — but there’s no guarantee people won’t open it. “If you were badmouthing someone — which you shouldn’t have done anyway — go to the person and apologize, letting them know you have problems and should have spoken directly with him or her.”

You’re asked to contribute to charity or cause — and you’d really rather not.

Throughout the year, it’s common for co-workers to hit up other co-workers for charitable donations — and usually nothing is wrong with that. But when you feel as if you’ve maxed out on what you can give, it’s OK to say no. “You could politely say that your budget for donations has been spent this year, but that you’ll consider it for next year,” says Pachter.

Do you only give to certain causes? Say so. Let them know that all your charitable contributions go to, say, animal rights organizations. Or, she adds, you could decide at the beginning of the year to always give a flat donation of $5. If you go that route, you could say, “I get asked a lot and like to help everybody out, so in order to do that, I only give $5.” Chances are, they’ll appreciate any amount.

You want to quit, but don’t want to burn bridges.

Perhaps you actively pursued another job opportunity and got a great offer. Maybe a recruiter reached out to you or you’re just overworked at your current company, period. “When you decide that you are ready to leave your job, regardless of the reason, do not let your emotions get the best of you,” advises Harlow. “Take the high road in every situation. Professionalism when exiting an organization goes a long way not only in avoiding burning a bridge but also in finding your next position in this close-knit business community in which we work.” W capregionwomenatwork.com | 25

ADHD

Work in the Workplace

Employers and employees working together is the key to success

A

cross all industries, most employers expect a basic level of performance from their employees. No matter what your level of responsibility, you’re expected to be on time, meet deadlines, balance tasks, and behave appropriately in the workplace.

However, for adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), meeting even these fundamental requirements can be overwhelming.

ADHD is well known as a childhood condition. However, it also affects about 4.4 percent of adults in the U.S., according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “It is a chronic condition that 26 | women@work

affects the areas of the brain that help us control impulses, help us concentrate, and organize. ADHD is a neurobiological disorder,” says Susan Gesten, MSW, an ADHD coach in Albany.

ADHA has three subtypes. The predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type includes the symptoms that most people associate with the disorder. This is characterized by fidgeting, inability to stay seated, constant movement, and interrupting in conversation.

The predominantly inattentive type includes the inability to pay attention to detail, listen attentively, and follow instructions. Individuals with this type may

seem careless, distracted, or forgetful.

The third category includes the combined type, which includes both hyperactive and inattentive symptoms. Regardless of the symptoms or subtype, ADHD does not affect intelligence.

The term ADD, or attention deficit disorder, is sometimes used to identify the inattentive subtype in which hyperactivity symptoms are absent. However, ADHD is used to describe the general condition and any subtype.

One of the most significant problems for individuals with ADHD is the degree of misconception that exists about the validity of the disorder. “There’s so much

Photo: Magdalena Tworkowska/GettyImages.

By Anna Zernone Giorgi

out there regarding whether ADHD is real or not. ADHD is recognized as a disorder by the National Institutes of Health, the US Department of Education, and the American Psychiatric Association,” Gesten says. “The difference between those who suffer with some of these occasional symptoms is that they are occasional. People with ADHD have had it lifelong. It has to show up by age 12 in some form. It shows up in multiple settings such as work, school, home, and it’s a significant impairment.”

Even though symptoms typically are present in childhood, many individuals are not formally diagnosed until later in life. “Research shows that only about one in 10 are properly diagnosed. About 85 to 90 percent of the adult world population is undiagnosed. Most companies, most schools, and most families don’t understand what ADHD is, how it manifests, or how to get it properly diagnosed and treated,” says David Giwerc, founder and president of the ADD Coach Academy (ADDCA) in Albany, and author of Permission to Proceed: The Keys to Creating a Life of Passion, Purpose and Possibility for Adults with ADHD. ADDCA is the only ADHD coach training program in the world fully accredited by all three professional coaching entities: International Coach Federation (ICF), Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE), and the Professional Association of ADHD Coaches (PAAC).

Being undiagnosed in the workplace can lead to significant problems for employees and employer alike. Inattentive symptoms may appear in the workplace as cluttered desks, misplaced paperwork, and difficulty being on time, prioritizing, and finishing tasks.

Individuals with the hyperactive subtype may seem restless or distracted in meetings, needing to get up and move around often, thereby possibly missing important information. Impulsive traits may be demonstrated by someone who

The Americans with Disabilities Act and ADHD

T

he Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal law that was enacted in 1990. Its purpose was to make all aspects of daily life more accessible to all individuals with all types of disabilities. It was amended with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008.

The ADA mandates that businesses must provide “reasonable accommodations” of all aspects of employment, including the hiring process, to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities. The law does not identify specific medical conditions. Instead, the law sets criteria that every case must meet.

Simply having ADHD does not mean that you have a disability that is protected by the ADA. Every individual seeking protection by the ADA must have a condition that meets the law’s definition of a disability.

“Courts have looked at this and said, ‘If you’re going to assert that a disability entitles you to the protections of the ADA, you’re going to have to show us that this is something for which you’re receiving treatment and something that actually impairs a significant life activity,’” says attorney Scott M. Peterson, founding partner of D’Orazio Peterson, an employment and serious injury law firm in Saratoga Springs.

If you want to assert discrimination under the ADA, Peterson says you’ll also have to prove that your employer knows about your condition. “Whether it’s ADHD or loss of hearing or anything that doesn’t present itself, if the employer didn’t know about it, then that’s a complete defense to any claim that they weren’t treating you appropriately.”

If you’ve told your employer about your ADHD and asked for a workplace accommodation at any point of the interview process or your employment, it’s wise to document your requests and interactions for future reference. “Put

everything in writing. If it’s not written down, it didn’t happen. Unfortunately, we see that all the time,” Peterson says.

Assuming it’s a disability as defined by the ADA, the employer is bound to provide you with a reasonable accommodation; however they do not have to provide one that presents what’s determined to be “an undue hardship.” A reasonable accommodation may include a change in your job responsibilities, a modified physical workspace, or the provision of specific equipment. “This particular condition is very case-specific. It depends a lot on the particular type of job, what the job duties are, and whether it’s something that may be accommodated through measures such as breaks or other relatively minor accommodations,” Peterson says.

It’s important to note that employers with fewer than 15 employees are not bound to provide accommodations under the ADA. However, some New York State laws, such as the New York State Human Rights law, may be used to protect employees in smaller companies in some cases, Peterson says.

For more information about the ADA and workplace accommodations in New York State, go to: • U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) Job Accommodation Network (JAN): askjan.org/index.html • New York State Division of Human Rights: dhr.ny.gov • ADA National Network: northeastada.org • U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): eeoc.gov/eeoc

capregionwomenatwork.com | 27

frequently interrupts their supervisor, volunteers enthusiastically and then forgets the commitment, or responds inappropriately if upset.

The challenge to keep up and maintain the expected status quo can be overwhelming, especially without knowing what’s wrong. “Often, people in the workforce with ADHD say, ‘I’m working so much harder than my co-workers. I’m just exhausted and I don’t have anything to show for it.’ So, having that diagnosis really gives them the reason to explain how their brain works a little differently and it explains how they’ve struggled so much,” Gesten says.

Supportive Solutions Having a diagnosis can allow adults to start to piece together a strategy to succeed at work and at life in general. For many individuals, medication can be a helpful start.

“Despite all the negativity about medications, when diagnosed properly, medications work. The pill doesn’t give you the skill, but it puts you on a level playing field,” Giwerc says.

Individuals also can take advantage of the numerous support services available.

In addition to therapists, career counselors, and ADHD coaches, individuals in the Capital District can find peer support at monthly meetings of the Capital Region New York Adult ADHD Support Group that Gesten leads in Latham (albanyaddsupportgroup.org).

Individuals who experience depression or anxiety related to ADHD may benefit from therapy sessions. Those seeking ways to understand and create strategies to succeed at work, as well as in other areas, may benefit from an ADHD coach. “As an ADHD coach, I help people learn about ADHD and understand all the ways it’s impacted them specifically. Then, I help them figure out strategies for how they can work

Being undiagnosed in the workplace can lead to significant problems for employees and employer alike.

28 | women@work

get some needed physical exercise. “This may mean setting a timer and taking the stairs or just getting out to do a quick errand to come back and be able to sit for a while,” Gesten says. “Others may need help breaking down larger tasks into smaller ones. So, that may be something where a coworker or supervisor will do that with them.”

Finding the Right Fit Workplace success is easier if individuals start at the right place. “The most important thing is finding the right job for ADHD, a satisfying job where they can use their strengths and not just learn how to manage their difficulties. And, to do that, they need to evaluate a job or reevaluate a job that they’re already in based on if it’s going to let them operate their brain in a way that suits them,” says Sari Solden, psychotherapist at

Photo: © iStockphoto.com/megamix.

with this and how they can change their mindset so they don’t feel that ADHD defines you,” Gesten says. “The challenge is to take responsibility for ADHD, not use it as an excuse, but to say that I know that I have this impairment, so I have to use another technique.”

An ADHD coach can help an individual address their weaknesses in areas such as organization, forgetfulness, and work responsibilities. Gesten’s suggestions include tips such as having a launch pad by their exit door where they keep keys, notes, a purse, and everything in one spot so they can get to work on time. Other strategies might include using a daily planner and asking a spouse to write a note as a reminder to do errands.

Strategies also can be tailored to an individual’s needs and the circumstances of their workplace. Those with hyperactive symptoms may need frequent breaks to

sarisolden.com and author of Women with Attention Deficit Disorder and Journeys Through ADDulthood.

“People with ADHD are very different from each other. Some people are hyperactive; some people are the opposite of that. Some people need a very exciting, stimulating workplace; some people need a very quiet non-distracting place,” Solden says. “You’re going to have to fine tune that based on what you know about your own brain.”

For many individuals, the symptoms of ADHD result in what is termed “executive function impairment.” “Basically, it causes problems with organizing, planning, activating yourself to start working and staying with a task instead of getting distracted, maintaining alertness to be able to remember, having working memory to regulate how you’re doing your task when you’re doing your task — all of the things that most people just do ordinarily,” Solden says.

Dealing with executive function impairment is especially challenging for women given their gender roles at home and in the workplace, according to Solden. “Even today, women with ADHD are doing more of these routine jobs that are very difficult for them organizationally like filing, or doing paperwork, or supporting other people, or having to support people in their own families as well as at work, which is splitting their attention. So, balancing work life and home life for women with ADHD is even more difficult than it is for all women.”

However, the inability to succeed is situational. “If you’re doing something really interesting and really in your area of strength, if you have enough structure and enough support, and if you have just the right conditions, you’ll be able to operate very well.” Solden says. “In a situation where it’s routine or boring or it requires a great deal of concentration to very boring details, you might not be able to maintain that, just biologically. So, you have to be very careful about the kind of job you take.”

Since ADHD affects individuals dif-

ferently, there’s no specific job that’s right for everyone with ADHD. Rather than being defined by ADHD, individuals are encouraged to work in areas that allow them to use their unique strengths.

“ADHD is a deficit of interest and engagement. People who do not have ADHD have the neurological ability to pay attention and focus and sustain effort in areas of boredom, but if people with ADHD are not engaged, and if they are not put into areas of interest that engage them, they don’t have the ability to activate and get the brain going,” Giwerc says. “One of the most important things that an employer can do is find out what their employee already does exceptionally well, start from that place, and build off of that.”

It’s important for employees with ADHD to learn ways to get their brain activated.

“That’s not to say that you can spend all day doing only the things you like, but it’s about when you get your brain activated, it’s much easier to work in those areas, especially with the tools that are available today. Voice-activated software, mind-mapping software, and an iPhone for keeping a schedule that’s visual. These are tools that we never had before. They need to be used,” Giwerc says.

One of the challenges of gaining employer support, however, is that employees may be reluctant to reveal their diagnoses. “You may not technically be required to reveal to a prospective employer that you have ADHD, but if you are going to be looking for an accommodation, it’s in your best interest to do so,” says Scott M. Peterson, founding partner of D’Orazio Peterson, an employment and serious injury law firm in Saratoga Springs.

In some cases, you may be able to ask for accommodations without referring to the diagnosis. Asking to change your desk location, work in a quiet office, or have a more flexible work sched-

ule may be reasonable requests from anyone trying to improve performance.

“Most people with ADHD are afraid to tell their employers that they have it.

They’re afraid because of the repercussions of it,” Giwerc says. “But, there’s ways of explaining without even mentioning ADHD. You can mention that you get distracted and need to move your desk.”

However, you may need to decide if it’s worth it to ask for help if the situation isn’t resolved. “Generally speaking, they don’t have to give accommodations to every employee who wants to work in a quiet space, but if that employee has a medical condition that requires it, then they may have to,” Peterson says.

In some cases, accommodations may involve non-traditional approaches to allow employees to succeed. “Having ADHD myself, I learned to overcompensate it by using my learning styles.

I’m a kinesthetic learner.

This is a learning style in which learning takes place by the student carrying out a physical activity, rather than listening to a lecture or watching a demonstration,” Giwerc says. “Companies have to become more open-minded to different learning styles. Some people need to move around; some people need to have it mirrored back; some people are very visual.”

Making your condition known, however, opens up the possibility of your employer having access to information about your condition and treatment.

“The decision is up to the employee to say, ‘Am I willing to put my medical condition out there in order to hopefully obtain the accommodations that I might need to perform the job?’” Peterson says.

When employers are supportive of their ADHD employees, it’s a win-win for both sides. “We don’t look at ADHD as a disorder,” Giwerc says. “We look at it as a unique brain wiring.” W

Companies have to become more open-minded to different learning styles.

capregionwomenatwork.com | 29

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s y a w e d i S Is a lateral career move right for you?

By Anna Zernone Giorgi | Illustrations by Colleen Ingerto

W

hile many business leaders achieve success by paying their dues at each rung of the corporate ladder, more professionals are pursuing their career goals by making a series of horizontal, rather than vertical, moves in their climb to the top. These lateral career moves involve transitioning from one job to another at the same level or “rung”, though on a different “ladder.”

In a lateral career move, your new job can be with your existing employer or in another organization. Typically, it has a similar title, salary, and level of responsibility as the one you’re leaving. While lateral career moves may seem like detours from your path to success, when strategically selected, they can offer new opportunities for you to reach your target destination.

Whether you buy into the wisdom of making a lateral career move or not, the practice is becoming more common as a result of the changing corporate culture. “Making a lateral move within or to another organization has become more popular recently due to the effects of the recession. The hierarchy within companies has changed and many mid-level positions have virtually disappeared. With companies changing their structure, it has forced employees to re-think their commitment and find ways that work for them in order for them to feel more valued and accomplished,” says Penny Loretto, associate director of the Career Development Center at Skidmore College. Loretto also maintains a private career counseling practice, Career Choice, in Queensbury and Saratoga Springs, to assist adults in career transition. continued on page 32

capregionwomenatwork.com | 31

continued from page 31

As more employers transition from hierarchical to flatter organizational charts, the path to corporate success is less specifically defined. “With many organizations becoming flatter and leaner, the ladder to the top has lost some rungs.

Due to this new landscape, career professionals are encouraging their clients to not only think up, but to also think sideways. So, the path is no longer straight and narrow. It can be filled with a lot of detours and side roads that can eventually get you to the same destination,” says Ed Hallenbeck, career consultant and owner of Career by Design Consulting in Rensselaer.

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Planning Your Strategy If you’re considering a lateral career move, it’s important to assess what’s motivating you to think about a change.

“When you look at your motivators, you’re considering, ‘What’s most important to me in a position?’ What’s most important to me in a company?

Am I making a contribution and feeling valued or gratified at the end of the day?’

Take a look at those motivators,” says Alison H. Johnson, partner at Strategic Resources, a recruitment firm in Albany.

A lateral career move in your own company may be just what you need if you’re feeling burnt out or bored, but don’t want to leave the organization or the people with whom you work. “Sometimes, we become stagnant by doing the same things every day. By starting over in a new position, it can help you to view and approach your job with renewed energy and motivation,” Loretto says.

Or perhaps you want to learn more about different departments, make connections with new people, and diversify your skill set. “Enhancing and diversifying can obviously make you more valuable to your present employer but perhaps even to a new employer,” Hallenbeck says. “If you’re more valuable to that employer because you have this enhanced skill set, then it might help

increase your protection from being downsized. It also could help elevate your marketability for a position outside of the current organization.”

Looking at a lateral career move outside your existing company can give you the opportunity to expand your professional network for future opportunities.

It also may be a way to get your foot in the door at an organization that attracts you because of its prominence or growth.

“Working in a new department or organization will provide an opportunity to meet new people and develop new professional relationships that may offer additional recommendations when seeking a new higher level job in the future,” Loretto says.

Part of your reason for looking to another organization for a lateral career move may be because you simply don’t feel as if you fit in with your existing company. “Organizations do change.

There’s leadership changes; there’s changes in culture. The organization that you enter is not necessarily the organization that you leave. It could be very different, so someone may say, ‘This organization is no longer consistent with my values, so I want to make a move,’” Hallenbeck says.

Making Your Move If you’re eyeing an internal lateral career move, it’s important to determine early on if your company values your ambitions in doing so. “I think it’s wise to seek out a senior member of the organization who can provide some wise counsel, someone who has been through this process, someone who knows the corporate culture a little better, someone who knows the process a little better, so that they may be able to help that employee prepare for a conversation with their manager,” Hallenbeck says. “Talk with other employees who have made a lateral career move in the organization to discover whether their career goals and ambitions are still being supported.

“

[A] lateral career move may provide an opportunity to find a supervisor who can put them in a position to succeed and realize career happiness

If you can find success stories within the company, that’s a really good sign.”

It’s also smart to ensure that your plans align with those of your supervisor and others who manage the corporate culture.

Career consultants recommend contacting the human resources department to find out about any relevant policies that might define the process.

“There’s a risk associated with any movement — upward, downward, across the organization, out of the organization — but the most important thing to do is to very clearly communicate with HR, and your current manager, and the new manager in that organization during the interview process, and to be very clear about what your reasons are for making the move,” Johnson says.

Part of your objective in making a successful lateral move is to convey your satisfaction and commitment to your existing company. It’s also important to communicate your willingness to commit to the new position. Remember that any new position, even in a familiar company, will require a learning curve before you’ll be able to make a valuable contribution.

If you’re making the move under the supervision of a human resources representative, it’s likely that your goals will be documented along with issues such as timelines for the appraisal process.

Even if your organization doesn’t have an involved human resources presence, documentation is important to protect yourself and ensure that everyone involved is clear about your reasons for making the move, Johnson says.

“Documentation can prevent a problem in the event that your new manager isn’t around when it’s time for you to move on,” she says. “Organizations change.”

If you’re looking at a lateral career move to another organization, it’s in your best interest to find out as much as you can about your potential new employer,

”

including their regard for lateral career moves. It’s also important to establish if it’s a good professional and personal fit so that you can communicate your knowledge of that in your interview.

“By identifying your reasons for making the move you can let the organization know that your desire to move is due to the opportunity you see and potential to move up within the new organization.

You may convey to the company that you strongly identify with its goals and its mission; or after doing your research on the company, you really feel that the new organization is a much better fit for you,” Loretto says.

Decision Time Whether your opportunity for a lateral career move arises with your existing employer or at a new organization, you owe it to yourself to take the time to realistically assess your choices. “You need to be sincere and honest with yourself, not just the company, to make sure that you’re going for the right reasons, or you’ll end up looking again. You need to have that list ready to go: What are the motivators?

What even prompted me to start looking?” Johnson says.

Perhaps your motivation lies in the fact that your supervisor is unable to help you get to the next rung of your career ladder. “I think one of the biggest reasons that employees may leave their jobs is because of a supervisor who they perceive to be unsupportive or unable to help them reach their full potential.

So a lateral career move may provide an opportunity to find a supervisor who can put them in a position to succeed and realize career happiness,” Hallenbeck says.

While a lateral career move can help you leave behind some of the negative aspects of your job, it may not be the best alternative if you’re looking for a

way — any way — out of a bad situation.

“If that fear of that bad relationship with a current supervisor is the only reason that you’re making that move, it may not be the best decision. It could be something that motivates you, but you want that to be part of a larger plan,” Hallenbeck says.

Take the time to review the new job offer and examine why it may be the right choice. You’ll need to consider what you’re leaving versus what you’re gaining. While two positions may have the same titles, factors such as salaries, including raises and bonuses, comprehensive benefits, and life/work balance issues can vary greatly even within the same organization.

Don’t expect any two positions will be identical even if they have the same title. “You can have the same title and a job description that looks the same but when you step into it, it’s not going to be exactly the same. There’s always going to be something new that you’re going to get out of that new position,” Johnson says.

“Ultimately, ask, ‘Will a move to a new position and organization help you advance your well-defined career goals?’

Well-defined career goals are so critical because you need to know why you’re making this move. And, the move has to be part of a larger plan. Then, it becomes strategic and not completely reactive,” Hallenbeck says.

Ensuring that the new position fits into your plan is critical since zigzagging up the ladder may take more time than the straight path to the top.

“If you’re taking this route, the lateral career move, it requires a practice of strategic patience and professional persistence but, ultimately, it could be worth the wait,” Hallenbeck says. W capregionwomenatwork.com | 33

Dreaming

Big

By Jennifer Gish

Y

ou have an idea you’re sure will revolutionize the way your department functions. It will make everyone’s jobs easier, save the company money, and allow you to serve clients better. You’re so excited about it you can already feel the boss patting your back for your brilliance, the glow of receiving a nod during the staff meeting after it’s all put into place.

But first you have to make it happen.

Pitching ideas has never been your strength. Every brainstorm you’ve had has turned into more of a drizzle by the time you get in front of your boss. Meanwhile, the woman in the cubicle next to you seems to belong to the “beloved idea of the month” club, earning all the nods during every meeting for her latest contribution.

So how do you get there? It’s all in preparation, timing and execution.

34 | women@work

Photos: GettyImages. Woman, caracterdesign, Blackboard background, Anton Zheltov.

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First, bring more than an idea.

Bring a full-blown, well-researched proposal, as if you’re campaigning for your concept.

“Don’t ever present an idea without solid facts to back it up,” says Tamara Slater, an administrative assistant with the Bonadio Group, an accounting, business advisory and financial consulting group with an Albany location. “You can go in and say, ‘We should do blah, blah, blah,’ and then your boss can say, ‘Why?’ If you don’t have facts to back it up, it’s not going to work. Present an idea after you’ve done some research, after that you can add to it how it will increase productivity, morale ... because it’s always about the bottom line.”

And it’s not just facts and figures you’ll need to secure ahead of time. It’s buy-in of the rest of your team.

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Shop your idea around to others to get their support. … almost like building a campaign.

“Include the insights of your co-workers because when you do that, you’re showing your boss that others like the idea,” Slater says. “It’s always strength in numbers.”

Be sure to play critic during your information gathering.

Think about every potential question or concern your boss may throw at you and be ready to answer them, says Sujata Chaudhry, principle with Tangible Development, a cultural training and consulting business in Albany that helps companies better communicate with international clients. Sometimes that means having a modification to your original concept at the ready so you can give your boss options. continued on page 36

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“I tend to come in with an idea and then come with a modification to that idea and another modification saying, ‘Look, we can do it this way, or we can do it this way, or we can do it this way.’

The idea is the same, but the methodology may be different,” Chaudhry says.

“It’s selling. It’s promoting your idea and maximizing it to the best of your ability. Be ready for all the negatives, have all the pros and the cons of your idea, because you’re certainly going to get the cons, too.”

When you’ve put together the campaign for Your Best Idea Ever, you have to …

determine the best time to unveil it to the world (a.k.a. your boss).

You’ve spent a lot of time preparing your presentation, so be sure you have a focused audience, and that your boss isn’t worried about rushing off to her lunch meeting or stressed out over a project that has her sending a chorus of heavy sighs into the hall.

“Is your boss having a bad day? That might not be the best time to go in and ask if you can chat with them for a few minutes. Really respect and be mindful of what’s going on around you,” says Megan Baker, president and CEO of Baker Public Relations in Albany. “Timing definitely is everything. And their body language will say it, too. If you see them in the office, and they seem hurried or their mind’s on something else, it might not be a good day.”

So let’s say you’ve set the stage perfectly. Your boss has carved out an hour to talk. You’ve put together a slick PowerPoint presentation with data and graphs. Now you’ve just got to work it.

Channel every public speaking course 36 | women@work

you’ve ever had.

Be confident.

“I’ve seen this a million times: Don’t go in there rambling,” Slater says. “If you start rambling, they’re not going to pay attention to what you’re saying . Get to the point. Go in with confidence. If you believe in your idea, it will show your boss that you believe in your idea, and then they’re going to tend to believe it.”

And once again, Baker says,

body language matters.

Sit up straight. Don’t cross your arms so that you appear closed-off to feedback.

Feel free to be a little animated in order to convey your passion for your proposal.

If you’re presenting the idea in front of a group, you may have to engage in some conversational combat. Sometimes, someone will ask questions that derail the discussion to another topic, Baker says. But this is your time, she says. Tactfully steer the discussion back on track without sounding as if you’re deflecting questions or feedback.

But what if you’ve done all of this and your boss says no? There are ways to

be persistent without being aggressive.

“The easy way to not beat the dead horse is when they say no ask why,” Slater says. “Because if you ask why, and they have a legitimate reason — like it’s not in the budget, they’ll never go for this — if you ask why and you find that it’s not the right time, you know to put it on

the backburner and try again.”

And when you run out of solutions or alternative proposals, Chaudhry says,

know when to walk away.

Sometimes it’s just as impressive to pursue something until you recognize it’s no longer worth considering.

“If you can’t, with your advocates, come up with ideas to overcome those roadblocks, there’s nothing wrong with presenting an idea and discovering together that it wasn’t the best positive solution,” she says. “That makes you even greater. That makes you a thinker.” W Jennifer Gish is the Times Union’s features editor.

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When You’re the Target Five signs you may be getting fired (or laid off)

Y

es, there’s a paycheck, but for most, a job is much more than that. It’s part of our identity, with “What do you do for a living?” ranking up there with sports and the weather when it comes to sure-fire smalltalk topics. It’s the place we spend a large portion of our week, and the focus that often keeps the creative segment of our brains working hard.

So it’s scary when it’s on the line. Or even when we think our jobs may be on the line. What are the signs that unemployment may be on the horizon? And what can be done? Experts offer five telltale indicators and strategies.

1. You’re kept out of the loop.

Suddenly, for no clear reason, you’re not copied on important emails, not as much work is flowing your way, and everyone seems to be talking about a 38 | women@work

meeting that you weren’t in on.

“When I’m coaching someone, and they’re seeing signs like their boss isn’t looking at them, they’re not getting invited to meetings anymore, they’re just getting a vibe that they’re not being included, I say sit back for a little bit of time. Just observe,” says Bonny Boice, an executive coach and president of BGB consulting and Retreats in the Adirondack town of Lake Pleasant.

You’re observing because you want to gather information, Boice says. Try not to color your observations with your own fears by reading into things unnecessarily or taking everything too personally.

Strategy: Have a frank discussion with your boss. “After you observe a little bit, go to your boss and have a very candid, clear, direct conversation saying, ‘I’ve got the feeling something isn’t going right, and I could use your advice. Is

there something I could improve or be doing differently?’”

Keep things on the down-low when you suspect you may be fired and after it happens, too. “You don’t run around and start talking to a bunch of other people about it,” Boice says. “You haven’t made your decision on what your next step is yet, so it’s important to breathe your way through this, be observant and really start to focus on what is your next step.”

2. You’ve had some bad performance reviews.

“If you’ve continually had a bad review many employees just take that and they don’t do anything about it, and they’ve had a continually bad review and may not agree with the review,” says Rose Miller, president of Pinnacle Human Resources LLC in Latham. “It’s a rare instance that some-

Photos: GettyImages. Bullseye, Amanda Rohd; Arrow, pepifoto.

By Jennifer Gish

one hasn’t been doing well at their job and the termination is a complete surprise. They may not want to admit it at the moment, but generally, they know.

They know they didn’t do as well as they could have.”

Strategy: “You might want to find out the reasons that you haven’t been doing well — do some soul searching,” Miller says. “What is causing you to not be as good as you could be?” Is it because you just don’t like what you do anymore?

Miller says then maybe it’s time for you to move on anyway.

3. You’ve got a new boss, and you’re not hitting it off.

You have a sterling employment record, but suddenly the new supervisor is giving you bad reviews. Do they just have a different style or is it something more?

“Sometimes it’s also a new supervisor that doesn’t like a particular race or sex or something like that, so if it’s a new supervisor, I say, ‘OK, is there anyone else that they’re picking on?’ and if they’re picking on everybody over 50 or they’re picking on people from Saudi Arabia but not the United States, those are the types of things that I look at and that sets off alarm bells in my head,” says Donna Ballman, author of Stand Up for Yourself Without Getting Fired.

Of course, sometimes it’s not discrimination but something else at play. “I see employees just laying down on the job and unmotivated and not doing as well as they can, but there’s other situations, especially in corporate America, where there’s political things going on and there’s no winning,” Miller says.

Strategy: If you suspect you’re dealing with discrimination, Ballman says, “Start making notes, and if there are any documents that you think back you on this stuff, get copies of them and make sure you get them home. You don’t want

to take anything trade secret or confidential. … Don’t email yourself a bunch of confidential stuff. Don’t do something that alarms them because you don’t want to get fired for doing something stupid either. Don’t overreact, but just start preparing yourself.”

If you decide it’s office politics or a bad personality fit between you and the boss, there may be no winning the game. It may be time to move on to a job you’d like better anyway, Miller says.

4. Your company is in trouble.

“Many employees fail to track their company news. Take that effort and see where they are in the marketplace [and] see how they’re doing. If you’re reading that they’re not doing well, if you see production slow down, if you see salespeople leaving, if you see key people leaving, those are all indicators that things aren’t really going well,” Miller says. “If you’re making VHS, and you read that DVDs are destroying the VHS market, you may love where you work, but the writing’s on the wall.”

Strategy: Pay attention to the marketplace, and position yourself to move on quickly if the need arises. “If I got wind of anything, I might not act right away, but I might begin to start getting my ducks in a row,” Miller says. “I make sure I have a fresh resume. I may want to start

The Upside It’s always possible that your job isn’t working out because you don’t really want to be there anyway.

“This might be life giving you messages that you should go back to school or start to pursue a dream,” says Rose Miller, president of Pinnacle Human Resources LLC in Latham. “The reason people

investigating what companies I would like to work for. It’s a more proactive approach to my career.”

5. Human resources wants to see you. “[If you get] a mysterious call from HR, setting a meeting that you don’t know anything about, I just tell people don’t panic because it could be something good, a promotion or something,” Ballman says. “But if you’ve got that mysterious call HR wants to meet with you, and they’re very close-mouthed — ‘you’ll find out when you get here’ kind of a thing — just be ready.”

Strategy: Being ready means not losing your cool and making bad decisions at an emotional time should a pink slip come your way. “Try to keep in your head that if you’re fired, they’re not the boss of you. I’ve seen people get fired, and they hand them a noncompete agreement. You don’t work there anymore, why do you agree to that?,” Ballman says. “You can ask them if there’s anything, any kind of severance, being offered or anything like that, but don’t sign anything when you’re in that termination meeting because it’s as traumatic as a death in the family. You’re not thinking straight. Ask for a copy to review and sign later.” W Jennifer Gish is the Times Union’s features editor.

don’t do this is always fear of the unknown. It’s amazing what people would put up with it because there’s fear of the unfamiliar and change is always difficult and change is always scary, so they’ll just sit and wait for the boot.”

If you talk to your boss about fears you may be fired and you don’t believe what he says, you need to think about who you’re working for.

“That’s something for you to realize: I’m working for a boss that’s not honest,” says Bonny Boice, an executive coach and president of BGB consulting and Retreats in the Adirondack town of Lake Pleasant. “They need to take that information and say, ‘What does that mean for me? Do I want to continue to work for a boss that’s not truthful?’”

capregionwomenatwork.com | 39

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

The Fine Print Helping the 1 in 5 adults in the Capital Region who can’t read

A VOLUNTEER teaches students vocabulary through use of a BINGO board designed with pictures instead of numbers.

By Cari Scribner | Photos by Emily Jahn

T

he nonprofit organization, with administrative offices in Albany, covers more than 3,500 squaremiles across Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren, and Washington counties, making it the largest service area in New York State. In this geographic area alone, one out of five adults read and/or write below a fifth grade level. This means a total of more than 55,000 adults in the five-county area can’t follow a map, fill out a job application, read to their 40 | women@work

children, or understand directions on a medicine bottle.

“The fact that there are adults in the 21st century not able to read just amazes me,” says Sylvia Jimison, the agency’s executive director. “They make excuses to cover it up, such as saying they forgot their glasses and asking someone else to read for them.”

Literacy New York Greater Capital Region provides free, confidential instruction by trained volunteers. The one-on-one tutoring sessions include basic literacy

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NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

One Learner’s Story Judy Merkley of Glens Falls had been working on and off to obtain her GED for nearly 25 years.

As a working mother of seven, it was a challenge to set aside four hours a week to meet with her tutor, Susan Wright of Queensbury. But the pair made a pact to work together to help Merkley pass the math portion of the exam, which had been her downfall.

“Math really freaked me out,” Merkley says.

“I tried night school but it didn’t work for me.

Working with Susan was what helped. I was patient and just kept trying.”

Wright, who has been a tutor with Literacy for about five years, has a bachelor’s degree in math and worked in the government finance field for 40 years before retiring. She said tutoring is fulfilling for her as well.

“I have such high regard for Judy; she worked so hard,” Wright says. “There were times it was raining or freezing out and even I didn’t want to go, but I knew she would be there, so I went too. It’s very satisfying to me to see where people go, and how much they achieve after tutoring.”

Judy recently passed the GED exam, including the math portion, with flying colors.

instruction (reading and writing for native speakers); English Language Learning (for foreign language speakers); tutoring and conversation groups; math (basic skills and financial literacy); and preparation for the GED and U.S. citizenship exam.

The diverse service area covered by the nonprofit includes rural, urban and suburban communities. “We have a robust number of learners and tutors in suburban areas such as Glens Falls and Saratoga,” Jimison says. “But in the urban communities of Albany, there’s a real need for volunteers. We are starting to partner with churches to reach out to their members about volunteering.”

Jimison says the vast majority of the volunteer tutors are women over age 40.

While some of the volunteers are retired teachers, previous teaching experience isn’t required.

Volunteers can opt to work with a learner in basic literacy or English Language Learning, or to help a learner reach a specific goal, such as becoming a U.S. citizen. Based on their “tutoring track,” about 15 hours of initial training and 6 42 | women@work

hours of annual continuing education are given to bring tutors up to speed.

Volunteers are asked to make a minimum one-year commitment working with their student. “Many work for years with their learner,” Jimison says. “Once they see the life-changing effects they have on someone’s life, they know it’s important, that it’s working, and they stay on.”

Literacy New York Capital Region has a roster of about 150 learner-tutor matches. Tutors and students are asked to designate 2 to 4 hours a week to their work sessions, as well as additional time for lesson planning and homework.

All tutoring sessions are done at public places such as community libraries.

Jimison is concerned about the burgeoning population of women coming to the Capital Region from their native lands with their spouses. “Global Foundries, for example, has brought a tremendous number of people to work in Saratoga County, and many of the women have no English skills whatsoever,” Jimison says. “That’s tremendously isolating.”

Jimison is a firm believer that strengthening the literacy skills of adults will improve the lives of their children and benefit the community as a whole.

“When parents can’t read or do algebra, they can’t help their child with homework or even communicate with their teachers,” Jimison says. “Parents are role models. How are they going to encourage their children to continue higher education when they can’t read or write?

Adult education is just as valuable as K through 12. It’s the missing piece.” W

Get involved Literacy New York Greater Capital Region Phone: 518-452-3381, ext. 223 Address: 1450 Western Ave., Suite 101 Albany, NY 12203 Website: literacynycap.org

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SYLVIA JIMISON at the Clifton Park Library, one of the many locations where the Literacy Volunteers teach classes.

The Download on Sylvia Jimison Age: 53.

Title: Executive Director Literacy NY Greater Capital Region (formerly known as Literacy Volunteers of America).

Lives in: Schenectady Education/recent jobs: Bachelor of Science in Communications from the University of Texas at Austin.

Earned a National Urban Fellowship for her master’s degree in public administration at Baruck College.

Before joining Literacy NY Greater Capital Region, she was an associate academic dean and Success Center director at Southern Vermont College and also a director of programs at Cape Cod Community College for first-generation, disadvantaged students preparing for college.

Surprising fact: Jimison is a stand-up comedian, performing at Comedy Works in Albany. “This could be my next career,” she says. “I write about everyday life, keep my humor clean, and don’t make fun of anybody. Clean humor takes a lot of time to do.”

Stress relief: Two striped hulahoops rest along the wall of

Jimison’s office. Jimison says they’re her go-to for stress relief.

Volunteerism: Five years ago, as a volunteer herself, Jimison launched a GED and college prep program for low-income individuals to enter college, held at St. John’s St. Anne’s Outreach Center in Albany’s South End. The walk-in sessions are weekly and include a hot meal. “All are welcome,” Jimison says. “It doesn’t need to be complicated. Adults need a place to study and people to help them. We come together and eat and learn.”

De-bunking myth: Jimison says one of the most common misconceptions about teaching English is that you need to know the language of the non-English speaker. All tutoring sessions are done using English, not the student’s native language.

Wish list: New technology equipment for tutors and learners. “Right now we are using paper, pencil and books,” Jimison says. “We should have lessons on tablets and also online training for volunteers. ”

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Call today: (518) 220-9381 Limited quantities available; one copy per family.

Kathleen Godfrey, President

Downtime: Eating dinner with friends. “I love to make my friends laugh and talk,” Jimison says. “Life’s too serious these days. We need to make more room for humor.”

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Read this book if…

Getting Unstuck

… you often feel stuck and unable to change frustrating, annoying situations at work.

Communicate better and get what you need I Hear You: Repair Communication Breakdowns, Negotiate Successfully, and Build Consensus in Three Simple Steps,

by Donny Ebenstein, Amacom, 288 pages, $24.95

By Janet Reynolds

W

e’ve all been there. Something or someone at work is making us absolutely crazy. We’ve tried everything — we think — to fix it but nothing is working. So we figure we just have to live with it.

The problem with that approach, of course, is that the issue doesn’t really go away. Instead it eats away at us, building resentment/frustration/anger, which in turn often results in our acting out in other ways that appear to be unrelated — but in reality so are. Not a good long-term plan, we can all agree.

Donny Ebenstein, an international expert in communication, negotiation and conflict resolution, can help you get unstuck. His book, I Hear You, boils down to three basic ideas: change what you say and how you say it; step outside your own point of view; and

develop the ability to see different perspectives at the same time.

Easier said than done, of course. But Ebenstein walks you through strategies to accomplish each of these basic milestones, giving clear examples along the way — including sample conversations from real-life experiences he’s counseled — and specific directions. In one chapter, for instance, he offers role-playing strategies to help you practice how to approach a situation differently and more effectively. He includes examples and then comments on what was effective and what was not.

Ebenstein is nothing if not a pragmatist, however. As such, his book closes with helpful tips on recognizing when the only solution might be to walk away. Some situations are indeed unfixable. W

Notable Quote “When you make another person feel heard, you set the stage for them to hear you.”

Instant Recall  Changing the situation starts with changing yourself.  Learn how to see multiple points of view at the same time. “It’s not a shift from ‘wrong thinking’ to ‘right thinking.’ It’s a shift from seeing only one subjective point of view to seeing multiple subjective points of view.”  Settling into passive unhappiness is a self-fulfilling prophecy

capregionwomenatwork.com | 45

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BOOK REVIEW

Read this book if…

You want to understand how and why you operate a particular way at work, at home, in life.

Who Are You Anyway?

Why the answer matters — always

The Birkman Method, Your Personality at Work, by Sharon Birkman Fink and Stephanie Capparell, Jossey-Bass, 226 pp, $27.95

By Janet Reynolds

M

any of us have heard of Myers-Briggs, the popular test based on Carl Jung’s theory of psychological type used by many companies to help improve teamwork and individual employee performance. (Hello fellow ENFJs.) Less well known perhaps is the Birkman Method, an assessment tool created in 1951 that goes well beyond the general analysis of any psychological type testing I’ve seen. If you take the test — which I have — you will learn about your preferred style, your needs and your stressors — and how they affect your work life as well as your personal life. You will come away with a thorough understanding of what pushes your buttons and very specific information about how you can better live your life at the office and at home.

The Birkman Method is designed to be both a primer and a teaser. The authors outline how the test works and, after you buy the book, you’re allowed online access to take one part of the test, including seeing the results.

Once you receive your results, you will have a personal concrete example in front of you as the authors explain the various parts of the Life Style Grid.

The method uses a four-color back-

ground — blue, green, red, yellow — to represent the basic personality types of society, and four symbols — asterisk, circle, diamond and square to indicated interests, needs, usual behavior and stress. Where they fit on the color landscape is determined by your answers and how they fit together helps you see more clearly how you operate.

The book provides many real-life examples of how the method can help company executives and staff better understand each other and therefore be more productive and operate with less drama. If you understand more clearly how your need for freedom in the workplace, for instance, plays directly against your boss’s need for structure, you can both work out a better way to work together.

But the Birkman is not just for the office. The book highlights couples as well to illustrate how taking the Birkman helped them better connect and understand each other. This scenario is just one of many in the book: Wife to husband of more than 20 years after taking the Birkman together: “You know, for the past 17 years I thought you were being a jerk. Now I know it’s just your personality!” W

Instant Recall  The first rule of the Birkman is the one that is hardest to put into practice: how we view the world and the filters through which we perceive our environment may be very different from those of the people around us.

Our standard is not the standard.  The Birkman is the only assessment tool that reaches beyond mere self-described behavior to reveal the underlying motivations that drive and inspire you.

Notable Quote “I thought the person I worked with was trying to get under my skin to get ahead of me, but after I saw that person’s Birkman, I understood it was just another perspective. It had nothing to do with me.” capregionwomenatwork.com | 47

MEALS ON THE GO

Lauren Ciaglo, chef at Henry Street Taproom

For the

Love of

Bread and other tales of cooking

By Brianna Snyder | Photos by Tyler Murphy

L

Top Tip for Healthy Cooking “Make as much as you can from scratch.”

48 | women@work

auren Ciaglo set out to be a doctor.

She got a degree in English and biology from Boston University and, taking a break before applying to med school, landed a job at a pharmaceutical testing lab. “Two years into that I realized I didn’t want to do medicine anymore.”

Living in Boston, Ciaglo had discovered a love for food. “We’d probably go out at least once a week and we’d always try a different restaurant,” she says. “That really got me eating. It’s what really got me into food.” She’d never considered or even liked cooking, she says. “When I was younger I hated cooking and never thought I would cook a meal at home. I thought it was really hard.”

So with a waning interest in medicine and a sudden interest in food, Ciaglo moved home to Michigan and got a job as a chef in the kitchen of a popular Midwestern chain restaurant called Max and Erma’s. She was interested in the Culinary Institute of America, but that school requires its students to have had experience cooking. Ciaglo was getting that experience at Max and Erma’s and discovering she loved the vibe of the kitchen. “A week into it I was like, ‘I absolutely love this.’”

“It can be a really intense, high-strung environment and at the same time it can be one of the most relaxed, fun environments,” she says. Ciaglo made it into the CIA where she was initially interested in Asian and Asian fusion food. But then her interests began expanding.

“It’s really important to me to make things from scratch. I think that’s sort of the whole point [of cooking]. If you’re going to call yourself a chef and you’re buying a box of spaghetti and putting it in boiling water it’s like, ‘What are you doing?’”

Ciaglo says her dream is to one day open a restaurant where everything on the plate is made from scratch. Pickles, ketchup, bread — all made by her in her restaurant. And at the Henry Street Taproom in Saratoga Springs, where

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Ciaglo cooks now, they’ve already begun implementing some handmade tactics in their food preparation. “Since I started working there we’re making our own sourdough bread and our own pizza dough,” she says.

Bread holds a special place in Ciaglo’s heart. Pasta, too. She’s been working for years on perfecting her homemade doughs. “I’ve been obsessed with pasta and there were probably about two years where I was just trying to make a good pasta dough and trying to consistently make gnocchi that melts in your mouth the way it should.” That’s the thing that’s most important to her as a chef, she says: getting it right. W see recipe on page 51

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MEALS ON THE GO continued from page 49

Sesame seeds ingredients ¼ cup black sesame seeds ¼ cup white sesame seeds Method Place the sesame seeds together on a baking sheet and toast in 350 degree oven until they are done (about 3-4 minutes). Set aside.

Tartare ingredients 1 pound of sushi grade tuna (If you know your fish monger and can get bellies they are cheaper and better, but slightly more work to clean the meat. Also the tuna can be substituted with salmon, scallops, fluke, etc. – it depends on your preference.)

2 lemons, zest and juice High-quality olive oil, to taste Honey, to taste Sriracha, to taste Salt and pepper, to taste Method Mince the tuna into super fine pieces. Place the tuna in a mixing bowl. Mix in the remaining ingredients, a little bit at a time, and taste the mixture until it is to your liking.

Dinner in 30 minutes Tuna Tartare with Pickles and Vegetable Salad serves 4-6 Pickling liquid ingredients 2 cups sugar 2 cups champagne vinegar (any neutral vinegar or one of your preference is fine) 4 cups warm-hot water Method Combine above ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until sugar is dissolved.

Pickles and vegetable ingredients 1 large beet, peeled 1 large carrot, peeled 1 large parsnip, peeled 2 stalks of celery 1 large sunchoke, peeled

Method 1. Use a vegetable peeler to shave thin slices off of the beet, carrot, parsnip and sunchoke.

Place the different vegetable slices in separate containers. Cover the sunchoke slices with cold water. Cut the celery into thin slices and place in its own container.

2. Pour the pickling liquid over each of the four containers just until the vegetables are covered. Any remaining liquid can be reserved for more pickles, vinaigrette, etc. Add aromatics to the containers: fennel seed or star anise to the beet, clove and cinnamon stick to the carrot, juniper berries or whole all spice to the parsnip, and caraway seed to the celery. Let the pickles sit at room temperature while preparing the remaining ingredients.

Herb oil ingredients 1 tablespoon of each: fresh tarragon leaves, thyme, parsley, cilantro, and chives ¾ cup olive oil ¼ cup sesame oil salt and pepper to taste Method Rough chop the chives so they blend more easily. Place all of the herbs in a blender or food processor. Add the sesame oil and blend until herbs are finely ground. Add the olive oil, blend. Season with salt and pepper.

Finishing the salad 1. Place any mixed greens of your choice into a mixing bowl. Add the sunchokes, toasted sesame seeds, and all of he pickles except the beets. (The color of beets bleed out, so if you mix them in with everything else all of the components of your salad will be dyed that color.)

2. Dress the salad with the herb oil.

Portion the salads onto plates. Finish with the pickled beets on top. Portion a scoop of the tartare onto each plate. capregionwomenatwork.com | 51

Blinded Y by our Flaws

ou keep dating or marrying the same jerks. Your friends always seem to leave when you need them most and, despite changing jobs or careers, you inevitably wind up the company doormat or the scapegoat.

Fixing problems you don’t even know you have

It’s not easy to hear but we are the common denominator in these situations. Somehow, our behavior and beliefs are creating the same issue over and over again.

Most of us have these psychological “blind spots,” or aspects of our personalities that are obvious to everyone but ourselves, says Leadership Coach and Clinical Psychologist Louise Finlayson, Ph.D. However, with courage and commitment you can eliminate these blind spots and break these self-defeating patterns.

“Blind-spots are normal,” says Finlayson of Albany, “and, at one time or another, all of us inaccurately perceive how we impact those around us. We are wired to be more observant of those around us than we are of ourselves.”

Have you ever thought — about someone else, of course — Why does she routinely interrupt others? Why does he talk so loud? or Why doesn’t he respect my personal space? The answer, Finlayson says, is surprisingly simple: They probably don’t see that they are behaving that way.

“The funny thing is it is easy to see a blind spot

“The funny thing is it is easy to see a blind spot in someone else but not so easy to see one in [ourselves]”

52 | women@work

Photo: Jan Scherders/GettyImages.

By Merci Miglino

in someone else but not so easy to see one in [ourselves]. In short, we don’t know what we don’t know about ourselves,” she says.

Dr. Maureen Hannah, Siena College professor of psychology, agrees, adding that “the human brain is capable of rationality, reason and logic as well as irrationality, unbridled passion, and emotional hyper-reactivity.”

“Human behavior is far less consistent and predictable [over the long haul] than most of us like to believe,” says Hannah.

“The rational and irrational aspects of our psyche live side by side, with the irrational side all too often taking charge.”

Another reason our blind spots can elude us is because they often involve a trait we are especially proud of, says Arlene Lev, family therapist and social worker. Lev uses the example of Sherlock Holmes. Holmes exhibits a heightened awareness and sharp detailed attentiveness but lacks social skills and sensitivity in human communication.

“I often find that our greatest strength and our most challenging flaws are two sides of the same coin,” says Lev. “The person who is funny, gregarious, the life of the party, may also have difficulty coping with sadness, stillness, and the need for reflection. The person who is thoughtful, gentle, and easygoing might have difficulty standing up to an adversary, or speaking her mind when she is the only dissenting voice.”

“It can be very hard to see this trait in one’s self,” says psychologist Judith Sills, best selling author of Excess Baggage: Getting Out of Your Own Way. “It can be considered a brag when, in fact, it’s a blind spot.”

While finding and facing your blind spot is like trying to examine the back of your own head, it can be a life-changer.

Here’s how to get started:

“If we have difficulty with public speaking, we may overcompensate in order to bolster our courage, and then be highly sensitive if someone criticizes something we’ve said,” says Lev. “Or if we are uncomfortable with our looks, we may work extra hard to look good and therefore a slight joke about the color of our skirt, or our new hairdo might really set us on edge.” Our reaction or defensiveness can lead people to think we are dramatic, intense, or even aggressive.

Accept that you have blind spots

Get a Mentor

The first step, says Lev, is to recognize and accept that we have blind spots and look for them where we feel least secure, and where we cover up in order to cope with our lack of confidence.

Feedback from a trusted mentor invested in your professional growth and who takes time getting to know you can make constructive criticism less painful, Baur says. “Our mentors tend to be more the

Invite feedback even if it hurts Finlayson says we often learn about our blind spots accidentally. We may hear someone talking about us, criticizing or teasing us. While these are not particularly pleasant ways to learn about our flaws, it can be an opportunity to look more closely at such remarks and see if there is something about us we do not want to see.

Rather than wait to overhear a random remark, ask people for feedback. Ask more than one person, says Jean Baur, career counselor and author of The Essential Job Interview Handbook. “If four out of five people are sharing the same experience of you, then it’s something you need to pay attention to.”

Feedback is not for the faint of heart, however, so choose wisely and be prepared to be grateful for what you’re told, even if it is hard to hear. “If you tend to be defensive and argumentative about feedback, this may not be the best way to go,” says Finlayson. “If we take a neutral observer role towards our own behavior, we are more likely to see it clearly. This is one reason that people hire coaches, whether a life coach, a sports coach, or an executive coach. Coaches are there to help us see what we don’t see ourselves, and then to help us grow and become more successful.”

objective which can help us process negative feedback in a more factual way,” says Baur, a senior consultant at Lee Hecht Harrison, which has offices in Albany.

“Take what others tell you about you as data, information not truth … then think about what has been said. Remember you can agree or disagree, act on it or not. It’s your choice. This helps take the sting out of what is likely to be seen as negative feedback.”

Find your motivation When we are motivated by a vision or goal for ourselves we become interested in actions that will get us where we want to go. Discovering and eliminating the blind spots that could get in the way of what we want, is an action that can move us forward, says Baur. “We are more likely to do this work if it’s important to our values, our life’s purpose and passion,” she says.

Make a plan Once you see your blind spots, make a plan to address them before you begin to rationalize them away. Baur suggests asking yourself, ”What action do I want to take to address the blind spot?”

“If, for example, I avoid conflict and others are perceiving me as uncaring [as a result] then take a course, read a book, go online and learn more about conflict resolution skills. There are plenty of free resources out there.”

Practice mindfulness The practice of mindfulness can help us discover our blind spots, according to Lenore Flynn, owner of the Solid Ground Center for Balanced Life in Westerlo. “As we begin to deepen our mindfulness, we see more clearly our true nature and how we share the same ups and downs with others and we become less judgmental toward ourselves,” says Flynn. “The goal in mindfulness practice is not to remove our blind spots but to let mindfulness shine its light on them and transform them into opportunities for knowing and growth.” W capregionwomenatwork.com | 53

THE BOARDWALK

Getting Away:

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

H

op a plane and you can be on a tropical beach in a matter of hours. A mere four-hour drive and you can be on the New England coast or the Jersey Shore. So why would anyone want to take a 7-hour car ride to the relatively obscure vacation town of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware?

Aside from the trying-something-new factor, the answer is simple: It’s one of the most interesting beach getaway experiences on the East Coast, and one where therapeutic side-effects abound.

The nature of the therapy, of course, all depends on your needs, but let’s start with the short list: 30 miles of unspoiled coastline, a plethora of waterfront activities, mom-and-pop candy stores and boutiques, tax-free shopping, and restaurant options ranging from unpretentious 54 | women@work

beach fare to linen-napkin cuisine. And while Rehoboth and its famous mile-long boardwalk offer a Mayberry-like vibe along the Atlantic’s scenic shores, it and the nearby Dewey Beach also brim with high-end retail outlets, sophisticated four-star dining, and spirited night life.

Founded in 1873 by the Rehoboth Beach Camp Meeting Association as a scenic location for Methodist retreats, Rehoboth Beach today is considered one of the most popular seasonal playgrounds for residents of the eastern seaboard.

Must-sees The Boardwalk Rehoboth Avenue rehobothboardwalk.com This fabled stretch is a beach-lover’s

dream and a place where generations of residents and tourists alike have flocked for sun, fun, and beach cuisine such as aromatic bags of Thrasher’s French Fries, saltwater taffy, Grotto Pizza slices, and towering ice cream cones. It’s also the town meeting spot for communal sunrises.

Dolle’s Candyland 1 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach (302) 227-0757 dolles.com This family-owned enterprise has been making swoon-worthy saltwater taffy, caramel corn, homemade fudge, and hand-crafted chocolates since 1910. The butter mints, Jordan almonds, root beer barrels, and chocolate-covered espresso beans aren’t bad either.

Photos: Boardwalk, courtesy carolyn-watson.com; Fun land, courtesy beach-fun.com.

By Stacey Morris

Tanger Factory Outlets 36470 Seaside Outlet Drive Rehoboth Beach (302) 226-9223 tangeroutlet.com/rehoboth Almost a city unto itself with 130 retail stores. That plus the fact that shopping is tax-free.

Grotto Pizza 36 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach (302) 227-3278 grottopizza.com It may be pizza, and it may be a chain (albeit a local one), but the crispy, light texture of a Grotto Pizza is likely to leave a lasting impression. With its distinctive swirling vortex of cheese and marinara sauce, you can experiment with genres ranging from Bianco and Philly Cheesesteak to Classic Margherita, as well as gluten-free.

Outdoor activities Coastal Kayak 36840 Coastal Highway, Fenwich Island (302) 539-7999 Work on your tan while kayaking, sailing, or paddle boarding your way across the waters of Rehoboth Bay or the nearby inland estuaries. Instructions and guided eco-tours are also available.

Delaware Seashore State Park 850 Inlet Road, Rehoboth Beach (302) 227-2800 destateparks.com/park/ delaware-seashore

mercial vineyard in Delaware and was founded in 1987 by the father-daughter team Bob and Peg Raley, who opened their venture on the family farm outside of historic Lewes. Self-guided tours and tastings are available, or just pop in for a bottle of their signature True Blue Blueberry Reserve or Sweet Delaware White.

Cape Water Taxi (302) 644-7334 capewatertaxi.com It’s the perfect setting for couples to kick back in between rounds of shopping, paddle boarding, and sunbathing for a laid-back cruise of the Inland Waterway between Delaware’s beach towns. Ecotours and sunset cruises board at Lewes and Long Neck.

Best Family Attractions Funland 6 Delaware Ave., Rehoboth Beach (302) 227-2785 funlandrehoboth.com Think of it as Hoffman’s Playland on the beach. The combination arcade and miniamusement park on the boardwalk is the ultimate throwback in family fun. The mystique of Funland is multi-generational and lingers in the memory of countless parents and grandparents, many of whom rode the carousel and bumper cars as kids.

Jungle Jim’s 36944 Country Club Rd., Rehoboth Beach (302) 227-8444 The largest water park in the state is the perfect place to let off steam while staying cool at the same time. The campus features multiple water rides and slides as well as go-karts, bumper cars, batting cages, miniature golf, and a River Safari Cafe.

Pirates of Lewes Expeditions Anglers Marina 400 Anglers Road, Lewes (302) 249-3538 piratesoflewesexpeditions.com Set sail for some major fun and adventure on regularly scheduled pirate cruises.

Each swashbuckling voyage has the kids slipping into traditional pirate garb with face-painting, sailor sashes, treasure maps, water cannons, and a search for sunken loot. Reservations are required.

Accommodations The Belmoor Inn & Spa 6 Christian St., Rehoboth Beach (302) 227-5800 thebellmoor.com Lounge the day away being blissfully pampered with Ocean Luster Body Scrubs, Lemongrass Reflexology treatments, his-and-hers facials, and top it off with a soothing couples’ massage. continued on page 57

Between Dewey Beach and Indian River Inlet is five miles of beach that’s a favorite place for walking and jogging in the company of foraging waterfowl and other wildlife. The trails at nearby Burton Island boast views of Rehoboth Bay, Indian River Bay, and the open salt marsh that’s habitat to shore birds, reptiles, fish, and a number of mammals.

Best Places for Couples Nassau Valley Vineyard 32165 Winery Way, Lewes (302) 645-9463 nassauvalley.com This charming winery was the first com-

FUNLAND capregionwomenatwork.com | 55

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Hotel Rehoboth 247 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach (302) 227-4300 hotelrehoboth.com A luxury boutique hotel with amenities such as a breakfast buffet, evening wine and cheese, sun deck and heated pool, turn-down service in the rooms and suites, and bathrooms stocked with Aveda toiletries.

Rehoboth Boardwalk Plaza 2 Olive Ave., Rehoboth Beach (302) 227-7169 boardwalkplaza.com At this oceanfront hotel, Old-World elegance is the order of the day, with its antiques-filled lobby and rooms decorated to hearken back to an earlier, more refined era. Take in a spa treatment, morning coffee in the garden, or a sunset on the rooftop sun deck.

Dining

Photo: Sandcastle contest, courtesy beach-fun.com.

Known as “The Culinary Coast,” because of its 100 restaurants within a square city mile, Rehoboth Beach has options that range from high-end seafood restaurants and fusion bistros to crab shacks and Mexican eateries. For a full list of offerings, visit the blog of the local food critic at rehobothfoodie.com.

BEST TIME TO VISIT With its lingering summer temperatures, the ocean waters stay swim-able through November. That plus fewer crowds make fall the perfect time for a Rehoboth Beach getaway.

Blue Moon 35 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach (302) 227-6515 bluemoonrehoboth.com Elegant dinner entrees include MisoGlazed Salmon, Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs, and Chicken Fried Sweetbreads.

The brunch menu features flash-fried eggs, coconut-ginger granola sundaes, house-smoked salmon, short rib hash, and buttermilk pancakes.

Cultured Pearl 301 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach (302) 227-8493 culturedpearl.us Here’s where you’ll find a menu filled with gourmet Japanese and American dishes, plus sushi.

TRY TO AVOID July and August are jam-packed with activities and summer events, and crowds as well. If you’re looking for a quieter getaway, it’s better to schedule it in the spring or fall.

Upcoming Events The Rehoboth Beach Sandcastle Contest beach-fun.com/sandcastle-contest.html Saturday, Aug. 2 Part art exhibition, part frolic, the 36thannual event will feature everything from mermaids and dolphins to pyramids and sharks sculpted from the sands of Rehoboth Beach as well as traditional castles in every shape and size.

The Rehoboth Beach Annual Sidewalk Sale (302) 227-2233 · rehoboth.com Friday May 16 through Sunday May 18 Rehoboth Beach is already a shoppers’ paradise with its tax-free status, but the 31st annual sidewalk sale ups the ante with retailers offering special deals and steals throughout the weekend. W

For more information on Rehoboth Beach, Del., visit the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce at beach-fun.com. Getting There: Rehoboth Beach is approximately 350 miles south of Albany, a 6 1/2- to 7-hour car ride.

THE REHOBOTH BEACH SANDCASTLE CONTEST

Salt Air 50 Wilmington Ave., Rehoboth Beach (302) 227-3744 saltairrestaurant.com This family-friendly spot serves local delights such as crab deviled eggs, cornflake-encrusted shrimp, and Anson Mills grits.

Henlopen City Oyster House 50 Wilmington Ave., Rehoboth Beach (302) 260-9193 hcoysterhouse.com Oyster stew, Middleneck clams in winebutter sauce, pan-roasted grouper, and fried day-boat scallops, plus a full raw bar, are standard fare. capregionwomenatwork.com | 57

THE LAST WORD

“Do your homework ahead of time.

Find out what the workplace culture is like and dress to fit the culture. Know as much as possible about what the organization does and who are its key players and customers. Once you walk in the door, start your “listening tour.”

Make it a point to meet as many people as you can and learn what they do and how your job interfaces with theirs.”

Question:

How do you make a great first impression on your first day of work?

Compiled by Genevieve Scarano

K

nowing what to do in sticky situations is one of the hardest parts of being a manager. Each issue of W@W we’ll feature a tricky issue with answers from area HR professionals, managers and business owners. If you have a question you’d like answered, drop us a line on Facebook, facebook.com/capregionwomenatwork, or send an e-mail to bsnyder@timesunion.com. Your question will be kept confidential.

“Smile! There is so much that happens the first day on the job it can be overwhelming. You are making a lot of first impressions. A smile goes a long way in starting relationships. It also shows you are happy to be there.”

— Michelle Pyan, President, Commercial Investigations, LLC

“It goes without saying to arrive 15 minutes early with a smile! Always dress for the position you want not necessarily the one you have. First impressions are critical in terms of how you will be treated from this day forward. Don’t overdress; just start with a classic style that you can maintain!”

— Tracy Metzger, President TL Metzger & Associates

58 | women@work

“Adding value, being friendly, and not talking too much are how to make a great first impression. Adding value is really going to mean different things depending on the industry, position, and work environment. But by being friendly and not talking too much, you leave yourself open to figuring out what those things are. No matter how small, I’m sure that within your first shift on the job (if you’re being observant enough and ready to listen) you will find something you can do that your co-workers, employees, or boss will appreciate.”

— Liska Wilson, President & Founder, She’s A Boss

“The first day at any new job should be about listening, absorbing, observing, and learning, so that you can get an initial feel for the office. Even if you’ve been brought in with a mandate to make changes, you need to establish trust, not just assume your authority. On day 1, you’re being sized up, so be tactical.

Resist the urge to say “at [company X] we did things this way.” Be measured in your assessment of new or different (or inefficient) protocols. Some things are obvious: dress impeccably and arrive on time; respond flexibly to changes in your orientation schedule; be gracious about the small glitches that first days always bring (equipment that isn’t set up, for example, or furniture that hasn’t arrived). Walk around. Greet your coworkers. Find out what they do, and, obviously, note their names. Ask, ask, ask: it’s always a better alternative to pretending that you know. If questions come your way that you’re not sure how to answer, assure your co-worker or direct report that you’ll follow up (and, of course, make sure you do). Have courage and show confidence. Before you head out the door in the evening, remember to wish your colleagues a good night. And also remember to thank them for the help and welcome they all gave you on your first day.”

– Maryellen Gilroy, Ed.D., Vice President for Student Affairs, Siena College

READ MORE RESPONSES to this question online at capregionwomenatwork.com

Illustration: © iStockphoto.com/artvea.

— Judi Clements, President, Judi Clements Training & Development

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