3 Ways To Deal With Undesirable Situations: Go Along, Get Along, or Get Out!

Wow! So this is what it's come down to?... 

You're now faced with an undesirable situation that does not sit well with you and you have to determine the best way to move forward - and you know that standing still is not an option. How do you decide what to do?


Do you go along, get along, or get out?



Life has a way of teaching us even when we don't want to be taught. Undesirable situations are one of the best ways that life grows us up by throwing us curve balls. We can take the classes, learn the lessons, and move forward to the next grade level or we can hold ourselves back in summer school by not paying attention. 

One of the best ways to advance is to learn from the wisdom and mistakes of others. Three lessons that I have learned about dealing with undesirable situations are revealed below.
 

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What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it.

If you can't change it, change the way you think about it.

Don't complain.

-Dr. Maya Angelou, Poet, Actor, Civil Rights Activist (1928-2014)

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3 Ways To Deal With Undesirable Situations

Some situations are just not worth the fight and that list of situations is unique to a person depending on priorities and focus. Others situations are worth life and limb which may require every ounce of internal strength and massive support systems to resolve. Either way it's best to strategically pick your battles so you can win the war when the time comes. 

Decide on the best course of action and move forward.

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No need to mention it again but changes are constant so it's important to have tools that help us to handle them quickly and with sound judgment. 


When do you GO ALONG?

Undesirable situations may be as simple as a messed up haircut or as complex as an adjustment to routines and relationships. Changes in social status, work patterns, or connections may cause a slight twinge of discomfort. For simple changes, it may be best to "GO ALONG" to keep stress low and to keep it movin'. Minor shifts in normal patterns may be necessary, but the discomfort may not last long as new realities takes hold. 



When do you GET ALONG?

Stepping it up a bit where situations in sensitive areas such as adjustments in family status or significant changes in role expectations may dramatically increase anxiety depending on the amount of control we feel like we have. 

Adjustments to financial status, challenges within trusted relationships, or in work environments can make us reach for the alarm, but often these types of situations require reflection, deliberation, and planning in order to "GET ALONG" in the moment or long term. Major shifts to norms will likely be necessary as new relationships emerge and new environments take shape. Hang in there...

When do you GET OUT!?

Now step it up even more where changes create full-force threats to health and well-being and it's time to pull the ripcord and GET OUT! 

Undesirable situations such as direct assaults on values, beliefs, and reputations, disruptions in time-tested truths, moral earthquakes that interfere with family relationships and business opportunities - or physical threats such as health scares or physical, emotional, spiritual crises - all require bottom up and top down crises resolution strategies. At this level, discomfort has become overwhelming and the way forward is - out. 

Though it is critical to make decisions and take rapid steps towards safety when the platform is on fire, it is also important to keep calm and move forward in an orderly fashion so that you do not trip and fall. This is where your life-work integration strategy drills come in handy.

Do you have a life-work integration strategy?

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At the end of the day, take it all in stride and do the best you can with what you have - and then get some coaching to do even better next time. It takes a while to assimilate new ways of being so be patient with yourself.

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Researchers have found that it takes on average 66 days (~8 weeks) for people to create new habits - ranging from 18 to 254 days until new habits become 95% automatic

-Phillippa Lally et. al, European Journal of Social Psychology

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Undesirable situations come and go. Undesirable people come and go. Undesirable circumstances come and go. What remains is your ability to deal with undesirable changes, people, and circumstances as they come and go.

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Lillian Gregory is a passionate advocate for 21st Century Leadership with special focus on Women in Leadership, Women in Technology, and US Veterans and Spouses. She provides research, strategies, tools, workshops, and events to help close leadership and career strategy gaps. Download your eBook from The Institute for Human and Leadership Excellence and get ready to climb!

© 2017 All Rights Reserved.

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#ILookLikeAnEngineer Helps To Combat Stereotypes in High Tech

#ILookLikeAnEngineer was started this week by Isis Wegner, a self-taught Enterprise Software Engineer with OneLogin. 

In just a few days her hashtag has taken on a life of its own with over 1.2 million hits on Google and over 50,000 retweets and pictures on Twitter. I'm fully on-board with this viral campaign to combat stereotypes in High Tech and I've added the hashtag to my profile pictures on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ - and I'm posting it wherever I can. 

The point is clear - don't judge a woman in Hi-Tech (or anywhere else!) through an outdated lens!

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Here's my story of how #ILookLikeAnEngineer

I decided to become an Electrical Engineer in my teens at a time when nothing seemed hard and everything seemed possible. I was right - it wasn't hard and everything is possible - so I did as I had planned.

Back then we didn't have STEM terminology and I knew nothing about the vast array of challenges that I would face in the world and in the workplace. All I knew was that I wanted to be an Electrical Engineer and I was singularly focused on achieving that goal. Solving difficult intellectual and practical problems made my soul happy (still does).

After graduating from High School, I got an earnest introduction to my first career love when I joined the U.S. Air Force in the Delayed Enlistment Program. I signed up for a role as an Electrician Specialist, departed for boot camp 6 months later, and never looked back. The path that I had chosen was the right one and I thrived on it.

I served our country with a young patriot's heart, eager to do my best as a soldier as my first priority while taking classes in the evenings as my second priority. I was a disciplined soldier and I still live by the same values:

 "Integrity First, Service before Self, Excellence in All We Do" 

I completed my tour after the Gulf War began and then stepped onto the world stage ready to take my place - somewhere.

After completing my Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) from the University of Florida at Gainesville, I joined Corporate America where I began to see how segmented the world really was. While in the military or in school I didn't pay too much attention to the pockets of people that would form in lunch rooms, in break rooms, in meeting rooms, at house parties, or at restaurants. I noticed, but I didn't dwell on it.

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Isis Wegner - Self-Taught Enterprise Software Engineer @ OneLogin

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I knew that I was unique. I also knew that I had the mental chops to hang with the smartest of the smart - and that made me proud instead of apprehensive. My friends were as diverse as they came in those days - Black, White, Asian, Indian, Hispanic, Caribbean, Haitian, Canadian, German, Polish, English - tall, short, medium, strange, genius, weird - almost all males. I had a great time with these amazing individuals and I enjoy seeing their updates from time to time on Facebook or on LinkedIn.

Who says 

men and women can't just be friends?

Never mind the comments of Nobel Laureate Tim Hunt. We were friends - the cool kind - and we cared for and supported each other through tough classes, through life transitions, and beyond into our early careers. Life has taken over and many of us have lost touch, but I have no doubt that we will pick up in familiar territory when we meet again. 

We were cool, proud geeks - Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Computer Scientists, Semiconductor Engineers, and a Bio-Medical Engineer - just one in our group. We expected that we would have great technology careers and we were right.

Wait for it...

After spending a couple of decades in the corporate world, I'm still in love with my start as an Electrical Engineer. I've held roles as a Semiconductor Device Engineer, Wireless Data Test Engineer, Wireless Data Network Engineer, Telecom Technical Advisor, and Senior Technical Consultant - all during the first stage of my career. I was ambitious and hard working to say the least.

Over the years my career options expanded with advanced degrees, professional development programs, personal growth engagements, leadership stretch assignments, mentorships, and sponsorships. Each of the opportunities gave me tremendous experience and insight into the inner workings of the C-Suite and Corporate Functions. 

I was often the "only one" selected for various types of leadership programs because as the saying goes "there simply wasn't anyone else available." The landscape in Hi-Tech must continue to change in more ways than gender. I have a daughter who will be in the middle of the fray in a decade or so and I refuse to watch it go down for her the way it's gone for so many others.

I don't want her to face the surprised look on her colleagues' faces when she enters a room simply because of her gender or color. I don't want her to be given a double-take as if she's lost when entering decision-makers' meetings (unless she's actually lost!). I don't want her to experience disrespectful cat calls and other types of "harmless humor" from the males around her.

While these things don't happen all the time, they happen way too much for way too many women - so given the opportunity to change minds about women in Hi-Tech in a collaborative global chorus with something as simple as an impactful hashtag, I'm all in. There's much other work to be done and I'm in there as well.

To professional women in Hi-Tech who are just beginning your careers or who are in mid stride or to those of you who still hold wide-eyed amazement at what's possible in Hi-Tech careers, hang on to your vision! Change is here. 

If the original path that you laid out doesn't pan out as you thought it would, then find new ways to do what you're passionate about. Hi-Tech needs you so don't give up on it. Electrical Engineering is part of my career DNA and I'm proud to support #ILookLikeAnEngineer.

The Imminent Reality of Gender and Work Locations Follows You Home

Does it matter where you work as long as your work gets done?

Yes - it matters. The data says so.

Dame Stephanie Shirley's recent TED Talk was both an inspiration and a kick in the rear for me. She founded a software company in the 1960s to provide opportunities for women with dependents. She recognized the challenges and opportunities - and then she built a solution.

After many years in business her company was subsequently valued at $3 billion USD and she created a significant number of millionaires to boot. She continues to contribute through philanthropy and other endeavors.

Her idea to employ women with dependents wasn't really ahead of it's time considering that mothers have always existed. It was however an outstanding solution for leveraging an untapped talent pool. Working from home has been and will continue to be a workforce option. 

Studies show that over 20% of working Americans are remote today and the number is expected to climb to 63% approaching 2018. Formulating strategies for handling remote work assignments for individuals and for handling remote workers for corporations appears to be an imminent necessity. 

Here comes a key question:

Question #1: Can the gender equation be balanced more quickly through working-from-home (WFH) opportunities?

As with most questions on gender equality this one has a complex answer. While 90% of women feel that working from home provides for a number of distinct advantages such as increased flexibility and increased productivity, they may also be reluctant to take advantage of remote work opportunities due to fear of being "out of sight" or being thought of as less committed than their work-long-hours-all-times-of-the-day-and-night co-workers (I was one of those!).

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...women who do choose those more flexible schedules are often punished

... companies tend to reward people who stay late and work long continuous hours, over those who chose the flexible schedule - even if those two employees are equally productive

 Smithsonian Magazine (Harvard Study) [i]

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This unnecessary punitive challenge helps to explain why fewer women than men take advantage of remote work opportunities as captured by the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey. One study shows an even wider gap between WFH women (23%) and men (36%). Yet the profile of a remote worker is quite similar for men and women. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey

Going forward the choice of whether to work from home or in an office will become less of a choice as more opportunities are outsourced to at-home workers. Whether your work-life gets balanced will be up to you.

What does all of this mean for individual earning power? Well - that's a deeper question requiring in-depth examination of the types of opportunities that are being sent to the homestead. 

The work may be part-time or full-time, knowledge-based or activity-based, etc. Work requirements will help to determine pay differentials.

Of course there's the nagging reality that average pay is already unequal - at home or at the office. 

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The advantages of WFH are expansive and inclusive - for companies, for women who are mothers, for women who aren't mothers, for men, across generations, for families, and for the planet. There are few areas in life where almost everyone agrees that the benefits outweigh the costs. Working from home (or working remotely) is one of those areas. 

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...if Americans who hold work-at-home compatible jobs did so 50% of the time, U.S. companies could collectively increase their bottom lines by between $525 and $665 billion USD as a result of savings in real estate, absenteeism, turnover, and increased productivity

Global Workplace Analytics [ii]

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Anyone who works in an office knows that you often have to go home or get out of the office in order to get your work done. If you google "working from home" you'll instantly get ~900 million responses on the topic. Do the same for "studies on working from home" and you'll come up with ~800 million responses. Ask anyone if they'd like to work from home for at least part of the time and 90% of them will say yes.

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Source: Global Workplace Analytics

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In study after study, employee satisfaction, productivity, and retention increase when individuals are allowed to work from home at least part of the time. There are compelling stats across reams of studies covering everything from saving employers money to reducing the brain-drain from retiring boomers to expanding opportunities for the disabled to increasing individual empowerment and engagement.

Yet...

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75% of women in the 25-44 age range participate in the labor force compared to 90% of men

25% of women work part-time compared to 10% of men

Global Workplace Analytics [iii]

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The answer to the Question #1 appears to be "well-maybe?"

If more women enter the workforce approaching 90% or more of the female labor force OR if more women take on full-time remote work OR if women are simply not penalized for working remotely OR if more women get paid the same as men THEN WFH opportunities may help to move the dial towards the gender balanced position.


Work location challenges aren't just here at home. The impact is felt in other places around the world. According to Fiona Cannon, Head of Diversity and Inclusion for Lloyd's Banking Group in the UK achieving their 2020 objective of 40% women in senior leadership roles is doable yet is hampered by traditional working models.

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...one of the biggest obstacles is the traditional working model on which most organisations are based: Nine to five, five days a week. Start work at 16, retire at 60. Commute into offices in the town centre. Follow a linear career path. This model no longer reflects the lives we are living...

Forbes Magazine [iv]

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Are you overwhelmed with all of the data about where we work, when we work, how we work, and what will happen in the near future about work locations? I certainly am. I prefer Ricardo Semler's unconventional approach.


Think ahead - if you haven't already! Plug in some numbers with this gender-neutral HP Telework Tool to estimate how much you could save yourself and your employer. Dame Shirley had it right way back in the 1960s as one of the first companies willing to offer flexible work arrangements to an untapped female talent pool.

Question #2 - Can you use the info provided in this post to prepare yourself for WFH opportunities?

Answer - YES! 

Thanks for reading my article. Keep climbing and share your insights by commenting, liking, or sharing.

Are There "Good 'Ole Girl" Clubs For Professional Women?

For women it's "what you know" versus "who you know"...

The opposite is true for men. No - that's not an April fool's joke.

Building social networks is easier than ever these days given all of the technologies and platforms that we have available. However, cracking the code of strong, responsive, and timeless support systems is tough. Always has been - especially for women. 

Just ask the "good ole' boys"...

Building social capital is not as simple as connecting via social profiles, liking pages, or going out of your way to help others at work, at home, or in your community. Strategy and persistent effort are required. This is the art of networking and it causes problems for professional women. 


That's not too surprising - or is it?

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A new study suggests that career advancement for women isn't dependent on social connections in the way it is for men.

Instead, professional success for women is dependent on "documentable and measurable competence" or basically, a proven track record

Vivian Giang, Fast Company [i]

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The new study completed by INSEAD evaluated the impact of connections (social capital) and performance (human capital) on career outcomes for men and women on Wall Street. Even though women in the study were slightly more connected through Ivy League institutions (quantity), men were rewarded more often through their connections (quality).

Source: INSEAD Gender and Connections Among Wall Street Analysts

I've aligned the gender dichotomy with quantity versus quality for the sake of simplicity, but there are many other significant factors at work. The bottom line in the research and in practice is that women and men are virtually always weighted differently even if we start out on equal footing. This scenario repeats itself across our life span.

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Question #1: Can "good 'ole girl" clubs for professional women help to counteract inherent gender imbalances?

We've all heard about cigar-filled back rooms, closed board rooms, or secret societies that identify and protect chosen ones who are selected to help advance a groups' position. These types of groups may exist, but the results that they bring into the world can be sketchy. 

Perhaps this kind of covert protection is required in order to break the gender gridlock that's been in play for generations. Though I'm not a "by any means necessary" women's advocate, I believe that unconventional methods like frequent and widespread Board Room Bootcamps may be needed in order to rebalance the equation.

This brings to mind another question...

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Question #2: What can professional women do differently to change social capital dynamics going forward?

Here are three solutions:

• Step 1 - Test your connections
• Step 2 - Develop a social capital reallocation strategy
• Step 3 - Get LinkedIn!

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Step 1 - Test Your Connections

According to Forbes, if you have fewer than 25 people that you can call on who can help you get results at any given time then your network is too small - or you're not engaged frequently enough. 

How do you test your connections? Ask yourself these questions:

• How many people can you call on for genuine assistance when you're interested in a business or job opportunity?

• Who can you call on and what kind of power or influence do they have when you need to make direct contact with influencers or decision-makers?

• When was the last time you attended a high-powered networking event that included politicians, educators, community leaders, business leaders, colleagues, or peers from various industries?

• What is your network churn rate or how frequently do members of your network move on? 

The good news is that social networks and connections are renewable resources. Expect that there will be churn and develop a plan to counteract it. Sociologists have found that the 'seven year itch' applies to social networks as well as friendships. 

In a survey of over 1000 men and women between 18 and 65, the size of the social network remained fairly stable after seven years, but the contents of the network changed. Only 30% of the original participants were still around no matter how close they had been in previous years.

Nurture your relationships and connections if you value them.

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Step 2 - Develop a Social Capital Reallocation Strategy

We have to be prudent about where we spend our valuable resources such as our time, our talent, and our treasures (heard that before?!). It's important to have a well-defined strategy for building, investing in, and maintaining social capital in light of what we know about how women are impacted in professional settings.

A few years ago I read a McKinsey study about resource reallocation which examined 1600 companies over 15 years. Results showed companies that adopted annual resource reallocation strategies reaped on average 30% to 40% greater shareholder returns than companies that didn't. 

For some reason the study came to mind when I was examining this topic. I suppose it might have something to do with making the most of our limited resources - time, talent, and treasure. The approach and terminology from the study fit well so I leveraged them in the "Social Capital Reallocation Strategy" summary below.

At least once per year commit to focused clean-up to seed, nurture, prune, and harvest your way to greater social capital and stronger networks that will serve you well into the future. The value of your social capital can be measured by how many prompt responses or effective results you get when you call or place a demand on your network.

As you optimize your network pay special attention to sponsor-protege relationships as the most important social capital connections to make and maintain. These are reciprocal relationships that will benefit both parties all the way to the top of your climb. Remember to give - don't just take!

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Step 3 - Get LinkedIn!

In my quest to find out more about "good 'ole girl" clubs - the kind that I mentioned above - I've been on the prowl for a method to test and rank the strength of various networks and organizations. There are so many women's networks available that it can be challenging to sort through the details. As the World's Largest Professional Network, LinkedIn is a great place to start. 

There are a few insights in the diagram to show why professional women should spend more than the average 17 minutes on LinkedIn building social capital:

Source: DMR - Digital Marketing

I recently became a board member for the 10-year-old non-profit group Empowering Women as Leaders (EWL). The group's passion and focus is providing scholarships, networking, and mentoring for non-traditional college women. The opportunity came to me through one of my LinkedIn connections. I've witnessed the power of EWL in action as STAR Scholarship recipients past and present have talked about the difference the organization has made in their lives. You can find them here on LinkedIn. Is this a plug? Sure is.

There are many other organizations like Million Women Mentors and WomenPartner.org that I could profile here, but I'll rely on your feedback in the comments section to shout out about strong "good 'ole' girl" clubs that really go the distance with professional women. Now that we understand it's "what we know" that elevates us, we can work to close gaps on "who we know" for a full-circle competitive advantage.

How do you build social capital and how has it helped you with your career climb?

Comment, like, or share your insights - and make all of us stronger.

How To Prevent "Double Jeopardy" From Jeopardizing Your Success

Double-jeopardy is attached and it's not the legal kind...

Several weeks ago I read a great LinkedIn article by Marianne Cooper that highlighted findings on gender bias in STEM fields. The focus of the article was a report published by Tools for Change in STEM which confirmed that gender bias does in fact exist in STEM fields. 

While I'm grateful that the study was performed and that Marianne brought additional visibility to the topic, I thought to myself - why do I need a study to validate what I already know to be true? 

Then I read (and reread) many of the details.

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The current body of social psychological work on gender bias has focused almost exclusively on the experiences of White women...

Double-Jeopardy? Gender Bias Against Women in Science (pg. 4)

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When I read that statement, I was glued to the report for the duration. I had to know more about what women of all types were revealing. For certain my personal and professional experiences would mirror those expressed by 60 scientists almost verbatim regardless of race or color, right? Almost - the report at once confirmed my experiences and enlightened me about how difficult this topic can be to examine.

Please Note!

The study's findings warrant a detailed examination by all professional women who are either just beginning their careers or who are well-underway - along with their leaders. While the study focuses on STEM careers, these same types of challenges are experienced in other professions as well. 

Because of reports like this one, today's career women have new opportunities to prepare effectively before they have to do battle as STEM leaders. It's a battlefield out there and that fact shouldn't be understated. Everyone should know what they're facing - and then do it anyway.

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You have to be okay with being ostrasized in every way

Double-Jeopardy? Gender Bias Against Women in Science (pg. 48)

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Though there are many efforts in progress to improve professional workplaces, there's a need for everyone in leadership to roll up their (our) sleeves and do whatever they (we) can to help resolve these challenges post haste.

As was so eloquently stated by Alibaba's CEO Jack Ma, "...one of the secrets of our success is that we have a lot of women." Many leaders and reports continue to point out that success in the 21st century requires more women actively engaged everywhere - especially in STEM. 

The 21st century keeps calling. Are we going to answer for gender equality in STEM or are we sending the call to voice mail? I predict that we will continue to answer the call.


Double-Jeopardy Bias Patterns Defined

Four STEM field bias patterns were examined (plus a short mention of sexual harassment) against the back drop of previous and current research. Bias categories include:

• [1] Prove-It-Again
• [2] The Tightrope
• [3] The Maternal Wall
• [4] Tug of War
• [5] Sexual Harrassment (mentioned)

[1] Prove-It-Again refers to the persistent need to reinforce one's competence and capabilities even though both have already been consistently demonstrated.

[2] The Tightrope is that space between exhibiting caretaker behavior on the one hand and standing up for one's self on the other.

[3] The Maternal Wall occurs when a woman's commitment to her job responsibilities is questioned after motherhood even if she keeps up with her duties while managing her family.

[4] Tug of War highlights that both women and men show bias against women in male dominated fields and situations.

[5] Sexual Harrassment (mentioned) as legally defined simply must not be tolerated. Period.

So what is double-jeopardy in the STEM context?

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Definition of STEM double-jeopardy:

Risk or disadvantage incurred from two sources simultaneously as in race and gender or race and age or gender and age

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Resolution? Metrics-Driven Bias Interruptors

Recommendations in the report include the implementation of Metrics-Driven Bias Interruptors (see pg. 49 of the report) along with best-practices in recruitment, hiring, promotions, and tenure activities. These are sound ways to move forward in any organization or company, but can often take a while for results to show. After you review the report, encourage your teams and leaders to do the same in order to leverage its insights to build bridges towards the future.

While there is still much more to be done everywhere, the U.S. is currently positioned at 20 of 142 countries benchmarked according to the Global Gender Gap Index with a score of 0.746. Index categories include:

• [1] Economic Participation and Opportunity
• [2] Educational Attainment
• [3] Health and Survival
• [4] Political Empowerment

Source: Global Gender Gap Report 2014 (pg. 364)

Okay - now that we have reports, numbers, perspectives, and context - what's next? We use the insights to build bridges towards successful outcomes.

I started out in male-dominated fields because I was interested in male-dominated subjects and no one stopped me - at least not for long. As a child I loved to play with bugs and mud pies in the back yard or I would examine squishy things in creek beds close to our home. Dad would often say to me "act like a lady" if I was climbing a tree or doing something else that was considered boyish. That's exactly what I was doing. I was acting like a STEM lady by exploring the world around me. 

I was curious about the inner workings of things so whenever I got a chance I would probe. I haven't stopped probing since and I never will. One has to be firm in their commitment to make a difference in STEM - or in any area of their choosing. 

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We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves 

We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained

Marie Curie, First Woman to Win Nobel Prize (Only 2-Time Winner)

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How To Prevent Double-Jeopardy from Jeopardizing Your Success

If you're considering a role in a STEM field or are already in one, you're doing your part so here are some ways to prevent double-jeopardy from jeopardizing your success.

• [1] Prove-It-Again and Again - Do what you love and love what you do! There's a tremendous price to pay for shying away from an area because others don't want you there. If your passion and talents lead you to a specific field - scientific or otherwise, go there with all due haste. #YOLO (you only live once)! Surround yourself with a positive team of influencers, sponsors, mentors, coaches, and supporters who will help you to navigate. Don't go it alone! Make your success in STEM a team effort.

• [2] Walk the Tightrope Backwards and in High Heels - Nurture strong positive attributes such as assertiveness, confidence, kindness, and ambition daily. Focus on your career trajectory and on being a positive influence on and with others. "Square off" when necessary if someone is being beligerant or deliberately jerkish to you. Otherwise play nice in the STEM sand box, but don't allow others to walk on you.

• [3] Build Bridges Across The Maternal Wall - Becoming a mother doesn't guarantee you a sideline seat unless that's what you want. Evaluate your circumstances and make the best choices for you, for your child(ren), and for your family. If the company where you work doesn't support you having or raising valuable human beings, then find a new company! Better yet, build a new one.

• [4] Get On The Right Side of The Tug of War Rope - Working with women (or men) can be frought with challenges if there are feelings of insecurity in the mix. When it comes to gender strength, team up with professional women to build strong "pink links" and expand your network based on your strategic plan. Don't have a strategic plan? Build one. Know your game and play it well. Let others play their own game.

• [5] Don't Tolerate Sexual Harrassment - Period. End of story. Document, report, and move on if the issues aren't resolved right away in any environment where you find yourself. It may be a financial or professional inconvenience, but what price can you put on your self-worth or on your physical well-being? Remember your career will be over some day, but you will still be you.

Alrighty then - it's time to move forward. Lace 'em up and get ready for the climb! It won't be easy, but then nothing worthwhile ever is.

I appreciate you taking the time to read my article. If you would like to read more, just click on this link. Leave your relevant comments in the section below and let's keep the dialog going.