Navigating Communication (at GoGirl Academy)

By Catherine Lenox, communications specialist who’s blogging for GoGirl Academy. Catherine will always give you her raw and honest opinion.

We all have different communication styles, and different things that motivate us in the workplace. It’s being aware of these differences, and how we deal with them that often determines our success.

 Example: My sister and I had finally arrived in Paris. A long awaited trip, we were standing in the lobby of my favorite hotel on the rue Molière. Located near the Louvre Museum, Palais Royal and Opera Garnier, and within easy reach of a metro line, based on my former trips to Paris, this cozy hotel was my favorite. “Ah,” exclaimed the hotel host,” vous êtes des jumeaux – you are twins! You are booked in a single bed and two women – unacceptable!” So, by happy circumstance, we were relocated to a suite atop the hotel with a stunning view of Paris. This was the start to what was certainly going to be a perfect trip.

Settling into the room, I pulled out my masterpiece. I’d spent weeks compiling a tour book of sights we could see and activities we could do. “So,” my sister said, “what’s our plan?” I proudly showed her my book. “We have options,” I said. “But,” she reiterated, “what about an itinerary?” I replied, “We can choose what we want to do!” Her brow furrowed. “I thought you were going to plan what we’d do,” she said, pitch rising. “I did!” I wailed indignantly. And, that’s when the conversation disintegrated.

This week at GoGirl Academy, instructor Nancy McCaughey showed that understanding the motivations behind other people’s expectations, assumptions and interactions can defuse conflict and build trust. Armed now with tools from GoGirl, I am better equipped to view others’ approaches, both in the workplace and my daily life.

 Based on the Myers-Briggs personality assessment, the Motivational Sketch identifies six motivational types. I am a Satisfaction (SP-NF) and, based on her Myers Briggs testing, my twin is a Credibility (NT-SJ). Performance driven and systematic, Credibility people are uncomfortable in situations of ambiguity. Conversely, Satisfaction people like situations that offer options and flexibility and are uncomfortable in ones that require narrow focus. No wonder our approach to trip organization was different! Though twins, born together and raised in the same environment, the difference in our motivational styles caused friction.

Imagine how much more challenging it is to work with strangers whose motivational styles, backgrounds, and cultural assumptions vary! Conflicts are certain to arise. To navigate through miscommunications, McCaughey presented “the pinch model.” When situations have digressed into a “pinch,” she says, be respectful, listen to the others’ point-of-view, summarize what you heard and keep the pronoun to “this is how I felt when this happened” rather than “you did this to me.”

Also, The Communication Wheel, shared by instructor Suzanne Keel-Eckmann, charts the five areas of communication. Too often communication can leap to an emotional response without any evaluation of why we think what we do or what we want to accomplish. Before making assumptions that the other person is being purposefully annoying – stop, breathe, and listen. Chances are you’ll find, as my sister and I ultimately did, that you both have the same desire for the best possible outcome.

 Posted by Margo Myers, GGA Executive Director (who also tests as a “Satisfaction”)

Putting Myself Out There (at GoGirl Academy)

Kadee Gray is a stellar student in our Career Launch class looking for a permanent PR/Social Media position, blogging about what it’s like to step out of her comfort zone, and into GoGirl Academy!

Despite the fact I spent all day last Friday updating my Facebook friends that I was heading to GoGirl Academy, revealing my sophistication and dedication to 10 Saturday mornings of networking and “gaining a competitive advantage in my career”, the actual Saturday morning was a different story. It took the obnoxious scream of my alarm for me to realize I wasn’t too thrilled with the fact that this class was an obvious intrusion in my sleeping in time. Regardless, I pulled myself out of bed, straightened my hair and got dressed to the nines – the nines are really anything outside of my not-so-sophisticated yoga pants and t-shirt.

I grabbed my coffee – reminding me mornings can be functional – and with renewed excitement and a quick attitude adjustment, headed out the door. Upon arrival, my overwhelming ability to completely freak myself out kicked in. I have to now speak to, and impress these people. As I do in many new situations, I made a beeline for the bathroom. I find myself in bathrooms hiding from people a lot. After a quick hair check, I headed to the “scary” room full of cool people – more than half of whom were there for the same reason as me.

What was so scary about that room? Well, I tend to be a social outcast at times. In networking situations, all the back and forth, the storytelling and self-promotion makes my confused little head spin. I wasn’t gifted with comfort and poise in new social situations and totally envy those that can make conversation out of thin air. In all my social awkwardness and preference to just stay quiet at times, I naturally chose communications as my potential career. I know, right? Hello oxymoron, my name is Kadee. Basically, I need to get over it.

 The economy is often my alibi for not holding a “real” job with a “real” title when the subject comes up. I quit a completely perfect job to follow my passion a year ago. Left looking for that proverbial “foot in the door” in this industry sent me searching for that perfect first impression, hoping to charm the pants off my interviewers. Unfortunately, most people don’t have the super inhuman ability to read minds. See, I’ve got this great knowledge of who I am and exactly what I’m capable of and know that no job is ever too big . . . but I never seem to get that across. I just assume people will see all the awesomeness exuding from my body. I go for the Hail Mary and I am no Brett Favre (read: Favre’s Hail Mary against the 49ers for the win, 2009 – my husband makes me watch too much ESPN). I throw my resume to the interviewers, hoping it’s enough to get the job and praying for the best.

 Moral of the Story - While I may not be where I know I should be in terms of social savvy-ness, I have realized that each time it gets a little bit easier when I enter into unknown territory. And guess what? I’ve never died from it. Like, ever. I truly believe GoGirl Academy – and her pretty little heel to my tush – is going to help me get over it. Get over it, talk about myself and own that battlefield.

 Coolest thing I learned from my first class – I’m a risk taker. I mean, don’t even get me started on roller coasters. When I hear risk-taker, I picture Lady Gaga and her disturbingly notorious meat dress at the MTV Awards last year. I do admire risk-takers (albeit a somewhat careful risk-taker) but never would I use it to describe myself. Last Saturday, I learned to see it in a different sense — a professional sense. A risk-taker is simply one who is not afraid to take a different approach. Meat dresses are optional. By that definition, and in all my glory, I am a risk-taker. And I can tell people that.

Posted by Margo Myers, GGA Executive Director

Introducing Top 10 Tuesday from GoGirl Academy

GoGirl Academy has a lot of expertise, both on its staff and among its faculty, and we want to share it with you as our way to pay it forward. We are introducing ‘Top 10 Tuesday’ as a way to give you Top 10 Tips, as well as top connections, top groups and other bits of cool information we hope you’ll find useful, inspirational, or just plain fun!

Kicking off our ‘Top 10 Tuesday’ is Top 10 Tweet Tips from our Creative Director Kristi Waite. Kristi is a social media maven and a professional branding expert who loves everything visual. If you spot a font-type on a sign, blog or billboard, chances are good that Kristi will be able to tell you exactly what it is and its history! (In fact, she’s the designer behind our new GoGirl logo on the upper left hand corner that you’ll soon be seeing everywhere).  And she loves Twitter — almost as much as GGA founder and Twitter pro Jenni Hogan. So without further ado — here’s the newest addition to our blog, Top 10 Tuesday with some tips if you are relatively new to Twitter!

1.  Tweets are 140 character (or less) updates of what is going on with the user, along with links to things they think are interesting, funny, or useful to their followers
2.  Any tweet that you post is not private, even if you you are replying to a specific user. Direct Messages are the only way to communicate privately on Twitter
3.  Direct Messages (DM) are private tweets to other users. To be able to send a private message, the two users must follow each other
4.  If you put another user’s username at the start of a tweet with “@”, you are directing that tweet to that user
5.  If you don’t start your tweet with a username, anyone that follows you can see your tweet
6.  “Following” is essentially what other sites call “friending”
7.  Retweeting (RT) is used when you want to forward a tweet that another Twitter user said
8.  Hashtags (#) are Twitter’s way of labeling tweets so that other users can see tweets of the same topic. Hashtags contain no spaces and start with the # symbol
9.  Trending topics are created by using hashtags.
10.  You can make your tweets public (anyone on the web can see them) or private (only your followers can see them)

You’ll find Kristi on Twitter @kmwaite, and you’ll even find me tweeting on occasion @margoinseattle. Jenni’s on Twitter A LOT at @jennihogan. We look forward to hearing from you!

Margo Myers, GGA Executive Director

Walking the Walk (literally) at GoGirl Academy

By Catherine Lenox –  a communications specialist who’s a student in our Career Acceleration class. As she blogs about her experiences during our course, you’ll always get her raw and honest opinion.

This week I learned to walk. As certain as I’ve been all my life that I could walk just fine, much to my surprise, in the second session of GoGirl I discovered quite the contrary. I learned that first impressions are directly attached to body language. From my carriage alone, I may have been unintentionally conveying a lack of confidence as I walk into a room.

GoGirl taught me how to walk and shake hands so that my body language displays confidence. Since I have an important job interview coming up, the timing could not have been any more perfect. My walk will be stronger and my handshake firmer. My body language will say, “I’m ready for anything.”

In a first impression, coach Jennifer Avila pointed out, strangers see only a very tiny percentage of others. Snap decisions are made based solely on ones’ appearance and how we enter a room, shake hands, make eye contact, smile, and sit. I was stunned to learn that research claims this non-verbal conversation accounts for nearly 100 percent of how we are perceived by strangers even before a word is spoken! And, since this sample is all they have to work with, strangers will unconsciously assume the sample is an accurate reading of what we’re like all the time. This was sobering news.

Was I inadvertently underselling myself in the marketplace based solely on the way I enter a room and shake hands? I could hear my father’s voice resounding in my ears, “hold your head up, Cath, and for goodness sake, put your shoulders back!” Could he have been right?

A skeptic by nature who likes evidence born of experimentation before accepting anything as fact, I decided to put “the walk” to the test.  I am happy to report that it passed my litmus test with flying colors and wonderful results.

First, I asked a friend to watch me as I walked across a room on Saturday night. I had told him about the GoGirl walk and wanted his impression. After walking across the room, one foot placed soundly in front of the other, I looked back over my shoulder inquisitively. He gave me an enthusiastic high five. I felt empowered.

And, when I launched my “walk” outside my circle of friends the next day, a young man opened the door for me at a department store. When I asked him, teasing, “Was that because I am female or because I’m old?” he smiled and said “why, no ma’am, it’s because I’m from the South and we know how to treat a beautiful woman like a lady.” Now, there’s something worth wearing!

I believe that I was treated differently because walking the GoGirl walk made me feel and act more confident. Ah-hah! The shift was subtle, but it was a shift.

Also at GoGirl last week, I learned how to recover from social gaffes. However, I’d like to reserve use of this skill until after my employer knows more than a first impression of me.

Posted by Margo Myers, GGA Executive Director

Changes in the Weather (at GoGirl Academy)

Catherine Lenox blogs for GoGirl about her experience as a student in the Career Acceleration class. You’ll always get her honest and raw opinion of how the course is through her eyes. Enjoy! – Margo Myers, Executive Director

With apprehension already building, I’d allowed over two hours to get from Duvall to Seattle for the first session of GoGirl. At more than middle-aged, ‘girl’ I am not. And, my ‘go’ was down after battling a cold for three weeks.  But, I had made a promise to myself and a friend to be there. So, I gathered myself together and trudged out into the weather.

Torrential rain and flood drenched streets had backed traffic up coming into and leaving Duvall. I realized with dismay that my drive was going to be a long one. To add insult to injury, I had not one, but three large cement trucks in front of me. Laboring up the hill, they were crawling at a rate of under 10 miles an hour — inch, by inch, by inch.

I felt the sweat gathering on my brow as my hands stiffened. “Oh, wouldn’t you know.” I imagined all the other perky, ready students, alert and on time sitting in their seats attentively at the workshop. Instead, here I was lumbering after a parade of cement trucks with time clicking rapidly away, my car barely moving.

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally arrived in Seattle. I thought, “I’ll just sneak into the back of the room and hopefully no one will notice I am ten minutes late.” Guess again. The room could not have been more intimate. Well-appointed participants sat gathered around an oblong table with one empty seat at the left end of the table boasting a large placard that said “Catherine Lenox.”

Catherine is not here, it boomed. Catherine is late, it signaled. Catherine is the only person who did not make it here on time, it chided. Mortified, I slunk into my seat with a weak apology for being late. Everyone smiled at me and, upon my explanation of flooding and traffic, they expressed sympathy.  And, I felt immediately welcomed and forgiven.

It was in this welcoming, safe environment that I had the first significant “ah-hah” moment I’ve experienced since 1989. Yes, I know it’s reasonable to assume that one should have more than one memorable “ah-hah” moment every 20-some years. But, I am a creature of habit and “ah-hah” moments require a lot of mobile mental shifting.

At the time of my earlier “ah-hah,” I was working as part of a think-tank that created achievement tests for California schools.  As a recent English major graduate, I knew my job. I had tutored spelling and grammar and been a student teacher at my college’s writing center. I was trained as a journalist. Writing the language arts section of aptitude tests was well within my comfort zone.  

One morning, however, my senior editor said brightly, “we have a new assignment. We have been asked to create trial tests for gifted children. These will test higher order thinking.” My stomach tensed as I thought, “what in the world is higher order thinking and how on earth will I write tests to measure it?” Tentatively I raised my hand, asking for more explanation. Higher order thinking, she explained, was the process of using deductive reasoning when selecting answers.  If something was so, then logically, what would happen next?

It took seconds for me to realize that this was going to be a big challenge. This job required that I think in a more holistic way and present situations that asked students to extend their thinking beyond a learned answer and, instead, deduce an answer.  The test was multiple choice, which meant that I had to tell situational stories in which the next reasonable step could be deduced – and give that as the right answer choice. Moreover, the stories had to be written in such a way as to test across a variety of disciplines; language arts, science, math, history. In short order, I discovered that I had not been trained to think this way.  Daunted but willing, I plunged into the process.

One day I learned a valuable lesson in perspective. My senior editor and I had both approved a section written about Jules Verne’s book Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. I’d deftly wrapped questions about vocabulary, spelling, grammar, math, science, and history into the section. It was accepted for the final testing and shipped off with other questions to gifted student schools in California.  These questions were sent to fourth graders. 

On the test’s return, one answer to a question I’d written gave me that memorable “ah-hah” moment. “What would happen next in this story if the ballast was opened on the submarine?” I’d blithely asked, dutifully adding my science question to the mix.  My answer was, of course, “the submarine, being a submersible, would submerge. “

 But, one enterprising young man did not answer the question and put a small note in the margin instead. He wrote simply, “Is the submarine on the surface of the water or sitting on the ocean floor?” I stared at his note with amazement. I had never heard the phrase “thinking outside of the box” at the time, but since have – and, this is exactly what this young man had done.  Of course his “answer” was infinitely more right than mine.  The submarine’s outcome would be very different relative to its placement. He had excelled in higher order thinking! There were two right answers. All one had to do was shift perspective to see it.

This leads me back to GoGirl. After a mere three hours in this workshop, I had the first profound “ah-hah” moment I’ve had since the day I read that test answer and learned the power of perspective. Once again I’m challenged to shift my perspective. GoGirl, in a warm, inviting, encouraging group not unlike a close-knit community, stretches me to “think outside the box” I’ve painted for myself regarding my personality and personal and professional presentation. 

I’ve been unemployed for over a year. I’ve told myself all the reasons. Yes, I know we are in a down economy. Yes, I know jobs are scarce. Yes, I know my field is downsizing. But, these three hours with GoGirl inspires me to “think outside the box” and experiment with a new perspective. GoGirl has already helped me realize that I may be unconsciously standing in my own way and not communicating who I really am, masking my talents and abilities and capacity. 

Once again I’m being challenged to look deep inside, “think outside the box,” and humble myself by posing the question, “Are prospective employers seeing my authenticity? Am I communicating who I really am through my personal presentation? Am I down-playing my abilities or forgetting to champion myself? Am I subconsciously communicating weakness where I really have strengths?”

The answer is the “ah-hah” moment. I know that I need to shift my perspective and realize that there really is more than one answer. It’s time to shift my mind to allow for a new perspective, a new way of seeing, and open myself up to other possibilities.

And, this time, I have a room full of supportive, intelligent, beautiful, talented women and mentors who are assisting me in the process of stretching my mind and celebrating my “ah-hahs.”  Building of self-confidence and identifying who I am, what I want, and getting the guidance, feedback, and tools to move forward into this new unknown is the power of GoGirl. Is the submarine at the bottom of the ocean or on the surface!?  I don’t know, but I am going to let my ballast out and submerge to find out. Or, perhaps scoot along the bottom of the ocean. This much is certain. GoGirl goes where this woman has never gone before. I am truly looking forward to the adventure.

Anticipation of new GGA class!

 We are one day away from beginning our new GGA Career Acceleration class! As Executive Director and someone very much hands-on in each of our classes, I love the anticipation surrounding the start of a new course. Who will I meet? What will the class dynamic be? What strengths will students discover? What connections will be made? What magic will happen? Because something magical always does. These are all the things that go through my mind as we begin a new round of courses.

Each class is different. Each woman comes from a different background, a different career path, and each has different goals for what they want to accomplish through GoGirl. What’s exciting for me, our founders Suzanne Keel-Eckmann and Jenni Hogan, and members of our faculty — is watching these students grow over the course of 10 weeks. And they do experience growth. Maybe it’s a more clearly defined ‘personal brand’ and a way to present yourself to employers. Maybe it’s a more polished look that’s appropriate for that new promotion they want. It might be a new color of lipstick that lights up their face, or even a memorable elevator speech describing what they do that lands them a new position. Whatever the case may be — it’s different for each student, and I know they value highly what they learn from our experts.

This is what one of our students from our last Career Acceleration class says about GoGirl: 

“GGA is a must have experience for any woman looking to transition or move forward in her career.  The courses span from personal growth and confidence building to professional topics of business writing, leadership, speaking in public, and utilizing social media.  Each topic is taught be a professional woman in that field who provides timely insight and first hand experiences.  The personal attention and encouragement each step along the way is something I’ve never experienced.  And maybe the best part is becoming a part of an astounding network of professional women that believe that we should all be women helping women.  The impact of GGA stays with you long after the initial course.”  Sandie Wilkinson, Healthcare Manager

 In fact, Sandie will be a co-coach for our next course — taking what she’s learned and helping our new students move forward. Please visit www.gogirlacademy.com for more information about signing on for our next courses!

Margo Myers, GGA Executive Director

Why Career Development for Women Matters

The numbers say it all. And they are totally obvious in this new post as the World Economic Forum prepares to meet for its annual gathering in Davos, Switzerland. These are some of the most powerful people in the business world. Why shouldn’t women be included? Is a quota the right way to go? It’s a start, but check near the end of the article — they say they’ll be hard pressed to find qualified women.

Read it here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jan/12/davos-imposes-gender-quota.

This is why programs like GoGirl Academy, (www.gogirlacademy.com) which help and prepare women for leadership in the workplace, are important!

Margo

Get Ready for a New Look

It’s a new year, we’re a new company, and we are giving ourselves a new look. GoGirl Academy is only months old, and in that short amount of time, we’ve created a comprehensive curriculum, brought on expert faculty, successfully completed three courses, and met dozens of smart, accomplished women! And now, we are going to launch a new look and new logo.

We’re not ready to unveil it quite yet, but suffice it to say, it more accurately reflects what we are — a career development course for women who want to move ahead in the workplace! Be watching this space for the big debut that’s coming soon. We can’t wait to share!

We ARE ready for our next round of classes and we are busily recruiting students for our Career Launch, Career Acceleration, and now, our Career Transitions class. They are all starting soon (Career Acceleration starts next Thursday on January 20th), so if you are a young women who wants to know the secrets to workplace success ‘before’ you make those mistakes,check out our Career Launch class. For women ready to move to the next step and put some polish on their presentation, apply to Career Acceleration. And for women in transition — re-entering the workforce, changing jobs, or considering an entirely new career, apply for our Career Transition class. It’s a Dress Rehearsal class, meaning we have reduced tuition for this course.

We want to hear from you! It’s a new year, and time for you to accelerate your success!

Margo Myers, Executive Director, GoGirl Academy

Invest in your Success at GoGirl Academy for 2011

 As we all get ready to ring in 2011 — I believe great things are right around the corner! 2010 had its up and downs (more ups than downs), and as we look ahead at the start of a new year, it’s time to imagine the possibilities.

We are starting new classes at GoGirl Academy at the end of January, and women who believe in themselves and know that 2011 will be ‘their’ year are now being recruited for our Career Launch, Career Acceleration, and Career Transition classes. Invest in your success, give yourself the tools you need to succeed, and meet other like-minded women who want to support you and move your career forward! We have special scholarships available to those who apply before December 31st as you move to accelerate your success before the New Year!

Our 10-week courses have already had tangible results for a number of our students — from promotions, to new jobs, to dream jobs, and connections with accomplished women who are ready to mentor them. I’m excited about the future of GoGirl Academy in 2011, and what we bring to our students and this wonderful community that’s being created. We want you to be a part of it!

This is one of my favorite photos as we officially launched GoGirl Academy back in September. New Day Northwest host Margaret Larson had us on her show on KING  5, and we had a blast. Jenni Hogan and I, along with three graduates of our Dress Rehearsal course, business owner Dr. Sima Kahn, law office manager Gwen Crosswhite and corporate facifilities manager Jennifer Avila had a great time sharing what we’ve learned on TV, and we want to share that with you in our courses. Please visit our website at www.gogirlacademy.com, and click on “How To Apply.” We’ll see you in the New Year!

Margo Myers, GGA Executive Director

GoGirls on the Radio with Chat With Women

What a fun morning sharing the story of GoGirl Academy with our friends at the radio show, Chat With Women. Founders Jenni Hogan, Suzanne Keel-Eckmann and I joined Pam Gray and Rochelle Alhadeff at the Sandusky radio offices on the Eastside, to talk about our new GGA courses and how they are helping women accelerate their success. (Of course, Benny, who runs the CWW audio board,(seen below) makes everyone feel welcome in the studio and always chooses the best music).

Pam and Rochelle asked Jenni and Suzanne how GoGirl Academy came about. Here’s the backstory: Jenni (whom you’ll recognize from KIRO 7 morning traffic) came over from Australia to row for the UW, and with her aunt Suzanne and uncle Tom Eckmann here in Seattle, Suzanne (who’s an absolutely brilliant businesswoman) began mentoring Jenni bit by bit. Jenni, being the generous person that she is, began to pay it forward by mentoring other women until she didn’t have any more time in her schedule. So that’s when the two of them started talking about ways to reach more women and teach them the things every business woman wants to know as they move up the career ladder. The basis for GoGirl Academy was born. When I was asked to become involved, I leapt at the opportunity to work with such a great group of people, and help women become their best self.

We are now starting three new courses at the end of January for Career Launch, for young women leaving college and entering the workforce, Career Acceleration, for women in their career who want to advance and polish their personal brand, as well as Transitions, for women changing careers, or re-entering the workforce, or starting a new business. All three courses offer our growing GGA network of accomplished women, and our expert faculty teach you the tools you need to get ahead. (And we’re already seeing our GGA students get promotions, get new jobs, get dream jobs, and gain self-confidence).

A big ‘thank you’ to both Pam and Rochelle, who have been wonderful supporters of our program! We appreciate your positive response, and the opportunity to share our GoGirl story on the air! Please visit www.gogirlacademy.com and check out our application, (it’s easy), and if you’re interested in hearing more from Pam and Rochelle (they’re a kick), please visit www.chatwithwomen.com. If you want to hear our full interview, just click on this link: www.gogirlacademy.com/CWW121610.wma.

Margo Myers, Executive Director, GoGirl Academy