Natalia, Author at The Career Success Doctor

Thinking Of Entrepreneurship? 10 Facts You Didn’t Know

Written by Natalia

When we are thinking of entrepreneurship -either in terms of thinking to start our own business, or in terms of thinking the real people behind companies- we tend to have some specific stereotypes in mind. Did you know that it’s not always the case?

For example, one of the most common stereotypes has to do with age. Almost everyone thinks that you have to be in your mid-twenties to be an entrepreneur, but we have already discussed that there’s no such thing as “too old to be an entrepreneur”.

A Kauffman Foundation report called “The Anatomy of an Entrepreneur” proves that almost everything we think we know about entrepreneurship and holds us back, isn’t (completely) true; but it’s mostly based on stereotypes. Facebook, Apple and Google were all started at a college student’s garage after all!

According to this survey, the most common barrier to entrepreneurial success is not age, time, or work-life balance. It is the lack of willingness and/or ability to take risks (98% of respondents).

I saw on social media today a very interesting article by Jeff Haden on Inc., which is based on this report.

” Picture the average entrepreneur and you probably think of someone young, living the ramen noodles lifestyle, working a crazy number of hours — and often sleeping under the desk.
(…)
And, if you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, the report also offers hope that there’s still a time – and a place – for you. “

Read the whole article here: “10 Facts About Entrepreneurs That May Surprise You”

Are you thinking of entrepreneurship? What holds you back?

45 Pieces Of Advice For Career Success

Written by Natalia

Career success is the number one goal for most professionals. Whether they are lower-level employees, members of the C-suite, or even entrepreneurs, what they want –what we all want actually- is to be successful at what we do.

That could mean earn that promotion we’re after, a pay raise, increase our sales, generate more leads… and the list goes on.

Sometimes, when we have to make choices or just need help to stay focused, a piece of advice can be truly beneficial.

What about a few more pieces? These nice folks on ‘The Daily Muse’ have compiled a list of 45 pieces of advice for achieving career success. Organised in 5 categories, you will find quotes of many successful people who are sharing their wisdom. There is always something new to learn!

“When it comes to your career, sometimes it feels like you could use all the advice you can get. From picking the “right” career to actually excelling in it, there’s certainly a lot to learn.

And that’s why we’ve gathered our all-time best career advice. From starting out at the bottom of the totem pole to advancing to a more senior position to—who knows?—maybe even branching out to open your own business, we’ve collected 45 of the best tips for whatever stage you’re at in your career.”

Read the whole article here “45 Pieces of Career Advice That Will Get You to the Top”

Who am I to be compared to Steve Jobs, Mark Cuban, Michelle Bruno, Kathleen Tierney or any other professional in this list… but, if I were to add a piece of my own, that would be these two words: “Under-promise, Over-deliver”.

What was the best piece of career advice you have ever received? If someone asked for your advice on achieving career success, what would that be?

Today’s Professional Woman Report: Career Success Is A Moving Target

Written by Natalia

Yesterday, Citi and LinkedIn released the results of their fourth annual survey “Today’s Professional Woman Report“.

This year’s survey was conducted among a sample of more than 1000 professional women and men, and -like every year- it was inspired by discussions on Citi’s LinkedIn Group “Connect: Professional Women’s Network“.

The results indicate that career satisfaction is a moving target and the definition of career success is changing. See the infographic below for details.

The key finding of this study is that career success doesn’t necessarily mean happiness, as most professionals believe that their career will peak in the next 2 to 20 years (depending on their current age), but the happiest point in their career was several years ago.

On the question about when they think their career will peak, most professional women replied at the age of 53, while men expect to reach the peak at the age of 55.

Grouping by generation, Millennials expect to reach the top at the age of 43 and their happiest point was at the age of 28. Baby Boomers on the other hand, believe their career peak will be at 62, while their happiest moment was at 49.

Here’s what Linda Descano, CFA®, President and CEO of Women & Co., said about these results: “The survey illustrates that career satisfaction and success are not just end goals – they’re both moving targets.”

On another note, while only a 17% defined career progress as a salary increase, 58% of men and 52% of women equal career satisfaction with a “good salary”. – For women it was equally important to doing what they love and being challenged.

Furthermore, women were asked a series of questions about their financial and career concerns. The good news is that financial issues are less of a concern for women this year. Compared to Today’s Professional Woman Report of 2013, the number of women who were concerned with paying off student loans has dropped from 46% to 35%, with saving for retirement from 56% to 46%, and with paying off credit card debt from 35% to 30%.

When they were asked what the most significant indicator of women’s progress in the workplace would be, 1/3 said “elimination of the gender wage gap”. Men replied “the end of the need for the ‘women in the workplace’ conversation”, and 31% of women agreed.

On achieving goals, 37% of women said they achieved their professional goals this year and 84% of the ones who asked for a raise last year, received it.

What do you value most to feel satisfied with your career?

Today’s Professional Woman Report Infographic:

Today's Professional Woman Report, June 2014

Infographic source: Women & Co. blog
Data source: Press Release

Great Leaders Make You Feel Safe

Written by Natalia

We recently talked about how the altruistic leadership model impacts employees’ performance and a company’s success. But apart from being humble, great leaders make you feel safe.

According to management theorist Simon Sinek, in a recent TED Talk “Why good leaders make you feel safe“, leaders should make employees feel safe in the organisation in order to trigger the feelings of trust and cooperation.

“You see, if the conditions are wrong, we are forced to expend our own time and energy to protect ourselves from each other, and that inherently weakens the organization. When we feel safe inside the organization, we will naturally combine our talents and our strengths and work tirelessly to face the dangers outside and seize the opportunities.”

Good leaders make you feel safe by putting their interests aside for the greater good; by wanting you to achieve more; by helping you when you need it. As he puts it, “Great leaders would never sacrifice the people to save the numbers. They would sooner sacrifice the numbers to save the people”. Isn’t this altruistic?

As he analyses the importance of feeling safe at your job, he gives examples of how some organisations provide safety to their employees and what results they produced. He compares leadership to parenthood, but what stood out to me was the likeness to military life.

In the video below you can watch his whole speech. And in my opinion, these are 12 minutes well spent.

Leadership is a choice; not a rank. Leadership means courage and taking risks. Do not confuse leadership with authority. We never follow authorities, we obey because there’s the element of fear. We follow leaders. And great leaders create trust and make you feel safe.

Isn’t that the organization we would all like to work in?

Do You Want To Get A Promotion?

Written by Natalia

Are you thinking of asking for a promotion? Perhaps you’re too long in your current position and after all your hard work you believe you deserve to get promoted?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, today’s blog post is for you.

How to receive a promotion in 30 days

If you are planning to ask for a promotion, this article in Glassdoor has everything you need.

Heather Huhman has crafted a 6-step guide to help you land a promotion in 30 days.

Don’t forget to sell yourself properly. You can’t always rely on others to recognise your work. You have to demonstrate your value, just like you would do if you had to apply for a job.

” Research shows June is one of the best months to land a promotion, so now is the time to start planning your next move.

If you’re looking to set yourself up for success in the upcoming month, here are some tips to landing a promotion in the next 30 days… “

Read the whole article here: “6 Steps to Scoring a Promotion in the Next 30 Days”

Why you haven’t had a promotion yet

On the other hand, if you have already tried to land a promotion but failed, chances are you need to improve your strategy following the advice above.

If you feel like everyone else is being promoted except for yourself and you see your colleagues pass you by, then perhaps you need something more than a “strategy tweaking”. You might believe that you deserve a promotion but, perhaps, that’s not the case (yet).

In the following article in Brazen Life, by Levo League, you will discover the 9 reasons that might keep you from being promoted.

Self-evaluation is the key here. Be 100% honest with yourself and recognise your weaknesses in order to improve these areas.

“ When you don’t receive a promotion, the first thing you need to do is re-evaluate your qualities as an employee. If you’re trying to figure where you went wrong in your position, here are nine reasons you were probably overlooked for a promotion…”

Read the whole article here: “Feeling Stuck? Here are 9 Real Reasons You’re Not Getting Promoted”

It needs a lot of work to land a promotion, but nothing compares to the feeling you have at the end, when your work is acknowledged and rewarded. And if you evaluate yourself honestly, set an action plan for your weaknesses and follow these 6 steps, the next promotion is yours!