by Amy Diederich | Women
Amy Diederich
As far back as I can remember I’ve been goal driven.
I worked my way through college holding down two jobs. I completed my degree graduating Magna Cum Laude. I won a full scholarship to pursue my masters degree. I completed that degree Summa Cum Laude while still continuing to hold down two jobs.
Once I had my masters, I jumped into corporate America. I worked hard to move up the corporate ladder and did.
I have always had the drive to own my own business.
I am first and foremost an entrepreneur and inventor. I am the daughter of a prolific inventor and entrepreneur. My father always encouraged his kids to start their own businesses.
Three of his four children are entrepreneurs.
Starting BIG
In 1999 I left corporate America and started my own consulting firm, A-Squared Consulting. I am proud to say we were successful. We always operated in the black and always had plenty of business. My clients list was impressive: Adelphia, Vonage, and Comcast, to mention just a few.
In June of 2010 I felt compelled to merge my company with Jane Perdue’s (a former boss, client, and current mentor). Jane shared her story of the pivotal moment when her boss referred to her as Aunt Polly. That story hit a cord.
You see I also received a proverbial whack on the head.
My Whack On the Head
A-Squared Consulting did sales training at the company where my husband is CEO. One day I was introduced to a new senior leader who had just joined my husband’s team. After my role of sales consultant was explained, he commented to my husband, “How nice you gave the ‘little woman’ something to keep her busy!”
I was speechless!
I don’t find myself speechless very often.
I wanted to say, Well I agreed to work with this company to help my husband. My other clients are all Fortune 500 companies. The next few responses that came to my mind are not G-rated! Any of the potential retorts that came to my head, however deserved, felt really shallow.
I decided not say anything, but to let my actions and results prove I had not been “given” anything.
I believe most people have had that time in their life where someone intentionally or unintentionally tried to make them feel little.
For me, BIG is about helping people get past those moments and push through to live their BIG dream.
When Jane contacted me, I came to the conclusion that I had realized my dream and now it was time to give back and help others. I want to share how my dad inspired me to Start BIG! Give others the moxie to help them reach out for their dreams!
My work is designed to help you succeed in achieving YOUR dream. Your dream can be starting a company or simply starting a project. As the President of the Braithwaite Innovation Group, I get the chance to interact daily with people who are starting entrepreneurial adventures. I love to encourage them, help them find their market, and connect them with others who are chasing their dream.
Check us out to see what we have to offer.
If there is something you need help with, we are happy to help!
My new dream is to help others see a new possibility, a new connection or relationship that will spark the next great invention or business. Sound good?
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Today’s guest post is from Amy Diederich, my fellow instigator in making a positive difference. Here she tells her story about why she was inspired to get involved with BIG.
by Jane Perdue | Women
I’d grown up seeing my dad work hard. He was a man’s man, a successful manager, and no stranger to long hours. As a small child, I remember balmy summer evenings when my mom, little sis and I would sit in chairs on the front lawn, watching the stars and waiting for Dad’s car to pull into the driveway.
As the oldest of three daughters, I’d become the de facto son and opted for a career in management to follow in his beloved footsteps. Dad prized my early achievements, telling me, “If you put your heart and mind to it, you can do anything a man can do – and do it even better.” I took his advice to heart and got to live my dream of being a vice president for 15 years.
Getting the Aunt Polly label
Then, one day after years in corporate America and experiencing yet another merger, a new boss unwittingly set the wheels in motion for changing my life when he described me as “Aunt Polly” to the new firm’s CEO. My boss didn’t mention all the impossible assignments and projects I’d delivered ahead of time and below budget, just “Aunt Polly.”
Astonished, I asked him what he meant. His answer? I was a soft, round woman. He later added that I also inspired people. That add-on felt a little like having been tossed a bone.
Egads!
Feeling compelled to prove my abilities, I worked more hours and made sure the work of my department was brilliant, on point, and above reproach.
Let’s show those fellas what ole Aunt Polly can do!
Making a difference. Really?
Aunt Polly was like a cosmic two-by-four. She forced me to re-evaluate my thoughts on power, success, and making a difference.
By corporate standards I had made a difference. However, in terms of making a meaningful impact on someone’s life, rather than just making the bottom line better, had I really made a difference?
That was the question Aunt Polly kept whispering.
To my delight, I was selected to participate in a prestigious national leadership program for female telecommunication executives. I was one of twenty-four powerhouse women participating in a year-long curriculum where we would learn how to increase our business prowess, build workplace political savvy, and deal with paradigms.
We would also create a personal vision for our long-term accomplishments by taking the business elements of strategy and process improvement and applying them to our personal and professional development.
Wearing my business woman hat, I approved this logical and results-oriented approach to mapping out where we wanted our lives and careers to go.
However, when I put on the Aunt Polly hat and viewed the vision work from the perspective of someone who had wanted to make a positive difference, the process wasn’t quite so straight forward.
Finally getting it
Several years after his remark, I finally understood why my boss’s Aunt Polly description had been so unsettling. Because I didn’t fully understand power at the time of his remark, his portrayal upset me because I believed it made me sound weak and powerless.
And, by the standards of that company where you-were-only-as-good-as-your-last-numbers, it did.
He had described me as feminine, someone who takes care of others, when I had thought of myself as one of the guys – a bold over-achiever who took charge and made results happen. But what mattered more was the unconscious bias in my boss’s head about nurturing.
That’s when I realized I had misinterpreted Dad’s words. He had said I could be better than a man, he didn’t say I had to act and think like one. He had wanted me to feel confident I could do my best.
Instead, I thought power was beating the guys at their own game, and I couldn’t have been more wrong.
What lessons can you share about learning to be the bigger person?
Image credit before quote added: Pixabay
by Jane Perdue | Women
Do you know anyone who is looking to update their resume AND help a worthy cause, the Center for Women, at the same time?
If you do, please read on!
Three years ago I began the second act of my life. Part of that change included moving from San Francisco to Charleston, SC to be closer to family. One of my second act goals is giving back, and the Center for Women provides me with an extraordinary outlet for doing just that.
The Center is the only comprehensive women’s development center in South Carolina. In 2010, it conducted over 110 programs and events and served 6,000 women; and in 2006 it received a grant from Oprah’s Angel Network!
Up until recently, South Carolina’s unemployment rate was above 12%, one of the worst in the nation. Responding to local requests for providing assistance with job searching, resume preparation, career counseling and interviewing, the Center for Women created a job coach program. The program is staffed with volunteers, and I’m honored to be one of them.
Local reaction to the job coaches has been overwhelmingly positive. I return from every session and workshop I conduct feeling both humble and grateful. Humble in knowing that I had exceptional opportunities that gave me my corporate charm bracelet of success. Grateful that I’m able to share what I’ve learned with women eager to learn. It’s so moving when I receive a note from an over-joyed woman who has just landed a job or has been promoted. Those notes are gifts which fill me with delight.
A popular workshop
A popular session at the Center for Women has been their three-hour workshop on best practices in resume preparation. Because not all women are able to work that amount of class and travel time into their schedules, I’ve volunteered to help the Center conduct an experiment in online learning and expanded reach.
Periodically, I’ll facilitate a live 90-minute resume preparation workshop. The Center is looking to learn if online development sessions provide another scheduling option for busy women (and men!), and I’m participating in the experiment and hope you do, too!
I’m also hoping that more people learn about the Center for Women and its programs. Another one of my second act passions is helping business women take their skills to the next level. Having been a female executive, I want to help more women fill more senior level positions.
Doing good and learning, too
The June 9, 2011 resume workshop is full of rich, meaty content. The handout is a useful tool (I promise as I created it!). And all proceeds from this modestly priced session (the Center sets all prices low, under-pricing and over-delivering) go to the Center for Women. What a great “two-fer” for participants – learning and doing good at the same time…sweet!
So, if you know someone whose resume needs spiffing up and who wants to support a worthy cause at the same time, please share the word and join me in supporting the Center for Women!
by Darlene Templeton | Women
I’ve been thinking that Jane might be reading my mind.
For the last 36 years, during my corporate first act, my idea of success was defined by how high up the ladder I could climb. Like the woman Jane described in “Success—Where Are You Aiming?” I questioned whether the success I thought I’d wanted was worth the price. When I read Jane’s statement about “taking off my corporate charm bracelet”, she stopped me in my tracks once again. I couldn’t think of a better way to describe what I’ve been going through.
I retired last year, and my first reaction during this journey through transition was to take off my corporate charm bracelet and run as fast and as far away as I could from that world. Now that I have had some time and space to get my life back, I no longer feel that way. A really dear friend told me that everything she has done in her life has led her to where she is today, and I agree. It turns out my corporate days were just getting me prepared for my incredible next act, and how much fun I am having now! I started to wonder if we really needed to take off the corporate charm bracelet. Could it be that parts of it are worth keeping?
You can call your past experiences anything that you want—they could be your tool kit, or charm bracelet, or whatever works for you. It also doesn’t have to be corporate; it could be your years as a stay-at-home Mom, or whatever you did earlier in your life. But just because they’re in the past doesn’t mean we have to shed every bit of them. Those experiences all prepare us for where we are today and are the foundation for our next act! What did you learn or experience that you absolutely want to keep?
Life toolkit lessons
My corporate experience was my “college,” and with that experience, I feel like I earned my “MBA” in leadership, business and most importantly, people.
Here are just a few of the key things from my life toolkit that I learned and will take with me:
- Leadership. I had the opportunity to see and interact with all types of leaders, the amazing, the good, the bad, and the ugly. What a great learning experience for me – leadership in action!
- Communication. I learned how important clear and meaningful communication is, and how to really leverage collaborative efforts and to develop strategic partners.
- People. The most important learning for me was to develop people by leveraging their strengths and to build teams and communities.
- Passion. I learned how important it is to have a strong passion for whatever you do. I saw it in the business world and it needs to apply to every aspect of our personal lives, too. What makes you laugh? What do you love to do?
Leaving my corporate life was the start of a new journey for me.
It was a lot like taking a road trip in a red convertible—exciting, but scary, full of surprises, but also full of challenges and detours. And you know what? My corporate charm bracelet was full of tools that helped guide me on my journey, but it was also missing one big piece. I needed more self-care in my life. I needed to change directions and find myself again. I had been so good at taking care of the corporation, my family, my friends and everything in the world, that I had truly forgotten to take care of me. I wasn’t even sure I knew how to start doing that, but once I set out on my journey, I realized it was something I could pick up along the way.
When I discovered coaching 8 years ago, that was the start of learning how to take care of me, and I have been slowly, but consistently, taking better care of my needs. Self-care has turned out to be one of the most valuable additions to my charm bracelet.
Another key charm that I have added along the way is choice. I didn’t realize for a very long time that I did have a choice to say yes or no, or counter. Somehow, no was not in my vocabulary. It’s been added and I am learning the graceful art of saying no and setting boundaries.
With this new charm bracelet that combines the amazing things from my corporate life with the welcome additions of self-care, choice, and a few more charms, I feel as though I have finally integrated all the parts of my life. I have a new charm bracelet, I’m enjoying the scenery as I head out on my journey, and am now truly ready to go on to my second act!
I always used to say, “how great would it be to do something that you truly loved and get paid for it?” That’s what coaching has given me—a passion and a way to make a living that’s rewarding and fulfilling. What fun!
What about you?
What’s on your charm bracelet or tool kit from your previous work or life experiences?
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- What will you take off as you start your journey through transition?
- What will you add?
- How will you integrate?
I would love to hear from you!
Today’s thought-provoking and inspiring post is from Darlene Templeton, owner of Templeton and Associates, where she specializes in transition and transformation coaching. She is an experienced corporate coach, recognized leader and change agent. She brings thirty-five years of experience in the corporate environment. Darlene is an “out of the box” thinker and uses that ability to engage leaders and their teams to get extraordinary results.
by Jane Perdue | Women
I love holidays and yet I don’t love holidays. Like today—International Women’s Day.
Huh?
On one hand I love the celebration and spirit of community that comes with holidays. There’s camaraderie and fun and love and shared experiences.
Yet on the other hand, holidays can be an easy-to-use remedy if one forgets to regularly tell Mom or Dad that you appreciate them or you forget to thank your assistant often enough.
Either way, holidays are symbolic. Symbolism is important. So are day-to-day practices.
International Women’s Day
Today, women across the globe are celebrating the 100th International Women’s Day.
There’s press coverage.
Speeches will be given, and articles written.
Some women will be standing in solidarity on bridges at noon.
It’s a day to both celebrate advances and reflect on the gaps yet to be closed.
All this is good. It shines a light on gender equality issues.
What’s even better is keeping that light shining tomorrow and the day after, and the day after. Keep women’s issues front and center as business and societal issues, not just women’s issues.
5 ways for women to step into their power every day
Some proactive things women can do to keep the light shining every day:
- Reach out to a young woman and offer to be her mentor or sponsor
- Start a women’s initiative at your organization
- Join a mastermind group and share learnings, experiences and gain confidence
- Find two colleagues and partner up to practice the Rule of 3
- Ask a female co-worker to lunch and get to know one another. Keep widening the circle.
What other ongoing activities do you want to add to the list?
Image source: morgueFile.com
by Doretha Walker | Women
Today’s guest post is by Doretha Walker. Doretha, former president of the Charleston, SC Center for Women Board of Directors, runs marathons, is a professor, and blogs at Wecanflyhigher.blogspot.com. Doretha provides inspiration and information to support women so they can fly into success.
I did myself a grave injustice the other day at the Charleston, SC Women in Business Conference, Pathways to Power.
First, let me say that I hate speed networking. So when it was time to do it, I allowed myself 36 seconds of my allotted two-minute time.
Okay, I didn’t want to be there so I didn’t fully participate.
It wasn’t that I didn’t have two minutes worth of merits. I mean, in my current position, I lead a locomotive crew. Plus, I established a foundation that helps women fund their dreams. I’ve met Oprah. And I promise you it takes longer than 36 seconds to read my resume.
What was I thinking???
There is a saying that you may be the only Bible (or holy book) that someone will read today. Well, your two minute speed networking speech may be the only resume someone will read today. I gave myself 36 seconds of airplay. So why should I expect anyone at my networking table to think I was worthy of more? They may have wondered why I was even at the table.
I missed a multitude of opportunities. I earned my journey and I have a right, no, I have an obligation to share it. It may inspire someone else.
Hoda Kotb wrote in her book that a man sitting next to her on a plane said something like don’t hog your journey. It isn’t meant just for you. In other words, many need to see where you are going and understand how to get there so they may do the same.
I think Marianne Williamson said it beautifully “…as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people the permission to do the same.”
Isn’t that what we as leaders strive to do – inspire, encourage, and uplift while accomplishing the mission?
Women getting in their own way
Not only did I miss the chance to inspire, I lost the chance to have a door opened to something had someone been looking for what I had to offer. But I offered nothing while I had plenty to offer.
I think this is called self-sabotage.
As leaders, we have earned our stripes and some of us have the battle scars to prove it. Our accomplishments are what brought us to the table and to the position of leader.
Understand that telling others how we arrived at our present destination is not bragging. It is simply charting the milestones that paved the way to our successes. It is our road map. That map may be traditional or it might be a bit scenic, but it is ours. It is ours to share. It is ours to be proud of.
[bctt tweet=”Understand that telling others how we arrived at our present destination is not bragging”]
So remember, people need to know why you are at the table or why you are the leader. You are there for a reason; and if you don’t believe that, why should anyone else? Do not follow my lead and short change yourself.
Share your journey.
You are worth at least two minutes of airplay.
Take it.
And you can bet that I will be fully present and accounted for during my next speed networking session.
