#bossbabe advice #1: make your boss look brilliant
we can thank my mom for this one. to be honest, this isn’t something she ever drilled into me; rather, a nugget of wisdom i picked up in a conversation we had been having. my mom has built a successful career in one of the most challenging industries during a few of the most challenging years [decades], and has come out the other side an advocate for working women [moms!] everywhere. this advice is simple, straightforward, and actionable. no matter what you are doing, arm your boss with the facts, understand their landscape and what that looks like politically, hierarchically, and holistically, and provide them with work that contributes to a greater team goal, ensuring the entire organization is benefiting.
#bossbabe advice #2: take action on your goals
this is a big one, and rachel hollis has talked about it a couple of different times. it’s also one i struggle with. we can sit there and talk, and plan, and dream, and get coffee with our girlfriends and ideate, but until we start working on something, we are never going to get anywhere. it’s almost like eating the frog [read this post for context] – you just have to DO things. little things, big things — just do things. the night i started building this blog [after thinking about it for 5+ years] i literally sat down and said to myself “ok, to start this kind of thing, what would that look like?” and just started. i bought a domain, got wordpress, and started. it’s so much easier to keep working towards your goals if you just START WORKING TOWARDS YOUR GOALS.
#bossbabe advice #3: raise your hand
ok, so this isn’t from a technical #bossbabe, but dave hollis is an honorary one here. he goes through his top business principles here, and one of them is ‘raise your hand.’ raise your hand for the jobs nobody wants to do, and do them well. do this for a couple of reasons: 1. the experience is always beneficial to you, even if you aren’t super thrilled about the area [finance is always everyone’s example of this, but i’m refusing out of principle and my day job. i love the finance.] 2. your leaders appreciate it, and not just in a ‘oh good we aren’t stuck doing that job’ kinda way. they want people in the org willing to go outside of their comfort zone, and the next time a big role opens up, who are they going to think of? that lady, over there, who isn’t afraid to do something new.
#bossbabe advice #4: a dream without a plan is merely a hallucination
this one can be credited to a lot of people, but i heard it on the secrets of wealthy women podcast [find out more about why i love it here – veronica daghar is total interviewer #goals]. the interview was with melanie whelan of soulcycle. this one totally coincides with #2, but it’s true: if you don’t take action, a dream is going to stay a dream. bonus: melanie is also a big proponent of arming yourself with the facts + the reality of a situation. girl after my own heart. bonus bonus: her advice is also to “put yourself in a position in your company where you are responsible for driving a p&l.” [read the CNBC article here!] girl, i can’t agree enough. being in a place where you are responsible for the fiscal health of your organization helps you think with practicality, integrity, and ingenuity when you are working on your business. which brings me to my next piece of advice:
#bossbabe advice #5: treat your company’s checkbook like your own
i have had the extreme privilege of working with some amazing, awesome people thus far in my relatively short career, but there are a few people that have truly changed the way i work … one of them being my finance partner for a few years here at target. not only was she gorgeous, nice, funny and intensely smart, but she had such a tactical way of looking at things while still being able to see the strategic vision. her advice: if you are able to be in a position to spend/manage any sort of money for your company, track every penny, make sure it’s a sound business expense, and make sure that you can fully speak to the how, why, and when of the expense. treat it like it’s your own, and be hyper-aware. fiscal responsibility goes a long way to build your credibility across a number of areas across a company, and it builds your reputation as well.
Some heard through the years, that I liked:
“Fail to Plan… Plan to Fail”
“Fake it till ya make it”
“There’s nothing to it, but do it”
LOVE all of these Rhonda! As a major planner, I 100% identify with that one 🙂 I also struggle with just starting, so these words of wisdom are so helpful. I’ll be sure to include in another advice post in the future, as I think these are all extremely valuable. Thanks for reading!
Oh my heavens what great advice top to bottom! Took me decades to get stuff figured out and you’re aggregating so susinctly in one place. Best part of all of this is your willingness and intentionality around sharing – many many thanks I loved the new insights I gained! #nevertoooldtolearn 🙂
i learn from the best, clearly! 🙂 <3