My dear friend Amy and I were debriefing my TEDx talk recently (Why You Should Stop Searching for Work You Love). She was there to see it live and in person, and had given me the equivalent of a standing ovation when I spoke with her after the fact—she loved my talk (of course she did, she’s a good friend, remember?)
How do you make people love you at work? Why should you bother? Here's why: because you'll find work that is compelling, challenging, exciting, and fulfilling. And when I love you, I'll do anything and everything for you to help you succeed.
On a nondescript evening this fall, I walked into a 50th floor conference room hosting a networking-event-disguised-as-a-cocktail-party for Today’s Chicago Woman “100 Women to Watch List,” of which I happened to be one. And instead of being excited and ready to mingle, I found myself filled with dread.
When Ginny Rommety became IBM’s new chief executive last fall, she spoke about a point early in her career when she was offered a promotion that she initially rejected, for fear that she was under-qualified. Her husband asked her: “Do you think a man would have ever done that?” She learned an important lesson then and there — to be self-confident on the outside even when she felt self-critical on the inside.
Make people love you. At work. Seriously. In a totally platonic, appropriate, work friendly kind of way.
I spend a lot of time thinking about finding mentors and building relationships with people whom I can look to for advice and guidance. I spend less time, truthfully, looking for mentees. I probably don’t give myself as much credit as I should (who would want me as a mentor?) and I’m also admittedly too self-absorbed as an entrepreneur, writer, and mom-to-three as to be actively on the lookout for others I can help and mentor.
Mentorship matters. There’s no question about it. You aren’t going to keep moving up the proverbial ladder without the guidance and support of those who’ve walked in your shoes. But the concept of “formal” mentorship is daunting and less relevant than ever before. Like everything, mentorship is changing. Here are four ways to make the new model work for you
