Oh Marcus I Love You

He's like a therapist for your career, with a cute accent and lots of supportive phrases like, "oh love, you've got a wee problem." If you've read any of Marcus Buckingham's books, you know that he has an interesting way of looking at personalities and how they affect performance at work. Now you can take an online course through Saint Oprah's website, available here. It's great for anyone looking for a career makeover, or just an attitude re-adjustment.

Thank You

The year has flown by, and before it gets to the end, a thank you is in order. Thank you for reading this blog, linking to it, tagging it...you rock! For 2009, we've got some great professional women lined up to give YOU their advice, stories, and get-ahead (or just get-along!) tips. You can expect coverage of events that affect us all in our professional lives - and for us the professional is the personal. Your feedback, comments and ideas are much appreciated. Thank you for reading!

Here we go again...

Living in or around Washington, D.C., you feel a particular sense of deja vu every four years. Same as it ever was, to quote that annoying song. Now this is not to say that just the fact that Obama is headed to the White House isn't a big shakeup. No, it's just that Washingtonians tend to take a slightly longer view of the changes that come with each election. Your party's out? Wait awhile. You're in? Live it up now before things change. Frankly, with senators living up the street (and stealing your bananas at the grocery store, re-told humorously as a family story...yes that really happened) and the Beltway being just another parking lot, we're not going to see a lot that ain't been seen. However, as inauguration day nears (and no, we're not renting out our houses and yes, we're avoiding the city that day) there is an interesting game of "who's in and who's out" being played this year.

Of course, first and foremost we're watching Obama to try and guess the significance of his Cabinet picks. Oh, the majority play basketball? Fodder for actual (if lame) conversations. How many came from the Clinton White House? How many are Black? Latino? And of course, we can't escape the gender discussion, which leads me to ask about Caroline Kennedy.

This could either be the media stirring up the Camelot pot or a reflection of how people really feel. It is intriguing that Caroline Kennedy is interested in Hillary's old seat. Think there'd be any mentoring there? Maybe Hillary could show Caroline a few things before she moves up into the stratosphere of the Sec job. To our surprise, Kennedy isn't interested in leading the Peace Corps, as some have suggested. She's going for the meat. Not only is her interest in the position pitting her against a Cuomo; he's also her ex-brother in law. Talk about complicated office politics.

Increasing your visibility

Kimberly H., a production assistant, is in her twenties. She assists two project managers in her office and she works on marketing/PR, recruiting and accounting efforts. Kimberly has advice for young women striving to carve out their own niche at the office. She says:

Do: Take on opportunities and roles in the office, especially ones that make you the go-to person for that specialty. Work outside of the confines of your job description to take on new duties that take the stress off of your superiors.

However, don't take on the thankless, time-consuming roles in the office. You won't necessarily get anywhere in your company if the "big job" you've taken upon yourself is to be the person that brings in the bagels every Friday morning. No one cares who brings in their sugar fix every Friday, they just want to make sure someone's doing it.

I've figured out to take on the "important" stuff in my office, like managing my office's bank account/check writing, taking on a large marketing role in the office, setting up and helping do interviews for new recruits, etc. People know to come to me for that stuff. I get to be one of the few females (and only admin) who gets to sit in all of the staff meetings with the higher-ups because of these roles. When offers come up that one of the admins in my office needs to become the person to refill the fridge every week with dozens of sodas or the one to order paper all the time, I politely decline. When it comes time for promotion or (higher) bonus opportunities, no one will consider "putting sodas in the fridge" as a big deal.

We couldn't agree more...ladies, do you ever see your male colleagues bringing in brownies that they baked over the weekend? Are they volunteering to buy paper towels at Costco? Don't think so. Your job is not to be the office mom or errand girl. There are plenty of thankless chores to be done at home. Certainly, do the jobs that your role requires. However, when you're looking for increased viability, think smart and determine what unique role you can play.