Old Navy's Head of Creative Marketing Says Believing in Your Talent is Key to Success

We often look to the iconic leaders of our time for motivation and wisdom, but for many of us, this is purely inspirational and not as applicable to our everyday lives. We truly believe there is more benefit in looking to your left and seeking out a peer-to-peer mentorship with a colleague or friend you admire. Why? Firstly, they will likely have the time to be your mentor, and secondly, their advice will be relatable and allow you to see your path clearly while keeping your mind open to new ideas, identifying new opportunities, and helping you self-advocate.  We call them Everyday Superheroes. In this new series, we talk to the people who are paying it forward, lifting others up and paving a smoother path for the next generation to come.

For Dana Marinovich, getting laid off was a fundamental part of her career arc, and a challenge that eventually led to her dream job as the Head of Creative Marketing for Old Navy.

After being let go, she took the summer off to reset and think about what she wanted next. “I gave myself permission to hold space for the change, to really evaluate what I wanted and recalibrate my intentions for the future,” Marinovich tells Create & Cultivate. “After a few months, I was reenergized, refocused and was able to set clear goals for myself that were true to who I am and what I want in my life, instead of being swept away with what was expected next.”

Now, as the Head of Creative Marketing at Old Navy, Marinovich leads a team of creative directors, writers, art directors, graphic designers, stylists, and photographers to help bring the brand’s vision to life through the creative in all channels. And with millions of people engaging with Old Navy each day, it’s safe to say that Marinovich’s work touches a lot of people.

Read on to hear how she went from agency world to in-house at Old Navy, how she finds the inspiration to create killer brand campaigns, and why believing in your talent is key to your success.

What did you study in school? And what did you want to be when you grew up?

I did not ever think that I would be in a creative industry when I was young. I grew up with a focus on math, science and literature. The closest thing to being creative that I could imagine, was to grow up to be an architect. So for a long time I thought that’s what I wanted to be. 

While in college, I majored in Art and Design, with a focus on graphic design. I also studied Painting and Photography at Chelsea College of Art and Design and Central St. Martin’s. Through those programs I fell in love with art, with critical thinking and this truly changed and solidified my focus.

What are some of the earlier jobs that helped to shape your career path?

After college, I moved to NYC and one of my first jobs was working for a (then) small agency, YARD. What I learned there was invaluable in how to approach a creative project for a brand. At that time, most of the agencies were either branding or advertising focused. But YARD was doing something different - they were a creative agency that bridged the two and built the work with a solid strategic ground. It was all the things, intertwined - and I was inspired by this approach. So early on in my career, I realized how much I loved to build brands holistically… and to build a thriving brand you need great creative strategy, a killer voice, and image and branding that elevates it. This period of time was like bootcamp in creative thinking, iterating and pushing limits. It was really really hard, and I will forever be grateful for it.

“Do one thing at a time. Put space between things. Develop Rituals. Think about what is necessary.”

What challenges have you faced along the way? What did you learn from them? How did they prepare you for your job now?

The biggest challenge I have ever faced is being laid off. I don’t think people talk about this enough transparently, like it should be a secret. Like there is stigma around losing your job. I have worked in retail or for retailers for a long time now, and the business is just volatile. There will be really high highs and really low lows. Some businesses can withstand the test and others are not so lucky. You have to ride the wave - and know that it will fluctuate.

When I was let go, I took the summer off to reset and think about what I wanted next. I travelled and spent a month abroad in Croatia with my family. I gave myself permission to hold space for the change, to really evaluate what I wanted and recalibrate my intentions for the future. It was honestly the hardest and best time for me in my career building. After a few months, I was reenergized, refocused and was able to set clear goals for myself that were true to who I am and what I want in my life instead of being swept away with what was expected next.  It was a relief, like I finally took back control of what my days were.

Tell us about your role. What does it entail? Did you work your way up? What were the positions along the way?

As the Head of Creative Marketing at Old Navy, I lead and get to work with a diverse creative team. My role is to develop a clear creative vision of the brand that people can relate to and want to connect with. Old Navy is a brand for everyone, for families, for your friend family, for your community. It’s inclusive by nature. And we bring the brand to life through a lens of fun, fashion and making the most of life together.

To get to this position, I both worked my way up and worked sideways. As I mentioned, I started my career in advertising in NY, but when I moved to CA , I came in-house at Gap. This was years ago, and I moved my way up at that brand - starting as a Global Art Director (which meant I would translate the North America creative for Europe, Japan and franchise partners), but quickly after starting, some of the leadership team left, and I was promoted to lead the internal creative team. I worked on many things during this time - and wound up pitching against our agencies and took back in-house the kids, baby and body advertising work. It was fun, we even pitched against agency work for the Diane von Furstenburg x GapKids campaign work - and won the pitch. At the time, it felt like a big deal, the internal team was so motivated and we were so happy to be doing the work that we were doing. We had a lot of fun.

After a few years I moved on to be the Vice President of Creative at a small kids and baby clothing company called Tea Collection. I was there for about five years and helped solidify the creative look/feel and voice for the brand. And then I came back to Old Navy and was just promoted this past Spring to the Head of Creative Marketing role. 

What do you love most about your job and why? Does the reality of your career match up to your expectations? Why/why not?

I love the people I work with, the team is very talented. As the Head of Creative Marketing, I get to work closely with a lot of different voices and I am energized by people’s unique point of views and helping the team grow and the work to push forward. 

I love working in-house and getting to actually craft and dream and think about how this brand shows up to the world. The reach of Old Navy is quite breathtaking - millions of people get an email from us everyday, millions hear and see and feel and touch the work that my team puts out there. I love getting to work for a brand that touches so many people. With that comes a big responsibility, and I take that very seriously. 

I honestly never would have thought when I started my career that I would get to the place that I am now. Of course, I had drive but where I am today truly came out of determination to always grow as a human. I wanted to do more, and I set my sights on the next and the next and the next. At the level I am at now, more of my responsibilities are in building talent, protecting the creative and pushing to the next. It’s a dream job honestly. Is it exactly what I would have expected in every moment? No -- it’s a hard job! But it is all worth it.

What can you tell us about the company culture? What has encouraged you to stay? 

I love working for an organization that champions inclusivity, diversity and fashion for everyone. This year we are pushing this even more. At the end of the summer, there is a big moment for the brand, and women in particular. It’s incredibly rewarding and impactful.

The people and the team at Old Navy is also what keeps me excited every day. I truly care for each of the individuals I work with and together we champion the work we do.

Talk us through your daily tasks and what a day in the office looks like for you. What’s the most rewarding part of your day?

Most of my day is spent discussing creative strategy, reviewing work and concepts and connecting with the creative team. The most rewarding part of the creative process is when the work is hard, when you’ve hit a wall over and over again, but you keep pushing – and then all of a sudden, the light goes on. That breakthrough moment is what it’s all about. It’s so rewarding to personally go through that process, but to also help a team through it – that’s what gets me.

What does your morning pre-work routine look like? What rituals set you up for success?

Well, each day is a bit different. Two days a week, I wake early and work out - this clears my head of stress. I find clarity and a good personal space is so necessary in this line of work. And the other three days, I focus on my other big role - I’m a mom of two small kids. And I love spending the mornings giving them my attention, sitting and having breakfast with them, talking Legos and unicorns, getting them ready and doing school drop off. It’s important for our connection that I show up at school, see and greet other parents and their teachers. It’s a balance and is so important. 

For work, I also like to take one morning a week for an hour and plan my priorities. This helps me keep on track and not get swept away with the work. 

Your role requires you to be across so many facets of the business—how do you manage your time effectively? What is your greatest productivity hack? How do you get it done?

I’ve recently read an article about the 12 Essential Rules to Live more like a Zen Monk, and found this very inspirational. A few of the rules are: Do one thing at a time. Put space between things. Develop Rituals. Think about what is necessary. 

These are things to remind myself, to practice and get better at. Again, I’m always learning and growing. I’m very thoughtful and deliberate in my approach to projects.

Do you ever reach inbox zero? Do you believe in that? What is your inbox philosophy?

I had a dream once I got my inbox to zero. I believe in the power of search.

What is one of the biggest misconceptions about your job?

Being a leader of a creative team is not actually being creative or creating all the time. Often I am researching, reading, reviewing, discussing; I’m thinking strategically, I’m analyzing, editing and then I’m creating.

If someone wanted your role specifically, what advice would you give them on how to land their dream job/your current job? 

Stay hungry. Love what you do. Be a team player. Understand you are only as good as the sum of your parts. Learn from your failures. 

“Stay hungry. Love what you do. Be a team player. Understand you are only as good as the sum of your parts. Learn from your failures. ”

Have you seen a consistent standout quality or personality trait of successful people in your industry?

Confidence, transparency, honesty, and straightforward in nature, and people who like to have fun.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? And what’s the worst piece of advice you’ve been given?

Best: “Believe in your talent.” 

Worst: “You need to diversify. So, let’s have you work on this pitch for a fast food account.” 

If there was one person you admire that you could power brunch with, who would it be?

Dolly Parton!

5 Job Hunting Tips to Score Your Dream Career

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Would you believe more than half of the people who are currently employed are considering a new job?

It feels like we’re always striving for something bigger and better to fulfill our professional and personal goals. But, before you dive into the tedious world of job hunting, be sure to take the necessary steps to ensure you’re as prepared as can be for what your future might hold. This doesn’t just mean updating your résumé; think a lot harder and deeper about how you’re portraying yourself to potential employers.

Here are a few key steps you can take before you embark on the job hunt adventure. No need to thank us when you land your dream job.

Broaden your job search.

While looking for a new job, take the time to really focus on how you want to progress with your professional career. Search for keywords that are broader than you’re used to searching. Sometimes jobs are listed under a variety of topics that you might not be thinking about. For example, if you work in marketing, try searching social media terms, and brand marketing terms to expand your search to reach more companies with even more open positions.

If you’re looking for writing jobs, try searching for magazines and other publications in the area and scouring their websites for open positions that might not show up on job search websites (Glassdoor, LinkedIn, Indeed, etc). You might end up finding something that fits exactly what you’ve been looking for.

Curate a cover letter (every time).

Some applications don’t require a cover letter, but most do. Although it feels easier to just skip the cover letter, never skip it. This is your chance to show the employer who you are and what you’re capable of in your professional field. A cover letter is the best way to talk yourself up, cater to the employer, and show off all of your valid experience. 

Take the time to look up various cover letter templates to help you find a format that works for you and your career. It’s also important to read through the position you’re applying for and pick out keywords that are used repeatedly to describe the candidate the company is looking for. Input those specific keywords into your cover letter and back them up with your relevant experience.

This is the perfect way to stand out among the rest of the cover letters employers will be reading. Not only will this make you look good, but it will help boost your confidence for any tough interview questions that come your way in the future. 

Follow up with an employee.

Don’t you hate being ghosted by companies? Have you ever gone a month or more without hearing back about a job? Trust me, it’s normal. Think about how many people have applied for the job and how much time it is going to take HR to sift through all of the candidates. After about a week or so, I’ve found it beneficial to search for an email address of someone who works in the department you’re looking to be a part of or someone on the HR team.

Make your email short and sweet. Simply state your name, the position you are interested in, and your desire to learn how the hiring process is going so far.

Here is an example to follow:

Dear (Employee Name),

My name is (Name) and I recently applied for the (Job Title) position. I’m very interested in this role and would love to hear how the hiring process is coming along. Let me know!

I look forward to hearing from you,

(Name)

Perfect your résumé.

This one is self-explanatory but still so important to the job hunt. Without a clean, updated, and crisp résumé, hiring managers won’t be inclined to reach out to you. The first step is to match your résumé to you and your profession. Make it artistic and colorful if you’re in the arts, make it innovative and dynamic if you’re interested in the business field, and so on. Always keep your résumé updated and always save your résumé as a PDF.

That way employers can quickly check out your résumé without the hassle of downloads, slow internet, etc. Don’t forget to input any keywords that are relevant to the position you’re applying for. Did you know more than half of candidates are eliminated from the online job search by applicant tracking systems? This is due to a lack of relevancy between your résumé and the job description.

Canva is a great tool to use to reformat your résumé. The website provides you with a variety of templates to choose from, allowing you to utilize all the space on the page, and provides fonts, colors, and pictures to fit properly onto your résumé. Take your time while creating it, have friends and coworkers look it over for basic editing and readability purposes. 

Secure recommendation letters.

Before you start providing various forms of information to a possible future employer, make sure you’ve solidified a couple of recommendation letters. Reach out to previous supervisors and mentors and update them on your career endeavors and what types of jobs you’re applying for. Don’t forget to grab a current email and phone number for each person, so the employer can contact them if need be.

Not all applications ask for recommendation letters, but I’ve found them helpful throughout the interview process. If you’re on a second or third interview, it might be beneficial to pass your letters along to whoever you’ve been conversing with to give yourself a little boost in the hiring process. Any material that highlights your professional work in a positive light can only help you along in the job hunt.

Implement some of these tips right away and get started on finding your dream job. If you’re creative and looking to dive into the marketing/advertising world, check out some job listings here.

About the Author: Abbey Adams currently works at an enterprise SEO marketing company while also maintaining her music blog blondieandthebeat.com) of six years. Throughout her time as a freelance writer for a women’s magazine, she’s learned to share every story and always try to empower as many women as possible. You can usually find her typing in bed binging “Sex and the City” (for the 10th time) or at the gym sweating out her anxiety on the stairclimber. 

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This story was originally published on September 19, 2019, and has since been updated.

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3 Signs It’s Time to Take Something Off of Your Résumé

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When I hosted a mentor session for Create & Cultivate Insiders, I got a lot of questions about résumé format and career path, but one question that stood out to me was, “When is it time to take something off of your résumé?” This is a great question because the answer depends on your experience and the goal of your résumé.

With that said, there are a few guidelines you should follow to help you see the signs that it’s time to take something off of your résumé. A common misconception is that you should include your whole career path on your résumé. While this is true for some people, most people should include some adjusted versions of their career path on their résumé.

Today, I want to discuss when to take something off of your résumé.

Take it off if… It doesn’t serve a purpose.

If you’re pondering the question, “When is it time to take something off of your résumé?” consider the fact that you only have a set amount of space to craft the perfect snapshot of your career. Everything on your résumé should serve a purpose.

• Is an experience listed on your résumé to camouflage an employment gap?

• Is an experience listed on your résumé to highlight your experience in a particular field or specialty?

• Is an experience listed on your résumé because you want to show that you have experience in a specific role?

• Is an experience listed on your résumé because the company name holds influential power?

Every piece of information included should serve a purpose. If it does not, it’s time to remove it from your résumé.

Take it off if… It was in a different lifetime.

Depending on the person and situation, I typically recommend including about 10-20 years of experience on a résumé. Including information that’s older than that is often not worth it. There are exceptions to this if the experience serves a purpose, (i.e. it shows a notable company, client, or role), however, most of the time you don’t need to go back that far.

If you have a lot of great experience that was a few decades ago, you can save those anecdotes to use during your interview.

“If it doesn’t serve a purpose—or was from a different lifetime—it’s probably time to take it off.”

—Michele Lando, founder of Write Styles

Take it off if… It makes you seem less experienced or too experienced.

Some experiences may have been very valuable and may have even been a turning point in your life/career, but they might work against you. Great examples of experiences that are important but not important for your résumé when you have an established career are college classes or internships. Note that these are not important to include if you have an established career.

If you are currently in school or just out of school searching for your first job, college classes or class projects are a great way to bolster your résumé and highlight your industry knowledge. However, if you do have an established career, they will often make you appear less experienced.

Unless you’re currently in college or recently graduated (looking for your first job out of college) there is no need to include information about the classes you took in school. Once you’ve made it past your first or second entry-level job, employers care more about what you’ve accomplished at work than what you learned in a classroom. Education is important, but on-the-job experience always takes precedence.

On that same note, it’s important to consider if a role makes you appear too experienced for the position you’re applying to. If you’re trying to shift careers or maybe take a lower-level position because of location, it’s important to be conscious of what information can make you appear too experienced for the job. If a potential employer feels that you’re overqualified for the job, they may fear that you’ll get bored easily which could equate to you inadequately completing required tasks or leaving a role quickly which would increase turnover.

Ultimately, every piece of information you include on your résumé should serve a purpose. It may be tempting to include everything to show your entire career path and/or versatility, but it’s important to consider the question of when is it time to take something off of your résumé. If it doesn’t serve a purpose or was from a different lifetime, it’s probably time to take it off.

About the Author: Michele Lando is a certified professional résumé writer, personal branding expert, and founder of Write Styles. She has a passion for helping others present the best version of themselves both on paper and in person, and works to polish individuals' application package and personal style. Aiming to help create a perfect personal branding package, Write Styles provides resources to enhance your résumé, professional appearance, and boost your confidence. Michele strives to help others gain the confidence to put their best foot forward in a personal and professional light.

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This story was originally published on October 30, 2019, and has since been updated.

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3 Steps to Finding Your Voice in the Fight for Equity at Work

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People outside of a community experiencing injustice can have a hard time becoming allies (and can never imagine being accomplices) because they often feel they don’t know where they fit when it comes to the fight for workplace equity. And the discomfort of not knowing or finding their place causes them to opt-out and say nothing. 

When you’re in a workplace where your race, gender identity, ability, or a combination thereof aren’t represented in power, having the option to opt-out is a privilege you don’t get.

For those who do get the option, you create a bigger problem when you take it because now you’re putting the onus on the people who already don’t have access or power in a space to reshape it. 

So now we’re here. That super fun place where the people experiencing injustice are held responsible for fixing systems of the workplace that are built against us.

How I’m gonna change it from outside the club? I can’t even get it in! Make it make sense.

As you’re finding your voice, the most crucial piece of your role here is employing your influence to break down constructs that are hurting other people. 

Remember: Progress isn’t made in a silo. 

If it were just people who made less than $15 an hour talking about the need for a minimum wage increase, then no one would be listening. The people with power; therefore can make the most noise in that fight, wouldn’t even get out of bed for $29k a year (the equivalent of $15/hr). 

You have influence. You just need to be willing to see what it is and employ it, which brings me to step one.

Step 1: Identify your sphere of influence.

What projects are you spending your time on throughout the week? Month? Year? Who are the people impacted by the decisions you make each day? This is your sphere of influence.

This can be your colleagues, your clients, or even their customers. Once you know who is impacted, then you can start to open your mind to being curious about the experiences of those people.

You can look at things as they are and say, Is someone not seeing themselves represented? Would someone feel actively pushed out? Is there someone’s story not being heard? Am I approaching a challenge the same way I always have or is there another lens to look at it through?

On the first episode of my podcast, “As It Should Be with Thamarrah Jones,” my guest Susie Berg shared that when her son came out to her as trans, she began to notice the unnecessary barriers that he experienced.

She started to apply this same kind of thinking at the camp where she is on the board. “I thought about kids who come from single-parent families. I thought about kids for whom that means divorce and kids for whom that meant the death of a parent,” she explained.

It’s a Jewish camp so she also thought about interfaith families, and because “kids are kids, I know that a kid who can’t eat dairy probably feels completely left out when there’s only ice cream. And a kid at 11 years old doesn’t see the difference between being left out because of that and being left out because they’re non-binary… for a kid that’s just being left out.”

Opening your mind to this kind of curiosity widens your view to really see all types of inequity and how your actions and inaction can be harmful to those around you.

In a more traditional workplace applying this kind of wider, more curious lens might look like applying those questions to things like:

• Diverse representation in market research surveys

• Diversified supplier and vendor selection

• Usability and accessibility of software

Step 2: Start with listening.

When you’re genuinely curious about other people’s experiences you feel inspired, motivated, or even honored when you’re given the opportunity to hear them talk about what they have seen, felt, and gone through. That’s the spirit I want you to walk with when you’re approaching any social issue too.

On Brene Brown’s podcast, “Dare to Lead,” a Black woman discussed being in a meeting where she presented the results of a project she's been leading for months. After the meeting, her boss asked how she felt, to which she responded feeling like the people in the room weren't even looking at her and asked all the questions to her white male colleagues in the room as opposed to her. Her boss told her that she was reading into things.

This is a common misstep (read: microaggression) I’ve seen from people when someone tells them their experience. 

The people not “in the culture” will explain to the people who are, why they’re misconstruing an experience to be something that it’s not. Or that they are taking something too far by calling for a specific set of actions from people in power in response to an injustice. 

This erases people's lived experiences.

If your instinct is to “keep the peace” by negating the experiences of the person telling you what's happening in front of their very eyes, why is that? What are you afraid of happening if you just believed them?

Your job is to listen, not direct what should and shouldn’t be someone’s response to an experience they’ve had. You have a voice, that doesn’t mean you have authority, but if you choose to, you have the power to make space for accountability.

Step 3: Recognize that if your intentions are genuine, then you would be willing to take risks.

Comfort tends to be prioritized over all else. Ultimately, the people whose comfort is of highest priority are the communities in your workplace who are represented in power. Typically, that means White, cis-gendered, and non-disabled.

The problem here is that when we prioritize comfort, nothing changes, because you are never asked to challenge your own power. 

This whole exercise of finding your voice is an exercise in introspection. You have to be willing to recognize that you’ve had blindspots and in filling them you have to be willing to make mistakes and be corrected.

You have to make peace with that fact. But understand this: The people who are on the other side of inequity, being hurt by it every day, start with less privilege, power, and support than you’ve ever had and are living full lives anyway, putting up this fight.

I heard someone say ally is spelled L.O.U.D, and I couldn’t agree more.

“You have influence. You just need to be willing to see what it is and employ it.”

—Thamarrah Jones, Brand Strategist and Host of “As It Should Be with Thamarrah Jones"

About the Author: Thamarrah Jones (she/her) is a brand strategist and host of the podcast “As It Should Be with Thamarrah Jones,” a show about refusing to accept inequity. Thamarrah interviews culture shakers and professional troublemakers in every industry to learn how they are using their skills to create a more equitable world. Every day she chooses to create a career steeped in purpose by working with companies driven by a mission to improve the lives of those they serve and the world in which we live. If you’re ready to challenge white supremacy and help recreate the world as it should be, follow her on LinkedIn and subscribe to her podcast.

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How to Network and Cultivate Relationships That Level Up Your Career

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The strength of your relationships is oftentimes the biggest indicator of your success because, the truth is, no one is successful alone. With a little reflection and strategy, you will find you have more resources available to you through your extended network than you ever imagined. The key to leveling up in your career is defining, building, and nurturing your community.

So how do you find your people and have these relationships constantly working for you? Here are some foundational elements to turn acquaintances into colleagues, and colleagues into your most trusted friends. The ultimate goal is to have people around you committed to ensuring you are consistently leveling up, and for you to have the opportunity to do the same for others.

Take Inventory of Your Relationships

The first step is to assess where your relationships currently are. Reflect on the strength of your network as related to your professional goals. What relationships do you need to build? Are there any you need to let go of that are holding you back? Don’t be afraid of asking for introductions to other people in your extended network.

By the way, if you are the smartest and most successful person in the room, you’re in the wrong room! Push yourself out of your comfort zone to get out to more events where you can level up into elevated circles of influence. It’s not sleazy or cheesy; it’s just a fact that greater access will guarantee greater success.

Get Clarity on Your Value Proposition

When you are trying to create, build and nurture relationships, your #1 focus should be on the value you provide to others. Once you have provided enough value to build a foundation of trust, only then should you begin asking for what you need. So, first things first, what do you provide that other people need? Is it something general, like positivity or kindness, or a special skill or knowledge? Can you make a helpful introduction for someone? Provide solutions for a problem they have? Make a personal recommendation on an inspiring book or life-changing vacation?

“Be yourself. Be vulnerable. Know your worth. ”

Make Meaningful Connections

There are a few keys to creating deeper connections. You will want to be genuinely interested in others and encourage people to talk about themselves. Any two people will have areas of similarity, whether it be a mutual favorite TV show or a favorite food; build on those and remain curious. Asking good, open-ended questions is a foundational element. You have something to learn from every person, so smile and give honest and authentic appreciation.

A sincere compliment goes a long way. The goal in this stage of connection is to deepen the conversation, create a bond, and leave with the other person thinking: I like that person. I enjoyed that brief interaction, and I’d be open to giving that person more of my time.

Ultimately, the best advice to create connections is the simplest: Be yourself. Be vulnerable. Know your worth. We are all drawn to authenticity. Your uniqueness is your greatest gift. So be true to yourself.


“If you are the smartest and most successful person in the room, you’re in the wrong room!”

Master Your CTA

This is where so many people get awkward and miss the mark, but there is no need for it to be that way. Without a call to action (CTA), your connection stalls. You will want to end every conversation with a CTA that is specific and measurable. Examples include: I’m going to message you tomorrow and get the name of the restaurant you recommended. Or, I’d love to know more about how you handle certain challenges in your job. Can I call your office next week and pick your brain?

You don’t want to be caught in that cycle of saying, “Let’s connect again soon.” This essentially means it’s not a priority for you. If this is a person who you want to build a relationship with, take the responsibility to be the one who provides the specific time frame and desired result of the next interaction.

Follow Up or Fail

Good follow-up alone will elevate you 90% above the average person. To solidify the connection, follow up when you said you would. Send a quick greeting within 24 hours. This is where the Power of 3 comes in: You need at least three different touchpoints to deepen a relationship. That means, for example, a follow-up email, a text message, and a coffee meeting.

Add them on LinkedIn and follow them on social media. It is now super easy to stay connected and remain engaged with other people’s lives. Use your DM’s to drop into people’s inboxes on a regular basis.

Ask for What You Need

You’ve now laid the foundation for a reciprocal relationship by identifying specific people who you want in your network. You’ve provided them immense value. You’ve followed up and stayed in contact. Now is the fun part—asking for something you need. It shouldn’t be that difficult once you have established trust. People generally love to help others. But they can’t offer assistance if they don’t know what you need.

Be specific, be grateful, and offer a “no pressure ask.” This means it’s okay if they say no. Not everyone will be helpful to you. Continue offering value, building your extended network, and being of service to others, and you will eventually get exactly what you need and more.

BONUS! Engaging Conversation Deepeners

How did you get started?


What do you enjoy the most?


What are the challenges of your work?


What do you love to do when you’re not working?

That’s amazing; tell me more.

About the author: After more than a decade producing events for high-profile and celebrity clients at powerhouse companies such as Creative Artists Agency and UCLA Anderson School of Management, Megan Accardo left her corporate career to help women navigate theirs. Prior to that, she earned her master’s degree in marital and family therapy (MFT) and ran her own counseling practice, implementing various programs and groups for women. Now, she is providing high-achieving women with the tools they need to reach a greater purpose and live a more impactful life. You can find her weekly on the Power Your Purpose podcast, at her dynamic workshops around Los Angeles, and inside her signature, one-on-one coaching program, From Stuck to Unstoppable. You can find her at @meganaccardo or meganaccardo.com.

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This story was originally published on October 15, 2019, and has since been updated.

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You Need to Ditch This If You Want to Be a Better Leader—Here's How

Photo: Create & Cultivate

Millennials are not only taking over the workforce, they’re quickly stepping into more and more leadership roles. In fact, a 2017 study found that the millennial leadership trajectory is as follows:

• 2.6 years: Entry-level to mid-level

• 5.3 years: Higher mid-level to senior

• 6.9 years: Senior level to c-suite

• 8.4 years: C-suite to CEO

More millennials are moving into leadership roles where they can finally execute on visionary ideas and implement change that they wished those who came before them would. Despite the value millennials bring to the workforce, we’re all a work in progress, and becoming a better leader is necessary for many of the millennials who are new to the role. 

Keep these ideas in mind as you grow into your leadership position, which bodes well for your career and the organization. You may find that you garner greater respect and get more done as you learn and develop the skills necessary to manage an organization.  Read on to find out what you need to do (and ditch) to become a better leader.

Let Go of Fears

Be better: Stop second-guessing yourself.

Fear of personal failure was the number one fear in a 2016 poll of Americans. And for millennials, this fear is often masked as “imposter syndrome.” Imposter syndrome can be defined as the feeling of being inadequate, despite continued success. A whopping 70% of millennials experience this, in both work and life, but why?

“Millennials might feel impostor syndrome more as they’ve entered the workforce at a time of outrageous technological advancements and constant comparison on social media,” says Breena Kerr of The Hustle.

She continues, “Technology is growing so fast that most of us are learning something new on almost every project we work on. And that can make you feel like you don’t have the expertise you should.”

To be a better millennial leader, you must ditch the fear and find confidence in what you do, and channel that when managing employees and making decisions. Trust your intuition and your skills—this is a requirement for leaders who want to see growth and success in their position. 

Strategize Effectively

Be better: Find solutions that are effective—not just fast or easy.

A McKinsey and Company study of 80 organizations around the world, of varying sizes and industries, found that effectiveness was one of the top four attributes of a great leader.  

When you focus on being effective, rather than making decisions or problem solving based on what’s easiest or fastest, you become a stronger leader. “Often leaders assume that as long as they have ideas, a vision, and a sense of purpose, that will be enough to lead the way forward,” says David Grossman, CEO of Grossman Group. “If only it were that easy. In truth, good leaders know the importance of planning and clearly spelling out the path ahead.”

Find the best brainstorming style for you and use that to flesh out ideas fully and effectively. A simple pros and cons list may be all you need to shake out the best solutions.

Communicate

Be better: Be authoritative and flexible.

Being a leader requires great communication skills, which can be challenging for some millennials. “The real reason millennial leaders struggle to communicate doesn’t lie in their ability to have reasoned, productive exchanges with other people,” explains Kimberly Fries, a millennial communication and leadership coach. “Instead, it lies in their circumstance, the very style of their leadership, and their personality.”

She breaks it down further, explaining that this struggle with communication comes down to three things:

• Their disposition to be diplomatic and non-confrontational

  • Differences in generational preferences with communication

• A credibility problem

To combat these innate issues, focus on communicating clearly and effectively while embracing the strengths of your employees and maintaining your authority. Be flexible and willing to adapt communication skills as employees need, especially when working with a mixed generational team. For example, some employees will do better with emails and chat, while others need more in-person time; adjust for both to be a better millennial leader.

Be Authentic

Be better: Listen attentively.

In a world filled with social media, where we’re surrounded by the perception of who someone is, it’s easy to be inauthentic. Especially in a role of authority, where you want to command the respect that a leadership role commands. Yet, authenticity is critical in business. 

When you’re hyper-focused on the image you’re portraying to others, it’s hard to build true and lasting relationships that you need to be successful in business—relationships with mentors, financial advisors, and most importantly, with employees:

“Authenticity—both in business and in networking—is important for establishing reciprocal relationships with others,” says Ted Rollins, entrepreneur and founder of Valeo Groupe. “Long-term, rewarding professional partnerships don’t begin with a selfish attitude.”

When you listen and remain authentic in both your decision-making and interactions with others, you’ll be better at driving the ship. 

Start Leading

Keep these ideas in mind as you grow into your role and take steps in your career. Authenticity, effectiveness, communication, and confidence are all critical for all high-level roles—both getting and keeping them. When you work toward becoming a better leader, you boost both your career and your position within your current role. 

About the Author: Jessica Thiefels has been writing for more than 10 years and is currently a full-time writer, content marketing consultant, and business owner. She’s been featured in Forbes and Business Insider and has written for Manta, StartupNation, Glassdoor, Lifehack, and more. Follow her on Twitter @Jlsander07 and connect on LinkedIn.

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This story was published on August 29, 2017, and has since been updated.

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Your Complete Checklist to Writing a Résumé From Scratch

Photo: ColorJoy Stock by Christina Jones Photography

Writing a résumé is hard, and it’s often something that’s not taught in school, so consider this your crash course in how to write a résumé that will land you the job.

Now, first things first. Before you start listing your qualifications, it’s important to know what you want to gain from your résumé. What are you going to use it for? Will you be applying to higher education programs, internships, or jobs? If you’re already in the workforce, do you want to stay on the same career path or do you want to transition into something different?

Your résumé will differ greatly depending on your answers to these questions, so it’s crucial to go through this exercise before getting started. Next, you’ll want to gather your information. So let’s get started.

Contact Information

When you’re figuring out what information to include on a résumé, start with the basics. You should always create a header with your contact information. Make sure you include the following:

• Phone number

• Email address

• Location (Just include your city and state; no need to write down your exact address.)

• Website if applicable (Note this is NOT your LinkedIn profile. If you’re using LinkedIn correctly, you will be easily searchable, so there’s no need to include the direct link on your résumé.)

Headlining Statement

A headlining statement is a crucial part of a résumé. It takes the place of what once was an “objective” but is much more effective. Think of a headlining statement as a snapshot of your career. It’s a quick two to three sentence maximum statement about who you are, what you do, and what value you bring as a candidate.

Skills Matrix

Putting your skills toward the top of the document immediately increases the effectiveness of your résumé. Recruiters look at a résumé for approximately six seconds. That means you have mere moments to show that you are qualified and demonstrate what you bring to the table. When you put your skills matrix towards the top, this shows the reader exactly what you have to offer and highlights that you are qualified for the position right off the bat.

The faster you can grab someone’s attention and persuade them you’re the right candidate for the position, the more likely you’ll be to get past the initial influx of applicants.

Employment Information

Depending on what stage you’re at in your career, you might not have traditional employment information. If you do have traditional work experience, gather your dates of employment, (month and year) job description, projects you worked on, and any additional information you can include like how many people you managed.

If you are in school or are just starting out in your career, you’ll want to include volunteer work and/or internship information. If you need to add even more relevant industry experience, include information about relevant school projects you worked on. This will help highlight your ability to work on a given project under constraints and will help highlight your relevant industry knowledge.

If you are listing class projects on your résumé, use the school name in place of the company name, and include something along the lines of “[Class Title] Project Manager,” “Student Project Manager,” or “[Class Title] Student” in place of a job title.

Specific Metrics and Achievements for Each Role

The key to a great résumé is highlighting exactly what you’ve achieved and what you can bring to a new role. This is not the place to include a general job description that can be used for anyone with that job title. Include specific information about what you did, how many people you worked with or managed, projects you worked on, and project results to ensure that your résumé immediately reflects your achievements and what you can bring to the table.

Anyone can say that they’re great at their job, but very few people can actually show it. When you’re noting your achievements, think about how you can quantify what you’ve done.

Education Information

Unless it is your highest level of education or you are in your first year of college, do not include information about your high school diploma. Similarly, there is no need to include GPA unless you’re currently in school and have a very high GPA (3.8 or above).

When it comes to listing education, start with the highest level of education at the top and list backward from there. For example:

PhD information
Master’s information
Bachelor’s information
High School information

Unless you are currently in school or are in a profession where your degree is a key factor, (i.e. medicine, law, etc.) your education should be listed at the bottom of your résumé. If you are in school or in one of the professions where your education is very important, your education will go towards the top under your skills list.

Certifications and Specialized Training

Including certifications and specialized training on your résumé make a huge difference in how impactful your document is. Even if you don’t have specific certifications but you’ve had internal training, taken an online course, or even just an online tutorial, include that on your résumé.

About the Author: Michele Lando is a certified professional résumé writer, personal branding expert, and founder of Write Styles. She has a passion for helping others present the best version of themselves both on paper and in person and works to polish individuals' application package and personal style. Aiming to help create a perfect personal branding package, Write Styles provides resources to enhance your résumé, professional appearance, and boost your confidence. Michele strives to help others gain the confidence to put their best foot forward in a personal and professional light.

This story was originally published on January 6, 2020, and has since been updated.

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3 Major Salary Negotiation Mistakes to Avoid (and What to Do Instead)

Photo: Smith House Photo

Negotiating, much like networking, is something we need to know how to do, yet it’s not a skill we are ever taught in school. But unlike networking, making a big mistake during a salary negotiation won’t just cost you a relationship, it may result in thousands of dollars being left on the table. So what exactly do you need to know when it comes to making the big ask? Here are the top three things to avoid doing in your next negotiation.

1. Getting Defensive

Let’s say you have taken on more responsibilities and put in way more overtime than your peers this past year. However, during your performance review, your boss informs you that you will only be getting the standard 3% raise due to budget constraints.  

In the heat of the moment, your heart rate will naturally jump through the roof in frustration.

What to do instead:

Instead of snapping back with how unfair this is, take a nice deep breath and allow for silence. Slowing the conversation down rather than jumping into a response will create space for you to be thoughtful in your answer rather than reactive.

2. Giving In Too Quickly

Now that you’ve given yourself a moment to breathe, you can start to prepare your response. While it’s natural to worry about what will happen if you ask for more, don’t let the fear of rejection keep you from getting what you deserve.

I’m here to tell you that negotiation is a normal and expected part of working. While your boss may secretly be hoping you don’t push back, they won’t become offended when you do (and if they do, it may be an important red flag to take note of).

What to do instead:

Instead of quickly giving in, restate your value and get their buy-in. For example, “I understand that constraints in the budget must be difficult. However, the amount of hours and effort I have been putting in for the company goes well beyond the standard expectations and performance, wouldn’t you say?”

3. Not Aiming High Enough

Lastly, when discussing pay, it’s natural to worry that if you go too high you will either offend the other party, lose the position, or come across as greedy.

However, you shouldn’t lower your expectations in order to come across as more agreeable.  By starting with a “safer” sounding number you are doing the work for them, and negotiating against yourself before the conversation has even begun.

What to do instead:

Focus on the facts and then aim high.

Do your research and get clear on a salary range that is both fair and reasonable. Next, instead of lowering your standards in order to come across as more agreeable, start at the top of the range.  

For the example above, if a 3 to 8% raise is reasonable, don’t lower your expectations to a safer sounding 5%. Instead, anchor high and say, “I was really hoping that given the results I’ve produced in the past year, that I would get at least an 8 percent increase. Do you think that’s something we could work toward?”

Interestingly enough, by anchoring higher, you actually give your boss the psychological feeling that they just got a “deal.” Let them feel the sweet pleasure of a deal, while you allow yourself the sweet reward of a higher paycheck!

So, in conclusion…

Negotiating doesn’t have to be scary or hard. No one will advocate for you in the same way you can advocate for yourself. You are in control of your financial well-being, and you know the value that you create. Now, share it with the world! And most importantly, share it with your boss when you ask for that next raise. This awkward and uncomfortable situation will only last a few minutes, and it may result in thousands of more dollars in your bank account.

“You shouldn’t lower your expectations in order to come across as more agreeable.”

—Kathlyn Hart, Financial Empowerment Coach

About the author: Kathlyn Hart is a financial empowerment coach and a motivational speaker who supports ambitious women earn more. Her salary negotiation boot camp “Be Brave Get Paid,” which teaches women how to confidently own their worth and ask for more, has helped women increase their income by an average of $15,000.  In addition, she is the host of The Kathlyn Hart Show, where she interviews entrepreneurial women about their journey from dreaming to doing.

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This post was originally published on March 26, 2019, and has since been updated.

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You Made a Mistake at Work, Now What?

Photo: Christina Jones Photography

We've all been there. That moment when you realize you've made a huge mistake and get that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. 

Everyone makes mistakes. It's human nature. what matters isn’t that you made a mistake, but how you handle it. If you are perpetually making errors because of a lack of attention to detail or carelessness, that is a separate issue that should be addressed. However, making a rare mistake is totally normal as long as you handle it properly. What does that mean?

Handling a mistake properly means taking the high road, taking responsibility, and making the situation right. Below is a list of steps to take to ensure that you handle your mistake professionally and with poise.

You made a mistake, now what?

TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY

The moment you realize that you've made a mistake is the moment you need to take action. Sitting around and dwelling on your error won't make it better, and depending on what the mistake is, moving slowly could make it worse.

In some instances, taking immediate action could actually help you reverse the mistake. For instance, if you realize that you just sent something to print with a typo in it, call the printing press or whoever is in charge and explain the situation immediately. If you get to the right people in time, you may be able to stop the problem before it starts and get them the correct information before anything gets printed incorrectly.

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ERRORS AND FESS UP TO THEM 

There's nothing worse than a person who won't take responsibility for their error and instead tries to place blame on someone else. When you don’t take responsibility and try to blame the problem on others, it becomes a bigger deal, involves others, and can turn into an office-wide issue.

If you handle your mistake appropriately, you will often be recognized for your quick thinking and your ability to jump on a situation. In this case, the mistake could end up working in your favor in the long run. Most people understand that mistakes happen, so they pay more attention to the aftermath than the mistake itself. Make your mitigation process memorable, and people will remember how you remedied the situation instead of created it.

WORK QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY

It’s important to get things sorted out as soon as possible, but if you're not working strategically and efficiently, it's not worth it. No one will care that you're working fast to remedy the situation if your fast work is riddled with errors and carelessness. Quality trumps everything in business, so make sure that your work is efficient and free of errors, especially when you’re trying to fix a mistake that you made. 

This is the moment to make sure your next steps are near perfect. That means triple-checking the information you’re putting out and taking note of everything you do. Document your process so you have it on file should it ever come out in the future. That way, if someone does question the mistake you made, you can easily outline the process you took to fix it.

MAKE NOTE OF WHAT WENT WRONG AND TAKE PRECAUTIONS SO IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN

Part of making mistakes is learning from them, so it’s important that you assess the situation to figure out exactly what went wrong. After you’ve taken care of all of the cleanup and have gotten everything smoothed out, take a few minutes to reflect on what happened. Go through the steps in your head to see what went wrong, where it went wrong, and note how to combat this in the future. 

MOVE ON

Take a deep breath and move on. Once you’ve cleaned up the aftermath there is nothing else you can do. Try not to dwell on it, and do your best to move forward. This may be easier said than done, but it’s the truth. Take the high road, take responsibility, work efficiently, document your work, and make sure you don’t make the same mistake twice. After you’ve done this, you’ve done your part. Once it’s over and done, let it go. You’ll live longer.

About the Author: A native San Franciscan, Michele Lando is a certified professional résumé writer and founder of writestylesonline.com. She has a passion for helping others present the best version of themselves, both on paper and in person, and works to polish an individual’s application package and personal style. Aiming to help create a perfect personal branding package, Write Styles presents tips to enhance your résumé, style, and boost your confidence.

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This story was originally published on August 17, 2016, and has since been updated.

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Find Your Fire: How to Trust Your Gut and Let Your Instincts Lead the Way

It starts off as a faint feeling deep down in your belly. You acknowledge it’s there but you don’t listen, putting it off as butterflies or as a mild case of nerves so you ignore it. But it comes back and this time it’s stronger, deeper, and it rumbles, vibrating through your body. This is your intuition trying to speak to you, signaling that something needs your attention and it won’t go away until it gets its way.

Have you ever experienced this? We all have, whether we recognize it or not. Terri Broussard Williams knows that feeling well and she wants you to trust it too. It’s what led her to write her new book, Find Your Fire —a tome of powerful stories and no-nonsense advice from extraordinary changemakers on a mission to create social good. The groundbreaking lobbyist (and the voice of the popular MovementMakerCollective blog) hopes that the book will kindle more #Firestarters—aspiring politicians, activists, nonprofit professionals, social entrepreneurs, visionaries, and movement makers—to trust their gut and turn their vision for their own movement into a reality.

“The world is ripe for Movement Makers,” she tells Create & Cultivate. “If you feel a calling to help lead change for your community, just jump. Without people who are willing to lead, so much of what we love about the world today is at risk. Even with the obstacles that we face, I remain hopeful. I know that there are Movement Makers ready for the task at hand. I’m honored to be among their ranks.”

Read on to hear more about how this author trusted her own gut to write a book about it and then keep scrolling to read an exclusive chapter from Find Your Fire.

On the process of writing a book….

The process of writing the book was very different than I expected. I went back and forth on whether I wanted to self-publish or traditionally publish. So I interviewed women that had done both—two women that self-published and two that traditionally published. 

I wanted to write my book for two reasons. One, to simply inspire and to let people see that they could actually create movements. The second is I want to establish myself. I worked for 16 years at a large organization and created a lot of best practices while I was there. However, people still coupled those ideas, and the execution of those ideas, with the organization, when they were mine. So I wanted to really exhibit what I knew and establish myself as a thought leader that could stand on her own two feet outside of my organization. 

When I decided to self-publish, it was a priority to work with as many women as possible. So my entire team was women—with the exception of one, my book coach, Scott. But he was locally based. So I was still contributing to my local economy. Everyone from the cover designer to the editor to the person that helped me write, some of it were women. It was a magical experience. 

The book took longer than I thought it would. Everyone said that it would take one to two years from idea to being published, but I thought that because I was self-publishing that it would happen faster. I work really quickly, but what I did not fully account for was just life. I had a concussion during the process. I started graduate school. I switched jobs. Thankfully, everyone on the team was really helpful in telling me that I could do it or in helping me get things done when I didn't have the energy or the bandwidth. 

It’s really important that you build a team that will help you through the process. Even if you're self-publishing, invest in that team, because they will become your family and they will make or break the project. For example, I did not want to make the last round of edits to adjust the font size. It would delay my project for two more weeks, as well as cost a substantial amount of money. And someone on my team was like, "Suck it up, buttercup. Spend the money and you will be happier with the product at the end." They were absolutely right. 

A book is a huge investment of time and money. You don’t want to waste either of those things. I would encourage authors to think about their book as part of a three-legged stool while writing. Each leg of the stool: 1) brand, 2) lead magnet, 3) brand mission should help you accomplish both your personal and professional goals. I did this throughout the book writing process and it led to new and bold ideas. 

On the biggest challenge and the greatest joy in writing this book… 

The biggest challenge was really opening up. I cried while writing the acknowledgments. The first time I wrote them, they just weren't enough. My team pushed me to dig deeper while writing. I’m always an open book while blogging but when I began writing my book I found that my default was set to safe. It took a while to rewrite them. And now I cry every time I read them because they capture the spirit of my soul. 

Another challenge I had to overcome was questioning why was I the person to tell this story—and in a book. We see people with books as authorities. But sometimes you might not even stop to think that you are an expert. For so long, I was watching other people implement my ideas and say that they were their own that I forgot that power in me. I forgot that I am the expert. So that is the greatest joy: These are my thoughts. These are my ideas. It's a book that was born from my head and my heart. And I can't wait to hear people's thoughts as they read it. 

On the message she hopes to convey to readers…

You do not need a pedigree to start a movement. You do not need a pedigree to become a lobbyist. You do not need to come from money to achieve your dreams. Anyone can do these things. Hopefully, by introducing them to changemakers who have done the work and then me explaining how to use the Firestarter Formula, people will begin to say "Yes, I can do it." And they'll raise their hand and say, "If not me, then who?" 

On the biggest takeaway…

That they actually put the ideas of the book into practice. That they're not afraid to fail forward and fast. I hope they have the faith every day to believe that is something that is achievable and the fortitude to push through, to get it done. And lastly, leaders turn moments into movements. 

On advice for new authors…

Use your Spidey senses. Trust your gut. Your instinct will lead you along the way. I like to do everything with good intentions, a good heart and good work ethic. And putting out that vibe and those sentiments into the universe made them come true. 

People that don't respond to your email in a timely manner, as you would? They are not your people. If you meet someone face to face and you don't feel them? They are not your people. 

I did originally work with someone that did not share my same core values. We did not have the same spirit and many times I felt they were dishonest. And so I had to end that relationship. It set me back a good three months. But it was the right thing to do. Don’t be afraid to move on when that happens as it is more important to stay true to your project and its mission. 

---

The below passage is an exclusive excerpt from Terri Broussard Williams’ new book, Find Your Fire, available now.

The Activist: Angie Provost ‘We belong to the land here’

A Firestarter’s Beginnings

Angie Provost's movement is one that hits close to home for me. Really close: Angie and I are cousins, twice removed on my mother’s side. Like me, Angie was born in Louisiana. But her path took her to Texas sooner than mine did. She moved from Lafayette to Houston with her family when she was 3. As young, single twenty-somethings, we always told Angie that she would grow old in Louisiana. We knew she was destined to marry a Louisiana man.

While she grew up in a big city, it never felt like a fit for her. Angie always considered the Bayou State to be home. "We belong to the land here," she says.

She spent summers there on her grandfather's farm. And she returned to Louisiana when she became engaged to her now-husband, June Provost. June's family has a long history of sugar cane farming, just as hers did. But her grandparents were forced out of farming around the civil rights movement era of the mid-20th century.

"When I met June, I found it so fascinating that his family was still upholding that legacy," Angie says. "I became really involved in studying what he was doing."

The more she learned, the more she felt drawn toward becoming an entrepreneur and being connected to the land, just as June was. She even created her own farm.

Finding Her Fire

But even as Angie and June worked to uphold their families' legacy in agriculture, others were working just as hard to tear it down.

"We really started experiencing some harsh reprisals and harassment," Angie says. They also had to fight back against institutions. They filed a lawsuit alleging unfair treatment by their bank and another suit against a prominent local mill for breach of contract.

All of this took a heavy toll on them. June and Angie's home was foreclosed on in September 2018. Angie knew that they were hardly first farmers of color to go through an ordeal like this. Such treatment had driven her grandparents and many others from their land.

"You love Louisiana, you love the small town, you love the people in it," she says. "But there's very little opportunity and equitable relief if you are a person of color trying to advance your portfolio or your livelihood."

Amid everything going on, the Provosts were approached with an opportunity that they knew could do good but that was still pretty daunting to consider. A writer who had found out about them through Farm Aid, Center for Community Change and the Economic Hardship Reporting Project asked them to tell their story for an article in The Guardian, a British daily newspaper with a strong international readership.

"We were afraid to speak up and say what was going on with us," Angie says. They felt victimized, violated, and vulnerable, and that was hard to talk about. But they trusted the writer, Debbie Weingarten, and decided to move forward.

The extensive story in The Guardian in October 2018 details the Provosts' long nightmare: Vandalized equipment. Surveillance. Dead cats left on a tractor. This will all sound familiar to fans of the TV show "Queen Sugar," which is about a sugarcane farming family. (It's based on a novel by Natalie Baszile, who has become a friend of the Provost family.) But the mistreatment of the Provosts has actually been worse than what was portrayed on the show, Angie says.

After the article appeared, they were nervous. "We didn't know what the response would be," Angie says. But while there have been ups and downs, the article has led to many blessings for them.

"There are people out there that there are progressive voices,"' Angie says. "There are those who support change and know that change is for the better for everyone."

After the article, she and June became more active with groups such as National Family Farm Coalition, National Black Growers Council, and Farm Aid. And they created Provost Farm LLC, with the two of them as co-owners.

"The mission of that business is to preserve and advocate for the legacy of African-American sugarcane farmers and black farmers in general," Angie says. "We want people to be aware that, as African Americans, we own less than 1% of rural land in the U.S. It is steadily declining; it's been declining since Reconstruction."

Angie draws on deep knowledge of history to put their movement into a larger context. They want to raise awareness of the links that black rural land ownership has to other issues, including criminal justice reform, food equity, voter suppression, and redlining.

As they've grown their moment, they've had more opportunities to share their story. The Provosts were even featured in The 1619 Project, a major initiative by The New York Times to explore the history and consequences of slavery.

“Participating in The 1619 Project was an honor,” Angie says. “June and I believe our voice to be echoes of our ancestors — as if they spoke through us. Their triumphs and defeats, but most of all their strength. I think what (journalist) Nikole Hannah-Jones has accomplished with The

New York Times is equivalent to the tales my grandmother told me as a young adult about our family history: the tales that pull you in, paint a picture, and change your life.”

Besides fighting for their own livelihood, Angie and June are using their visibility to bring together other black and indigenous farmers in Louisiana and strengthen their sense of community. They're heartened by the other farmers who are speaking up, too — "the sugarcane farmers of the past who want platforms but have lost them."

Spreading Her Spark

Angie knows that she and June are taking on a lot, but that's because they know we're at a critical juncture. "We're in a time where we could either go backward or we could move forward," Angie says.

One way the Provosts are moving forward is by training with the Propeller accelerator program. This a New Orleans-based nonprofit supports entrepreneurs who are taking on social and environmental disparities. Propeller found out about the Provosts from The Guardian article and reached out to them to participate. Their lead mentor is Richard McCarthy, creator of Crescent City Farmers Market and former director of Slow Food USA.

Angie and June see something that others have ignored: a need to tell the story of black farmers in Louisiana in the form of a museum. Propeller is helping Angie and June with plans for a nonprofit that would include a museum or memorial to black farmers. The biggest challenge is securing funding. Angie also envisions an educational center where schoolchildren and others could come and learn more about farming. That’s the kind of field trip that I wish I could have taken as a young child. My father’s family is from the area Angie and June call home, yet I have never walked the fields that June so often mentions.

"We need to start educating more about rural life and the benefits of maintaining that rural life," she says. That connection with our rural history is vital.

"If you strip someone of their legacy and their history, if you don't educate a community on how that township or area was developed, you're leaving an entire group of people in an insecure position," Angie says. "And that community becomes vulnerable to oppressive tactics."

She knows that there are people who will say "I didn't own slaves" or "I wasn't a slave" and question why we still need to talk about all of this.

"I believe that not talking about your past is a form of insecurity," Angie says. For our future, we must learn from the past and make a better way.

Another way to build a better future is changing laws and policies that hamper farmers of color, Angie says. For example, right now there are too many roadblocks to accessing USDA programs.

"I think these are our right to be a part of," as families who have owned farms for generations, she says. After all, it was people like their ancestors who "taught Europeans how to farm these tropical crops," she points out.

She'd also like to see more actions by groups like the Urban League and NAACP. "Within our own organizations, we're missing that rural link," she says.

You can help Angie work for change. "Especially if you live in a rural community, you can you can write to your USDA county committeeman or to your city councilperson," she says. "Ask them what are they doing about farm equity and land loss prevention for people of color." If you can donate money, Angie recommends Farm Aid, which "does a lot for helping the working-class farmer," as well as the National Black Growers Council. You can find a list of other organizations to get involved in at www.provostfarmllc.com.

If you are an African American Millennial or Gen Zer who has rural roots but is living in a big city right now, you could have a vital role to play in Angie's movement. "If your parents own land, if your grandparents own land, make sure that it stays within the family — that you uphold that property," she says. Remember, too, that farming can be a lucrative business. "The reason why it's so difficult for us is because there are so few of us out there." More African Americans becoming active in agriculture equals more strength in numbers.

Although the retaliation and harassment continue, Angie and June are committed to their work because they know they're making a difference.

"I don't want to give the impression that Louisiana is the really despicable state that's not worth living in," she says. It's just that "A lot of us have moved away and the resources aren't here. Let's bring that back. Let's educate people. Let's reform. Because it's a beautiful place. It's a magical place."

The resolve she shows is in her DNA. "That comes from my grandmother's side of the family," Angie says. "They are some pretty feisty women. We come from a very strong stock of African and Native American heritage. We have a pretty long history, and one of the things that my grandmother, my great-aunt, my great-grandmother have always instilled in us is pride for our legacy and history."

She knows the stories of the women before her, the difficulties they faced, and how they overcame them. She was taught not to be ashamed of facing difficulties but rather to "always move forward and make a way," Angie says. "Those are the things that they instilled in us: a really strong value of family and knowing your past to inform your future."

Ignite Your Own Fire

What can you take away from Angie's story to catalyze your own movement?

Know where you come from Angie and I both find inspiration in our family history. If you don't know the stories of the people who came before you, now is a great time to ask parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins to share their recollections with you. Interview them about how they grew up and the changes they’ve seen. Don’t forget to record those conversations: You’ll be forever grateful for that oral history. Whatever you learn from them will shed light on who you are and your unique gifts as a #Firestarter.

Understand your movement's past Along the same lines, educate yourself about the history of your movement. Part of what sustains Angie is knowing that she's part of something bigger. And, no matter what your movement is, so are you. What have others accomplished before you? How can you build on what they've done and honor their legacy?

There's strength in your story Telling her story in the media has changed Angie's life and advanced her movement. This can feel like a big step, but Angie urges you not to shy away from it if the opportunity arises. "Everyone who tells their story should live in their truth," she says. "Give a real representation to whatever you are trying to change, whatever you are trying to maintain."

Before you get in front of the mic there are a couple of things Angie wants you to consider: Just make sure the media outlet or any other source you work with is trustworthy and makes you feel comfortable. You also need a community of support around you during what can feel like a vulnerable time.

If you're having trouble mustering the courage to do an interview or share your story in another way (like writing a blog post), remember that you'll be helping others by doing so.

"When you are a truth teller, when you are a peace speaker, you will find that there are so many people out there that have been waiting to hear your voice," Angie says. "Every single one of us has something to tell. That's why we're here on Earth as human beings. We're here to share our experience and empathize with one another."

Find Your Fire

by Terri Broussard Williams

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Book cover art by Jen Pace Duran.

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4 Times You’re Allowed to Say No at Work

Photo: Christina Morillo from Pexels

FOMO (fear of missing out) is real, and it happens in both our work and personal lives. Because of the fear of missing an opportunity in your career, it’s easy to find yourself on the “yes” train, only to feel overexerted and spread too thin. While taking advantage of opportunities that can help your career is great, it’s important to realize when saying no is in your best interest. Here are four times you’re allowed to say “no” at work.

1. When your calendar is already crammed.

When your schedule is jam-packed, saying no is probably the way to go. While you may be able to fit in a quick meeting or take on one extra project, it’s important to assess the obligations you’ve already committed to before saying yes to something else. Would taking on this extra task take a lot of time? How much would it cut into your current projects?

If saying yes to a new opportunity would hinder your ability to complete tasks you’ve already committed to, just say no. This can be hard, especially if you’re a people pleaser, but at the end of the day, taking on more is not always better. Instead, focus on putting your best foot forward on your current commitments.

2. When you’d be covering for someone else who’s always slacking.

Are you constantly covering for a coworker who can’t seem to be bothered to lift a finger? When your boss recognizes you for your ability to pick up the pieces, it can be hard to put an end to things—but there’s a point when it’s not worth it.

If you continually cover for someone or finish the work that they were supposed to, you’re showing that person that, A) you don’t mind that they’re slacking, and B) they can continue to slack off because you will finish what they don’t. In this case, you’re doing yourself and the other person a disservice. Try talking to them directly, and if that doesn’t work, discuss the situation with your boss. Point out that you’re taking on someone else’s role and it’s impeding on your ability to get your own work completed to your standards.

Try approaching the subject like this:

“I’ve been doing x, y, and z to help [Name], but it’s getting difficult to get everything done to my standards. I’m happy to help, but it seems to be more of an ongoing issue than a one-off situation, and I don’t want it to affect responsibilities I’ve already committed to. Is there a better way we can delegate responsibilities or create more accountability as a team?”

3. When it’s a last-minute request and you already have other obligations.

We’ve all had that last-minute work request that makes our stomach sink, whether it’s an after-hours event or a last-minute meeting. Sometimes, you just suck it up and deal with it (yes, it’s part of being an adult), but it’s okay to say no if it will impede on other obligations.

If you’ve already made other commitments, explain the situation. Show that you would like to make it work but it’s not an option since it’s last-minute. You can say something like this:

“Unfortunately, I’m not able to make that work because of the timing. I’ve already made another commitment I can’t cancel; however, I’m happy to work with you to figure out another time that works better.”

If your manager can’t appreciate that you’ve made commitments and you want to stick with them, you may not be in a work environment where you can thrive.

4. If it makes you uncomfortable (morally or physically).

This is simple: If something makes you uncomfortable, morally or physically, just say no.

If you feel like something isn’t right, trust your gut. You can always say “I’m not comfortable doing that,” or simply decline and say that you’re working on another project. Assessing the situation, your needs (both mental and physical), and how the request will affect you is essential to figuring out if the project is in your best interest.

If something makes you physically uncomfortable, get yourself out of that situation immediately, and contact someone of authority. Whether it’s HR or legal authorities, if there is misconduct in the workplace, use your voice, and be confident that no one should make you uncomfortable.

About the Author: Michele Lando is a certified professional résumé writer and founder of Write Styles. She has a passion for helping others present the best version of themselves, both on paper and in person, and works to polish an individual’s application package and personal style. Aiming to help create a perfect personal branding package, Write Styles presents tips to enhance your resume, professional style, and boost your confidence.

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This story was originally published on March 7, 2019, and has since been published.

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C&C Pro Tip: How to Get Paid as a Freelancer (and Know Your Worth)

Photo: Smith House Photography

Why does talking about money make people uncomfortable? It’s something we all need. We spend it on a daily basis. We always want more of it. So why is it that talking about it is seen as taboo?

When it comes to your professional career, the first thing you’ll want to get over is any fear or discomfort you have when it comes to talking about money because guess what? Your boss or client is only going to pay you what they think you think you’re worth. They didn’t teach you that at university, did they?

When you’re a freelancer, how much you get paid is up to you and the only way you’re going to continue to put money in the bank is if you’re comfortable talking about it. For today’s Pro Tip, I’m going to share tips for how to communicate your value.

Why It’s Important

Understanding your value is important because it helps you enter into conversations knowing what you and your potential client should work towards together.

Remember, freelancers and clients create a circle: You should be getting as much value out of the relationship from working with them as they are getting from hiring you.

Beyond the quantitative factors in establishing value, qualitative factors like expertise, convenience, and reliability also play a vital role.

Consider adding to your value if any of the following apply to you:

• You specialize in a high-demand field or in a particular area not many people are experts in

• You can provide something to the client no one else can (i.e. You have a direct line of contact to a company they’ve been trying to pitch, you can translate copy into different languages saving them money on additional services, etc.)

• You create convenience by knowing exactly what to do and getting the job done quickly

When it comes to the quantitative aspect of value, research what full-time employees who do what you do get paid annually. Then take the added value you provide and use this hourly rate calculator to determine a rate that embodies the value you know you can bring and that makes you excited to do good work.

The Scenario

(For this post, I’ll create a common scenario and break down the best way to communicate a clear and effective message.)

You’re on a call with a potential client and have decided this is a project you’d like to work on. It’s perfect for your expertise and it would help progress you and your business forward. The scope of work is challenging but you’re up for the work ahead. The client expresses she would love to work with you and asks you how much it would cost to complete the tasks she’s outlined.

Say this:

“This is a project I’m excited to work with you on. I would need to take time to evaluate everything we discussed to determine how many hours I’d need to complete these tasks. With that in mind, is there a particular budget you have for this project?”

Don’t say:

“I can do this for $X-amount and have it to you by next Tuesday.”

The Breakdown

While it’s always nice to show enthusiasm, the last thing you want to do is be quick to commit yourself to a number or deadline without knowing all of the details. It’s important to determine your client’s budget so you can realistically state whether this is an opportunity you’re able to take on.

When I’m on a call like this, I’m adding hours up in my mind as the scope is discussed so at the very least I’ll have a ballpark of how much time it the project will take. If I know that a project will take at least $2,500 of my time to complete but they only have a $1,000 budget, I can confidently communicate on the call that the budget they have isn’t enough to support the value I can bring.

If you find yourself in this situation but still want to work with the client, try communicating the following:

“That budget may not be able to support the amount of time I’d need to dedicate to this project but I’d still love to work together. Would you be willing to add more for the right person or consider reducing the scope of work? I can put together what I’d be able to accomplish for that amount if it would be helpful.”

If you find yourself in this situation but the budget they have isn’t something you’re willing to work with, say this:

“I’ve really enjoyed learning more about this project but that budget isn’t enough to support my value and the amount of time I’d need to complete this project. I’d be happy to look into my network and recommend someone else who may be a good fit and hope there’s an opportunity for us to work together soon.”

Turning down an opportunity might seem like a hard concept but the jobs you turn down are just as important as the ones you take on. This messaging establishes your value in a professional way and if the client really wants to work with you, they’ll either find more budget or reach back out for something bigger and better in the future. This also keeps you available for an opportunity that will be able to afford what you can bring to the table.

What financial situations have you found yourself in that you wish you had communicated better?

About the Author: Audrey Adair is a seasoned freelance communications professional and founder of The Scope—a platform providing resources and community to freelancers and the self-employed. Connect with The Scope on Instagram and join their email list to receive your free resource, The Freelancer Starter Kit.

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This post was originally published on April 9, 2019, and has since been updated.

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Can You *Really* Check Email Once a Day? Why One CEO Says Yes

Photo: Daria Shevtsova from Pexels

Imagine a world where you only check your email once a day. Sounds pretty great, huh? Unfortunately, being that out of reach would have most employees fired on day one, but for Kate Unsworth, founder and CEO of London tech company Vinaya, a rarely checked inbox is her reality.

In an interview, Unsworth said she reduced her email traffic by 70% last month by turning on a 24/7 out-of-office note and only checking in occasionally. Why so distant? She, like so many of us, previously had a job that required her to read emails from the moment she woke up to the instant she fell asleep at night. After a quarter-life crisis, she got permission from her boss to only check her email twice each day and stay completely offline before and after hours. Yes, a miracle of sorts. And after seeing a huge improvement in her well-being and quality of work, she took it a step further after founding her own company that focuses on improving digital habits through technology.

Sadly, not all of us are currently in a place (yet!) where we can hop into our inbox once each day and only spend a total of five minutes on social media. Of course, a digital detox would be nice, but we also need those paychecks. Luckily, there are a handful of ways to establish digital boundaries to stay sane and still keep your boss happy.

1. Acknowledge you want to put up digital boundaries in the first place.  

It seems simple, but if you want to set digital boundaries for yourself, your boss has to be aware, too. And there’s no way that’s happening until you mention it. “First decide what you want to achieve by putting up boundaries, then once you’ve identified the goal, you can find the best boundary. For more efficient, interruption-free periods of work, turn your ‘out of office’ message on your email and messaging, but let people know how they can reach you if it’s an urgent matter. For example, they can give you a call if they need anything. Then if you get a call, you know you have to pick up,” says Cali Yost, CEO and founder of Flex + Strategy Group.

Don’t just say you want boundaries, though—make sure your employer knows why it’s important to you and your well-being.

“It can be stressful setting boundaries because you want to provide as much value as possible for your company, but you can’t sacrifice things you love. Be very clear with yourself on what you can compromise and what in your personal life you are not willing to change,” says Heather R. Ruhman, founder and president of Come Recommended.

2. Establish a regular stopping time.

This is key, especially in the beginning stages of a job. Once you’re in a solid routine of staying at your desk until 9 p.m. every night, it’s going to feel weird if you suddenly start leaving at 6. Since you spend the majority of your time at work, having set start and endpoints is crucial.

“While it may feel great to be needed all the time, it’s not healthy nor productive. Create a set time to cut off all work-related emails, messages, web searches, and phone calls. Your team will respect you more for valuing your personal life, and it will help you shift your mindset from work to home once you’ve established a defined time. It may be best to turn off email push notifications on your phone at your stopping time,” Ruhman says.

3. Download an app or plug-in to help focus on what’s important.

Unsworth says she uses Stay Focused to combine all her social accounts and keep her time spend scrolling through her newsfeed in check. Just think about how many hours you spend each day stalking through Facebook and double-tapping pictures on Instagram—it’s probably more than you think. Having emails to respond to all day can feel suffocating at times, but it’s always good to make sure your digital boundaries are set in and outside of the workplace. Because the last thing you want to do is spend the entire time you’re with friends and family with a phone glued to your face.

An original version of this article appeared on Levo. 

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This post was originally published on January 20, 2016, and has since been updated.

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Management 101: How to Prepare Your Team for Change in 2020

Keeping up with competition and new marketing avenues means that you need to change things frequently. Sometimes you can just make minor tweaks, but other times you have to implement a major process change.

Unfortunately, only about 26% of transformation initiatives succeed. What can you do to make your business one of the places that change sticks? It all has to do with how you prepare for a change, implement it, and overcome resistance.

Photo: Courtesy of Create & Cultivate

Preparing for a Major Change

If you’re in the position to determine what changes need to be made, the best advice is to include employees in the problem-solving process as much as possible. The more involved they are, the more likely they are to embrace and implement the new processes. 

For instance, if customers frequently complain about turnaround time, you might create a new process designed to make things more efficient with the input of your staff who can give you an accurate look at what holds up their work. Or, perhaps you need to update a creative workflow to improve quality.

Once it’s time to communicate the change, think about who has the right skills to lead the initiative. Key change management skills include critical thinking, analysis, excellent communication skills, the ability to train people, and a deft touch with diplomacy.

Perhaps the right person is you! Or, it may be another leader in your organization or even a group of employees. The key is to know who will be most effective in leading the charge and to make sure they understand their responsibilities.

Research shows that one of the most common reasons for failure is that a plan is managed too top-down, with upper levels of leadership determining every detail of how change should happen. Experts say that success starts with focusing on every individual.

Implementing Change

The day has come—the change is ready to roll out. Congratulations! There are several steps to successfully introduce a new business process. 

One key is to start small if you can. Is it possible to roll out the new initiative to a small group within your company that’s excited to try it? If so, the benefits that the group gets from the innovation may help prove its usefulness to more resistant staff members.

Whether you start large or small, it’s vital to communicate, communicate, communicate! Explain the problem the company was having and how the process modification will make a difference. Help your employees see the vision behind the change. More importantly, realize that all changes – even good ones – include some kind of loss to those involved. Even if the loss is simply that they were the fastest on the team and they might not be anymore, it could be a big deal to that individual. If you acknowledge and talk about those losses openly, it can help people overcome their fears and resistance. Ensure that productivity will likely fall while the team grows accustomed to the new change, and management is anticipating that.

Finally, if possible, walk through the implementation of the adjustment step by step, including a presentation of the intended changes and the timeline, so that employees do not feel caught off guard during any of the process. This will help people change their habits little by little, instead of having to throw everything out and start over. Also, people may have less opposition to small changes compared to large ones.

Overcoming Resistance

Handling resistance is a part of every change, especially significant ones. The good news is that if you do this well, you may build your team into a stronger unit than it was before. 

The first step to overcoming concerns is to provide adequate training. Remember that a significant change won’t necessarily “take” on the first overview. You’ll need to train it, remind them, and possibly train it again. Remember that you’re trying to overcome ingrained habits—it takes time and patience.

Secondly, be sure to listen to and address concerns. You can create problem-solving teams to deal with bumps in the road that come up. Get employees to encourage each other to use the new process. Many times people respond better when they hear from a peer rather than a boss. Specifically, according to the Edleman Trust Barometer in 2017, trust in work peers is over 60% while trust in executives is below 38%. Plus, studies show that peer credibility is a key reason messages are heard or ignored. 

Rewards or incentives tied to the new process may help as well. Be careful to define these clearly, because once people begin to get something extra it’s hard to take it away. You want to plainly say if the rewards are only available for the first month of the new process, for instance.

Finally, show everyone the positive results as they start to come in so that employees can see the fruits of their labors and fully understand why the change was made for the better. Continue to communicate about the process, concerns, and any problems that crop up. Over time, people will see the benefits and the new process will become much more second nature. 

Protecting Your Business During the Change Process

Change isn’t just tough on your employees, it can be tough on your systems and software also. You need to make sure you are protected in case something goes wrong and you experience an interruption in your business.

One thing to do is to make sure you have a complete backup of all your data before the change goes live. You may want to make backups more frequently as the new process takes hold as well, just to be sure that you have what you need if something happens. 

Consider getting business income insurance to cover you if you have an interruption in your operations. This coverage can help you with income, relocation expenses if needed, payroll, and more. Hopefully, nothing will go wrong, but it pays to be prepared.

Finally, you might consider slowing down your content production while the change takes hold. It’s a helpful way to reduce your responsibilities so that you can focus on the new process and training your employees to follow through. 

Change Is Good—If It Sticks

The key to all change management strategies is that you want your new business process to stick. When you follow the steps outlined above, you’ll have a far better chance of that happening.

Managing change is scary, even for a business owner, but going through the process can make you a better manager. A team that does something challenging together is more cohesive as well.

You don’t have to be afraid of change. It’s a necessary part of being in business, and with these tips, you can navigate change management successfully.

About the Author

Jori Hamilton is a feminist writer from the Pacific Northwest who enjoys discussing social justice, empowerment, and how to improve the workplace. You can find more of her work in her portfolio here.

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How to Marie Kondo Your Career and Enter the Next Decade With a Bang

Photo: Smith House Photography; Design: Ginny Macdonald

There’s not much room for debate. Marie Kondo is the Japanese organizing consultant who is transforming lives everywhere and despite her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing launching in 2011, Kondo continues to inspire people around the world to get their spaces in order. 

In the book, she breaks down her two-pronged approach to cleaning. Step one: Physically touch your belongings, see if said belongings spark a sense of joy, and if they don’t, toss them. Step two: After you’ve done the dirty work and dumped those joyless items, put everything else back in a place where it’s easy to see, grab, and put back again. 

It has brought countless people lasting results—to point, none of her customers are repeats. “In this book,” she writes in the Introduction, “I have summed up how to put your space in order in a way that will change your life forever.”

So we wanted to take her home tidying methods and apply them to work. Because WHY NOT? We want to change our relationship to work forever too! If she can work magic in the home, why can’t she work magic at the office?

Here are four KonMari methods that can be applied to your career, too and kick off the new decade with a bang!

KonMari Method Lesson #1: Tackle Categories, Not Rooms

Tidying by category is Kondo’s first rule. She says to start with clothing, then books and move on to items like documents and old photographs later. The reasoning is that things in like-categories tend to be spread throughout your house, not confined to one space. 

How to apply this at work: This will be similar to time-batching, or grouping like activities together. Set aside time the morning for email, time mid-morning for conference calls, and time in the afternoon for writing, creative ideas, and brainstorming. Sure, there will be the odd bits of “clutter” that pop-up during the day-- the email that needs a response while you’re in the midst of your creative jive but batching helps you stay focused and on track. 

KonMari Method Lesson #2: Picking Up Each Item and Asking, “Does this spark joy?” 

For most of us, minimalism isn’t our strong suit. But from those in power suits to tracksuits, everyone can get on board. 

In the book, this method is applied in the literal sense to the home. The clothes that are shoved in the back corner of your closet that you need to lose ten pounds to wear. The pile of books you keep meaning to read. Just because you bought it, doesn’t mean you own it. In fact, if it doesn’t bring you joy, it’s owning you. 

“Just because you bought it, doesn’t mean you own it. In fact, if it doesn’t bring you joy, it’s owning you.”

How to apply this at work: The most obvious place you can start is your desk. You can apply the same method to stacks of papers, old receipts, empty bottles of Advil, and that half-eaten Snickers stashed in the back for a 2 pm sugar craving. If your desk is surrounded by “joyless” items that you don’t need for work or taxes, toss them. 

Next. There are parts of all jobs that are joyless. From the startup founder who hates Quickbooks to the intern who can’t stand the tedium of stuffing gift bags. However, you can apply a minimalist mindset to your work by understanding what each piece of your work puzzle is contributing to the larger picture. There is a nugget of joy in each task. Even if it's just that at some point, it will be over. 

If you’re a freelancer (and can afford to turn down jobs, which, we know is not easy) ask yourself if this project or client will bring you joy and if what you’re contributing will bring joy to other people. 

KonMari Method Lesson #3: Put the Kibosh on Nostalgia

Many times through the book Kondo talks about nostalgia and hazardous sentimental attachments to our possessions. Whether it’s boxes of old photographs and birthday cards that lead us down a long and windy path of nostalgia and distraction while cleaning, to items we hold onto for no reason—aka your grandmother’s boots you're keeping even though they’re two sizes too small. Talk about a tropical depression. The nostalgia hurricane is real and it's ruling your life. Feeling strongly about stuff is okay but it can also be the enemy of tidy. Kondo says people keep things out of "fear for the future or attachment to the past.”

“Talk about a tropical depression. The nostalgia hurricane is real and it’s ruling your life.”

How to apply this to work: It's not just stuff kids! We have nostalgia and emotional attachment to ideas. So, what should we do to make space for bigger and better creative thoughts? Kill your darlings. That’s right. The creative ideas that keep falling dead in the water. Every single one of us has that “golden” idea that we can’t escape. The one we reposition and bring up in pitch meetings, the one we’re sure is going to hit with ONE client that simply never does. Accept that. Thank the idea for taking up space in your head and let it go. 

Also, those notebooks full of half-baked ideas and sparks (ahem duds) of genius you jotted down and have never looked through—toss them. We know you’re saving them for that one time you’re going to need to reference a page scribbled on in 2007 but just say goodbye. If ideas are really that great, they’ll stick around. You don’t need to create a physical library of your own brain. 

KonMari Method Lesson #4: Simplifying and Letting Go Feels Good, So GOOD

Yes! Getting rid of clutter and freeing up your home space feels great. You feel lighter, more free, and less emotionally tied to STUFF! When it comes to closets specifically the Marie Kondo method creates space between stuff. Your clothes have SPACE GLORIOUS SPACE to live and breathe! Dressing all of the sudden becomes easier when you can SEE everything! Decision making is easier when you love everything and therefore you become more efficient with your time! Exclamations abound!! (For real, this is happy, joyous stuff.)

How to apply this to work: You don’t have to do anything here! Once you start letting go of the clutter on your desk and in your head, you will free up space for the next steps. You’ll be giving your career the breathing room it needs to expand. It will also help you become more clear on what projects to say yes to, and which projects to turn down. 

You’ll feel relief instead of anxiety, joy instead of a job. 

What are some ways you can apply this method to work? Share in the comments below!

This post was originally published on September 15, 2016, and has since been updated.

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8 Signs You Definitely Need to Dump Your Job

Photo: Create & Cultivate

Spotting the warning signs of a bad relationship can be hard when you’re in the thick of it. Especially when you’re trying to stick it out for the sake of (insert life goal here). But a bad job, like a bad partner or friend, can be just as toxic. 

We’ve all had horrible Mondays. Where we feel like crawling beneath our desk and hiding out or napping for a few hours. That’s normal— even if you’re in love with your career, off-days are part of the deal. 

However, if driving to work is driving you low-key mental, or if it feels like every time you send an email, you’re sending off a tiny bit of your soul, it might be quitting time. You can suffer for your art, but don’t suffer for a job that’s going nowhere. If you’re looking for signs you should quit your job this may be just that sign.    

Here are eight red flags that the milk in your work fridge has gone sour, and it’s time to turn a page. (Hello, mixed metaphors to represent your oh so confusing mixed feelings about your j-o-b.) 

“if it feels like every time you send an email, you’re sending off a tiny bit of your soul, it might be quitting time.”

1. You feel creatively lost.

There are days when the ideas aren’t coming no matter how many cups of java you down, but IF you are coming up one espresso shot short every day, you might not be in the right job.

Before you take a dive into unemployment, try to do things that will reignite that spark with your job—like go to a lecture or take a class. If that still isn't working and you're drawing blank after blank, day after day, really consider why you think this job is the right job.

Sometimes things just fizzle out, and the best thing we can do for ourselves is realize that it doesn't have to be horribly wrong, for it not to be right.  

2. You have an abusive boss. 

Bosses, like partners, can be abusive. People who take advantage of their position of power. But being in charge doesn't give anyone the right to treat employees like animals. 

If heading into your boss’ office is something you dread because you know no matter what you do it won’t be good enough, it's time to reevaluate the situation.  I once had a boss throw trash at my head (yes, for real). I was out the door shortly thereafter.

Know your self-worth and trust in that.  

3. You’ve consulted everyone you know about hating your job.

Happy hour? What’s that? When you meet your friends after work, all you do is complain. About work.

The problem with negative energy is that little by little it starts to infiltrate every other part of your life. Others relationships suffer, and you become um, insufferable to be around.

Don’t let this happen. If your friends are avoiding your phone calls, there’s a good shot your endless complaints about work are dragging them down as well. 

“If your job makes you feel legit sad and question everything you’re doing with your life, it’s high time to move on. ”

4. You’re compromising your morals.

If you’ve found that you’re moving toward the Dark Side, without having any desire to do so, it’s either time to stand your ground, or change the ground your standing on.

Sometimes at work we are asked to do things we aren’t entirely comfortable with—but these should be things that advance our careers. For example, you don’t like public speaking, but your boss asks you to give a presentation—this is a step outside your comfort zone that’s beneficial to progress.

However if you’re being put in ethically, morally, or even illegal situations, no job is worth that risk. 

5. You can’t come up with five good reasons to stay.

Pro and con this beast. Make a list, check it twice, and if you don’t have five really solid reasons to keep your job—financial security aside—it might be time to start getting your ducks in a row. 

6 . Your job gives you every kind of the sads.

You know that feeling when you’re up at night, wondering why your dude is ignoring your calls, and you feel sad, lost, drained, pathetic? If your job makes you feel legit sad and question everything you’re doing with your life, it’s high time to move on. 

7. Your mom thinks you should quit.

Let’s consult Justin Bieber on this one. If you can sing, “My mama don’t like you and she likes everyone,” about your job… remember: Mom is always right. She was right about that 10th grade boyfriend, and she’s right about this job. 

8. You're letting other opportunities pass you by.

Some people in relationships are never satisfied because they are always on the lookout for the next best thing. That's not what I'm suggesting.

But if the work universe is offering up an out—or a better job, or maybe even a less financially lucrative, but potentially amazing job, and you're not taking it out of fear—close your eyes and take a leap.

More often than we care to admit, it necessary to take a step back in order to alter our course, and start down the more meaningful path.

This story was published on February 18, 2019, and has since been updated.

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OLD NAVY's Kim Brennecke Doesn't Believe in Inbox Zero—Here's Why

We often look to the iconic leaders of our time for motivation and wisdom, but for many of us, this is purely inspirational and not as applicable to our everyday lives. We truly believe there is more benefit in looking to your left and seeking out a peer-to-peer mentorship with a colleague or friend you admire. Why? Firstly, they will likely have the time to be your mentor, and secondly, their advice will be relatable and allow you to see your path clearly while keeping your mind open to new ideas, identifying new opportunities, and helping you self-advocate. We call them everyday superwomen. In this new C&C series, we talk to the women who are paying it forward, lifting other women up and paving a smoother path for the next generation to come.

Photo: Courtesy of Old Navy.

It might seem from the outside looking in that the career paths of people you admire are linear, but when you take a magnifying glass to their trajectory, you quickly realize that it’s not straight at all. In fact, it’s full of false starts, sharp turns, and winding roads—some even have turn-back signposts. Knowing that can provide a sense of relief to all of us who are still navigating a particularly challenging fork in the road. When you’re unsure which direction to take, take comfort in the fact that even the most successful people have all been there too, and that it’s all part of the journey.

Kim Brennecke’s path hasn’t been straight and narrow, either. She might hold the esteemed position of Senior Director Design of OLD NAVY Active now, but she actually started her studies in drawing and painting before moving into a fine arts degree in fashion and working her way up—but growing up she wanted to be an architect or an archeologist!

So, read on to learn more about her non-traditional career path, how to get out of “being stuck,” and why inbox zero is a myth.

CREATE & CULTIVATE: What did you study in school and what did you want to be when you grew up?

KIM BRENNECKE: I sort of went to college twice. My first degree was in fine arts with an emphasis in drawing and painting, then I decided I wanted to study fashion so I returned for another fine arts degree in fashion design. All-in, it was seven and a half years of a college education. Growing up I wanted to be either an architect or an archeologist. 

What are some of the earlier jobs that helped to shape your career/path?

In between my degrees I took a job working retail at Urban Outfitters. I’d always loved clothes and fashion, but this was my first exposure to thinking about trends, the commerciality of product, and visual merchandising as it relates to the consumer. I was completely fascinated by how placement and adjacencies in-store impacted the sales. It was really around this time that I began to understand that a career in fashion was a thing, and I began researching and applying to design schools.

What challenges have you faced along the way? What did you learn from them? How did they prepare you for your job now?

I think one of the biggest challenges I faced, that I didn’t realize until I was out of it, was being stuck. Sometimes when you are in the same position for a long time, you start to build up a lot of walls that you don’t realize are there. I remember making a position move that I wasn’t initially excited about, but what I found was moving into a new role that I knew nothing about, re-energized me and engaged me in a way I hadn’t realized I had stopped being in my previous role. That experience opened me up to trying new positions when they presented themselves and being self-aware of when I feel stuck and may need to make a change.

Tell us about your role at Old Navy? What does it entail? Did you work your way up? What were the positions along the way?

My current role is the Senior Director of Old Navy Active, which essentially means I lead the Active Design Team for all active product for the family. In this role, I identify the active design strategies by division and work with my team to bring them to life through the lens of seasonal trends. I have been with Old Navy for nearly 13 years, and have worked my way up from Designer, Women’s Woven Bottoms and Outerwear. I have held many different positions during my time with the brand, including Senior Designer of Old Navy Outlet and Design Director of women’s knits, sweaters, and fleece. I also briefly led the Athleta Girl’s design team, before returning to Old Navy for my current role. 

“I haven’t had inbox zero since 2007.
”

What do you love most about your job and why? Does the reality of your career match up to your expectations?

I love the collaboration, problem solving, and building something with a team. It’s always a great feeling to have an idea, see it through production, setting in stores, to then seeing people react to it, whether wearing it on the streets or posting on social media #oldnavyactive! The reality of my career looks much different from what I thought a career in fashion would be when I was in school, but I get so much satisfaction from what I do, that I can’t imagine it any other way.

What can you tell us about the culture at Old Navy? What has encouraged you to stay? 

I think Old Navy has a really unique position amongst apparel brands as being a place of true collaboration. I really think it is fundamental to how we work. I continue to stay because I feel I am a valued member of the team and my contributions are welcomed and accepted, and as a team, we are constantly evolving and improving.

Talk us through your daily tasks and what a day in the office looks like for you? What’s the most rewarding part of your day?

Really no two days are alike, which I love. Some days are spent researching or building color palettes or putting together a trend point of view to inspire the team and sell ideas to our cross-functional team. Some days are spent reviewing sketches with my team or reviewing proto samples or troubleshooting a production issue. There are some days that I never see my desk. But the most rewarding part is always the time I spend brainstorming and building ideas together with my team.

What does your morning, pre-work routine look like? What rituals set you up for success?

My morning routine generally revolves around food! I try to eat pretty clean, and in order to do that I usually try to fix my breakfast and coffee at home, as well as pack snacks and a water bottle (with mint and lemon) to get me through the day. And if I’m really on top of things, I’ll pack my lunch too! I also dedicate a few minutes to checking my schedule for the day and scanning my email to see if anything urgent has come up since the previous day. It’s nice to be prepared for what the day will bring before arriving in the office.

Your role requires you to be across so many facets of the business—how do you manage your time effectively? What is your greatest productivity hack? How do you get it done?

I really couldn’t do my job without my Outlook calendar and the means to access it from my phone. I have to stay on top of my calendar, especially because I oversee active for all divisions and there are times that milestone meetings are happening simultaneously. I am constantly trying new ways to stay on top of everything, some stick, some don’t, but my phone continues to keep me on track.

Do you ever reach inbox zero? Do you believe in that? What is your inbox philosophy?

I haven’t had inbox zero since 2007. But I generally try to read every email by the end of the day and respond if needed, in as timely a manner as possible. My inbox philosophy is to save everything that I might need someday. 

“You really have to remember that everyone’s opinion is valid, including your own.”

What is one of the biggest misconceptions about your job?

That all I do is create and draw clothes all day long. I haven’t actually physically designed anything in years! Most of my job is strategizing and problem solving. It’s kind of like doing puzzles all day long, which is hugely creative, but in a different way than pen to paper sketching.

If someone wanted your role specifically, what advice would you give them on how to land their dream job/your current job? 

I would suggest getting as much design experience, in as many different areas as possible. What is unique about designing active product is that it covers a wide range of products, from knits to wovens, outerwear to baselayer, and true performance to lifestyle. And this role specifically covers mens, womens, girls and boys. 

Have you seen a consistent standout quality or personality trait of successful people in this industry?

I think flexibility is really important in this industry. This is one of the most dynamic businesses you can be in, and you have to be able to change course as needed. This doesn’t mean that you should be a pushover with no point of view, but in the long run, there is strength in flexibility and weakness in rigidity. 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? And what’s the worst piece of advice you’ve been given?

I think the best piece of advice I’ve been given is to trust myself and trust my instinct. The beauty of this business is that it's subjective and there is no wrong answer. The challenge with this business is that it’s subjective and everyone has their own opinion. You really have to remember that everyone’s opinion is valid, including your own. Luckily, I don’t think I’ve been given bad advice. 

“The best piece of advice I’ve been given is to trust myself and trust my instinct.”

If there was one person you admire that you could power brunch with, who would it be? 

I’ve always admired Richard Branson, and how he has built his brand through failures and successes. He is incredibly supportive of entrepreneurship and mentoring, so I see him as someone that could offer a unique perspective from an innovation point of view, as well as how to be an effective leader. I also love that he prioritizes his family and living life to its fullest.

In your mind, what’s a perfect interview outfit? Why? Explain?

The perfect interview outfit is anything that you feel comfortable in that also looks like you’ve done your research into the brand/company you are interviewing with. This is the first impression for your interviewer to see you in the role, and as much as you can look like you belong there, the better off you will be. And there’s no better time to be comfortable in your clothes than in an interview, as you want to be focused on your conversation, and not distracted by an outfit that feels forced or contrived.

2 Four-Letter Words That Will Annihilate Your BS Excuses (Are You Ready for This?)

Excerpted from Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo with permission of Portfolio, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright Marie Forleo, 2019.

“No matter what we’re trying to figure out, the biggest barriers are often in our own minds.”

—Marie Forleo

Chapter 4: Eliminate Excuses

The worst lies are the lies we tell ourselves - Richard Bach

Don’t feel sorry for yourself - Only assholes do that. Haruki Murakami

Ever had a morning like this? You went to bed with every intention of getting up early. You were going to work out, meditate, write—you know, finally become that incredibly productive human you know you can be. Now the phone is vibrating next to your head. Already? Noooo! It’s so dark. It’s so cold. Sleep is really important for my health, right? Just five more minutes. Five minutes pass. Okay, maybe ten more. By the time your feet hit the floor, you’re chasing the day. The dog is begging to be walked. Your phone is blowing up from an unexpected meltdown at work. You notice a stain on your shirt after you’ve walked out the door. Cue David Byrne: Same as it ever was, same as it ever was.

Now, what about a morning like this? Your eyes pop open in the dark. You turn your head and grab the phone. Really, only 4:30 a.m.? The alarm isn’t set to go off for another hour. Your flight doesn’t leave until 8:45 a.m., but you’re so pumped for this trip that you can’t sleep another minute. You hop out of bed, work out, and head off to the airport—early.

What’s the deal? How is it that sometimes we’re able to effortlessly get ourselves to do exactly what we need to do, but other times it’s a struggle? What holds us back from consistently performing at the levels we’re capable of?

To find the answer, we have to look inside. No matter what we’re trying to figure out, the biggest barriers are often in our own minds:

I need to start working out again, but I’m just so busy with work and the kids. Can’t do it—no time.

My finances are a mess. No matter what I do, I can’t seem to get ahead. I’m just not a numbers person.

I really want to take that design class. It could open up a whole new career! But it’s too expensive—I can’t afford it.

I wish I could meet someone special. But I don’t have the time for dating, I’m too old, and besides, all the good ones are already taken.

Sound familiar? My hand is raised because I’ve said things like this to myself. Many times. But here’s the truth: One of the biggest obstacles that hold us back are those excuses. The little lies we tell ourselves that limit who we are and what we ultimately accomplish.

Everybody makes excuses from time to time, so don’t feel bad. But if you’re committed to figuring things out, all excuses have got to go. It’s time to call yourself out and uncover all the ways you bullshit yourself. Once you get honest about how flimsy your excuses really are, you’ll reclaim not only enormous stores of energy but also your power to change.

Two Four-Letter Words That Will Annihilate Your BS Excuses

Let’s start by looking at your language and two common words that blur your ability to be honest with yourself. Those two four-letter words are “can’t” and “won’t.” Think about how often people say some version of the following:

I can’t get up and work out every day.

I can’t find the time to get writing done.

I can’t forgive her for what she’s done.

I can’t take that job, it’s across the country.

I can’t ask for help.

I can’t ask for a promotion because I’m not good enough yet.

I can’t launch this project because the boss didn’t approve.

I can’t __________ [take the class, learn the language, start the venture, etc.] because I can’t afford it.

Here’s the problem: 99 percent of the time when we say we “can’t” do something, “can’t” is a euphemism for “won’t.” What does “won’t” mean? “Won’t” means we’re not willing. In other words . . .

You don’t really want to.

You don’t want to do the work.

You don’t want to take the risk.

You don’t want to get uncomfortable or be inconvenienced. It’s simply not a big enough or important enough priority.

Before you disagree or find exceptions (which there are), humor me for a moment.

If you consider how this might be true in your life, even a portion of the time, you’ll break free from the vast majority of self-deceptive crap that holds you back. For example, go back to all those statements and replace “can’t” with “won’t.” You’ll discover something much more honest:

I won’t get up and work out every day.

I won’t find the time to get writing done.

I won’t forgive her for what she’s done.

I won’t take that job, it’s across the country. I won’t ask for help.

I won’t ask for the promotion.

I won’t launch this project because the boss didn’t approve.

I won’t __________ [take the class/learn the language/start the venture] because I won’t afford it.

In my life, whenever I say, “I can’t,” most of the time what I really mean is, “I won’t.” I don’t want to. I have no desire to make the sacrifice or put in the effort to get that particular result. It’s not something I want badly enough, or something I want to put ahead of my other priorities. Saying that you don’t want something (or don’t want to put in the work or sacrifice to get it) doesn’t make you bad or lazy. It makes you honest.

Here’s why this distinction is important, especially when it comes to leveraging the figureoutable philosophy. Often, when we use the word “can’t,” we start to behave like victims—powerless against our circumstances. It’s as though we have no control over our time, energy, or choices. We take no responsibility for our lives.

When you use the word “won’t,” you feel and behave more powerfully. You remember that you’re in charge of your thoughts and actions. YOU get to determine how to spend your time and resources. You’ll feel more alive and energized and free because you’re taking full responsibility for the state of your life.

Speaking of taking responsibility, a quick reminder about an essential universal principle:

You are 100 percent responsible for your life.

Always and in all ways. It’s not your parents. It’s not the economy. It’s not your husband or your wife or your family. It’s not your boss. It’s not the schools you went to. It’s not the government or society or institutions or your age. You are responsible for what you believe, how you feel, and how you behave. To be clear, I’m not saying you’re responsible for the actions of others or injustices that have happened to you—but you are responsible for how you respond to the actions of others. In fact, lasting happiness can only come when you take 100 percent responsibility for yourself.

Now you might say, “Marie, you don’t know my story. So many horrific things have happened to me that aren’t my fault, that are outside my control, and that I didn’t choose. How can I be responsible for that?” Or you might say, “But, Marie, things are happening to me right now that I have no control over because of the culture and society I was born into. How am I responsible for those things?”

You’re right. There are external forces, situations, and social constructs that affect us all. What’s crucial to understand is that no matter what happened in your past or what’s happening now, if you’re not at least willing to take full responsibility for your life—which includes your thoughts, feelings, and behavior—you give up the power to change it.

Tiffany, a psychotherapist in San Francisco, wrote to me and said:

“It’s easy for those of us who come from modest backgrounds or have generational histories of social trauma and disenfranchisement to be bogged down by the weight of despair. As the daughter of my once impoverished African American dad, I inherited the hopelessness that comes from a legacy of being beaten down, having rights removed, fighting and then having one’s land, home, family wrenched away no matter what you do. In tiny ways, that mentality would defeat my efforts. I’d start something, come upon an obstacle, and grow sad, not realizing that I could figure it out. I DO have the resources to make something happen. Marie, you taught me this! As someone who has struggled for YEARS with how to know how to move forward and then do it, one thing you said changed my life. EVERYTHING IS FIGUREOUTABLE.”

To be clear, taking responsibility doesn’t mean staying silent about injustice. It doesn’t mean blaming or shaming yourself. It doesn’t mean beating yourself up or living with constant guilt. Instead, taking 100 percent responsibility for your life means recognizing that you’re in charge of deciding how you feel and who you wish to be in response to what happens now and in the future.

Could you imagine if Malala Yousafzai felt she wasn’t old enough, privileged enough, or strong enough to champion girls’ education? Remember, Malala was a preteen at just eleven years old when she began to fight for girls’ rights to go to school. She was only fifteen when she was shot in the head by the Pakistani Taliban during an assassination attempt. Remarkably, she survived and addressed the United Nations on her sixteenth birthday. At seventeen, she was the youngest person to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Malala refused to allow a bullet to the head to become an excuse to stop advocating for education.

The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the economy, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny - Albert Ellis

Love what you’ve read? Then shop the book below and start figuring our your life, stat:

Everything Is Figureoutable

by Marie Forleo—$18

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"Your Voice Is Power": Dynamite's Director of Product and Brand on How to Boss Up Your Career

Ever wondered what people do at work? If you’re a voyeur like us, then you’ll love our series A Day in the Life where we get a real behind-the-scenes glimpse into the professional lives of CEOs, directors, business owners, and entrepreneurs we admire. From their morning routine to the rituals that set them up for success and questions such as “do you ever reach inbox zero?” because we all want to know how to streamline our lives.

“Your voice is power— speak up and don’t be afraid to show some passion.”

—Jessica Lutfy, Director Product and Brand, Dynamite

You don’t get to a director level in your career without some serious hustle and hard work but it all stems from the passion first. Jessica Lufty is definitely a result of all three. As the director of product and brand at Dynamite, she certainly has her work cut out for her but her love for the job and being able to work with “so many badass women” keeps her motivated and inspired.

To find out just exactly what a day-in-the-life of a director looks like, we tapped Lutfy to give us a glimpse from her morning routine to her greatest lessons, and productivity hacks. Grab your notepad, you’ll want to write these down.

What does an average day in your life look like?

“I wake up at 6 AM if I’m heading to spin, or 7 AM if I’m not. I prepare a cup of drip coffee and do my minimal makeup routine (most days just concealer and a tinted lip—mascara is for special days). I then check the weather app to curate my outfit for the day. Meetings start at 9:30 AM, which usually consists of assortment reviews, marketing/visual/photography/styling reviews, and strategy alignment meetings with my amazing team.

“If I didn’t make it to spin class in the morning I usually head over to the gym at the end of the day to reset the endorphins. Spinning is a major stress and energy release for me. When I get home I usually have a 15 minute (at least) conversation with my husband about what dinner should be. I like to keep it simple, while he thinks it’s an episode of Chopped. After dinner, we find some time to decompress before bed (which means Netflix of course). Lights out at 11 PM.” 

Are you a night owl or a morning person? When do you do your most important work?

“I’m a bit of both, to be honest. I can work out early and get things ticked off my ‘admin’ to-do list earlier in the day, but the real magic happens in the second half of the day when the creative juices are in full force. By the end of the day, I have been stimulated by so much creativity, passion and strategic conversations that it keeps me going until my head hits the pillow.”

Being a product and brand director means you wear so many hats across different facets of the business. How do you manage your time effectively?

“It’s all about communication and alignment. I regroup with my team twice a week to make sure we are all collectively working towards the same ‘north star.’ This allows us to focus on our priorities and execute on our mandates in the most effective and creative way possible. Each department within the banner has a piece of the puzzle to set in order for the brand to come to life the way we want it to. By consistently getting together and reviewing our goals, we keep each other accountable.”

Do you ever reach inbox zero? How do you handle the constant influx of inquiries and communication entrepreneurs are so familiar with?

“Never! I need to have clear goals established at the beginning of a season along with a bulletproof process to serve as a roadmap. The truth is that you can’t do it all, so it’s about doing what will help you achieve your goals and delegate (or drop what doesn’t). When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I make myself a physical priority list and pin it in my office. Somehow the act of writing makes it more attainable.”

“When you set a goal that is fundamentally important to you, you will inherently make strategic decisions that will allow you to reach that goal.”

—Jessica Lutfy, Director Product and Brand, Dynamite

When do you go to bed? What’s your “optimal” # of sleep hours?

“8 hours—anything fewer shows!”

What’s your go-to outfit to feel confident at work and how does fashion play into your outfit choices?

“My go-to confidence outfit would be an all-black look made complete with a menswear-inspired blazer.”

What’s the most rewarding part of your day?

“Working among so many badass women then coming home to my sweet husband.”

 What advice do you have for aspiring female founders?

“Your voice is power. Speak up and don’t be afraid to show some passion. Using your voice is a learned behavior that you can practice. You won’t always be right but the more you put yourself out there and make yourself uncomfortable, the more you will learn in turn.”

“The truth is that you can’t do it all, so it’s about doing what will help you achieve your goals and delegate (or drop what doesn’t).”

What are some of the biggest lessons you have learned along the way?

“People work for people. You can have the best product and the nicest workspace, but at the end of the day, you want to spend your time with real people who are passionate about what they do.” 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

“Set goals for yourself, either in your personal life or in your career. I set a financial goal for myself three years ago, and just by writing it down and planting the seed in my subconscious I was able to achieve it. When you set a goal that is fundamentally important to you, you will inherently make strategic decisions that will allow you to reach that goal.”

What are some exciting projects you’re working on this month? What are you most excited about in 2020?

“In 2020 we will be elevating our product line as well as our brand image in order to better serve our customers through iconic fashion, thought-provoking imagery, and more personal connections. I am so excited for what’s to come as we take our brand to the next level.”

To learn more about Groupe Dynamite, visit dynamiteclothing.com.

Five Ways to Find Career Compatibility with Your Life Partner

In 2019, more men and women are entering the workforce than before, pushing many of society’s antiquated norms. Just a few decades ago, men were often the only ones to venture into the workforce, leaving women to tend growing families and other household responsibilities. Now that many couples are pursuing simultaneous careers, the dynamics of their relationship have begun to shift in a major way.

There are many ways that two individual career paths can affect and ultimately harm a relationship if issues are not identified head-on. If you find yourself recently exhausted with both your career and your relationship, here’s how you can balance the scales.

Discuss the expected “division of labor” in the home.

It’s easy to slip into society’s pre-set roles where somehow the woman feels responsible for cleaning the house and making dinner, even after working her own shift in the field. In order to avoid the frustration that the infamous “second shift” can bring, sit down with your partner and have an honest conversation about what needs to be expected of both of you. By setting expectations, it will be easier to know what you need to accomplish at the end of the day and will ward off those exhausting fights that pop up when you’re both hungry!

Invest in one another’s goals and dreams in the workplace

While you’re each on a different path in your careers, it’s important to take time to support the other’s career and interests as often as possible. This could include going to a networking event with them that may be outside of your comfort zone, or giving them an online class that touches on something they’ve said they want to get better at. By just showing your partner that you support their career—and vice versa—your relationship will naturally grow stronger.

Use one another as a sounding board for career advice

Not too long ago, my significant other and I sat down with a glass of wine and discussed my upcoming performance review. I was going to ask for a title and pay increase, and I was so nervous. After going through scenarios and explaining lessons we’ve each learned in the past, I felt much more confident about my meeting. While it doesn’t always need to be a sit-down discussion, asking one another's opinions about issues that are coming up at work really helps to draw a team mentality that is very healthy for your relationship.

Find ways to include your partner at work when they physically can’t be present

There’s nothing I find shadier than not knowing when a coworker I am close with has a significant other that they never discuss. It’s important to introduce your partner to your coworkers, even before they can physically meet. By sharing tidbits of your life outside of work, you are not only solidifying your relationship with your coworkers, but also making sure that your partner feels welcome when they come to your work functions.

Schedule time to invest in your relationship without work distractions

Whether or not you have conflicting schedules, make a point to set aside time where the two of you are able to reconnect without the distractions of a work phone or even “shop talk.” Spend these moments completely present with one another. Use this opportunity to bring up things that may need to be fixed in the relationship, or discuss ways you appreciate one another’s efforts during especially hectic times. These designated dates will be the crucial part to being 100% on board with your partner’s career while still feeling as though they are also putting the effort into your relationship.

Implementing even just one of these ideas on a regular basis can begin to reshape not only your individual relationship and career, but also push against what was once the “status-quo.” As the years roll by, generational change is inevitable—and so are the tactics we need to employ against having to choose between our love lives and a fulfilling career.

Samantha Rosenfeld spends 40-some hours a week working to promote the study of surface science as the head of North American Marketing for a German-based manufacturing company. Outside of that (and any time in between) she creates content and marketing campaigns for her freelance clientele and professional development website, Samantha Rosenfeld Marketing. Follow her at @FormativeStory on Twitter or @FormativeStoryteller on Instagram.

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