Austin has no shortage of leaders who are respected, and even revered. But it’s safe to say that, among them all, Cookie Ruiz is our most beloved.
As executive director of Ballet Austin for 13 years, Cookie Ruiz has successfully led the company, alongside artistic director Stephen Mills, onto the national and international arts scene. Even more than that, her vision, savvy, and soul have touched almost every part of the Austin...
Not unlike many of my high-octane coaching clients, "Maria" faced a constant problem. She got so caught up in the non-stop demands of her professional and personal life that she found herself stressed out to the point of shutdown. Physically exhausted, psychically stuck. It's a sort of extreme protection-reaction I call "clenching."
When we "clench," it becomes impossible for us to move or take action--literally and metaphorically. Like a muscle...
Once upon a time, when managers made implicitly gender-biased judgments about which staff got the pay raises and the promotions, we called a spade a spade: gender discrimination. When Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Betty Dukes et al. was heard by the Supreme Court, we gained a new euphemism for structural sexism in the workplace: “excessive subjectivity.”
This phenomenon is no news to most women: When a company fails to establish objective criteria...
I love the title of Jane Horan’s book, because it captures my impulse for starting up Women Advance as an online career accelerator for younger women: “I Wish I’d Known That Earlier in My Career.” The subtitle, “The Power of Positive Workplace Politics,” captures one of the five career accelerator skills around which I’m building the site curriculum: social capital, networking, power, politics. Different words, same meaning:...
When I met Heather Ladage five or six years back, she was circulation and marketing director of the Austin Business Journal, and it was easy to see that she was a rising star. I admired her talent, her energy, and her generous spirit. She’s someone you want to spend time with, and learn from. So I wasn’t surprised last month when Heather was named publisher of ABJ, after the retirement of...
I can't resist sharing this story with you. It's by "Mary," a coaching client who's developing her platform as a rock star tech exec to become an industry thought-leader. After you read it, you'll know why she's destined to write a best-selling biz book!
"While at a conference recently near our Corporate HQ, I was called into an important high-level meeting. My colleagues in finance were quite worried about the...
“It’s so easy to get distracted by what other people think, do, or say. But they don’t live your life. You need to know what you want and who you are, and you have to convey it to others quickly so that you shine at first impression.” --Christopher Bailey, chief creative officer, Burberry
At a recent executive breakfast I facilitated, I began by asking everyone to share the name of a woman...
The exercise of power depends upon the exchange of resources between people. We exchange ideas, money, favors, introductions, information, and more. So it stands to reason: In order to obtain the resources you need to accomplish the outcomes you desire, you need people.
At the Power Summit held by the UT Center for Women in Law, Mary Cranston shared her own personal tool for people-mapping. It's so simple, so blunt, so...
To recap: Power isn't complicated: Power is the capacity to get things done. To have impact. To make a difference. Power isn't a thing that you have or you don't have. Power is fluid. It is constantly circulating and being negotiated. You ignore it at your own peril, your own impotence.
The UT Center for Women in Law addressed the issue of women and power head on in its April...
Power isn't complicated: Power is the capacity to get things done. To have impact. To make a difference.
Power isn't a thing that you have or you don't have. Power is fluid. It is constantly circulating and being negotiated. You ignore it at your own peril, your own impotence.
The UT Center for Women in Law just released a comprehensive report summarizing the Power Summit it hosted last...
