“ Don’t Abdicate The Throne , by Dr. Lisa Brooks Greaux, is a rallying cry for women to “take their seat at the table," take back their power, and crash their own party. Describing her debut book as the treasure trove of advice she never received as a young woman, Dr. Brooks Greaux walks her readers through what she believes are the steps necessary to achieve a purposeful life.   Part memoir, part how-to book, Don't Abdicate the Throne is a practical roadmap for young women in the early stages of their careers and for any woman looking to re-enter the workforce after taking a hiatus. It offers actionable steps to take when it comes to finding a mentor, asking for what you want, getting the right exposure, and taking stock of your strengths and skills. The author also touches on when it’s time to say goodbye to the toxic people in your life and, more importantly, discusses why it's paramount to create a supportive network she calls  “Your Personal Village.”...

In using the term “activist,” I am not referring to high-pressure tactics used by some hedge funds and private equity investors to influence management decisions at private and public companies. I am also not referring to the individuals or groups that protest for or against specific political, social, or business decisions. Rather, I see “activist” as someone who stays on top of current needs and conditions and who also looks to the future.   Interestingly, Merriam-Webster’s online thesaurus does not contain an entry for activist.   Microsoft Word’s built in thesaurus, however, suggests several appealing synonyms: forward-looking, innovative, advocate.   A vulnerabilities activist works to stay on top of emerging risks and also works within the enterprise to review existing—and historical—procedures, business models, technology, and training to identify and reduce downsides while increasing the upside consequences of where risk taking is a good business m...

Organizational change is a common occurrence in today’s work environment.   In your career, you will probably have to lead the organization through changes such as mergers and acquisition, restructuring and layoffs and new management and strategy implementation. One of the key ingredients for successful leadership during periods of organizational change is a well-planned and executed communication strategy.   The change will not be successful if it is not communicated effectively. Carefully consider the following six steps when communicating an organizational change: 1.     Consider the audience. Gilda Bonanno As with any communication, first you have to consider your audience.   Who will be on the receiving end of this communication?   In most cases, you will have several groups, including the managers, individual contributors, support staff and others impacted by the change.   Each group has its own needs and you have t...

Back in August, when we were being inundated with television, radio, and internet ads for back to school madness, I was in the midst of meeting with prospective, new APPEAL students here on campus.   After a quiet stretch in July, it made sense that new students would make their way to our offices on the ground level of Reid Castle.   Sometime in August, we all seem flip that switch from lazy summer mode to productive, school mode, regardless of our age and regardless of whether or not we are going back to school.   It’s just something that is ingrained in all of us as we have been conditioned and programmed from a young age to equate August (despite the oppressive heat and humidity) with back to school. Even with all of that programming and conditioning, though, adult students may have a different approach to back to school.   Many of those aforementioned prospective APPEAL students from August completed the application process and found themselves back to sch...

One of the interesting insights about great communication is that there are few secrets, it mostly seems like common sense but sometimes we forget, are too timid or careful, or have a political agenda to contend with. Here are my top ten suggestions for successful leadership communication.        1.       Talk to your team! Ask teammates, associates and subordinates how they are doing? Ask if they have what they need to their job. Ask what you, as the team leader, can do to help them. Say thank you often. Talks to others in your organization as well. Make friends with other departments. 2.        Listen when others are speaking. In fact, listen more than you speak.   Have a dialog with your team, coworkers subordinates don’t just give orders or tell others what to do. 3.        Leadership is everyone’s responsibility. If something isn’t working right, is broken, or you have ...