Meet Chloe, Business Energetix's Management Muse.  When she joined us in 2006 as the official Office Dog, we quickly realized she had talent far beyond the scope of her position.  Read on to see how she serves as a constant source of instruction and inspiration for exploring the challenges of management.

Hey friends-Chloe here.  I love the dog days of summer!  I spend hours each day lying in the grass, tummy in the air, working on my tan. I get to walk down to the river a couple times each day and take a big gulp of that cold water, retrieve a tennis ball, chase some ducks or just paddle around to cool off.
 
I noticed something rather interesting about the river that I want to tell you.  Even when I go to the same spot on the riverbank and step in over the very same rocks, I am in a different river every time.   The current is different, the water temperature slightly warmer, the people floating by on their rafts different from the day before.  I heard Marti say once, "You can never step in the same river twice."  Well, duh, girlfriend!

 

Book Review by: Marti Benjamin, MBA, Professional Certified Coach

While the title of this book might sound like a post-feminist tome on the economic power of women in the work place, it is much more than that.  The authors do remind us that women have taken their place in the ranks of successful business executives and professionals; they also show how men and children share the interests of women for a balanced perspective of life, career, family, company and community as well.    
 
The Business Need for Talent
Women have joined the executive and professional ranks in the past four decades in numbers previously unseen, and bring a new style of conducting business, one that has shown its merits in several research studies.  This style creates greater inclusion, encourages more participation and nurtures subordinates, factors that build a sustainable business advantage.
 
Companies require smart, technologically literate, globally astute and operationally agile talent to compete.  Baby boomers currently make up about one-third of the American labor force and they are beginning to retire, even in the midst of the recession.  By 2012, there will be six-million fewer college graduates to cover the job growth and positions vacated by retiring baby boomers.  "...economist agree that the demand for top-end, smart workers will still outstrip supply." (page 15)  The talent shortage creates the opportunity for more flexibility in work schedules and career paths.
 
What We Really Want

We all-businesswomen and men-are starving for the precious resource of time.  It has become the new currency as we work in a global economy, moving at a fast pace. 

 

The authors cite several research studies showing that professional women are unwilling to take on ever-increasing responsibility without some accommodation for a greater life-work balance. (pages 27-32)  Three-quarters of us want flexible work options.
 
In a two-year study of seven blue chip firms, businesses that allowed employees to work on alternative schedules found that their productivity increased and they were more committed and satisfied; the companies were more competitive because their workforce was more engaged, having found work that satisfies them intellectually and leaves time to lead a fulfilling personal life.
 
Redefining Success
The right balance begins with a clear definition of success, not the one from the media or the corporation, but the one that comes from the inside out.  Shipman and Kay offer several thinking exercises to arrive at a specific, detailed and personal definition of success and to recognize when ego is clouding our thinking. 
 
Considerations for success include pay, status, image as a team player (or not) and being accepted by coworkers.  At different times of our lives, each of these factors carries a different weight in redefining success.

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All the BEST,
Marti Benjamin, MBA, Professional Certified Coach, Certified Career Management Coach
Karri Benjamin, MBA
Chloe, Management Muse

Business Energetix--Success Coaching