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Author: Sarah Hathorn

Home > Articles posted by Sarah Hathorn (Page 35)

01 Nov

Posted at 10:00h in Career Acceleration, Career Success, Executive Presence, Leadership by

Powerful Woman For more than 30 years I’ve coached and mentored women who are top-caliber Fortune 500 executives and high-level entrepreneurs. Meanwhile during that whole time I was either a Fortune 100 senior executive or the founding CEO of my own successful consulting firm. Many things have changed for women in the workplace over the years, but as the saying goes “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” What I’m referring to here is the sad fact that, even in this advanced era of the 21st century, negative stereotypes about women in executive positions stubbornly persist.

The one that most often comes to mind is that if you are a woman and you are powerful within the business community then it must mean that you are also self-centered and egocentric.

So let me set the record straight. The most successful women leaders I know are actually just the opposite, because they derive their power from an ability to make the women and men around them more successful and powerful. Women who are the strongest executives, in other words, didn’t get there by being

18 Oct

Posted at 10:00h in Career Acceleration, Career Success, Leadership by
    How did a leader within the geeky technical industry become such an influential global icon? I think there are four primary characteristics essential to Steve Jobs’ enduring legacy. (After writing them I realized that their first letters inadvertently spelled iPad!)
  • Innovation As Jobs said, innovation is what separates leaders from followers. Offer something that others don’t. Use unique strategies to promote your brand. Always be receptive to new ideas.
 
  • Passion Jobs also believed in doing what you love, and pointed out that the only way to do great work is to be passionate about your career. “If you haven’t found it, keep looking,” he said. “Don’t settle.” I often remind my clients that quality of life issues are often just as valuable as salary bumps. That’s because if you

04 Oct

Posted at 10:07h in Career Acceleration, Career Success, Communication, Corporate Culture, Leadership by

Acquiring Critical Leadership Criteria Senior management understands the value of investing in future leadership, but also realizes that to find extraordinary leaders it is important to look for outstanding qualities that are multidimensional, strategically developed, and tempered by experience.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself regarding your leadership development objectives:

Do I have a panoramic vision of the organization?
Leading from the top doesn’t always work in today’s diverse and complex companies, so develop a more panoramic and cross-departmental vision and understanding to ensure sustainable success. Knowing how to operate horizontally and diagonally, in other words, is the fastest way to earn a vertical promotion.

How do I handle workplace politics?
Volunteer up, praise down, and never repeat office gossip. Pitch in to reinforce the performance of your bosses when you see room for improvement. Promote and support those on your team or your employees. Never speak about someone in a way that you aren’t prepared to say to their face. Follow that code and you’ll

27 Sep

Posted at 09:00h in Brand, Career Success, Communication, Leadership by

Speaking with greater clarity and purpose is vital for any leader, whether they are talking to an employee, client, board room, or the news media. Those who lack this ability will appear weak, befuddled, and ineffective – and will fail to convey their ideas and leadership vision. But those who have a mastery of communication have a powerful asset that can influence others and ensure extraordinary success.

Clear messages will only come from clear thoughts, so know what you want to say before you write or speak. Take notes, isolate talking points, and avoid flowery or complicated language. Keep it simple, and avoid using more words than necessary to convey your ideas. When communication is clear it improves the chances that hearing and comprehension on the other end will also be

06 Sep

Posted at 10:00h in Career Acceleration, Career Success, Executive Coaching, Leadership, Leadership Mindset by

The Secret to Career Success: Negate the Negative Perhaps the biggest secret to career success – whether you are an entrepreneur or high potential leader working for a major corporation – is to learn how to neutralize or negate negativity.

Negative energy comes in two forms, internal and external. To help insulate yourself from the external kind, surround yourself with positive people who are focused on performance and success, not failure. Avoid the naysayers and cynics in favor of those who interpret adversity as a challenging opportunity to prove their worth.

All of us have baggage that weighs us down in the form of insecurities, fears, and perceived shortcomings. But with the help of a trusted mentor or confidential coach you can overcome any

09 Aug

Posted at 10:00h in Career Success, Executive Presence, Leadership by

In this great article on TrainingMag.com, Jann E Freed, Ph.D. talks about how many people wait to think about their legacy until the end of their careers right before retirement. She claims that today the time to think about your leadership legacy is now. By putting forth a strategic plan now you are preparing to become a better leader.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from

02 Aug

Posted at 15:37h in Brand, Career Success, Leadership, Predictable Promotion, Professional Image by

Faster Promotions Believe it or not, the biggest obstacle to success and faster promotions for most people is not fierce competitors or a tough economy. Granted, those are major factors. But the truth is that it’s oftentimes ourselves who are standing in the way of our own career progress.

I experienced it early in my career when I got passed over for my first gigantic promotion. Luckily I became aware of the issue, overcame it, and was able to go on to enjoy great success as a senior executive with a Fortune 100 company before launching my own successful entrepreneurial business.

For decades I’ve observed that the biggest roadblocks to success and the most commonly experienced pitfalls can be traced back to one’s on self-image or mindset.

  • That’s why I often share a 360-degree assessment tool with my clients when they are trying to figure out how to design and promote a brand or professional image. Most are pleasantly surprised to learn how differently they are perceived by trusted others like family members, friends, and colleagues when compared to how they critically assess themselves.
  • Usually they find out that others see them as a lot

29 Jul

Posted at 15:19h in Career Acceleration, Career Success, Corporate Culture, Executive Presence, Leadership by

3 Leadership Tips for Developing Top Talent The key to sustainable success in any business or as a high performance leader is to constantly fuel the talent pipeline. But the easiest, most cost effective way to gain more valuable human resources and maintain a roster of top talent is to develop your talent from within the organization.

Here are three tips to help you accomplish that:

1) Invest in the success of your people

Unless you spend some time and money to develop those on your team, they will either never reach their full potential or they will eventually leave for greener pastures. A much more economically viable strategy is to develop your talent with proactive initiatives. Keep in mind that many employees value an investment in career development as much as they do a financial raise.

2) Reward your high achievers

It is much cheaper to fuel the pipeline from within, and investing in your own people generates loyalty and high morale while it simultaneously attracts the most qualified and talented new hires. That combats the expense and disruption caused by high rates of attrition, so investing in your
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