Women I Love – Vera Wang

Vera Wang – a woman who saw an opportunity in a market where people paid a lot of money for poorly designed dresses – one’s wedding. She transformed the niche of bridal dresses to become designer – elegant, streamlined, simple. Remember the stretch tulle dresses that everyone was wearing for a while? Read her bio to see her long list of accomplishments and passion for excellence: in education, jobs, and sports that got her where she is today…a $1B business.

As someone who has stayed relevant for 45 years, and continues to expand her business, she has some wise words to say:

“I remember, with every decision I make, there is a repercussion.”

“In the end, it’s not about failure, it’s about how much you love what you do. If it gets you up in the morning, gives you a reason to live, a reason to be excited, that’s the greatest gift that any passion can give you.”

 

My 2 cents – The Millennial Myth

So, I don’t really buy the “millenials are so different from us” hype.

I remember being their age and being annoyed and frustrated by the exact same things they don’t like. They get frustrated working in repetitive, boring jobs. They want feedback. They want to work for great managers. They want to accelerate and progress their careers as quickly as possible.

Continue reading →

My 100th Post

Wow, I can’t believe it’s a 100 already! Thank you for all your positive feedback, and I truly hope these posts have been helpful, reassuring, and “one more point of view” that helps.

Every day I learn something that inspires me, depresses me, humbles me, and motivates me.

Here’s to the journey.

Could You Wear the Same Thing Every Day?

I have always said to people that if they issued a uniform at my place of work, I’d be ecstatic.

In the absence of that, I have my own version of wearing a uniform: skirts, crewneck sweaters, twinsets, and a necklace. In colors that mix and match.  I have a uniform for weekends too: dark denim, turtlenecks, a jacket. It’s just easier. If they had Giranimals for adults, I’d sign up. Continue reading →

2. Say Thank You (more)

Whenever I talk about my lessons learned, people always pick this one as one of their “so obvious, but we don’t do this” lessons.

Guilty. I don’t do this enough either. And I am always humbled by people taking the time to thank me for meeting with them, or holding a lunch and learn session…the heartfelt emails are terrific.

But what I save are the little handwritten notes. Because I know they went home and got out their stationery, and took the time to write something, and mail it back to me.  These notes strike a chord in me: of a time when letters were the norm, not the exception, and what it means to have something that is more than just a quickly typed up message. There is something about the process of handwriting something that is so much more personal and authentic.

There are lots of ways to say thank you…and all of them are good. Some stay with you longer than you think.