Ambition is not a Dirty Word

A Woman's Guide To Earning Her Worth and Achieving Her Dreams

Are you not advancing in your career as quickly as you'd like? Are you not making the money you deserve and getting the fulfillment you desire? Are you afraid of what you might have to sacrifice if you pursue your big goals?

YOU'RE NOT ALONE

Like thousands of women I've worked with, you can make more money doing work you love, earn the credit and power you deserve, and make the contribution you were born to make. I'll show you how you can be ambitious without compromising your ethics or integrity. I'll show you that you can feel worthy and entitled to all of this without sacrificing a happy personal life and without being afraid that you'll be less of a woman or a bad mom. It's worked for me. It's worked for countless women I've advised. It will work for you.

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Call me today to discuss your objectives at: 212.749.1988

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Read my blog below. Join in on the discussions!

Home Away From Home

Dear Debra: After being laid off, I started a small web design business. It’s great commuting to my office (my couch) in pajamas. I have paying clients. But some days it’s hard staying motivated, disciplined, and organized. –Solo in New York

Get out of bed on the right foot. Even if you know you’ll be working from home all day, get up, shower, and put on clean clothes; sweats are fine but no pj’s. Don’t work in socks or bare feet: there is something about wearing shoes when working from home that is grounding and legitimizing.

How To Take It Back

Dear Debra: After I spearheaded a major project for our division, my boss singled me out for praise I deserved. I don’t know why I did it—to be humble and nice, I guess—but I “shared” the glory with a coworker I felt sorry for who did barely a fraction of the work. Now, it looks like that co-worker (who has turned out to be manipulative and backstabbing), not me, will be joining my boss at the next inter-departmental briefing on this project. Can I recover from shooting myself in the foot? –Limping, 29.

What do you do when you’ve missed an opportunity and given away your credit? You need to fix that mistake. Here’s how one of my clients—Liz—did it.

Speechless in Seattle: How to Make a Great Presentation

Dear Debra: I’ve been asked to present at a high-profile company event. My bosses, colleagues, donors, and board members will be attending. I’m petrified. Help!

Practice until you can’t stand the sound of your own voice. Practice breeds confidence. It’s impossible to over-rehearse.

How Not to Go AWOL (Absent Without Leisure)

Dear Debra: I get so stressed out planning to leave work for vacation and check in so constantly while I’m gone that by the time I finally unwind, vacation’s almost over, and then of course when I get back to the office I’m snowed under the pileup.  How can I make leaving and returning to the office after vacation less stressful?

Do Less and Make More

Dear Debra:  I absolutely love my work. Being a small business owner demands a ton of hours. In addition to my career, in my personal life, I manage everyone’s schedules, laundry, plus field, “Mom! Honey! What should we do for dinner?” I need another me--or a wife. Advice?  –Overwhelmed

3 Tips to Refresh an Out-Of-Date Rolodex and Network by Sundown

1. Deploy a six-degrees of separation search

2. Tap online social media networks

3. Time travel

Friends or “Friends”?

Dear Debra: Should I accept Facebook “friend” invitations from co-workers I don’t know that well and don’t socialize with? I keep my personal life pretty private. Will I offend if I don’t accept?

There are 3 ways of dealing with this dilemma:

Sample the Goods Before Buying and Land Your Dream Job

Dear Debra: I’ve been laid off from a job I hated with six months’ severance. I want to think carefully about what I want to do next. Advice?

Volunteering or interning is a great strategy if your goal is to avoid simply filling time or gaining irrelevant experience that does nothing to move you toward meaningful, challenging work.  Volunteer to sample a new company or industry. If you love the work, leverage it into a paid position. Here’s how.

Brush Up on Your Note Taking Skills

Excerpt from article by Heather Huhman, Entry Level Careers Examiner at Examiner.com

Even students’ years in school often times don’t prepare them properly for taking notes in the workplace. While it may seem a trivial task, once you miss an important direction or assignment, you’ll realize just how crucial it is.

If you can, record in addition to writing. “Stand out from the intern herd by showing up with a small, digital audio recorder. Say, ‘Do you mind if I tape this while also taking notes? That way, I can be sure not to miss anything and can go back and listen again to anything I didn't absorb the first time. This will save you time training me and get me up to speed 10 times faster!’ Most bosses not only will say yes, but will be impressed that you thought of this and dazzled by your ambition and thoroughness and desire to get it right,” said Dr. Debra Condren, a business psychologist, author and founder of AmbitionIsNotADirtyWord.com.

Click here to read article in its entirety.

Exciting News from Carol Jenkins

We have some exciting news we want to share with you, a member of The Women's Media Center extended family: the WMC has acquired SheSource.org, the online database of over 500 women experts. This makes the WMC the definitive source for women analysts and experts -- and meshes perfectly with our intensive media training program, Progressive Women's Voices.

Click here to read more about WMC and SheSource.org