Wanted to share this great video I caught on thegrindstone.com of a talk Gayle Tzemach Lemmon gave at a TEDx event. Lemmon is a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a contributing editor-at-large for Newsweek Daily Beast, and author of the New York Times bestseller The Dressmaker of Khair Khana. I’ll be needing to download that to my ipad asap.
In the presentation she talks about her work women interviewing women entrepreneurs all over the world, and urges women to think beyond “micro-hopes” and “micro-ambitions.” Just watch it. You’ll be inspired.
I was so honored and humbled to be named one of the fifteen Most Powerful and Influential Women in Georgia by the National Diversity Council this morning. The awards were part of the Georgia Leadership Conference, and it was incredible day of panel discussions and speeches by go-getters of all ages, races– men and women alike.
The highlight for me was keynote speaker Donna Brazile, who is not only beyond inspiring, but also hilariously funny off-the-cuff (who knew?!). During her address, she spoke about her experiences in politics and media; what it takes to be a leader; and how to nurture your ambition. “Everything you need to succeed is already packaged within you,” Donna said. She shared that what has sustained her through the ups and downs of her career is her core belief that she is doing good, meaningful work. “It’s always been my dream to make a difference– to make the world a better place,” she said. Donna, who hails from New Orleans, also spoke about her passion for cooking. She advised that at all times, all women need these three ingredients in their freezer: onions, garlic, and peppers. She called this the “holy trinity” that will enable you to cook anything. Well, looking at my freezer now, I of course have none of these ingredients
Today the WSJ picks up on a trend that most Go-Getter Girls already knew all about: the blowout. Or as some like to call it, getting your “hair did.” This is one of the easiest, most effective ways to take your glam factor from zero to wow– and to avoid the stress of bad hair days. We saw GGGs designer Liz Lange and beauty entrepreneur Polly Blitzer “can’t live without” their blowouts. And you know that I’ve gotten my hair blown out in salons all over the world, enduring awkwardness and language barriers if need be, to avoid doing my hair myself.
Spending an hour in the salon a few times a week is actually both time and opportunity cost efficient: Unless you’ve got major skills, all the right products and tools (and a healthy dose of patience), chances are a professional blow dry will look way better than you can do yourself. Plus, you’ll have more time to focus on more important things, like what outfit you’re going to wear, what you’re actually going to say during that big presentation.
Are you annoyed by the messy microwave or noisy co-workers chatting on their cells? You’re not alone. LinkedIn released a global survey of 17,000 workers today on the top office pet peeves. Here are the top five:
People not taking ownership of their actions
Constant complainers
Dirty common areas
Starting meetings late or going long
People who don’t respond to emails
LinkedIn’s survey also found interesting correlations related to gender. For example, 62 percent of U.S. women were bothered by “clothing that’s too revealing for the workplace,” while only 29 percent of U.S. men surveyed said that was a problem (Is this really surprising?!).
There are also many cross-cultural differences. Americans are particularly bothered by people stealing food from the communal fridge. Swedes are less bothered by revealing clothing in the workplace. Germans are most annoyed by dirty common areas.
Job seekers should also take note: hiring managers were more peeved than others by people who were late.
Loved this New York Times magazine article about writer and actress Mindy Kaling, who stars as Kelly Kapoor on The Office. A GGG through and through, she’s a Dartmouth grad who clearly loves what she does. A few very interesting nuggets from the piece:
She routinely works 18-hour days writing for the show, starting at 10 a.m. and leaving after 7 p.m. On days when she acts in the show, too, she starts at 6 a.m. for hair & makeup, then jets back and forth all day between the writer’s room and set. She never volunteers to leave early.
Her big break came just one year after college, when a goofy short play she wrote about Ben Affleck and Matt Damon became a surprise hit at a New York festival. The producer of The Office hired her as a writer two months later.
I think there’s a great lesson in this latter story: start doing your own thing (just do it!), and it could be the unexpected audition for your dream job.
I was so honored and humbled to be named one of the fifteen Most Powerful and Influential Women in Georgia by the National Diversity Council this morning. The awards were part of the Georgia Leadership Conference, and it was incredible day of panel discussions and speeches by go-getters of all ages, races– men and women alike.
Loved this 
