Grow Your Value Rating Focus Take-Aways

Brought to you compliments of DigitalCampus, with permission from getAbstract Inc.

Grow Your Value Living and Working to Your Full Potential

Rating Take-Aways

7 Applicability • Women’s career success affects their families, yet Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski finds that discussing the struggle to find personal value remains taboo. 6 Innovation 8 Style • Your personal brand is a compilation of your image, communication style, expertise, 7 perspective and work ethic. • Being a people-pleaser, while culturally acceptable, won’t build your professional value.

Focus • Women internalize the societal message that working outside of the home means sacrifices for their families. Leadership & Management Strategy • Working women feel guilty when their lives don’t match an idealized view of family. Sales & Marketing • Two-thirds of female primary breadwinners suffer mixed feelings about their role. Finance Human Resources • Women, even breadwinners, assume the lion’s share of household duties. IT, Production & Logistics • Current research debunks commonly held beliefs that children of working mothers fare Career & Self-Development less well than kids of stay-at-home moms. Small Business Economics & Politics • Abandon the life-balance myth and embrace your value, professionally and personally. Industries • Your professional success brings value to all aspects of your personal life. Global Business Concepts & Trends

To purchase personal subscriptions or corporate solutions, visit our website at www.getAbstract.com, send an email to [email protected], or call us at our US ofﬁce (1-877-778-6627) or at our Swiss ofﬁce (+41-41-367-5151). getAbstract is an Internet-based knowledge rating service and publisher of book abstracts. getAbstract maintains complete editorial responsibility for all parts of this abstract. getAbstract acknowledges the copyrights of authors and publishers. All rights reserved. No part of this abstract may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, photocopying or otherwise – without prior written permission of getAbstract Ltd. (Switzerland). This summary is restricted to the personal use of Hennie Brittz ([email protected]) 1 of 5 If you enjoyed this abstract and would like to receive more information how you or your business can subscribe to the full getAbstract library, please contact Leigh-Ann Arendse on [email protected] or +27 78 407 9830.

LoginContext[cu=1202762,asp=3877,subs=3,free=0,lo=en,co=ZA] 2015-08-06 16:30:59 CEST getabstract Relevance getabstract getabstract What You Will Learn In this summary, you will learn:r1) How professional women may struggle to find their personal value, 2) How to increase your value, and 3) How successful women such as Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski reconcile or vanquish the imbalance between career and home life. getabstract Review Co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe and best-selling author Mika Brzezinski seems to have it all – celebrity, a successful career, marriage and children. Yet even as she worked to empower other women through her books and seminars, Brzezinski questioned her own worth as a wife and mother. Here, she details her journey to find the same value in her personal life that she achieved professionally. As a mother, Brzezinski confesses to feeling guilty. She says other successful women are unwilling to address this topic, though thousands of books and articles on the issue beg to differ. Readers may find her problems – reconciling success, fame and salary with neglecting her family – enviable. And some may have difficulty relating to the experiences of the high-level working women Brzezinski depicts as her inner circle, including Olympian Bonny Warner Simi, former White House press secretary Dee Dee Myers and cosmetic queen Bobbi Brown. Nonetheless, getAbstract believes women facing professional challenges will enjoy getting to know them and will find value in Brzezinski’s account of her quest for inner harmony. getabstract getabstract Summary getabstract getabstract The Silent Struggle The panel of prestigious women who convened for the White House Summit on Working Families in 2014 included women’s rights activist Gloria Steinem, former Speaker of the getabstract House Nancy Pelosi, Black Entertainment Television (BET) CEO Debra Lee and president “My fears around not of the Rockefeller Foundation Judith Rodin. Mika Brzezinski, co-anchor of MSNBC’s being able to be both a real professional daily news show Morning Joe, moderated the forum. She asked a question that prompted who wants to be taken awkward silence. “You have dynamic careers; any unexpected personal strain from that?” seriously and a real mother who wants to The women who’d been so candid about their challenges making their way in the higher be loved are valid. echelons of the male-dominated fields of business and government didn’t respond. Finally, Everyone’s are.” getabstract Lee said, “Maybe none that I want to talk about.” The others were no more forthcoming. They seemed to feel stigmatized by the question.

Brzezinski felt her husband and daughters paid a price for her career success. She was exhausted and emotionally depleted at day’s end. Her job caused her to miss sporting events and school activities. Her family resented her absence. She wanted to know how other accomplished women addressed similar challenges. Women’s jobs affect their spouses,

getabstract friendships and children, yet talking about the struggle to find value in their personal lives “If you have achieved remains taboo. some – or a lot – of success in your work life, there are The Working Woman’s Dilemma consequences in your While many men work long hours, travel and attend professional events, they don’t feel personal life.” getabstract the consequences in the same way as women. A 2013 Pew study showed that only 16% of Americans think mothers of small children should work full time. One-third of respondents felt mothers shouldn’t work outside the home at all. Many moms would choose to stay home with their kids if they could afford that option. Yet 32% of women want to work outside of the home, and 41% of working moms are their family’s main breadwinner. Women

This summary is restricted to the personal use of Hennie Brittz ([email protected])

LoginContext[cu=1202762,asp=3877,subs=3,free=0,lo=en,co=ZA] 2015-08-06 16:30:59 CEST internalize the underlying societal message that a career, even a great one, takes something away from your family.

Current research debunks commonly held beliefs that children of working mothers fare less getabstract “We have to go back well than kids of stay-at-home moms. A 2014 study showed that working mothers’ infants to the narrative of our progressed cognitively and socially as well as or better than children of mothers who did own lives to remember who we are at our core, not work outside the home. A University of Michigan study in 1999 found that the kids what our inner value of working moms earned higher scores on language, reading and math tests. Many experts is.” getabstract believe that socioeconomics affect child development much more than whether the mother works. Politicians such as Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York believe the real issue is unequal pay. Working women earn less than their male counterparts and have less money to provide for their children.

Even though more women pursue careers today than in previous generations and many are their families’ primary earners, they still assume the lion’s share of home management duties. Taking care of children, attending to household chores, overseeing scheduling and getabstract paying bills still fall mostly to the female partner, regardless of how many hours she works. “To take it to the next With so many demands on their attention, many women feel they are trying to do it all, level and grow our value as people, not but not doing anything well. This begets guilt, which cultural attitudes can exacerbate. A just as professionals, resentful child or a husband who feels neglected also can trigger that draining sense of guilt. women must do some very tricky math.” Successful women who create value at work may not find the same value in their home life. getabstract Your “Professional Brand” Rather than trying to turn into everything that others want you to be, build your professional brand by focusing on your strengths. Your brand is a compilation of your image, communication style, expertise, perspective and work ethic. Create a short elevator pitch using just a few sentences to encapsulate your professional brand. Knowing how to summarize your value in business situations helps you to stand out and puts you in the running for new opportunities. Understand your inner value as it relates to your getabstract relationships, family life and spiritual center. Define it by analyzing and identifying what “Hard work on the job is a little like the tree is truly important to you. Knowing your goals and setting priorities can help you steer your falling in the forest: life in the most honest and satisfying direction. it doesn’t make much noise if no one hears about it.” When you were a student, you understood that to succeed you needed to study, participate getabstract in class, meet deadlines and get good grades. When you entered the working world, the guidelines for success weren’t so clear-cut. Yet from your first job forward, you built your professional persona and added to the foundation of your professional value.

On the first rungs of the career ladder, you learned how a firm works, which behaviors are acceptable and which are not, how to present yourself, and how to interact with your co- workers and superiors. You quickly realized which assignments you enjoy and where your strengths lie. getabstract “Women cannot possibly have it all Stories from the Trenches if our professional Nancy Gibbs’s journey to develop her professional brand began with an assignment she values and inner values aren’t closely allied and didn’t want. In 1988, the editor of Time magazine posted her to its “Living” section. Gibbs aligned.” dreaded writing the fluff pieces normally associated with the feature-story section, but she getabstract was happy to discover that she had freedom to pursue her own story ideas. She wrote about date rape, resources for the elderly and the criminal justice system. She built her reputation, took risks, pursued her interests and developed her unique perspective. Today, Gibbs is the managing editor of Time.

This summary is restricted to the personal use of Hennie Brittz ([email protected])

LoginContext[cu=1202762,asp=3877,subs=3,free=0,lo=en,co=ZA] 2015-08-06 16:30:59 CEST Bobbi Brown, the founder of the makeup line that bears her name, understands her corporate mission and her professional value. She believes cosmetics enhance who you are. She offers working women easy-to-use products that deliver on their promise.

getabstract To gain experience, Mika Brzezinski decided to do whatever work newsroom producers “We often feel massively guilty about assigned to her. She reported from two to five in the morning. She covered major news not being with our events, such as the ballot recount during the Bush-Gore election and the terrorist attacks families because we’re working like crazy.” on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Being a “Jill of All Trades” ultimately getabstract hurt her, because she hadn’t developed a clear professional persona. When CBS laid off several reporters in 2007, Brzezinski was one of the first to go. Her lack of a personal brand made her replaceable.

Advocating for Yourself – In Your Own Words Women often make Brzezinski’s mistake by not “knowing their value” and owning their personal brand. Often, they’re so grateful when management considers them for a promotion they don’t advocate for themselves and ask for what they need. For example, getabstract Blair Blackwell felt her career stall when she was working in development at a nonprofit “It turns out that if organization. After reviewing her work history and skills, she felt confident when she you’re a working mother, you may be went into job discussions with Chevron, a potential new employer. She asked for a giving your children the salary commensurate with her extensive experience. Now head of education and corporate edge in many areas of their lives.” programs, Blackwell finally learned to stand by her professional value. getabstract Women who do advocate for themselves may fall victim to the sexist label “aggressive,” a trait which society finds attractive in men but off-putting in women. Substitute the words “fearless, ambitious or focused” for aggressive, and allow yourself to own your powerful traits without making excuses. While it is more culturally acceptable for women to act passively and be people-pleasers, that won’t increase your professional value. Draw attention to your good work, blow your own horn and advocate for yourself. Men do it all getabstract the time, guilt-free. “Aiming for ‘happiness’ is like shooting at a moving Building your professional worth requires making connections, developing relationships, target: As soon as you and creating a network of associates, potential collaborators and future employers. think you’ve got it locked down, it shifts. Yet many women are reluctant to network. They worry that will create a perception Finding peace is the that they are disloyal to their firm. Cindi Leive, editor-in-chief of Glamour magazine, real accomplishment.” getabstract believes developing relationships outside of work, joining boards and volunteering in trade organizations are crucial career steps.

The Work-Life Balance Myth Many professional women judge themselves harshly. They have an idealized view of a mother’s role and family life. When their reality doesn’t match the ideal, they feel guilty. Nicolle Wallace, former White House director of communications, feels that being a mother carries equal, not greater, responsibility than being a father. However, women still getabstract “We need to pay experience unfair condemnation for any deviation from the traditional role. working women more – and that’s the one thing Many working moms don’t feel entitled to nurture their inner value or spirit. They believe we should be focusing on instead of feeling every moment not spent working should be devoted to their families. Their friendships are guilty.” the first thing to suffer. They are too busy to maintain existing connections and lack the time getabstract to develop new ones. Friends and support systems help women feel sustained and loved. People with networks of friends are healthier and live longer than those who don’t have that outlet.

This summary is restricted to the personal use of Hennie Brittz ([email protected])

LoginContext[cu=1202762,asp=3877,subs=3,free=0,lo=en,co=ZA] 2015-08-06 16:30:59 CEST Some successful female professionals use their inner-value compass to focus on what really matters and to bridge the divide between professional and personal personas. For example, when Gibbs’s children were young, she turned down promotions that would place greater demands on her time. She appreciates the flexibility her profession as a writer affords her. Fashion designer Tory Burch stepped away from an offer to become president of Loewe when she was pregnant with her third child. While taking a break was a difficult decision, getabstract she developed the concept for her own brand during that hiatus. “A woman can truly be successful only to the extent that her Breadwinners many roles are able to blend.” When Brzezinski received a big raise at Morning Joe, she didn’t tell her husband for two getabstract months. He had always been supportive of her career and when she did tell him, he was incredibly proud. Yet she had felt guilty. Brzezinski’s story is not unusual. Two-thirds of women who were their households’ primary earners say they have mixed feelings about their role. Society conditions women from a young age to please people, to fit in and to find a strong husband. Experiencing professional success can throw a woman’s home life out of balance, particularly if she has to work long hours or travel.

To avoid this pitfall, be clear with your spouse about your goals and ambitions at the beginning of your relationship. Amanda Steinberg, founder of DailyWorth.com, waited getabstract “If you are ambitious into her 30s to be “saved” by a man. Instead, she saved herself and began her own for yourself, for your company. Now, she speaks clearly and openly with her boyfriend about her professional career, you’ve got to be clear about that in value and expectations. your personal life – and certainly with the person with whom you Individual women tackle the issue of marital balance in different ways. For a minority of plan on spending it.” breadwinners, it is not an issue. Most others do understand that life is full of trade-offs. getabstract Abandoning the myth of attaining balance will make it easier for you to embrace your value, professionally and personally. Dr. Tovah Klein and her research team discovered that some female subjects, “are succeeding, but they don’t feel they are.” Men don’t experience the same conflict regarding the balance of marital power or their worth as fathers. For women, guilt may simply be part of the package. Moms’ emotions about being the major breadwinner run the gamut. However, more than 55% of the breadwinner moms surveyed are proud to be the primary provider. They’re positive role models for their daughters, form close bonds with their kids and believe they’re good moms. getabstract “The big picture is about finding Build Your Value professional success Women who attain professional success must recognize the value they bring to their without losing sight of everything that makes multiple roles, professionally and personally as mothers, wives and friends. You don’t have life worthwhile.” to become a completely different person the minute you walk into your home. Nurture all getabstract aspects of your being in your relationships, marriage, home life and friendships. Be honest with yourself and the people close to you about what you need to feel fulfilled. Invest in your personal growth, whether it means spending time with friends, volunteering at community programs, attending a house of worship or working out at the gym. Be proud of the money you earn for your family. Take shortcuts if need be, rather than killing yourself to live up to some false ideal. Learn how to say no and leave behind the urge to be a people-pleaser. getabstract getabstract About the Author getabstract getabstract Co-host of Morning Joe on MSNBC, Mika Brzezinski is the author of The New York Times bestseller Knowing Your Value and the mother of two daughters.

This summary is restricted to the personal use of Hennie Brittz ([email protected])

LoginContext[cu=1202762,asp=3877,subs=3,free=0,lo=en,co=ZA] 2015-08-06 16:30:59 CEST