Choose 2 Lead has completed a study sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation on the adequacy of resources to help older workers find flexibility. The draft report entitled, "Assessing the Adequacy of Workplace Flexibility Information Resources To Assist Older Workers" is now available for review.
If you are in-between jobs or considering a career change, please visit our new project, Career Transition Network. If you would like more career transition information, please sign-in on the CTN home page and check the box "General career transition information". We will ensure you receive updates and webinar schedules as they are available.
This site contains excellent resources for anyone even though it was developed to help those in the mortgage industry.
If you are interested in creating a flexible friendly workplace, please contact us.
For more information on creating your own flexible career also check out the website of the Flexibility Alliance at www.flexibilityalliance.org.
Thank you!
"Win-Win Workplace Practices: The Study of Improved Organizational Results and Improved Quality of Life" Research Report by Patricia S. Reed and Shirley Clark, sponsored by the Women's Bureau of the Department of Labor.
"Are We Losing the Best and the Brightest? Highly Achieved Women Leaving the Traditional Workforce" Authors: Patricia S. Reed and Shirley M. Clark A Study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration.
New Year’s Resolutions
We often use the end of the year as a time of reflection, followed by our commitment to change something in our lives – our “new year’s resolutions”. There seems to be a certain amount of hope and optimism that touches our thinking as we welcome in a new year. And by our thoughts of resolutions, our minds are set to take control. This is a powerful and healthy ritual that we perform!
So what is it that generally causes this energy to wane as the year goes on? Many resolutions are set aside within a few months and we fall back into old patterns and habits. Conversely, what is behind our ability to succeed in keeping a New Year’s Resolution? Can you think of a time when you did? What was at the core of your success?
When things have been a certain way for a long period of time, we often accept them as they are and don’t think about what will be or what can be. We get caught in a pattern of behavior and expectations that can often lead us on a path we don’t want to be on or land us in a situation that is uncomfortable or painful. Changing those patterns cannot be done by simply writing a list. The good news is, however, they can be changed! When you think back on times you have accomplished something memorable – perhaps losing weight, quitting smoking, taking on a challenging new role – what did you do to achieve your success? It all started with a thought and a goal.
Just take a moment to close your eyes and take a deep breath. What is it that you would like to accomplish? How would you like to be in 2009? How do you want to be perceived by those around you? Take another breath and contemplate what needs to be on your mind each day in order to be the person you want to be. What do you need to be thinking to accomplish new things? What actions do you need to take to achieve the results you desire?
On this day, as we make our lists – no matter what our employment situations are or what the economy is doing – for that moment in time we feel like we have some control over what lies ahead. Make that feeling of control a reality. Make everyday a New Year’s Eve and recognize that we can keep our Resolutions when we think about what we need to do and we choose to make those powerful choices to change.
May your mind be filled with thoughts that lead you to grand and glorious things – or simply things that make your life a little bit better! Happy New Year!
Now, more than ever, it is time for women to lead!
The media frenzy over Sarah Palin clearly illustrates the point about women that somehow over the past few years has turned into “wars”, frustration, anger and confusion. Why is it that women are all supposed to be the same? act the same? want the same things? Isn’t that a ridiculous assumption by the mass media? Unless you are set in the stage of the Stepford Wives, you know that women are not monolithic. Just as men choose their professions and their personal lives - so do women. Just as some men aspire to be CEOs and others are content staying the ranks - so are women.
With the single-wage-earning family a thing of the past for most families, the ‘who’, ‘when’ and ‘how’ we work is part personal choice and part necessity. There can be no rules, there are no “norms”. Each family - each woman must consider their circumstance and determine what is best for them. That might mean a nanny, a neighbor or a grandmother enter the scene. It might mean a stay-at-home dad or a stay-at-home mom. Whatever the choice is - it is a personal one. You can find studies that say kids with a parent at home do better than kids with two working parents. That may be true in some families and false in others. I know parents who work and are raising perfectly fine young citizens. I have also met children of a stay-at-home parent who are consistently in some type of trouble. Does that allow me to make a judgment on their behalf? Statistics are only that - numbers with a margin for error.
This has been an interesting year to observe the women running for public office. It has been even more interesting observing those who are doing the observing … and the judging. We have a country filled with strong women leaders. We have a country where women represent 54% of the vote. Yet somehow, many feel it necessary to bash the Vice-Presidential nominee because she is a mother outside of any “norm” they are used to dealing with.
We (Choose 2 Lead Women’s Foundation) recently released a study done for the U.S. Department of Labor on why highly skilled and educated women leave the traditional workplace. While the specific reasons were as unique as the individuals themselves, the findings of the study (HYPERLINK) include the challenges women face in a workplace that still has a 1940’s mentality. Don’t let our country follow the same trajectory as those workplaces. It is time that we come together to express the value in our distinct differences and our right to be individuals.
This is a complicated time we live in. Recognize and embrace our differences and help this country be a better place to work and live. We each have a role that is uniquely our own. Stand up for the working woman!! Stand up for the stay-at-home mom (also working, by the way). Stand up for the freedom to choose when it is right for you to be both, either or neither!