As someone who takes goal-setting seriously, I enjoy looking back on the year, assessing progress I’ve made and looking ahead to all that I still want to do. While long lists of New Year’s resolutions often set you up for failure, I prefer to focus on one professional and one personal goal for the next year. I’m sharing mine below, but I’d also love to hear from you. Reading your comments helps me learn what’s important to you, and to get new ideas for topics to cover on this blog.
My 2020 Goals:
Personal: Take a few minutes each day to meditate.
Professional: Double my efforts to make connections with and listen to front-line staff.
My Favorite Posts from 2019:
Knowing Your Bandwidth
I began thinking about this post a few weeks ago, on a typical Sunday evening. My husband Lou and I had been traveling and we’d just returned home. I intended to use the evening to get the kitchen ready for our remodel that was about to begin, pack up everything that needed to be moved, complete the rest of my New Years cards and get ready for the week ahead. As I began this work, he became frustrated; “Madeline, you have an endless supply of bandwidth, and you have to remember that I do not.” READ MORE
2. The Upside of Vulnerability
We live in a culture with an ever-increasing focus on perfection. Whether it’s at home or in the workplace, we put so much pressure on ourselves to do everything, and do it perfectly. At work, the idea of always being over-prepared, with no question you can’t answer and nothing you haven’t thought of is likely appealing. However, this masks one of our most powerful tools as a leader – vulnerability. READ MORE
3. Developing Our Successors, Millennial Women in the Workplace
I am passionate about sharing advice for young women looking to advance their careers, especially for those looking towards the C-Suite. I offer suggestions on everything from taking stretch assignments and negotiating raises, to adjusting bad speech habits and dressing like a leader. However, I sometimes wonder if we’re expecting younger generations to conform to our workplace norms at the expense of truly letting their unique priorities and values shine through? READ MORE
4. Unlearning the Lessons of Charm School
There is nothing more rejuvenating than spending an evening out with close female friends. The camaraderie, support and laughter that accompanies these types of friendships is, in my opinion, an essential part of mental health. I recently had dinner with my two closest friends; women I can share anything and everything with, and with whom I can truly be myself. We talk about our common experience of having our children get married and laugh about how men (and specifically, our husbands!) need to find “man friends” (why do women seem to be so much better at recognizing the essential nature of supportive friendships!?) READ
5. Developing Helping Relationships, Making the Most of Your Networks
With the growth of social media platforms such as LinkedIn and endless other networking groups, we’ve seen a significant increase in our personal and professional networks. Just think about your connections. Now, think about how many of those people you actually know. How many of them could you help you advance your career or make a meaningful business connections? How many of them could you truly ask for a favor or an introduction? Probably not many. I think it’s important to learn how to develop more “surface-level relationships” into more meaningful relationships that can help us meet our personal and professional goals. READ MORE
Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2020 – please leave me a comment below and tell me what you’d like to read on the blog on the next year.
During my years at CHOP, I have received wonderful advice from managers and colleagues that has helped me advance my career in ways I never imagined possible when I was starting out as a young nurse. I strongly believe the most important part of my job is to develop future leaders. While many of these posts tackle specific challenges or topics, there are a few key lessons I’ve learned that stand out in my years of experience. Here are my top three pieces of advice no matter where you are in your career.
Don’t take a job for the title. Many people think that a certain title will give them credibility. In fact, your influencing skills – that is, your ability to gain support and “followership” from the people who will be affected by a decision – are far more important than your title. Your influencing skills, not necessarily a title, will help you get things done. Start practicing this no matter what your current title is.
Work for a place that you believe in. To be successful in your career, it’s important to work for a place that reflects your own values. One of CHOP’s biggest strengths is that we have a workforce that is inspired by our mission and values. Having a team made up of employees who share a sense of mission and purpose makes us much more effective as a team. Ask yourself some tough questions, and if you don’t truly believe in the mission, leaders, or goals of your company or organization, start looking for what might be a better fit.
Take on “stretch” assignments. Ask to take on a project you don’t feel entirely prepared for – even if the idea scares you. You will find your biggest opportunities for growth when you step outside your comfort zone. Pay close attention in meetings – is there an issue that keeps coming up that no one seems to be tackling? Suggest to your boss that you work on solving it. Even if you don’t have an idea for a certain project, let your boss know that you’re looking for an extra challenge (just make sure you are doing A+ work in all of your current responsibilities!)
If you’ve received a particularly helpful piece of career advice from a friend, colleague or mentor, I would love to hear it!
I began thinking about this post a few weeks ago, on a typical Sunday evening. My husband Lou and I had been traveling and we’d just returned home. I intended to use the evening to get the kitchen ready for our remodel that was about to begin, pack up everything that needed to be moved, complete the rest of my New Years cards and get ready for the week ahead. As I began this work, he became frustrated; “Madeline, you have an endless supply of bandwidth, and you have to remember that I do not.” Lou has, by any definition, had an enormous amount of professional success – he’s balanced research, publishing and patient care as the Chief of General Pediatrics at CHOP, all while raising seven children. However, he knows how much downtime he needs to recharge and it is not always in synch with my desire to take on more. I believe the key to his success has much to do with knowing this, giving himself the necessary downtime to recharge, and pushing back when someone (usually me!) is depleting his bandwidth. It got me thinking.
We’ve all heard people talk about how busy they are, how stressed they are or how they can’t seem to find balance. Often, being busy is glamorized and if you’re not burning the candle at both ends, you’re somehow less successful. While I certainly promote taking on additional projects to stretch yourself and saying yes to things you may not quite feel prepared for, I also believe that in order to be successful you must know your own bandwidth.
For example, I know that by Friday evening, mine is spent. I like to go home, relax on the couch and make sure I go to bed as early as possible. If I have an event on a Friday night, I have to work extra hard to mentally prepare myself, though I try to avoid scheduling things for myself during this time. There have been many moments in my career when I thought, “I cannot possibly take on another thing.” However, I was always thinking in terms of adding and not subtracting anything from my plate. I started to focus more on what I can take off my to-do list, or which responsibility I can delegate when I want to take on something new. Productivity and functionality has a limit – you simply cannot take on more without looking for what you can remove. To me, this is central to knowing yourself and to building emotional intelligence.
Many people may argue that the leaders in their organization don’t respect the bandwidth of their employees. A large percentage of my work with those I directly manage is all about this topic. I help them prioritize, identify what can be delegated and how much they can handle while still thriving. This is key – everyone’s effectiveness decreases as a certain point. I know that when I ask one of my employees to take something additional on, I need to sit with them and make sure they know how to “rearrange” what’s on their plate. Opening up this conversation is important – leaders should be sure to ask their employees how they recharge or prioritize tasks. It’s important that we all acknowledge that a lower bandwidth does NOT equal lower performance, less ambition or less accomplishment.
If this is something you’ve been thinking about as well, I’d love to hear from you – how do you modulate your bandwidth? I believe this conversation should be central to helping everyone, but especially women, find balance and success without it being at the expense of their own effectiveness, sanity and personal life.
Having women represented on corporate boards adds incredible value to a company yet it remains a big challenge. According to the Forum of Executive Women’s most recent research, from 2016 to 2017, overall board seats held by women in the Philadelphia region only grew from 16% to 17% and out of the 100 companies surveyed, 18 still did not have any women on their boards. While this issue is getting more attention (California recently passed a controversial law mandating that every publicly traded company based in the state will need at least one woman on the board by the end of 2019) we just aren’t seeing the advances we should be.
From my experience on the board on both corporate and non-profit boards, I’ve learned a great deal about board service, corporate governance, and why it’s so important to have women in the room. Recently, I’ve been asked by many women how they can prepare themselves to serve on a board, so I’m happy to share my advice here. I hope that I can play a small role in encouraging more women to stretch themselves and prepare for this next challenge in their professional lives.
Develop Your Relevant Experience
Currently, 43% of the 100 largest public companies in the region still conduct business with all-male leadership teams and out of 625 total executives, only 15% are women. Being able to operate at the executive level is probably the most important consideration for joining a corporate board, especially a Fortune 500 board. If serving on a board is a goal for you, advancing your career into the C-suite (CEO, CFO, COO) is a great way to prepare.
Focus on enhancing your leadership capabilities and scope of experience. Develop your skill sets to manage people, manage operations, make big decisions and especially have financial acumen, which is critical to understanding the finances of a company.
Understand Board Service
It’s really important to seek out opportunities to understand what board service means so that if you are approached — and oftentimes you’re going to be approached unexpectedly, as I was — you understand what it means to serve on a corporate board and what you would be expected to do. If you do your homework, you can give an answer in that moment versus saying, “let me go back and do some research.” I think the key is that you never really know when a conversation will lead to an opportunity, so be prepared in advance.
There are many resources for continuing education; such as Women Corporate Directors and universities that offer courses and conferences on corporate governance. I participated in a program called Women on Board in Philadelphia before I was approached by Comcast. I also took a three-day course at Stanford University, the Directors’ Consortium, that was incredibly helpful to me.
Position Yourself
It’s important to know what skills are most valued by boards, and then be able to articulate how your experience fills those needs. For me, it was my experience in Operations that attracted Comcast to me. Learn what sorts of challenges corporations are facing and position yourself to help solve them. For example, if you are a CIO, you can fill the gaps in a board’s understanding of the cyber security challenges their company faces. If you have served as a Chief Human Resources Officer, you can provide much needed guidance on succession planning and executive compensation. Be sure to create a Board Bio highlighting your relevant achievements and strategically emphasizing the experience that will be valuable to a board. Additionally, many boards are looking for prospective board members who are diverse. This is a bit of a problem since there is a lack of representation of women and other minorities in C-suite roles, especially CEO’s.
Tap into Your Network – Especially Your Female Network
If you have aspirations of joining a corporate board, tell another woman who is on a board. One thing I have noticed is that once you get on a corporate board, the flood gates open because they know you have experience. When I have to turn down an opportunity, I always recommend someone else – and always a woman who has told me that she’s interested in serving on a board. Make it a priority to network with board members, and put it out there that you’re looking.
How to Find Time
Many women I speak with often worry that board service will add too much to their plate. I have been clear that my day job as President and CEO at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is my absolute priority. I limit my board service to a reasonable number of boards and a reasonable time commitment without a lot of travel. For example, the meetings for the Federal Reserve Board of Philadelphia are within a mile or so of my office, and are limited to a few hours on a particular day. To serve on the Comcast board here in Philadelphia and the Children’s Hospital Association board in Washington, DC, as well as my other nonprofit boards, is similarly convenient. Choose a board that requires only what you can give.
Despite all of the benefits that board service brings for women, in my experience, when you’re the minority in the room you do have to work harder to prepare and be part of the conversation and to feel comfortable jumping in. I probably spend more time that I need to preparing for board meetings and reviewing materials. There have been times when the board has turned to me and asked how something might be viewed as a woman. While it does point out that you’re different than the others in the room and creates the added pressure of having to speak for half of the population, I think it’s great that corporate boards are asking for that advice and seeing the value diversity in the boardroom can bring for shareholders and corporate culture more broadly.
I often tell women I’m mentoring that doing A+ work is simply not enough.
If someone is excellent in their role but keeps their head down and doesn’t stretch themselves, their hard work can go unrecognized. Successful careers, promotions, and the type of recognition I hear women say they’re striving for comes from putting yourself in the position to take on an extra challenge. Beyond that, it takes finding the opportunity to let people know about your achievements and contributions. I see two common scenarios: either women worry about being perceived as arrogant, pushy or difficult if they ask for more, or they feel lucky to have the position or salary they currently have. Alternatively, I see men truly believing they add value and deserve more. Sadly, we are also still combating attitudes of some executives who don’t believe women “need” to make more money if they have a spouse with a successful career.
With end of year performance reviews around the corner, I’m sharing advice that can help women know how to prepare themselves to either negotiate a raise or a promotion confidently. Below are a few tips.
Having your talents and abilities noticed requires intentionality. If you want to be elevated in a company or an organization, you need to have accomplished something above and beyond your job description. Schedule a meeting with your boss and let them know you are looking for opportunities to help you stretch yourself. Even better if you come prepared with an idea for what that opportunity could be, and how it will help the organization. Say yes to opportunities or projects that you feel “unqualified” to take on – they are what will give you the credibility to ask for more.
Do your homework on what you should be getting paid. There are plenty of places to research typical salaries. In the corporate world there is actually a lot of transparency – many companies are required to disclose the salaries of their top executives. For the nonprofit world, you can use The GuideStar Nonprofit Compensation Report, a nonprofit compensation analysis based entirely on IRS data. Be sure that what you’re asking for isn’t unreasonable for the industry, region, and role.
One of the most important things you can do is frame your argument by emphasizing what it will do for your organization or department. The key is to be confident without entitlement. What will you bring to the role that will add value? What changes can you make and how will they benefit your company? What will you be taking on in exchange for a higher salary? Of course you need to focus on what you have already done, but it’s important to remember that you’re not entitled to more responsibility or more money – it needs to continually be earned.
For almost every speech, meeting or important conversation I have, I practice out loud first. Ask your partner, your friend or your colleague to role play with you, and run through the conversation. Have them tell you areas where you need to clarify. Make sure you’re comfortable enough with what you’re saying that you’re not speeding through it or talking too quietly.
Make a habit of taking credit for your work. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a woman give a presentation and there is a slide that lists 50 people who helped contribute to the success of the project she led. Additionally, I hear women say “we” instead of “I” when they very much should be saying “I.” Learn to feel comfortable owning your achievements, and find appropriate ways to let others know about what you’ve done.
What do you find most difficult in preparing to ask for a raise or a promotion? Do you have tips to share? I’d love to hear from you as well. It can be easy to simply accept what you are given, but then privately harbor resentment over not earning what you think you deserve. However, I always say, you can’t get what you don’t ask for.
Public speaking is among one of the most commonly cited fears. Even among the most confident leaders and those who consider themselves to be experts, there are many opportunities to improve. In my role as CEO, I am frequently called upon to speak in front of others. These speaking engagements can range from national forums to town hall-style meetings at my own organization. Though I’m experienced, I’ve come to appreciate what an art public speaking really is and how much skill development and PRACTICE is consistently needed to take your abilities to the next level.
Villanova Commencement Speech 2015
Until recently, my public speaking skills have been developed through simple trial and error and learning a few tips from coaches. However, to prepare for a high-profile national speaking engagement, I decided to consult with internationally acclaimed speechwriter and presentation transformation specialist, Lynda Spillane of The Persuasive Word. She’s worked with many heads of state, presidents, and CEO’s to help them improve their public speaking skills. She has helped me to really move to the next level of professionalism in my public speaking. I want to share a few tips I’ve collected over the years, both from my own experience and from experts I’ve worked with:
Speaking at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference 2017
Be careful of reading. If you have an occasion to speak from talking points, it is important to know that what works well for reading consumption, does not work well for speaking. In other words, if something reads well it doesn’t always sound the same when you are speaking it.
Ditch the slides. NEVER read from long, dense slides. If you use slides with lots of text, the audience will read them while you’re talking and they won’t listen to you! If you are compelled to use slides, I repeat – PLEASE don’t read each line of your slides.
Harness your nervous energy. Don’t aim to rid yourself of all nerves before a speech; a bit of nervous energy is okay. Like other types of performances, it helps to keep you on your toes.
Put the audience first. The most important aspect of public speaking is your relationship with the audience. It is not about you, it is about them. Don’t focus on what you think about your own performance, focus on the experience for the audience.
Slow down. One of the most common mistakes in public speaking is that most speakers talk too quickly. Remember that the audience needs time to process what you are saying.
Speak up. In addition to speaking too quickly, many people don’t speak loudly enough. Even if you have a microphone, take a deep breath and make sure you’re projecting your voice.
Breath. When you get to the podium, take a deep breath, look at the audience, taking your time to look around the room. Make eye contact with them. It will help to build anticipation for what you are about to say. Once you begin, take a deep breath before each sentence so that you can complete the sentence without running out of air. This sounds easy but it actually takes some practice.
Fake it ‘til you make it. Even if you’re as nervous as can be, there is no reason to share that with the audience. Don’t begin with a self-deprecating statement (read more about that here) and never insinuate that you don’t belong there or that you are nervous.
I highly recommend hiring a coach if public speaking is a regular part of your job. Another coach I’ve worked with is Barbara Pachter of Pachter & Associates. Where have you found helpful advice for conquering public speaking? What are some of your tips? Share them with us!
If you’d like to learn more about working with Lynda Spillane, you can visit her website here.
