Welcome to the Weekly Reads, where I highlight articles that I found on the web and that are focused on career advice, lifestyle, beauty or anything I think would round up as useful for the young, modern working woman. This week’s reads are heavily career focused and I am talking about work-life balance, executive presence and giving feedback among others. So get yourself comfortable, pour a cup of coffee and enjoy this week’s reads!
It’s a circle. Lately, I am struggling to find a balance between work and personal life. I am trying to find more time for myself to bring back a healthy sports routine, to make more time for writing for the blog and whenever I end up working long days and I get derailed from my routine I quickly get disappointed. And an interesting thing is that Jeff Bezos says it’s a circle rather than a balancing act or a trade-off. So when you are happy and energised at home you take that mood into work, and the other way around, when you are happy and motivated at work you will bring that good energy into your home as well.
When business meets pleasure. I discovered the workwear brand MM.LAFLEUR about a year ago and even though they are only present in the US, I always go back to their website for workwear inspiration. They are such an inspiring company with beautiful designs and of very high quality. They also have a digital magazine The M Dash where they publish a lot of interviews with inspiring career women. For the moment I am only admiring their pieces from far away, but I can’t wait to have the chance to get my hands on some of their clothes.
A tale of great managers and what they do. Most likely if somebody asked me what a great manager does or if I can give a real life example of one, it would probably be quite hard for me to come up with an answer. But great managers do exist somewhere out there and they all share some common traits and behaviours – they create trust, focus on strengths, instill accountability and avoid politics – as shared in this HBR article.
The power of Feedback. Giving feedback the right way is such an important thing. It is a guarantee of good, respectful and lasting working relationships. “Feedback can be invaluable when it’s offered in the right way with the right intentions. Knowing the how and when is a skill, and like any other skill it takes practice to get it right.”
Executive presence. This probably one of my favourite topics. I think this is the second time I mention it on the blog and it’s such an important factor throughout the career. Building your executive presence will help you when going into a new job, an important meetings and just for regular day-to-day situations. So, knowing how to build it and ingrain it in your personality is definitely a must that everyone should be working on.
Wake up and engage. If you are heaving trouble in finding meaning in your work and enjoying it, it might be a good idea to pause, reflect and engage. No job is perfect but the power to tailor it to your own vision is in your hands.
