WOC 2016: Unleash your Professional Savvy – Secrets to Power, Style, and Grace savvy

1 www.womenofcolor.netwww.womenofcolor.net
Unleash Your Professional
Savvy
Secrets to Power, Style and Grace
Saturday, October 15
11:30am-12:45pm
Room 140-B, COBO

2 www.womenofcolor.net
Unleash Your Professional Savvy
Secrets to Power, Style and Grace
Objective: Access your competitive edge by designing a
winning image, building self confidence and communicating
value with style and grace.
At the end of this seminar, participants will be able to:
a. Explore ways to build and express self-confidence
b. Create a winning image and leverage your circles of
influence
c. Examine professional savvy and politics
d. Design a plan to increase recognition and value in the
workplace
e. Explore critical style tips for today’s professional
woman

Moderator
Denise Evans
Vice President, Diversity Marketing
IBM Corporation
Donna Bell
Global Product Development
Quality Manager
Ford Motor Company
Presenting Panelist
Vannia Willis
Electrical Engineer
Newport News Shipbuilding,
Huntington Ingalls Industries
Panelist
Sheree Johnson
Civil Rights Director,
Office of Civil Rights
United States Forest Service
Panelist

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to”, said the cat.
“I don’t much care where”, said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go”, said the cat.
“So long as I get somewhere”, Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that”, said the cat, “If you only walk long enough.”
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Where is your career headed?
Bottom line: You need a Plan!

Increase Recognition And Value In The Workplace
Create your plan
REFLECT – What do you want to achieve?
EFFORT – What actions do I need to take?
ASSISTANCE – Who might help me?
CHANGE – What is the expected outcome?
TIMELINE – When have I reached my goal?
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in
overalls and looks like work.” Thomas Alva Edison

Establish and Build Your Brand
 Identify Your Personal Strengths
 Establish Short And Long Term
Goals
 Identify And Develop Your Brand
 Become Knowledgeable In Your
Field
 Ask For Challenging Assignments;
And Deliver Beyond Expectation
EVERY TIME!

Strategies To Express And Build
Self-Confidence
 Establish your career plan; review
with a trusted mentor
 Take on a tough assignment
 Organize a mentor program
 Develop your presentation skills
 Dress for the role you want

Create A Winning Image
 Deliver, Deliver, Deliver!
 Pat Yourself On The Back
When Needed
 Know An Open Door When
You See One
 Be Prepared When
Opportunity Presents Itself

Leverage Your Circles Of Influence
 Create And Practice Your
Elevator Speech
 Know The Players And How
They Influence Others
 Figure Out How To Interface
Without Being A Nuisance
 Tell Key Influencers
Specifically What You Want

Professional and Political Savvy
“No leadership education is complete
until it is grounded in the political realities
of organizational life.
Otherwise, leadership risks becoming
hollow rhetoric.”
PETER DRUCKER
Unless People Have An Understanding Of How To Integrate Leadership
And Politics, They Cannot Function As True Leaders

When You Think Of
‘ORGANIZATION POLITICS’
What Words Or Phrases
Come To Mind?
 Backstabbing
 Brown nosing
 Bootlicking
 Style over substance
 Manipulative
 Hidden agendas
 Old boy networks
 Deals under the table
 Turf struggles
 Testosterone overload

What Is Political Savvy?
1) ETHICALLY BUILDING A CRITICAL MASS OF
SUPPORT FOR AN IDEA YOU CARE ABOUT
2) UNDERSTAND AND UTILIZE THE DYNAMICS OF
POWER, ORGANIZATION, AND DECISION MAKING
TO ACHIEVE OBJECTIVES
HOW IS THIS DONE EFFECTIVELY?

Strategies for Success
Strategic planning
• Plan to discuss your strategies with these individuals to help build their
confidence in your idea
• Brainstorm the win-win linkages of those that have the most influence
Implement
• Work to identify credibility paths among relevant people and employ these
paths where possible in an influence approach
• Implement your plan; adjust as needed
Awareness
• Understand the organization’s interests and your
self-interests
• Know and build a relationship with those that
have the greatest influence (Influence Map)

Strategies for Success
 Choose to become an active, positive player
 Put the organization first
 Believe/care in the process
 Keep career as an outcome versus goal
 Play above board
 Legitimize the task

Critical Style Tips for Todays’
Professional Woman
POWERFUL FIRST IMPRESSIONS
 Starting off on the right foot
INGREDIENTS FOR GOOD CONVERSATION
 Listening
 Your role: When to speak, What to say
 Knowledge is Power
PROFESSIONAL PRESENCE
 Appearance counts: It pays to pay attention
 What message does your appearance send?
 Body language that speaks well of you
PROFESSIONAL PRESENCE, continued
 Clothing that adds to your clout
COURTESY CHALLENGE - THE TRUE
TEST OF DIPLOMACY
 Keys to managing conflict
 Strategies for politely coping with
prickly personalities
 Finesse with feedback: Providing
tactful criticism
 Grace under pressure
 Crucial conversations

Sheree Johnson
United States Forest Service
Donna Bell
Ford Motor Company
Vannia Willis
Huntington Ingalls Industries
Denise Evans
IBM Corporation

WOC 2016: Unleash your Professional Savvy – Secrets to Power, Style, and Grace savvy

More Related Content

What's hot (20)

Similar to WOC 2016: Unleash your Professional Savvy – Secrets to Power, Style, and Grace savvy (20)

More from Career Communications Group (20)

Recently uploaded (20)

WOC 2016: Unleash your Professional Savvy – Secrets to Power, Style, and Grace savvy

Editor's Notes