Goals help you map out events so that you can achieve what you want in life and business. They can also give you focus, which increases your chances for success. When you achieve one of your business goals, it empowers you, giving you the momentum to become more successful.

Momentum is a key element for women achieving their business goals. It keeps you moving toward your objective. Achieving your business goals involves taking action steps to ensure that you successfully attain them. The process requires that you set your goals and then plan out strategies for achieving them.

The following 10 tips can help you do just that:

1. Set Your Goals
To begin the process of achieving your goals, you must first map out where you want to go. You can achieve this by setting your goals. Your business goals should be specific, have time frames, and be attainable by you.

2. Actively Pursue Your Goals
Take some time to think about every specific action step you need to take to reach each of your business goals. Utilize your skills and resources to their fullest. Brainstorm all the possible avenues you can take to achieve your goals. Be proactive rather than passive.

3. Create Goal-Achieving Plans
You need to create a step-by-step plan for each one of your business goals. The more specific and detailed you are in your planning, the better your chances for successfully achieving the goal. One method women can use involves listing five practical steps for achieving each of their goals.

4. Make a Daily To-Do List
A daily to-do list helps you organize your day so that you accomplish what you need to achieve your business goals. This list contains the things you need to do daily. At the beginning of each business day, examine what you need to accomplish. Focus and direct your energies toward your goals.

5. Regularly Evaluate Your Progress
If your business goals are your destination points, you need to regularly evaluate how far you have moved toward them. Did you meet your expectations? What are you doing right? What are you doing wrong? Apply the 80/20 rule and spend your time more wisely in order to move more effectively toward your goals.

6. Networking
Building a business network is an important part of achieving your goals. Every time you make a contact you open another doorway of opportunity. Your contacts become possible customers, employers, employees, and avenues to other exciting places with higher earnings. The wider and better maintained your network, the better your chances for success.

7. Affirmations and Visualizations
Create affirmations that move you toward your business goals. If your goal is getting more sales for your business, write out an affirmation such as “Today and everyday I will increase the sales in my business.” Visualize in your mind the success of your goals. Spend at least 10 minutes every day visualizing your success. For optimum results, post your affirmation around your workspace and read it aloud a minimum of eight times a day for at least 21 days.

8. Focus on What Works for You
Play toward your natural inclinations. This means you need to focus on what you do well and work on the rest of your skills that are pertinent to your business. Make an effort to delegate tasks you don’t know how to do to others who have an expertise in them.

9. Be Prepared for the Unexpected
Successful businesswomen prepare and practice for every eventuality that might happen. Like a fire drill, you need to have a plan for particular situations. By adapting to every situation, you make it an opportunity rather than a problem.

10. Evolve Your Goals
You are a dynamic person who is continually changing as the world around you changes. As such, you need to evolve your goals to match the changes in yourself and your environment. As a businesswoman, staying ahead of trends can mean a lot to your success. When you achieve your goals, you need to celebrate your success. This gives you the momentum to take the action steps necessary to achieve your next business goal.

Source: http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/company-structures-ownership/7394258-1.html

As a female business owner, I know firsthand the value of and effort it takes to make a difference in the professional world and to continue to make positive changes in my personal life. If you’re a professional business woman who is climbing the corporate ladder or who owns your own company, the following are ten tips to help shape your self, your people and your businesses.

Tip #1: Play the Game…Play to Win
Is anyone in doubt that the business community as a whole is still a man’s game? Well you can fool yourself – deny the truth or get with the game. We can play it better if we learn the game. It is a team sport, not an individual playing field.

Tip #2: Create a Unique Ability Team Play to your strengths.
Everyone will be more successful if they are given the ability to use their unique talents to benefit the team. They are more productive and happier as they contribute.

Tip #3: Invest in Human Capital
Everyone should be a life-long learner. You choose to be second best when you fail to invest in human capital. SAS, a software solutions firm located in Cary NC, decided 28 years ago to be different by implementing work-life programs and creating a unique work environment. SAS continues to receive wide news coverage and accolades and have been ranked among Fortune magazine’s list of “100 Best Places to Work” for seven consecutive years. Realize that your most valuable asset is yourself and your team – the human capital. It takes an investment of time and money to make the most of that asset.

Tip #4: Inspect What You Expect
Typically the more talented a professional the less they like being micromanaged. Whether you work for yourself or have others work for you, develop a system where you inspect what you expect to have happen. In our firm, professionals know daily where they are on their road to success. With very little effort, we can both see what their month will be like and how to take immediate action to plan for success. There is never an excuse for a bad month.

Tip #5: Take Moments to Care
We move so rapidly to success that sometimes we forget that we are not working with, for, and because of a machine. It is about people, because of people, and for people. Relationships count. I challenge you to take a moment out of your busy life and schedule to care for developing relationships every day.

Tip #6: Network Before You Need It
Network before you need it – everyone needs help along the way to the top and to stay on top.

Tip #7: Forgive Easily
Webster’s Dictionary defines the word forgive as “giving up resentment against or the desire to punish and offense or offender.” I have observed that success is measured in many ways, one is peace and another is joy. Neither can be obtained by someone who will not forgive themself or others. I recently heard someone say that the poison of “unforgiveness” kills you, not your offender.

Tip #8: Don’t Conform – Add Sparkle and Spice
Many women are faced with foregoing comfort for style in fashion trends, such as with the latest pointed shoe phenomenon. With my size 9 1/2’s and the slope that usually accompanies them, I have confirmed my commitment not to conform, but to sparkle and spice it up. I don’t want to walk like an elf, but I enjoy being a girly girl. There is nothing quite so disarming as a woman business professional who is a lady. We do not have to claw our way to the top, leave a trail of carnage, and hate who we are and what we have become as we survive at the top. You can have it all – just don’t sell it out or give it away on the way.

Tip #9: Laugh Out Loud
Laughter is the best medicine. I recently had lunch with a business owner who is a multi-millionaire, but you would never have known it to meet him on the street. What was immediately apparent was that he loves life. At seventy, he still has a bounce in his step and a sparkle in his eye. His laugh warmed the whole room and made everyone in the area envious that they were not part of the conversation.

Tip #10: Love What You Do
This should be your professional motto. If you’re good at what you do then you should believe in this adage and love what you do!

Source: http://www.imakenews.com/worldwit/e_article000397405.cfm?x=b11,0,w

Get In Line

According to Catalyst’s 2002 Census of Women Corporate Officers and Top Earners, women fill less than ten percent of line positions held by corporate officers and just 5.2 percent of top earners at Fortune 500 companies are women. Is there a correlation? Absolutely. Half of women executives and sixty-eight percent of CEOs say that lack of significant line experience “holds women back” (Catalyst, Women in U.S. Corporate Leadership, 2003).

Knowing that line experience is critical, get prepared. Study financial management, become an expert in a functional area such as strategic planning, manufacturing, marketing or sales, serve on a nonprofit or advisory board and, the minute the opportunity arises, take a position with profit and loss responsibility.

Learning about the financials doesn’t happen overnight. When Margaret Morford, 50, of Brentwood, Tennessee, was Vice President of Human Resources for a large distribution company, she recalls, “I took the same finance for non-financial managers course three times until I got it. I used that financial knowledge to demonstrate Human Resources’ impact to the bottom line. Once I started speaking in numbers, the senior managers in my peer group began to view Human Resources as a business partner rather than as an administrative drain on revenues.”

Remember Who You Are

In 2005, The Center for Work/Life Policy asked women what they want in the workplace. Seventy-nine percent of women said “the freedom to be myself at work.” Ask a man if he desires to “be himself at work,” and you will probably get the same glassy stare I got when I asked my husband that question. But when I asked women leaders, I heard stories like the one my friend, Pam Judd, age 53, shared.

Shortly after she began working for Levi’s, Pam was advised by her boss and peers that if she wanted to get ahead, she shouldn’t be so nice. The essential Pam is a very nice person – caring, empathetic, someone who remembers every event in her friends’ and family’s lives with a card or a phone call. Pam ignored that early advice, made the decision to be herself, and stayed the course. Now, 33 years later, she is a sales director, one of the top female leaders in her company, and still nice.

Communicate Superbly

Almost fifty percent of women executives cite “developing a style with which male managers are comfortable” as critical to success (Catalyst, Women in U.S. Corporate Leadership, 2003).

Dr. Pat Heim, author of Invisible Rules: Men, Women and Teams, writes, “women often use hedges, disclaimers and tag questions in their speech to involve the other person and maintain the all-important relationship in female culture. When men hear this, they incorrectly assume a woman either does not know what she is talking about, or that she is insecure about her ideas.”

Lisa Steiner, age 46, Vice President, Brown-Forman Corporation, Louisville, Kentucky, says, “In my experience, women who regularly ask for advice and are tentative are viewed as needy – not the best perception if your goal is to reach the top.” Steiner adds, “It has taken me years to refine my decision-making skills but now I have learned not to second guess myself.”

Flaunt Your Skills Not Your Sexuality

Maria Xenidou, age 35, Senior Associate, National Starch & Chemical Company, Bridgewater, New Jersey, follows the advice of a mentor who told her never to answer a senior person’s query, “How are you?” with “Fine.” Instead, she says, “I give a one sentence update on what I am working on or a recent challenge I mastered. By doing so, I keep upper management up-to-date about my career and what might have been a quick hello in the hall often turns into a longer conversation.”

And, highly successful women know not to flirt, swear or be the last one at the bar. A 2005 study by Tulane University found that women who send flirtatious email, wear short skirts, cross their legs provocatively or massage a man’s shoulders at work win fewer pay raises and promotions.

You Can’t Have It All If You Do It All

The biggest hurdle that women have to leap is managing kids and a career. While men also have busy professional and personal lives, women shoulder the majority of household and child care responsibilities and pay the career consequences. According to Catalyst, Workplace Flexibility Isn’t Just a Woman’s Issue, 2003, women are more likely than men to:

• Employ outside services for domestic help.
• Share personal responsibilities with a partner.
• Use childcare services.
• Rely on supportive relatives other than their partner.
• Curtail personal interests.

Successful women plan their careers and don’t attempt to do it all. Steiner is married with four children at home. She started her family after completing her education and making a mark in her organization. Says Steiner, “I don’t attempt to do it all. I delegate a lot of the household chores to make our lives work.”

Honor The Female Advantage

In Fast Company, “Women and Men, Work and Power”, February 1998, Sharon Patrick, President and COO, Martha Stewart Living, is quoted as saying, “We can’t ignore a million years of history – at the office or in the living room. Men hunt, women gather.” A funny but true attribute of the modern hunter is “going for the jugular and then inviting you out for a beer afterwards.”

According to Nicki Joy and Susan Kane-Benson, authors of Selling is a Woman’s Game, women tend to encourage harmony and agreement, consult with experts, employees and peers before making a decision, and make personal connections with others at work.

http://humanresources.about.com/od/worklifebalance/a/women_working.htm

Source: http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=135838300&gid=108784&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fseewhy%2Ecom%2Fblog%2F2010%2F06%2F10%2F10-eye-popping-facts-about-facebook%2F&urlhash=VTBp&trk=NUS_RITM-title

Our next business meeting will be held on the first Tuesday of July, which is July 6th at Crane Creek Country Club from 6p-8p. 

Please be on time and aware of attendance as too many absences will result in elimination.

Did you know that according to a 2005 study conducted by Catalyst, while women comprise half of the workforce and more than half of all college graduates, less than 20 percent of all Fortune 500 corporate officers and less than 2 percent of Fortune 500 chief executive officers are female? How will we ever catch up?

Whether you’re the boss or not, female leaders across the board credit confidence as one of the top reasons for their success. Kristin O’Connor, who started her Richmond, Virginia-based sound and production studio at the age of 23, is a testament to that. O’Connor attributes her success — a seven-year journey from a completely broke post-grad to the CEO of a business that draws in over $1 million annually in contracts — to naïve fearlessness.

“Everyone thought we were crazy because there were well-established companies in the area, but I never thought we would fail,” says O’Connor.

In this skewed economy, unbridled confidence and loving one’s self enough to walk away from a dead-end situation may be the only weapons a woman has against the glass ceiling. If you’re ready to move up to bigger and better things, here are four sure-fire ways to kick off your ascent to the top:

1. Speak Loudly and Often.
“The best way to stand out against your peers is to write and speak your way to a promotion,” states Don Asher, author of How to Get Any Job with Any Major . Ladies, this especially applies to you. Catalyst reports one of the main reasons women don’t excel in the workplace is that they tend to be perceived as mild, sensitive and emotional, and are often judged as better caretakers than decision-makers. To combat this stereotype, show your boss that you’ve got a voice and you’re not afraid to use it.

2. Find A Mentor.
Smart and savvy women know how to network. A report by Babson College’s Center for Women’s Leadership found that successful female CEOs rely on a group of directors, advisers and mentors to help them survive the day-to-day.

3. Become a Lifelong Learner.
Tacking a new education line onto that resume proves to your employer that you’re committed to improving your skills and that you care about being good at your job. Besides simply raising your salary and hopefully earning you a little more attention, a Master’s in Business Administration can also help decrease the gender gap. While women without a bachelor’s degree earn on average 9 percent less than their male counterpart, an MBA decreases that gap to about 4 percent.

4. Go Above and Beyond.
It’s not enough just to meet the basic requirements: If you want to keep moving up the corporate ladder, then you’ve got to be one step ahead of the rest. According to a 2003 Catalyst survey, 69 percent of all female executives from Fortune 1000 companies believe that the secret to getting promoted is through consistently exceeding performance expectations. 

Source: http://www.savvymiss.com/career-woman/career-advice/9-to-5-grind-archive/article/view-from-the-top-86.html

6pm – 6:30pm                     Welcome
                                               Introduction / Getting Acquainted

6:30pm – 6:45pm               Group Goals
                                              Setting Expectations
                                              The 4 Mind-Sets: Generosity, Vulnerability, Candor &
                                              Accountability

6:45pm – 7pm                     Group Parameters
                                              Group Promises, Guiding Principals & Rules of 
                                              Engagement

7pm - 7:30pm                    Personal / Professional Check-In
                                             Update & Goal Setting

7:30pm – 7:50pm              Accountability Plan
                                             Individual
                                             Group Recommendations

7:50pm – 8pm                    Moving Forward
                                             Meeting Flow (feedback)
                                             Next Meeting – Time & Place Recommendations

8pm                                     Meeting Adjourned

This meeting will be a meet-and-greet and a get-to-know-your-business-aspirations kick off meeting. We will commence once a month following, holding one another accountable for our tactical to-do lists in spirit to ensure we are doing everything necessary to help our careers become what we aspire.

We take your attendance very seriously and look forward to your input and influence to our wonderful group.

Please let me know if you will be unable to attend.

See you soon!

I’ve found that typically, because of their socialization, women are not aware of these issues.  The issues surface out of the assumption that business is a man’s world, and that if a woman wants to succeed, she’ll need to mimic some of the male behaviors.  (Although I’ve seen and read all kinds of responses to that assumption, I recommend a great deal of flexibility in these issues.  FYI: I’ve noticed more than a few men that need help with their business behaviors.) 
 
Since what you don’t know can hurt you, here are some things to think about and perhaps get some feedback on.

 
 
1. Women do not take up enough physical space.  This is not a matter of size, but how you hold yourself when standing.  If you expect to be perceived as a powerful person, stand with your feet apart, and perhaps your hands on your hips.  Drummond recommends the steeple gesture, placing your hands so that just your fingertips are touching.  This forces the palms apart and makes your arms take up more space whether standing or sitting.  This is a classic negotiating posture, so watch for it when observing others.

Although Drummond doesn’t mention this, it’s a well-researched fact that when men and women all sit down at a large table, women take up far less room.  Men put papers and books over as much as twice the space as women.  I recommend that women spread out on the business table just like the men.  Take ownership of a huge area of space.  The difference often has a powerful impact on the discussion.

2.  Women nod their heads when listening.  A man nods his head only to show agreement, while women nod to show they’re listening.  Plenty of women in executive suites have been schooled to avoid this.  Present yourself as a powerful person, not a nice lady.  Just last week, I took my wife to see an endocrinologist at the university clinic. Prior to seeing the physician, the nurse took information and was nodding her head, encouraging my wife and me to talk.  Then the physician, a nationally known woman walked into the room.  The difference was shocking.  Though smiling and warm, she was totally in charge from the time the door opened.  She asked questions, but didn’t nod.  She interrupted me a couple times, probing for information.  Once I acceded to her authority, the conversation became much more familiar.  It was a hilarious experience for this communication scholar, but also a very powerful way for the physician to assert her authority.  I had nothing but kudos and trust of her insights by the end of the session.  Well done!

3.  Women tilt their heads when they talk.  Check this out and notice that women tilt their heads when listening and talking, without even knowing it.  It is not a power position from which to speak.  So keep your head up, chin forward and untilted, and relax your shoulders backward, not hunched tightly forward, when you want to speak.  You want others to listen to you.

4.  Women introduce themselves too soon.   Research shows that no one listens to what’s being said in the first 5 to 7 seconds of meeting new people.  They’re too busy visually checking you out, and they pay little to no attention to what’s being said.  That’s why we forget the names of people we’ve just met.  We weren’t listening.  So, when first meeting someone, explain what you do, the company you work for, and then, finally your name.

5.  Women’s voices rise at the ends of sentences.  It makes a woman sound like she’s asking a question and asking for assent instead of making a statement.  There is a geographical component to this.  Women from the Upper Midwest are terrible at this.  Sometimes I just want to yell at the phone to get them to stop it.  My wife, who’s from Detroit, has never done that.  My daughters?  Not in a thousand years.  I’ve seen them roll their eyes at a woman doing this.  My middle daughter, in a playful mood, will mock someone doing it.  When we moved to Minnesota and she was in the fourth grade, someone asked why she talked like she did–mouth open, and no questioning at the end of sentences.  Her response?  “Why would I want to talk like you?”  Ummmm.  Just to set you straight, she has a terrific number of friends, including a large number of Harvard, MIT researchers who think that when it comes to research protocols and animals, she’s god.

6.   Women fidget.  Although I think this is somewhat dated, the research shows that when men enter a conference room, they make 12 major movements.  Women make 27.  Many of these involve pulling out a chair and sitting down, but then women start adjusting their clothes and jewelry.  The more movements you make in business settings, the less powerful you seem to your colleagues.  Beware what you do when you enter a room, and keep your movements to a minimum.

7.  Women let men finish sentences for them.  Fading out at the end of a sentence is more common for women than men, so is being interrupted.  You need to complete your sentences and your ideas.  So, keep talking, a bit louder and hold up your finger to signal you’re not finished.  Never, never, never let men get away with interrupting you.  On occasion, you can also interrupt right back to make your point.  And keep talking.  As Drummond says, stick to your guns and your sentences. 

These bad habits are all learned.  They’re not natural.  The good habits can also be learned.

Source: http://danerwin.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/04/7-behaviors-that-keep-women-from-getting-ahead.html