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| Q What inspired you to write the book Your Career, Your Way? |
| Lisa: I've been coaching women for over a decade and most of them said, "You've just got to write all this down in a book." They were feeling so good about everything they had been able to accomplish that they wanted me to share it with other women. |
| Q What makes your book different from all the other career books out there? |
| Lisa: Most of the career books I've read give great advice that the author learned during her career. But they didn't allow me to walk away with an actual game plan. With, Your Career, Your Way, I teach women how to think of themselves as a product and create their very own career strategic plan. When they've finished the book, they have a completed game plan they can then implement. |
| Q What kind of content is in your book? |
| Lisa: The book includes easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions and is packed with tips, techniques and tools. I created two fictional characters with very different career paths and family situations to provide two distinct examples that the vast majority of readers can relate to and identify with. The reader gets to experience the process of creating a career strategic plan through the eyes of the two characters. In turn, this makes the process much easier and fun when my readers do the same exercises for themselves. I also wanted every reader to finish the last chapter with not only a completed plan of action, but inspired, confident and motivated to succeed – so I begin and end each chapter with inspiring quotes from famous people around the world, both current and historic. I also included chapters on how to implement their plan, check their progress and stay the course as well as celebrate and reward their achievements. And, for all the women who purchase my book, they may download all the tools and templates from my website (careerwomaninc.com) for free. |
| Q Why did you choose to write a book strictly for women? |
| Lisa: Three main reasons: 1) My coaching practice focuses mainly on women and it was the women I was coaching that encouraged me to write a book. 2) So often as women, we experience very little encouragement to reach for our dreams or attempt the impossible. And 3) I believe women's leadership potential, business acumen, level headedness and emotional maturity remains largely untapped in the business world. |
| Q What were your goals with this book? |
| Lisa: I have two goals: To help individual women achieve their career aspirations, and to help companies understand how they can better develop the potential of women in their workforce. |
| Q What motivates you as a coach? |
| Lisa: My motivation and my happiness come from the feeling I get when I've helped another woman achieve something she never thought was possible. |
| Q How did you balance writing this book with your job and personal life? |
| Lisa: It was definitely a balancing act for almost two years. I dedicated about five hours every Saturday and Sunday morning for writing, even when I was travelling. I planned out a schedule that allowed me to write the book at my own pace while at the same time didn't sacrifice my personal life, my desire for keeping in shape physically, or my normal job. |
| Q Has climbing the corporate ladder been difficult for you as a female? |
| Lisa: It always amazed me at the number of men in business who were shocked and nervous (even negative) when it came to intelligent, energetic, strong women. That aspect probably helped drive me even more to prove to myself (and to them) that I could succeed in areas of business that were male dominated. |
| Q Did anyone ever say anything that helped push you to succeed? |
| Lisa: Throughout my career, I heard a lot of people say I couldn't do something, like being the first female vice president in the service division of a very large global, high-technology company. Personally, I like to prove people wrong. I like to prove that it's possible to succeed, even when other people are doubtful. |
| Q What have you learned in business that you'd like to pass onto other women? |
| Lisa: If there's one thing I've learned in my career it's that it's o.k. to reach for the sky; that it's o.k. to take control of my career and my life. I've learned that it's o.k. to be female, ambitious and successful. |
| Q Aren't you intimidated when you're the only female in senior management? |
| Lisa: No, in fact, I'd have to say that in most cases it's been a benefit to me. Being the only female means the men generally pay closer attention to what I've got to say because I have the benefit of seeing situations from their point of view as well as from a female point of view. I'm able to help integrate the differing views into a more cohesive solution and a more cohesive plan to implement the solution. I also never have to stand in line for the bathrooms! |
| Q Do you really think women and men are as different as people claim? |
Lisa: I think people are different from each other, whether they are men or women. That being said, I do believe there are a few definite differences between the sexes in the workplace. It's been my experience that most men who want to move up in their career understand that when they're at work, it's a game, a competition, and you play to win. Women don't necessarily understand that dynamic, because competition can seem adversarial to them. But competition is good! |
| Q How else to you see the sexes differing in the workplace? |
| Lisa: When I ask just about any male where he wants to be in his career in 10 years, he almost always has a ready answer. And most of the time, he can tell me exactly how he plans to get there. Women answer with more ambiguous answers. Most women don't clearly define their career aspirations and then work backwards to create the step-by-step action plan for how they're going to achieve it. That's the key reason why I focused on this topic for my first book. |
| Q But don't women in charge usually get labelled the witch or the bitch? |
| Lisa: I believe the real key is to act with confidence, not arrogance. Be confident in who you are and in your skills and abilities. Never put others down in your quest to move ahead in your career. Listen to other people's ideas and try your best to keep the work environment open and honest. Be open and flexible to comments from others and seek out the opinions of others. And thank others for their help. I personally don't think we say "thank you" to enough people at work these days. |
| Q Thank you for writing this book. Do you have others in the works? |
| Lisa: Definitely! I have two more books in the beginning writing stages with more to come down the road. I plan to continue coaching and mentoring women and will be creating a series of books and seminars specifically focused on helping women in all aspects of their careers. |