By Sunday Tollefson, MBA, PMP® 

Today's micro-learning on stakeholder communications follows up on the stakeholder categorization strategies from a few weeks ago. 

Once you sort your stakeholders, you can design a few specific "lanes" to send your communications appropriately. Take into consideration the unique audiences, preferred channels, frequency, data, content, contributors, and your goals for each "lane."

© Sunday Tollefson

Did you grab your free one-page PDF: How to Organize Stakeholders?

Watch the video for more!

PS: Don't forget to Join the FREE Private Facebook group here!

By Sunday Tollefson, MBA, PMP® 

Mentorship comes in many forms.

Has anyone taken you "under their wing" and supported key moments in your career?

Have you taken others "under your wing" and helped them grow their career or opportunities?

Your assignment for the week is to drop a thank you note to someone who made a difference in your early career.  AND find someone to help out in their career, then help them. 

A rising tide lifts all boats, so they say. Let's do this together. 

© Sunday Tollefson

Join the private group for more good stuff. Click here. 

By Sunday Tollefson, MBA, PMP® 

When it comes to stakeholders, you've definitely got some. In fact, you've got a lot. But what does that mean, really? 

When you know who your stakeholders are, you can also determine how to communicate with them, when to communicate with them, and what to communicate. 

What a difference this makes! 

Understanding your stakeholders' needs and delivering what they want will take you miles toward developing and maintaining trust, a critical element of career growth and personal brand.

Click here to download the free one-pager: How to Organize Stakeholders.

Check out the Inspired Success Facebook Community here.
 
And if you'd like a deeper dive on the weekly topics, join the smaller, private Facebook group for Inspired Women here. 

By Sunday Tollefson, MBA, PMP® 

The verdict is in: No matter your industry, experience level, or job type, mentors are proven to be critical in accelerating career growth. 

There are formal and informal mentoring relationships. In formal relationships, the mentor and mentee are aware of this relationship and may have a specific agreement or program that they are following.  Informal mentor/mentee relationships are not following any kind of framework and the professionals involved may not be aware that on or the other views the relationship in this way. 

Sometimes a person can provide you a lifetime of mentoring, but also, mentoring can come in moments of help and guidance. Both are valuable.

To get started with adding solid mentors to your career path, look for formal mentorship programs offered by your employer, or industry/professional groups and associations.

If you're not sure how a mentorship should "feel," make an effort to work with some people who are...

By Sunday Tollefson, MBA, PMP® 

With a growing interest in the field of Project Management and the Project Management Certification comes an increase in the value of those who understand the terminology used by project management and consulting professionals. 

Start by listening for and using these four project management terms to elevate your vernacular and better demonstrate your competence. 

• Critical Path
• Scope
• Business Case
• Constraints

Watch the video to learn more about each of these four terms - and more!

Download the complete description of the Four Terms here (free).

Grab your Promotion Estimator worksheet, click here. 

To join the private Facebook group for professional women, click here. 

By Sunday Tollefson, MBA, PMP® 

Today's question is from Tara:

"I feel like women are talked over more than men. For example, I know for certain that I am talked over more than men. How can I stop that behavior without looking like a b*tch?"

Today's answer is:

It's true, both experience and research show that women and girls are interrupted far more frequently than boys and men in all environments. 

Three solutions for both men and women to help ensure that the voices of women are heard include:

1. Ask your colleagues for an environment of respect when it comes to allowing another to finish his or her thoughts. This applies to both men and women and will benefit women more since we are more often interrupted and cut short.

2. Amplify women's ideas and comments. When a woman has a good idea, make sure it isn't swept under the rug. Amplify her by mentioning it. Use her name. Restate her idea and ask if you got it right, then give her the floor. Let her expand on her idea,...

By Sunday Tollefson, MBA, PMP® 

What are high-performing high-potential women in mid-career thinking? I recently interviewed ambitious professional women to learn more about their experiences. Watch this video to learn what they are dealing with and how they are advancing their careers. 

©Sunday Tollefson

Speaking of high-performing women, be sure to take this quiz and share your result. What's your career stage? 

By Sunday Tollefson, MBA, PMP® 

[Wanna skip straight to the freebie? Grab your Promotion Potential Estimator here.]

Does it ever feel like there is no end to the amount of information you’re expected to know?

Do you feel like you have to continually prove your competence “growth” to gain respect?  

Are you ready for a higher challenge but you’re passed over for promotions – while you watch lesser qualified candidates get promoted?

You’re not doing anything wrong. You’ve done what you needed to do. When you started this job, you needed to on-board yourself and demonstrate your value by becoming a super expert on your subject matter. In doing so, you became a trusted resource for your colleagues. You proved that you belonged and the hire decision that got you there was a good one. Great! You did the right thing.

You continued to demonstrate this same ability to rapidly consume and manipulate information. Maybe you did this...

By Sunday Tollefson, MBA, PMP® 

You're an expert at what you do now. You worked hard to get here. But.... what got you here will not get you there. As you aspire to that next or ultimate role, a shift in perspective is required. The strategies and expertise that created your success in your early career will not be the factors that propel you to executive roles.  What questions should you be asking yourself (and maybe your manager)? 

• What skills do I need to develop in this role to prepare for my next role?
• What relationships do I need to develop at this stage?
• Do I tend to be the one asking questions or answering the questions?

You want to build upon you expertise to grow your career. Four pillars you need to develop to boost your career:

• Expertise
• Connections (women tend to be inherently good at this)
• Personal Authority (the ability to inspire people)
• Position (title or location on the org chart)

Here's last week's video with the elevator speech assignment:
...

By Sunday Tollefson, MBA, PMP® 

Q. I want to get two promotions in the next five years. Can you give me three actionable tips on how I can make that happen?

A. Yes! Here are three action items:

1. When you're moving up, lessen the amount that you defer credit to other people for your own achievements. Demonstrate your confidence in your own abilities, expertise, and ownership your accomplishments. 
2. In fact, promote your accomplishments to market your career. Do not expect others to notice your career. Manage up and manage out.
3. Declare your career goals often. An easy way is through an elevator speech.

Homework: Prepare and rehearse your elevator speech. It should be three sentences:

• What you're doing now
• What you're doing next
• Who you need to meet or want to work with

Having your elevator speech ready will open the door to opportunities. Remember, fortune favors the bold. 

Are you considering whether to advance your career with an MBA or a Project Management...