People buy into people – not products. You’ll have heard this statement before and never before has it been more relevant in a society where we are bombarded by choice. You the founder of your business are the sales person, and by communicating your background, the inspiration behind your business, your driving forces, challenges and...Read More

Increasing the gender balance in the boardroom is now a well established best practice in most serious companies. There has been widespread lobbying from government and from representative groups which has focused not just on fairness but also on the wealth of untapped experience not being brought to the board table. Smart companies see it....Read More

“Don’t mistake activity with achievement.” John Wooden An Achievement is the result of your hard work, it’s those occasions when you have gone beyond the expectations of your role. In other words you are paid to do a job but where do you add value to retain it? If you knew that at the end...Read More

By Jessica Chivers, founder of The Talent Keeper Specialists (www.talentkeepers.co.uk) and author of Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work (Hay House, 2011). Nicky Dulieu (CEO of Hobbs) has called on women to be more authentic at work. Market research by her business found that one...Read More

“The problem is that most people focus on their failures rather than their successes. But the truth is that most people have more successes than failures” Jack Canfield In my last career blog I spoke about identifying your added value and recognising your transferable skills and how these skills are what make you marketable, providing...Read More

Subtle sexism? A business man once told me (seriously) that I should “dress sexier” because “if a man doesn’t want to have sex with you, then he probably isn’t listening to you”. He genuinely believed he was giving me sound advice. Previously, a female partner at a city law firm, suggested that I didn’t “join...Read More

Networking is often something women find especially hard to do.  So what’s the point?  It’s all chewing the fat and having drinks with people you don’t really know – much better to get out there and be excellent at your job and deliver stuff right ? – well, perhaps not. Unfortunately, building a successful career...Read More

By Simon North, Founder of Position Ignition and the Career Ignition Club. It never used to be like this. Way back when organisations were much simpler, there was clear hierarchy and you knew who your boss was and what they required. Today, along with flatter structures we also have the complexity of organisational shape, which...Read More

Networking is the single biggest thing women can do to facilitate their rise up the corporate ladder in the property/casualty insurance industry, according to four women who have done just that – and who shared their experience in a podcast ahead of the Women in Insurance Global Conference which started on June 12 in New...Read More

For savvy businesswomen today, networking is a vital business tool. And women’s networks seem to be more effective, maybe because, as I was told, men-only groups combine so much testosterone and competitiveness, they leave the collegiate spirit behind.  Not so for women. Though we all know women executives who pretend they have balls, most of...Read More