sphinxx news alert    
16 December 2009 | www.sphinxx.com.au   

sphinxx is the network for women leaders and provides support and services to working women to assist in managing their work and life priorities, and leadership advice to help them scale the heights in their careers.

News on sphinxx this week:

1. YOUR CAREER: The pros and cons of thinking before you speak before you act
2. WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP: Join a women’s trade delegation to the Middle East
3. MANAGEMENT: Should execs jump through more hoops into the top jobs?
4. LEADERSHIP: The crisis one year - McKinsey global economic review survey results are out
5. GIVING BACK: Professionals taking pay cuts to make a difference
6. HOME... and the inevitable Christmas shopping is still not done?
7. GIVEAWAYS: Making exercise easy - Mossee casual wear giveaway
8. 2-for-1 SPHINXX SHOP OFFER: Little Wins for Working Women
9. TOP TIP: 5 reasons why you should join the sphinxx Leadership Program

If you have an idea for a topic we should include in a future news alert, please let us know - we’d love to hear from you!

All the best,

Jen Dalitz
Founder & The SheEO, sphinxx.com.au

YOUR CAREER: The pros and cons of thinking before you speak before you act

I’ve been hobbling around all week with a crook back (mental note: don’t wrestle alpacas, they are stronger than humans!) My niece Stephanie has been visiting and working in the sphinxx office, having just passed Year 12 with flying colours, and as she’s also a farm girl we decided to oversee the alpaca shearing together at the farm.

When it came time to explain my injury to my husband, Steph just laughed and said “she took one for the team!”

To cut a long story short, a belligerent alpaca was trying to make a break for it away from the shearers and in an instinctive moment I thought I could stop him. Well stop him I did! (which was popular with the shearers because it would have taken us another hour to round him up again) But there was a price to pay as I landed side on into the metal barricades of the cattle crush.

Anyway, as I’ve been licking my wounds this week it got me thinking of all the times I’ve acted on instinct in business and the good, the bad and the ugly that comes with that:

1. The good is that what you see is what you get: there’s no time for false niceties and often the first answer is the right answer - and if you believe Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink theory, we’d sort things out in half the time if only we’d trust our instinct. And it sure felt good putting that big fella back in his place.
2. The bad is that you sometimes get unintended consequences, which you might have avoided had you thought it through. This is usually me - I speak before I think and being a country girl it often gets me in trouble!
3. The ugly is when you completely stuff up in the process, because you haven’t taken the time to collaborate with the people around you who can often add to and improve the quality of your outcomes. What I’ve learned growing up on the land is that there are always people around you who’ve seen a few more seasons and weathered a few more storms than you, and it doesn’t take much effort to ask them what they’ve learned in the process.

How does this apply in your business? I can’t say for sure, but I reckon it does.

Have your say on the sphinxx blog.....

Limited places are now available on a unique Australian women's trade delegation to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait - two exciting markets where diversifying economies, advancement of women in education and commerce, and a growing variety in SMEs, imports, and investments combine to create enormous potential for Australian business and education. Arab region consultant Fiona Hill (www.almanarconsultancy.com), who has long experience in these countries, has created and will lead this delegation to ensure that Australian women in business can explore opportunities in the usual business and education environments as well as in the highly lucrative and burgeoning female-specific environments of these countries - providing a level of commercial exposure which no other Australian trade mission offers. To learn more about this unique and rare opportunity for Australian women in business, contact Fiona Hill on email fiona@almanarconsultancy.com.

MANAGEMENT: Should execs jump through more hoops into the top jobs?

In 32% of 500 companies surveyed in 2008, candidates for senior executive positions went through only 1 to 5 interviews, while 12% of firms subjected candidates to 21 or more. Shockingly, only half of those recruited for the top three tiers of management were interviewed by anyone in the C-suite. And fully half the companies relied primarily on the hiring manager's gut feel, selecting a candidate believed to have "what it took" to be successful in any job.

To see how your recruitment policies stack up, view The Definitive Guide to Recruiting in Good Times and Bad from the Harvard Business Review.

LEADERSHIP: The crisis one year on - McKinsey global economic review survey results are out

A year after the global economic system nearly collapsed, many companies are finally finding ways to increase profits under the new conditions. But almost as many expect profits to continue falling, and executives also indicate that their broader financial hopes remain fragile. Many expect more government involvement in economies and industries over the long term.

Now, for the first time in a year, more respondents expect their companies’ profits to rise than fall in the near term. Product development and long-term planning are high priorities for many companies, and most are optimistic about their prospects in the longer term. Click here to read the full report.

GIVING BACK: Professionals taking pay cuts to make a difference

Professionals applying for jobs at non-profit organisations are willing to take a pay cut of up to 30 per cent, according to a survey conducted by EthicalJobs.com.au.

More than 60 Australian non-profit organisations took part in the survey including charities, industry bodies and non-profit organisations. 78% of those surveyed said job applications from professionals working outside the non-profit sector are willing to work for less if the position makes a positive contribution to the community or environment.

Of those employers, 56% said applicants are willing to work for 10 to 20 per cent less; 19% said applicants are willing to work for 20 to 30 per cent less; and 6% said applicants are willing to work for more than 30 per cent less.

Michael Cebon, founder of EthicalJobs.com.au, said, 'Increasingly, people are willing to put things they believe in above money. And making the world a better place is as strong a motivation as you'll find.' Click here for more info.

HOME... and the inevitable Christmas shopping is still not done?

Thanks to Jane at AMP, here’s a tip you’ll all be thankful for. hardtofind.com.au is like a gorgeous shopping mall, where you can browse through a number of smaller boutiques selling unique, high-quality products. You can buy from as many boutiques as you like, simply adding each product to your shopping basket as you go and then proceeding to one easy checkout. Each boutique (or seller) will then dispatch the products directly to you, so you will receive several parcels if you have bought from several sellers. Sounds easy... and it is. Enjoy!

GIVEAWAYS: Making exercise easy - Mossee casual wear giveaway

Ok, you’re right, the exercise isn’t easy. But at least you can look great while you’re doing it in the new range of Mossee casual wear. Combining with inspirations from Europe, the Mossee collection is naturally like a stylish second layer of skin, which is perfect for work, travel or even a-night-out.

We have a number of pieces from the new Mossee casual wear range that are perfect for exercising or relaxing. I’ve been giving mine a work out walking the dogs each day and I love them. Unlike most gymwear, the Mossee range actually breathes which is a welcome relief in the Sydney humidity.

If you’d like to try out some of the range too, all you need to do is post a comment here on the blog saying why you’d like to trial the range. We’ll send 5 samples out over the coming week and once you’ve received your garments we want you to post your comments telling us what you think about the Mossee range.

Click here to post your comments.

2-for-1 SPHINXX SHOP OFFER: Little Wins for Working Women

Little Wins for Working Women is a gorgeous gift book by sphinxx SheEO, Jen Dalitz. We have a special Christmas offer for all sphinxx readers - when you buy a copy of Little Wins for Working Women from the sphinxx website before 21st December, we’ll ship 2-for-1 copies. So buy one, get 2 - or buy 10, get 20. No special codes - just place your order this week and we’ll send you double the copies.

TOP TIP: 5 reasons why you should join the sphinxx Leadership Program

I had a call today from Lesley who was asking if it was really true that members of the sphinxx Leadership Program get to attend the fantastic Ascend development days free of charge...

Well the answer is yes - when you join the sphinxx Leadership Program you do get to attend all four quarterly development days over a 12 month period. But this is just one of the benefits; as a member you’ll also receive:

1. a monthly audio CD with tips to help you Take the Lead in your career
2. access to Member Only benefits and offer on the sphinxx website
3. a concierge of member services to help you manage your work and life priorities
4. Member Only prize draws and product samples
5. invitations to Member Only events including group mentoring programs and Hot Topics business briefings

In fact when you become a member you get over $2,000 in value for just $895. So you’d be mad not to do sign up online now.