who inspires you?

I’m so lucky to work with people who are smart and know their stuff. I have camaraderie with these people as we have worked together for many years. I am inspired by how much they know, their talent and their individual style. Here are some reasons why I am inspired by this team:
- they do their homework, meaning they research industry trends and are prepared for work
- they have amazing talent and are so smart, but don’t act like a “know-it-all”
- they have a helpful mindset and will give more than expected without resentment
- they don’t have a sense of entitlement or negative attitude
- they have great ideas of their own and take initiative
- they have great communication skills
- they know how to “sell” their concepts and ideas
- they take calculated risks, but with great optimism
- they are great at team building and reach out to expand our sense of community with other departments
- they push for better processes, organization and talent

Those are just a few of the reasons, but there are more (not as performance-driven):
- they have great individual style (yep, let’s put that first!)
- they are fun to be around, they make me (and others) laugh
- they know their own strengths and weaknesses
- they LIKE to work and push themselves very hard

These people inspire me every day. They motivate me to do my best work. Who do you work with that pushes, drives and inspires you?

on a quest

I’m on a quest for a great, new office tote for spring. This option came in today and it’s got a lot of great features: the braid detail on the handle, down the sides and also on the front of the bag and also plenty of internal, convenient storage. I like the color of the exterior - not as sure about the interior. I also like that the handle is short - so it looks like a reasonable size tote that can carry all of the office necessities. Perfect, quick, reach-in pockets that keep the security badge and lip gloss so handy! The price is also easy on the wallet. Here are the details:

Lucky Brand, medium slouch, off white, sku #6512720420000, $149 - Piperlime

Not positive that this is pure, perfection, but I like it a lot. In an ideal, spring tote, I’d like a bright interior and a softer leather, but for the investment - this is a great option.

Getting the blood going

There are certain TV shows that we just LOVE to watch - which inspired us for work. It's not because the work shown on those shows are the same type of work that we do, but more because the people are passionate about their work, they have been highly stylized (hello - TV) and also because you're literally looking into their work environment, observe their work tools (mostly macs) and see some awesome work habits/mannerisms. It's just great to watch work ambition and passion! Here's a list of the latest TV obsessions:
Kell On Earth, Bravo (sadly - season is ending super soon!)
Project Runway (talk about passion . . . )
The City (new season starts April 27th - more Cutrone for us!)
The Celebrity Apprentice (just to watch all of the different leadership styles and to discuss how the project should have been managed)

One of our favorite things to discuss are the characters from these shows and how they handled their various challenges. We love to watch to Kelly Cutrone's antics on Kell On Earth and to watch how she manages her office and her business which she completely built herself. Totally helps that it is centered around the fashion PR business. Kelly also shines as the mentor on The City for Whitney Port. But, what's also so delicious about that show is the behind the scenes insight of Elle magazine with Erin,  Olivia and Joe Zee. These shows are WAY more fun to discuss than The Celebrity Apprentice, but we're liking that show for Cyndi Lauper. She is AMAZING. Project Runway is also good discussion because of the passion that the designers and judges bring to the show.

Too much TV is a time waste, but good TV that you can learn from and take inspiration back to the office with is totally worth the time.

cute for corporate

Cute spring shoes to wear to work - so much fun!

These are from Piperlime:
Vince Camuto - $110

Surprisingly comfy too!

SO glad this day is done! Ever have one of those days where you have SO much to do and only a day to get it all done? It’s where you have a feeling of anxiety before you even walk in the office because you have to strategize and really organize all of the priorities. It’s such a relief and a big feeling of accomplishment when you get everything that was on the “to do” list actually done! Here are some things that can really help:
- get a good night’s sleep (tired and cranky never helps an already stressful day)
- get a good workout in (an early morning accomplishment is a great energy boost)
- get a plan together (give yourself a few early wins so that you can tackle the bigger challenges with a positive mindset)
- communicate (make sure others around you know what’s going on, explain your stress)
- put your heart into it and do your best (everyone loves to be motivated and inspired by those they work with and nobody is really inspired by half-done work)

Feels so good to put in a “hard day” of work. Everyday is a busy day, but you know the more difficult days when they happen. Don’t let them take you down - just work it through and you’ll survive (and hopefully impress yourself)!

go nude

A major polish trend this spring is to wear a nude nail color. The great news is that it goes with absolutely everything, looks professional and doesn’t make your manicure stand out too much in corporate world. Yet, nude is a little fresher looking than the usual pale pink.

A couple of really nice Essie shades to try are Mambo & Eternal Optimist.

just you, your work and the hum of a quiet office

Sometimes you just need to work late. Sometimes the office (once everyone else has left for the day) is a very good environment to get a lot accomplished in a little amount of time. There is nothing to distract (again, this applies to those moments when nobody else is there) and you have all of your usual work tools needed to get the important tasks - that just can’t wait - completed.

AND isn’t it a Great feeling to go home with a very clear head? Nothing to stress about until the next day; a few more “to do” items done. And it this also seems to bring a little more energy into the next morning because you’re going in happy that there aren’t as many dragons to slay. What’s not to love?

On the other hand, just what did you lose by staying a little late? You might have missed out on some quality time with the kiddos, spouse/partner, friends - or just having some very (also) important “me time.” Downtime is also really really good for the soul and when you find yourself working a lot of extra hours - you’ll realize that it may just not be that great in the long run at the office. Those hours start to become expected, maybe, just because “somehow” everything still gets taken care of. Who knows why overtime is a touchy subject. When it’s a case of expected, repeated overtime - there are two general causes (combined or separate):
not enough staff to meet the company needs (tough battle to prove)
poor time management by the employee (tough pill to swallow!)

Expected OT hours generates poor attitudes because there is usually a lack of appreciation of the time you’re giving (btw - this is TOTALLY null and void if you’re: a) getting paid overtime pay, b) can include these as billable hours that will be reflected in your pay, or c) if you own your on business). Somewhere, somehow - expect a mutiny. It could be physical: you might get sick, because you haven’t slept as well, eaten as healthy, taken the time to exercise . . . . or it could be mental: poor work attitude is a perfect way to sabotage a strong career.

Just do everything you can to avoid giving too much of your personal time to the office. Really use that workday to get everything possibly done that could be in order to avoid the OT crutch because “downtime” allows you to recharge and gain more energy for the next day. Every once in a while, though, working late really does help to give a little time to get a big project completed and a good, stress-free night of sleep! Like a guilty pleasure.