What you do matters

If, like me, you tend to downplay your own influence, consider these words from Kip Tindell, Chairman and CEO of the Container Store:

“We all can’t imagine that we have as much impact on the people and the world around us as we really do. . . . [E]verything you do, and everything you don’t do, impacts your business, the people around you, and the world around you, far, far, far more than you can imagine.”

Answering an interview question about the core principles he shares with his employees, Tindell said: “We talk a lot about a person’s wake, like a boat’s wake. Most people’s wake is much, much, much larger than they can ever imagine.”

– From the New York Times, March 14, 2010

It’s Valentine’s Day! Give yourself a little love.

Did you know that giving yourself love is a critical business tool?  OK, it’s not a skill that’s taught in business schools, but maybe it should be. If you tend to be hard on yourself, you know what I’m talking about. And if you work alone out of a home office, you also know that this solo work arrangement leaves far too much room for negative thoughts to clog your brain. Personally, I find this habit of mind really hard to shake. What to do?

1. Pay attention to your thoughts so you begin to notice when you’re getting down on yourself. You can’t interrupt the pattern if you don’t see it.
2. Cut yourself some slack. I find it helps to remind myself that I am doing the best I can – and the best I can is pretty dern good.
3. Stop measuring your performance against your idea of what other people do. I like the old saw that says: Never compare your insides to someone else’s outsides.
4. When you do catch yourself  dumping on yourself, counter the tendency by being kind – to yourself.
5. Give yourself a mini-retreat. Let yourself indulge in a few workday luxuries. My favorites include:

• a short afternoon nap (another critical business skill, by the way)
• a midday walk in the sunshine
• an afternoon on the couch with a novel.

My all-time favorite? Chocolate. Of course. What’s yours?

Outsourcing: “insanely important” for women?

Confession Time: Although I announced in my latest biz@home column that I’m ready to outsource those blog and website tasks that belong in the hands of a bona fide techie, I have yet to do so. Sure, I can claim this is because I’ve got some prep work to do first, but the truth is I have yet to make the mental switch that will let me relinquish control over this aspect of my business.

Is this because I’m a woman?

The idea that women have a harder time outsourcing had never occurred to me. Then I heard blogging and social media expert Julie Roads say that the question of what we are willing to outsource is “insanely important” for women in business.

Gone missing! That's what happened to my web site after the last time I tried to take care of the tech side of things myself.

Roads made the comment at a recent seminar on blogging for business where she was the presenter. Recently,  I asked Roads, who also writes marketing copy (and has a terrific blog), to elaborate via email. Here’s what she said:

biz@home: What gets in our way when it comes to outsourcing? Why do we hold back (if we do)?

Roads: Women are fantastic multi-taskers, and we’ve been socialized to think we need to do it all. As if getting help or outsourcing is somehow lazy, representative of us shirking our duties and a sure sign of failure.

SuperWoman complex anyone?

It’s outdated, but deeply ingrained that we will watch the mothership – both at home and at the office (and manage each one magnificently) – no matter what.

biz@home: What can help us get over it?

Roads: Talking to other women and doing this as a group – getting strength from each other as we march into uncharted territory. As a whole, we share well – and this includes sharing success stories and encouragement. I think it also helps to hire other women as your outsourcers/contractors. This way, you aren’t just relieving your full plate, you’re simultaneously supporting another working woman, mother, daughter.

biz@home: Why should we? How is the reluctance to outsource holding us back?

Roads: It’s interesting to examine what we readily outsource (putting on a new roof) and what we tend to cling to (writing our own marketing materials).

Why should we outsource as much as possible? Because why should you spend 40 hours a month balancing your books, when you could hire a bookkeeper that can do it in 10 while you design this winter’s fashion line?

We think we can’t afford to pay the bookkeeper for those 10 hours, but can we afford to give up the 40 hours of our own? We’re paying for that lost time as well. Not to mention that if you’re a fashion designer, those 40 hours spent with your finances promise little more than frustration, boredom, stress and confusion.

What’s the payoff? Who wins?

Me again: I love Roads’ closing comment on the subject.

“Ultimately, this is about letting ourselves off the hook – giving ourselves the freedom to achieve what we desire.”

Isn’t that an inspiration?!

P.S. Don’t forget to check out Julie’s blog.