The Competence Assumption: Stop Proving Yourself Over and Over
I have blonde hair, big eyes, and big boobs. There’s a lot of privilege that comes with being a WASPy woman, but there’s also a considerable downside. When people first meet me, they often assume I’m stupid. It’s happened since I first stepped into a corporate office as a 25-year-old marketing analyst. Of course, the man who started the same week as me didn’t start at the same place as me. He was at “seems sharp, let’s see what he does.” He got the benefit of the doubt before
Judy Sims
5 min read
The Story Being Told About You Is Wrong (And You're Letting It Happen)
Stop treating your reputation as something that simply happens to you and start treating it as something you actively manage.
Judy Sims
8 min read
How to Fight for Your Team Without Being Called "Difficult"
For the past two years, my client Vivian has been trying to get two new hires approved for her search marketing team. Her team is stretched waaaaay too thin. Their work is relentless, highly specialized, meticulous, and let’s face it, not all that glamorous (which means they don't get a lot of recognition in the organization). In short, they are highly effective invisible workhorses who are currently running on fumes. A few weeks ago, I received an emergency call from Vivian
Judy Sims
6 min read
Before You Quit: Ask Yourself These 5 Questions
My client Tracy has been in her role for 4 years. She’s great at her job and everyone knows it. She’s a classic capable executor. But the last two times a senior position opened up, it was filled by someone brought in from outside. HR has lots of advice for her about “continued development opportunities”. Her boss tells her to “keep doing what you’re doing”. Tracy has a colleague who did finally get promoted after 6 years in her role. But the pay increase wasn’t what she expe
Judy Sims
10 min read
Protecting Your Team from Organizational Chaos
I once had a job where in a span of two years, I had 6 different bosses. Three of those bosses overlapped, as in I had three bosses at the same time because someone decided a matrix structure was a good idea. It wasn’t. Two of the bosses were aligned against the third. Opposing priorities, conflicting personalities, power battles and turf wars became a part of my daily life. Both sides demanded my loyalty. To be honest, neither side deserved it. I walked the line between the
Judy Sims
7 min read
The Feedback You're Not Getting: Reading Between the Lines
Back in my corporate days, I had a very complicated relationship with feedback. At best, I found it frustrating and unsatisfying. At worst, it was completely baffling. So, to be perfectly honest, I avoided it. And I most certainly didn’t ask for it. I always felt this was my own personal failing. We’re supposed to crave feedback! We’re supposed to cherish it! Mine it for gold! Why didn’t I see its value? But then, I would go to my after-work ballet class. There, I was constan
Judy Sims
6 min read
The Meeting After the Meeting: Navigating Informal Power Structures
Miriam is a Director of Marketing at a mid-size tech company. After weeks of preparation, she presented a campaign proposal to the leadership team. It was well-researched, well-scoped, and the room respond well. Her VP gives it a verbal green light at the end of the meeting. Miriam leaves feeling good. The next morning, she gets a two-line email. The initiative is on hold pending "further budget review." What happened? The Head of Finance (who was in that meeting, said nothin
Judy Sims
6 min read
When Senior Leadership Gets It Wrong: Speaking Truth to Power
When I was 27 years old, I was a junior member of the marketing team at a large newspaper company. The VP of Marketing wanted to promote reading our Sunday paper as a “slow, relaxing, weekend experience.” He was in his 50s. So was the head of the boutique advertising firm he hired to create the ad campaign. They were golfing buddies or something. The campaign slogan was “Spread Out Sunday”. It featured people with the newspaper dissected into its multiple sections, spread out
Judy Sims
8 min read