Building Coalitions: The Art of Organizational Influence
When I was 34 years old, I presented a business plan to the C-Suite of the media company I worked for. Up until then, the company had been in the newspaper and book industries. I proposed that we should expand our horizons and launch a gossip magazine. The idea was a bit out there, but I’d worked on the plan for almost a year. It was creative, well-researched, well-designed, expert-scrutinized, and IMHO, well presented. There were tough questions. I could answer them all. The
Judy Sims
6 min read
The September Shift: How to Finish the Year Strong Without the Q4 Scramble
By the second week of September, summer mode has to go. I hate this fact as much as you do, but we all know it to be true. We've all been trucking along with longer lunches, lighter inboxes, a calendar with real white space in it, and a shared understanding around the office that the big stuff can wait until later. Well my friend, later just showed up. And it brought with it roughly sixteen weeks to hit the targets you set way back in June when the year still felt long. The c
Judy Sims
3 min read
Putting Out Fires Feels Like Progress. It's Keeping You Where You Are.
Here’s a sentence I hear from my clients nearly every week: “Of course I want to do more strategic stuff, but I can’t because of the constant little fires I’m forced to put out”. Sound familiar? You end most days genuinely wrung out, having solved a dozen problems. You cleared the urgent emails, you unblocked the stalled project, you smoothed over the thing that was about to blow up in front of leadership, and you did all of it well. On paper it was a productive day. In terms
Judy Sims
5 min read
You're Leaving Your Job. What Will You Be Remembered For?
My client Joanna recently met a man who worked at a company she left more than a decade ago. Joanna had never met this man. But he seemed to know all about Joanna. In fact, he said she was "legendary" in the best sense of the word. Joanna had built a strong team. She solved problems no one wanted to take on. And she did it all with wit and joy and an astounding level of creativity. Joanna was speechless. She had no idea she'd left that kind of legacy. But at the same time, it
Judy Sims
5 min read
Why the Role Went to an Outside Hire (and How to Win it Next Time)
My client Michelle’s boss retired. His direct reports were four highly competent, experienced, get-shit-done kind of women. All four of them delivered. All of their projects landed. All of their targets were hit. Their performance reviews contained words such as “reliable” and “strong” and “exceeds expectations”. All of them applied for his job. Two got interviews. None of them got the job. Instead, an outsider was brought in (also a woman, so this wasn’t a sexism thing). How
Judy Sims
6 min read
Men Are Told What to Do. Women Are Told Who to Be.
You know the drill. Man Assertive Passionate Confident Uncompromising Persuasive Ambitious Bold Thorough Pragmatic Shrewd Negotiator Collaborative Empathetic Quietly Mindful Protective of Team Liked and Respected Woman Aggressive Overly Invested Full of Herself Difficult Calculating Power Hungry Uncontrolled Nitpicky Too Operational Demanding Indecisive Soft Lacks Executive Presence Mothering Liked or Respected That bottom row is the kicker. Men can be liked and respected. Wo
Judy Sims
6 min read
Good at Everything, Known for Nothing: How to Build a Leadership Brand When You Have Range
My client Kelly works at a large tech company. On her last performance review, she received the highest score possible, one that only a handful of employees receive globally. Kelly is fantastic with clients, can see the big picture as well as the tactical way to get there, is great at mentoring and supporting colleagues and is just delightful to be around. No wonder she exceeds her targets every year. And yet. Kelly was overlooked for promotion for three years straight. She b
Judy Sims
6 min read
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Office Gossip
Nobody gossips. Just ask around. Every single person you work with will tell you, hand on heart, that they are not a gossip. They just like to "stay informed." They "have good relationships across the business." Someone "mentioned something to them in confidence" and they're "still processing it." Meanwhile, researchers at UC Riverside strapped recording devices to 467 people and listened to how they actually talk. The average person spends about 52 minutes a day talking abou
Judy Sims
6 min read