Delivering on the Promise of Work Flexibility

Recently, I was interviewed for an insightful article in USA Today entitled “More Employers Offer Flexible Hours, but Many Grapple with How to Make It Succeed” reporting the results of a national survey of hiring managers. After that interview, I re-read the recent article in the New York Times, “Young People are Going to Save Us All from Office Life” because I realized, together, they shed light on a critical workplace trend:

Employers have reached a tipping point. Younger workers are bringing their default expectation of flexibility into the workplace and it is forcing employers to grapple with how to respond.  While many are struggling with that response, clearly a meaningful percentage of hiring managers (44%) see an opportunity. They’re offering the promise of flexible scheduling, upfront, as part of their recruitment value proposition to differentiate their companies in a tight labor market (see chart below)

This brings up a couple of key challenges for employers:

Challenge #1: If an organization makes the promise to offer real and meaningful flexibility, how do they deliver on that promise in a way that works for the business and the person?  The USA Today story provides a great example of a failure to deliver:

“Last month, Michael Richman, owner of Academy Awning in Montebello, California, waded gingerly into the modern world of flexible work schedules, allowing a 22-year-old designer to come in at odd hours so he could go back to college full time.  It didn’t go well.

“The designer wasn’t available midday to answer questions from an East Coast customer and was hard-pressed to quickly address concerns raised by welders and other factory employees at the awning maker, which has 35 staffers.

“Richman also wondered how much the designer was really working when he was alone in the office. ‘It was a disaster,’ Richman says. ‘We have to have a somewhat regimented schedule. To have people coming and going at different times creates disruption.'”

What could Academy Awning have done differently?  Three things:

Train their employees upfront in the skills to propose a formal flexible “reset” of how, when, and where they work.  The designer wasn’t making small, informal, flexible tweaks to his work+life fit.  He was fundamentally changing the way he worked.  That required creating a plan that outlined how he was going to shift his schedule but still meet the core requirements of his job, which seemed to include:

  • Answering questions midday from East coast customers. Solution: Try to schedule classes toward the end of the day and evening when possible, and when at class, regularly check emails and answer any important questions during a break.
  • Quickly address concerns raised by welders and other factory employees. Solution: Share his schedule with welders and factory employees in advance. Check in to see if they have any questions before leaving for class and let them know the best way to reach him if they have an urgent matter.

Unfortunately, according to our research, a majority of employees who work flexibly receive no training or guidance at all.  Well-implemented flexibility requires training employees, teams and managers in the mindset, skills and tools they need to succeed.

Clarify expectations, ask for regular progress updates, and agree to performance metrics.  In a culture of high performance flexibility, a leader doesn’t wonder if someone is working if they are alone.  First, they don’t assume a person is working when they are physically sitting in the office because they know presence doesn’t equal performance.  Second, leaders continually clarify what matters, what’s being measured, and how it’s measured.  As long as that is happening, they don’t worry whether they can or can’t see an employee.

Re-calibrate if the flexibility is not working versus calling it a “disaster.” Realities change, and sometimes even the most thoughtful formal reset plan that everyone expected to work may not once it’s implemented. In that case, supervisors and employees know upfront (because that’s how they’ve been trained) it’s time to re-calibrate, not necessarily completely throw in the towel.

Starting with these three steps, an employer could confidently include flexibility in the way work is done in their recruitment value proposition because they can fulfill that promise.

Which brings us to…

Challenge #2: If you don’t want to promise work flexibility, how will you compete for top talent against the employers that do?  Good question. It’s one that leaders need to consider carefully.

To that end, a few weeks ago, I talked about the loyalty high performance flexibility creates. And I asked you to share your stories. Here’s one from a senior leader about the executive assistant she was able to retain:

“Many years ago, the woman who was my executive assistant came to me with a request.  She had recently become a single mom of elementary-aged girls and wanted to know if I would ‘allow’ her to come to the office a bit after 9 AM rather than our opening hours of 8.  In addition to being my right hand, she also supervised the other staff who were the administrative support in the Vice President’s office.

“She did not want to have to put her girls in a before-school program as well as an after-school program. She told me that she would happily get up early, work from home for an hour before waking her daughters, sharing breakfast with them, and seeing them on the bus. Then she would drive to work to start her day.

“To me, the answer was obvious…I was just so glad she was willing to come forward with the plan because I don’t think I was sensitive enough, at the time, to realize the stress of both a before-school and after-school program for her daughters, and for her.

“Aside from giving her that flexibility, she also got WAY more accomplished in that hour-plus of work in the early AM, without staff to supervise, phones to answer, or me asking her questions with some frequency.  My only request of her was to work with the staff she supervised to make sure the office opened, and the phones were answered at 8, even with her not being there.

“Her staff more than rose to the occasion and accepted the responsibility readily. The hour in the AM also gave me a chance to get to know them even better because often they were stepping up to help with something I needed in the office…and they were more than capable of providing that assistance.

“Also, when one of the girls was sick, having her work from home, rather than take a sick day, also made sense as she, again, accomplished a great deal in that quiet setting.

“That Susan was a self-starter, and high-level performer made the decision to support the flexibility she needed easy. Furthermore, the thought that she might look elsewhere for a position with more flexibility was frightening.  We needed her even more than she needed us!”

What’s happening in your organization?  Are you offering the promise of work flexibility upfront in your recruitment value proposition?  If yes, how are you making sure you are able to deliver on that promise in a way that works for the business and the person?  As always, I love to hear from you!

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“Flex” Your Business Model to Seize Market Opportunities and Address Challenges

Several segment leaders across different industries made headlines for “flexing” their traditional business models to seize market opportunities and address operating challenges. These nimble businesses reimagined how, when and where work could be done. In the process, they showed that work flexibility is much more than an HR perk, digital app or workspace redesign.

Instead these savvy businesses used work flexibility as a powerful strategy to respond rapidly and creatively to market shifts.

CVS Matches Talent to Regional, Seasonal Shifts in Customer Demand

CVS noticed two trends. First, a large percentage of their older customers in colder regions migrated south for the winter. The challenge then became how to temporarily staff up stores in the south and skinny down in the north to match those customer shifts. They also noticed that older pharmacy staff were either retiring to join the winter migration south or would be open to the opportunity. Solution: The company decided to allow interested CVS employees from the north to temporarily relocate and transfer to a store in the south during the winter.

The result: CVS retains and relocates experienced talent to match regional shifts in their customer base. 

Esquire Deposition Solutions Uses Remote Work to Address Talent Shortage

Esquire Deposition Solutions also faced two related challenges–increased demand for reporters across the court system, and a shortage of court reporters to meet that demand. A talent gap that is projected to worsen with a workforce averaging 55 years old.  In response, Esquire Deposition Solutions “flexed” their traditional business model to no longer require court reporters to be physically present in the courtroom at all times. It now allows certified stenographers “who have been trained in remote court reporting by Esquire” to work in one of the company’s 35 U.S. offices instead. They will have shorter commutes and the ability to process a variety of depositions a day, depending on the legal matter’s length and complexity.

Not only does this shift address the mismatch between the supply of and demand for court reporters, but advocates see potential gains in productivity and ongoing technological innovation.  

Shake Shack Pilots Four-Day Workweek to Attract and Retain Managers

If you are an expanding restaurant chain, like Shake Shack, you can’t grow if you can’t find experienced general managers. According to company leadership, “the chain will open 26 to 40 new stores this year. But it could open 100 new stores if it could hire all the general managers it wanted.”

In response, Shake Shack decided to “flex” their five-day, 40-hour workweek business model and pilot a four-day, 40-hour workweek to attract and retain general managers with three to five years of experience. 

This shift is modeled after a similar change successfully implemented by a smaller Alabama-based chain, Aloha Hospitality. When discussing the strategic shift to a four-day workweek for managers, Aloha CEO Bob Baumhower said, “You’ve heard the phrase, ‘it takes a village,’ well in our case it takes a team. Everyone has to buy in, go the extra mile and support each other to make it work.”

That’s true for any flexible work transformation, including those above. Success ultimately requires a realignment of all aspects of an organization including culture, work processes, policies, workforce, workspace, technology, and operations. Assuming that happens, these companies will set an example for others to follow.

When businesses reimagine how, when and where work can be done, not only do they respond more nimbly to market opportunities and challenges, but they give their people what they want, which is a win for all. 

What are some other examples of businesses “flexing” their traditional business models?

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5 Ways Employers Unlock the Strategic Power of Vacation

It’s no secret that employers are waging a talent war. Vacation or paid time off (PTO) can be one of the most powerful tools in an organization’s recruitment and engagement arsenal but is significantly underutilized. That’s according to an article for which The Washington Post recently interviewed me, “The one benefit workers want more than anything is an unlimited vacation policy.” As I noted in the article, “The value of time away from work has increased exponentially for people because there is no boundary — or there’s very little boundary. The promise of a chunk of time where people can just forget about work is increasing at a rate that organizations are not leveraging.”

Here are five steps every organization can follow to position, promote and manage their vacation/PTO offerings to stand out as both a strategic business initiative and an employee attraction/retention tool:

Position vacation/PTO as a form of work flexibility an employee can actively use to fit their work and life together. Increasingly, employees have access to informal flexibility in how, when and where they work allowing them to remain somewhat accessible to take care of needs such as medical appointments or parent-teacher conferences without taking PTO. But, when they need or want to disconnect from work entirely, they can choose PTO. Two different objectives can be achieved based on the employee’s needs and discretion – and on their terms.

Regularly prompt employees to plan and coordinate their vacation/PTO. When viewed as a benefit an employee is responsible for managing, too often vacation/PTO is either put off or not well-coordinated with other team members – especially during prime vacation and holiday times. Either way, the result is unhappy, burned out employees. Instead, every quarter, managers should send out a reminder and shared calendar link encouraging people to commit to time off. This way, managers can block off periods of “limited vacation requests” during busier periods and address any conflicts at other times in advance.

Set up a vacation/PTO coordination and communication protocol. To unlock the value of vacation/PTO for employees, and to ensure the ability to disconnect genuinely, it helps to have a vacation coordination and communication protocol that everyone follows. For example:

  • People choose vacation coverage buddies who commit to understanding the status of their buddy’s workload and coverage needs and then return the favor.
  • Establish a vacation responsiveness protocol. Leave a clear out of office auto-response that outlines when you’ll be back and who is covering for you, and set parameters in advance with teammates under what circumstances you can be reached and how.
  • Block off the first few hours back in the office to catch up and ease back into work mode. No one wants to return from vacation with a back-to-back meeting schedule and risk completely losing the sense of well-being gained from being away.

Celebrate vacations! As a manager, periodically share what you did over vacation. Ask for volunteers to share their vacation highlights. Add this as an agenda item at the end of a staff meeting or virtually share a photo or video clip. It doesn’t have to be glamorous. Even if it’s a staycation and “I visited a local museum” that’s something to celebrate!

Promote your organization’s vacation/PTO package, as well as your commitment to making those meaningful breaks happen, in your recruiting process. Don’t let vacation/PTO get lost in the pack of all of the other “benefits” offered. Acknowledge that your organization values vacation/PTO and sees it as a gain for both employees and the business.  

What does your organization do to encourage people to take a vacation and to make those breaks real and meaningful?

Click HERE to be added to the Flex Strategy Group Newsletter and receive periodic updates and insights from Cali Williams Yost.

The “Hidden” Productivity Link Between Work Flexibility, Personality Traits, and Emotional Well-Being

Typically, when we discuss the need for and benefits of work flexibility, it’s in the context of fitting work and personal life together. While important, it’s only one application. What if people were able to leverage flexibility in how, when and where work is done to optimize their natural personality traits, such as introversion, or manage their emotional state, including anxiety? How much productivity and well-being would be unleashed?

This link between personality and flexibility came to my attention for the first time a few years ago at the launch party for my friend Susan Cain’s book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. During the Q&A, a woman stood up and shared a story that, as an extrovert, surprised me.

Her voice cracking with emotion, she explained that she’d recently lost her private office when her company adopted a more open floor plan to save money. As an introvert, who needs more quiet and less distraction to be productive, she was struggling with the change. She couldn’t concentrate. She set her alarm to wake up two hours earlier to get work done before she went into the office and regularly worked from home in the evening to complete the tasks she couldn’t get done during business hours. It was becoming so unbearable and exhausting that she’d considered filing a claim under the American for Disabilities Act, “I physically can’t work. The environment is too overwhelming.”

My first thought was, “Wow. I had no idea this was an issue,” because, for my personality, the more noise, people, and interaction, the better. Then I wondered “Assuming her job could still get done well, why doesn’t she work remotely? Essentially that’s what she’s already doing, albeit outside of normal business hours?”

Why not? This woman’s employer was losing productivity and, ultimately, may even lose her to another job with a more introvert-friendly environment. Why wouldn’t they creatively support her need to flexibly manage where and how she works best, on or off-site?

Thankfully, Morra Aarons-Mele tackles this “why not” question and the link between greater work flexibility, personality traits, and emotional well-being in her fantastic, insightful new book, Hiding in the Bathroom: An Introvert’s Roadmap to Getting Out There (When You’d Rather Stay Home) published by Dey Street.

I recently talked with Morra Aarons-Mele about Hidden in the Bathroom and the message she hopes to convey to employers regarding the potential return of a more flexible work culture for a large, often “hidden,” percentage of the workforce.

CY: How do organizations benefit when more introverted employees are able to match the work flexibility they need to their personality type’s preferred work style (e.g., quieter, less distraction)?

MAM: It is majorly counterproductive and expensive if organizations DO NOT support it. Stress-related injuries cost American businesses billions of dollars a year. For more introverted workers, the office environment can be very stressful especially if it is an open, dense workspace. Your body feels physically assaulted, causing you to clench and hunch forward to protect your vital organs. Some people spend the day in this protective pose due to the environment. And it’s because we prize this amorphous idea of collaboration over deep-thinking, quiet time, and privacy.

For example, Apple built a new $5 billion, very collaborative and pod-based headquarters and people are already unhappy, as has been reported in the media. In contrast, Google Cambridge has a function-based environment with a lot of alone-space which is better, but I hear that, at some offices, it is still not enough. People are using the lactation room for quiet workspace, and there remains a bit of a stigma in some workplaces if you use the alone-space a lot. Again, that’s because the default is “collaborative,” and any regular behavior outside of that is prone to stigma and question.

What we have to accept is that we don’t all default to being with people, all day, in the office to do our best work. Some people are expected to be in the office to the detriment of their jobs when they would be more productive working remotely. But these norms are so slow to shift. 

Now I start my speeches with pictures of two people—one is in a boardroom, and another is dressed in sweats and is in bed–and I pose the question, “Who is more ambitious?” Why do we automatically demean those who may need more alone time?

CY: How can having more control over where, when and how you work help people manage anxiety and emotional well-being? Many employees tell me that being able to work remotely, even one day a week, not only saves time but lowers the stress and exhaustion of commuting. Why do you think this is and what does that tell us, again, about supporting the strategic, intentional use of work flexibility?

MAM: A sense of control, in general, and routine helps anxiety. Building that scaffolding is important. At any moment, a quarter to one-third of the population is walking around with general anxiety yet they wake up and commute to work – leaving their children, getting stuck in traffic. Then there’s the social anxiety many people experience. 

Anxiety doesn’t go away once you walk through the office door and it, of course, affects how we work in every way. Commuting, flying, presenting while clenching and crouching from the stress creates injury. Autonomy and the ability to flexibly determine how, when and where you work best helps manage the level of anxiety. Sometimes that will be in the office most of the time, and sometimes it won’t. The question is does my employer trust me and allow me to manage my work+life fit flexibly to be my effective. 

It’s important to note that men are anxious too. Men suffer from tremendous anxiety. It’s not just women. Having the flexibility to work and go to the gym, eat healthfully and sleep helps to manage that anxiety which increases productivity and saves money.

Bottom line: if organizations build high performance flexible work cultures that give their people the skills and tools to use work flexibility, with strategic intention, to optimize their personality traits and manage their emotional well-being, as Morra Aarons-Mele points out, it would be a win for all. Check out Hiding in the Bathroom for more insights and information about making that culture shift.

(This post originally appeared in LinkedIn)

Click HERE to be added to the Flex Strategy Group Newsletter and receive periodic updates and insights from Cali Williams Yost.

WNYC w/ Manoush Zomorodi: Realities of Achieving Work/Life Balance

Yesterday, I appeared on WNYC with host Manoush Zomorodi, New America’s Anne-Marie Slaughter, and writer Kashana Cauley to discuss work, life and flexibility from multiple perspectives.

The segment is part of a series that I highly recommend called “Taking the Lead” which is currently airing on Zomorodi’s regular WNYC podcast, Note to Self. The series follows the journey of two female entrepreneurs, who are also mothers, as they develop and try to get funding for a new app, Need/Done.

Highlights from yesterday’s Leonard Lopate Show segment include:

1) Why we need to reframe the entire “work and life” discussion/debate from “balance” to work+life “fit” and caregiving, and from an issue for mothers to something we ALL need to manage today.

2) Why the challenges of managing work and life are the same but also different for higher income, white collar workers versus lower income, part-time (not by choice) and shift workers.

3) Public policy changes such as paid leave and child care supports are critical to all caregivers, but employers and individuals can also take steps that will be mutually beneficial.

TODAY Show #DoingItAll Series–Links, Highlights and Gratitude

What an exciting week!

It was an honor to participate in the #DoingItAll series on the TODAY Show in support of Maria Shriver’s important, groundbreaking, The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink.

Many of you have asked for links to the segments and key takeaways…so here you go!

Tuesday: Two Amazing Women #DoingItAll

First, on Tuesday, I worked with two truly remarkable women who epitomize what it means to “do it all.”

Both of these women approach the challenges in their lives with courage, persistence, optimism and humor. They inspired me.

Watch and listen to their stories and my advice (video links below):

How to set productive boundaries: Teleworking, independent marketing consultant and single mom of two

How to ask for help and take small, doable, intentional steps: Small business owner, and single mom of three 

 

Wednesday: #DoingItAll Help-a-thon

Then, on Wednesday, a group of finance, health, legal, career and life experts gathered in the TODAY Show studios to answer questions posted by viewers on email, Twitter and Facebook.

We were there from 7 am to 12 pm est. You have not seen a more dedicated group of people. We tried our best to answer as many of the hundreds of often very difficult, emails, tweets and posts that people sent in.

In this picture, Hoda and Kathie Lee pay us a visit in the Orange Room during their show. The experts pictured (starting from the bottom left) are Dale Atkins, Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Carmen Wong Ulrich, Dr. Janet Taylor.  Then in the back row (starting on the right), Dr. Roshini Raj, Valorie Burton, Lisa Bloom, and then me.

Down in the main studio were Dr. Nancy Snyderman, Sharon Epperson and Dr. Gail Saltz.  And in Washington, D.C. with Maria Shriver, were Ellen Galinsky and Jean Chatzky.

#DoingItAll Series Gratitude

As I reflect on the experience, here are the three things I am most grateful for:

Maria Shriver: I am grateful that she used her powerful platform and voice to draw attention to the realities of millions of women (and men!) who are trying to do it all under very difficult circumstances.  If you haven’t done so already, read  The Shriver Report–A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink, and take at least one or two of the “next steps” outlined in the study. (And yes, she is as smart, nice and cool in person as she appears on television.)

TODAY Show: For sharing the stories of real women who are #doingitall and then trying to connect viewers with the resources they need.

The people I met who truly care and want to make a difference: From Maria Shriver, to the TODAY Show producers, to the experts participating in the Help-a-thon, to the participants in The Atlantic’s day-long symposium streamed live yesterday, people care. Individually, we may be limited in what we can do, but together we can make a difference. And it starts with caring…I saw that in spades.

Finally, as I prepared for the segments and the Help-a-thon, I thought about what I wished everyone knew to help them manage work and life, better and smarter, in 2014.

So, stay tuned…next week I will share my “Top Ten Work+Life Fit Tips for 2014.”  And I want to hear your ideas, too!

Together, we can succeed while we’re #DoingItAll.

Want to continue the conversation between posts?  I invite you to connect with me on Twitter @caliyost and to visit/like our Facebook page.

 

TODAY Show–#Doing It All, The Shriver Report

This week is special, so you will hear from me a bit more than usual over the next few days.

On Sunday, Maria Shriver officially released the findings from her new, groundbreaking, The Shriver Report–A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink. 

In addition to the report (which I highly recommend), on Wednesday 1/15, you can tune in to the day-long symposium in Washington D.C. hosted by The Atlantic and streamed online.

But the launch events don’t stop there.

To support the study, the TODAY Show has partnered with Shriver to offer how-to advice and support to the majority of women in the U.S. who are “doing it all”, but especially the 1 in 3 who are near or at the brink of poverty.

Not everyone works for the forward-thinking organizations that ask me to consult with their leadership and share strategies with their employees; therefore, I am always looking for ways to spread the “work+life fit” message more broadly, especially to those who need it the most.

So, I was thrilled when the TODAY Show approached me to be a member of the team of experts who will appear this week to offer advice to real women struggling with the everyday overwhelm of jobs, kids and life.

While programming is always subject to last minute changes, it looks I will help two women on Tuesday. One will be in a segment we taped in December (see above) with a terrific mom in Houston, and the other will happen live in the studio with Hoda and Kathie Lee.

Then on Wednesday, I will join a team of finance, health and career experts for the TODAY Show’s first-ever LIVE “Help-a-thon”. We will answer questions live on email, Twitter and Facebook, so check it out and participate from 7 am to 12 pm est. Jump in, ask questions and offer your advice! Follow #DoingItAll.

The reason you will hear from me more frequently this week is that I’m going to kick-off the “Helpathon” on Wednesday by sharing the first five of my “Top Ten Work+Life Fit Tips for 2014.” Then, I will follow up on Thursday with the final five tips, and an insider’s recap of the Helpathon experience.

Together, we can make a difference for everyone (men and women) “doing it all”!

I invite you to connect with me on Twitter @caliyost and on our Facebook page.

The Joyful Honor of Being One of the “40 Over 40 to Watch”

Recognition for doing work you love is always a thrill.  But when I was named to the inaugural “40 Women Over 40 to Watch” list, I experienced a special mix of honor, excitement, humility and joy.

Here’s why:

The “40 Over 40” creators and judges.  Please take a minute to review the names of the remarkable team who created this list honoring the accomplishments of women over 40 years old–Whitney Johnson, Christina Vuleta, Jocelyn Bonneau and Molly Ford.  Then, take another moment to look at the list of judges.  To have my work recognized at any age by this impressive mix of women and men from tech, corporate, social impact, vc, media, etc…Thank you all.

The mission of the list:  As list co-creator, Whitney Johnson, noted in a recent Harvard Business Review post, the research shows that “entrepreneurs get better with age.”  All I know is that, at age 48, I feel even better than I did at 28, which was pretty good!  The list is public acknowledgement of the power that comes from growth, wisdom and experience.

The other 39 women:  WOW! Seriously.

Each winner’s “Push Page”:  This may be one of my favorite new discoveries thanks to the “40 Over 40.”  Each one of the winners was asked to create a “Push Page,” which is a social media platform on which you answer questions about yourself.  Everyone’s answers offer a fascinating, in depth, glimpse into who they are.  Check out my page…you will discover, among other things: the name of my greatest mentor; what activity I love to do but wish I was better at; what I disrupted; my first job and the favorite place I have ever traveled.

Future winners:  As soon as I read this year’s list, I couldn’t help but think of next year, and the next year.  The founders of “40 Over 40” hope to inspire younger women with role models.  If I can offer inspiration and celebrate their future success, count me in!

 

 

Secrets to Success in a Big Change: “Tweak It” on the TODAY Show


By harnessing the power of the small stuff, we can make it through the big stuff.  When facing a big change, the simple weekly TWEAK IT practice restores a sense of control in what can feel like overwhelming chaos.

That was the advice I shared when I recently appeared on the TODAY Show with career coach, Maggie Mistal.  Two years ago, I helped Maggie deal with the early, unexpected arrival of her son, Mercer, when she was only 27 weeks pregnant and on vacation in Miami.

Suddenly, Maggie and her husband, Craig, found themselves in an unfamiliar city, trying to take care of their fragile new son, work, find a place to live and take care of themselves.

They had to become their own advocates, and focus on the small, everyday victories–or “tweaks” that created the foundation of everyday well-being and order they needed.  And, thankfully, today Mercer is a happy, healthy, thriving two-year old.

Watch the segment to hear Maggie’s inspiring story and to learn the four tips for “tweaking” your way through a big change and beyond.

(Fun bonus: Around 1:46 minutes you can see my husband outside the TODAY show window in the bushes!)

For more, I invite you to connect with my on Twitter @caliyost and “Like” our Facebook page.

The Top 10 Work, Life and Money Lessons from Mika Brzezinski Every Woman Should Know

(This post originally appeared in Forbes.com)

I’m a fan of Morning Joe on MSNBC. I love the banter between the hosts and the eclectic mix of guests. I love learning about the “real story” behind politics. I love the music, and I love Mika Brzezinski. She’s a smart, experienced newsperson, but she’s also a mom and wife. And she brings all of that to the table each day.

It was a thrill to see her moderate the opening panel when I attended the White House Conference on Women and the Economy in April. Not only did she wear the most amazing pink dress, but she impressed me with her grasp of the complex issues that impact a woman’s ability to achieve her goals on and off the job.

When Senior Advisor to President Obama, Valerie Jarrett, introduced Brzezinsky as the moderator of the panel, she said her new book, Knowing Your Value (Weinstein Books, 2012) was a “must read for all women.” I decided to check it out. She was right.

Not only does Brzezinski share the often difficult lessons she’s learned over the years about work, life and money but she includes the very candid stories and insights of other successful women like Tina Brown, Sheryl Sandberg, Suze Orman, and Arianna Huffington just to name a few.

Here are ten of the key lessons from the book that every woman should know:

1) Know your “value:” What you contribute and how much that is worth in the market.

My heart broke for Brzezinski when she describes how it felt to finally sign a contract with MSNBC only to realize that both of her co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Willie Geist made significantly more money than she did. Not only that, but they were assigned specifically to Morning Joe, whereas she was required to do the show and other assignments for the network. This very painful realization finally forced her to objectively and dispassionately research how much she was worth in the market and learn how to be compensated fairly.

2) Don’t wait to be noticed. Walk in and ask for what you want…because that’s what all of the guys are doing, constantly. (Click here to go to Forbes.com for more)