Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Cisco Cius

The innovative Cisco Cius (pronounced "See Us") is an ultra-portable, mobile collaboration business tablet that offers access to essential business applications and technologies.

It can be held in a wired docking station for desktop use and then carried as a mobile tablet when needed.

 Tablet Highlights:
• 7” diagonal, high-resolution color screen with contact-based touch targets delivers an elegant, intuitive experience
• HD Soundstation supports Bluetooth and USB peripherals, 10/100/1000 wired connectivity and a handset option
• Detachable and serviceable 8-hour battery for a full day of work
• Highly secure remote connections with Cisco AnyConnect Security VPN Client
• HD audio with wideband support (tablet, HD Soundstation)

Friday, June 25, 2010

Update to my evening at WIT

I was blown away by how good the evening turned out to be at WIT (Women In Technology).  The ladies I met were so highly professional and friendly. Made three awesome contacts and looking towards many years of being a part of this wonderful group.

The evening's format was that a moderator would ask the panelists for real life situations when they were not in managerial positions and how they dealt with those work related issues.

Many topics came up some of which were the following: 
- How to be aware and avoid making political mistakes. How to deal with the after effects of having put your foot in your mouth.
- How to align and identify mentors
- Prepare mini elevator speech
- Do not dis-associate with an out of favor boss
- How to avoid office gossip
- How to deal with difficult bosses and possible reasons for their being so difficult
- How to use humor to help you survive difficult situations
- You are not what you do, you are many other things: Mother, Wife, Daughter, Aunt, Friend - Remember that
- If all is tough in your department, for example, your boss is being devalued still remember to do a good job and let your work shine through
- Never be complacent, always have a plan
- Stretch vertically/apply yourself horizontally
- You have a lot more power than you think

Many of these topics are also discussed in "Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office" written by Dr. Lois Frankel. I highly recommend it.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

The Office Chessboard: How to Play a Win-Win Game

How to Play a Win-Win Game. Hmmm. It seems to be the story of my life lately. How do you play the game? How to stay at the top? It seems the rules are different for women. I'm increasingly worried about not being marketable and doing everything I can to stay in the game and to be on top of the game.

Recently, I started reading: Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office. The sub-title is: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers.

101!!!??? Really?

When you talk about 101 mistakes you know you might find something of yours in there, so I decided to give it a shot and read it ... and I did find mistakes that I make. And let me tell you, I didn't like finding it. And it made me cringe. But I'm glad someone actually could tell me and fortunately it is a book -- and it's only you and the book that will know how to improve yourself. 

Going back to my event this evening, And being in a win-win world, I'm hoping to get a better grasp on the following and hear what professionals have to say. Whether they have different ways of dealing with the following and what can I learn from others:  Dealing with Conflict at Work
  • Handling Personality Struggles
  • Coping with Sabotage in the Workplace
  • Managing High-Performance Teams
  • Understanding Low Performers with Connections
Sounds like it'll be a great evening and lots to learn.