by Manpreet Dhillon | Dec 5, 2017 | Business, Coaching
Many women have been taught to believe that only by behaving in a masculine manner, mirroring the behavior of the men in power around them, can they move up the ranks in leadership roles. We’re told that it’s a man’s world, and only by emulating their postures, their mannerisms, their speech patterns, can we be respected and valued in positions of power and rank.
Once women attain these ranks, however, negative responses such as double standards and name-calling set in. A woman may have attained her position by behaving like a man, but when she actually acts like her male counterparts, then she’s called a bitch. If she shows emotion, then she’s a weak little girl. As such, she can’t be trusted to negotiate with others because she might start to cry instead of standing her ground and radiating power.
We’ve grown so accustomed to the ruling patriarchy, to the masculine power that has ruled both nations and corporate boardroom tables, that we’ve been inundated by the idea that channeling said masculinity is the only way to achieve our workplace goals.
The truth, however, is quite the opposite.
Some of the strongest women in positions of corporate power are those who, instead of trying to forge a masculine path, have instead channeled their feminine power to achieve greatness.
There’s an incredible leadership skill that most women have repressed and been taught to ignore, but it’s that very skill that can be our greatest asset: our intuition.
Tapping Into The Feminine Power of Intuition
There is immense strength in women’s natural abilities, and drawing from innate feminine power can be the most important thing a woman does to attain success in her chosen career path.
Women are naturally intuitive, and a woman’s ability to both read nonverbal cues and empathically tune into other people’s emotions creates an incredible advantage when it comes to interpersonal relationships.
These are specialized skills that many men lack. By attempting to channel only masculine energy, women can sabotage their own goals instead of fast-tracking towards success.
Statistics have shown that when a woman is on a board—even just one woman—the revenues of a company will increase by 35 percent. This is because a woman can go into a negotiation room and find a compromise that works well for both parties. She can understand the values of either party, can work with them so that their positions benefit each other, and create a solution that would serve both parties equally.
Feminine intuition can also be used to visualize what kind of sales strategies above and beyond what have already been considered should be used to exceed projected revenues.
When a woman taps into her innate intuition, she can not only see the vision for the company itself, but uses that vision intuition to see which steps are needed to manifest it into reality.
She can see which types of strategic partnerships will work best for the company, and her natural strength in respecting others and negotiating for the greatest common good means that she can cultivate great rapport with everyone involved. This is ideal for long-term partnerships, as people prefer to work with those whom they trust—those who take the time to understand and respect them.
Many men are strong, powerful leaders, but they fall flat at the negotiation table. This is because many of them use aggression and strength instead of the far more effective feminine skills such as diplomacy, compromise, and negotiation. In a word: “intuition”.
Embrace Feminine Intuition and Energy in All Aspects of Life
Women often do themselves a massive disservice by channeling masculine energy instead of tapping into their feminine power.
This isn’t to say that masculine energy is at all negative, or should be avoided at all costs. Far from it. Male energy is incredibly powerful, but should merely be used when the right situations call for it, such as when focused action is required.
For example, a burst of masculine energy can help to kick-start the action needed when you need initiative to meet a specific goal. When you’re ambitious, and you have a set goal, that male energy can help to launch the initiative and set things in motion. It is active energy, rather than passive, and can be used to great effect to balance feminine power.
Think of the yin-yang symbol, and how true balance is achieved when either energy source has a small amount of the other integrated within it. Though we can, and should, draw the majority of our power from our feminine energy, we can also draw from the male energy that exists within us when we need it.
Many women who are in very powerful leadership roles know how to use small amounts of that masculine energy to help them achieve their goals, to make the difference they want to make in the world, but they also know that it’s their feminine energy that will help them to maintain said power.
It’s the feminine leadership qualities such as relationship building, and how to think strategically, that are immensely valued. They not only increase productivity, but encourage and inspire others, and help all involved to work as a dynamic team.
Home and Community Life, Mirrored in the Workplace
The same techniques that a woman uses to maintain balance and harmony in the home can be channeled into leadership in a workplace environment.
An ideal leader is one who recognizes their greatest abilities, and then delegates other tasks to those who are best suited to them. This also ensures that the leader gets the support they need, while also keeping others happy doing tasks that they can excel at.
Women also tend to be natural organizers, so they can harness their energy to create a schedule that all can adhere to, which ensures that team goals are met, and projects are completed on time.
Consider the intuition, relationship cultivation, and delegation that women may use with their children, in parent-teacher associations, in neighbourhood projects, and in spiritual community outreach programs. These are invaluable skills that most people take for granted or even dismiss, instead of acknowledging and celebrating as crucial when it comes to cultivating long-term, successful working relationships.
Assigning tasks several neighbors and organizing a calendar to ensure that a community project runs smoothly is really no different from delegating tasks to a team in a Fortune 500 company. It’s merely a different environment, or a larger scale, but the intuition, the skills, are exactly the same.
Women are born with these abilities, and it’s by acknowledging them, cultivating them, and celebrating them, that she can—and will—achieve her dreams.
When a woman taps into her feminine power, whether in her home life, her community, or in a corporate environment, she can truly move mountains.
***
If you’re ready to step into your feminine power to magnetize bigger leadership opportunities for 2018, I have a special gift to send your way…
It’s the Veza 2018 Goal Setting Intention Guide.
This is a special workbook I’ve created for our community (for free) to help you review your year and set intentional goals for the year to come by tapping into your innate feminine leadership skills. I highly recommend downloading it!
Download your copy of the Veza 2018 Goal Setting Intention Guide here
p.s. After you grab your copy be sure to join us over in our private Facebook Community where we’ll be completing the workbook together and masterminding to create a game plan to magnetize your dream career in 2018.
by Manpreet Dhillon | Nov 28, 2017 | Business, Coaching, Leadership
It’s really easy to obsess over your compensation package.
I know SO many women who continuously stress and strive for a bigger salary and more prestigious title, rarely stopping to even appreciate each successful promotion.
Really, it’s no surprise.
We’ve been raised by our parents and communities to believe that our paycheque is a reflection of our value. That what we’re paid is an indication of our worth.
That line of thinking is really damaging because ultimately it means that what we’re paid becomes our source of self-worth.
No wonder there’s a push to earn more and more. Even if the roles pursued aren’t fulfilling.
Here’s the thing, I’m all for shattering the glass ceiling and seeing more and more women rise in leadership and pay grade, especially women of colour, but first, I want you to know the truth.
The truth is… whatever you’re being paid right now… is not the place to define your self-worth.
Divinely you are worthy of far more than you could ever ask for.
Your worthiness is inherent in your essence and your very being.
With that understood, asking for what you’re “worth”, in the context of your career, really boils down to the VALUE you offer to your employer.
Your value is measured by your demonstrable skills, talents, experience, and education AND your ability to bring them forward and present them in a way that makes it clear to your manager that you are an asset to the organization.
When you can communicate your value with ease and confidence it’s really simple to ask for the raise or promotion you know you deserve and hear, “YES!”
Here how I coach my clients to ask for what they’re worth and get it:
Build Up Your Worthiness Mindset
Last week I talked a lot about mindset. I shared how certain mindset shifts helped me land my dream role at the United Nations .
Well guess what… Mindset is at the heart of asking for your raise or promotion too.
The mindset that’s required when you’re asking for more money or a new role is to approach the situation with the full body understanding that your paycheque does not to equate to and cannot diminish your worth.
You’re worthy because of who you are and you are capable of receiving as much money as you desire because you are a powerful creator.
When you walk into the room with this knowing, it changes the conversation.
You lead the conversation from a place of confidence and strength because you KNOW you’re capable and deserving of any amount of money you ask for…and you KNOW that the Divine / Universe / Source will bring you whatever you desire, be it in your current role, or in one far better than you could ever imagine.
Compare Your Job Description vs. Your Actual Role
In the age of cutbacks and downsizing, it’s very rare to find yourself doing only the tasks and duties that are outlined on your official job description. Quite often you’re doing 5 different jobs under one title and not being properly compensated for it. The good news is, this is a really easy way to showcase the added value you bring to the table simply by walking into the room prepared with comparative roles and salaries.
Do the research and compare your current job description alongside the job description of the role that you’re “really doing”. Dig up as much salary information as you can find too. Share salaries from similar roles, in similar industries and even in other industries as well. Don’t be afraid to present job descriptions and salaries for the role that’s one promotion or pay grade up from where you are currently to show where you desire to grow.
When it’s in black and white it becomes a lot easier for your manager to agree that it’s time to adjust your salary accordingly.
Show Your Work
In addition to outlining your actual role, you’ll also want to show your value through compiling a list of achievements and contributions you’ve made to the organization in the last year or since your last raise. Create that list, review it to boost your confidence, and bring it to the table.
Being able to confidently show and say, “These are the contributions I’ve made” demonstrates your value beyond far your ability to do the work you’re assigned.
It allows you to create some leverage here and leverage is key in negotiations.
Always Talk About The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, companies are in business to make money — even when they’re not-for-profit
When you’re reviewing your list of accomplishments be sure to talk in terms of the bottom line as often as you can. You’ll want to show how you’re driving sales, acquisitions or assets for the company or how you’re increasing resources.
If you’re in a position where you don’t directly impact the bottom line or sales, in an admin or a human resources role perhaps, you can share where you were able to save the company money instead.
Share examples that demonstrate how you’ve contributed to the improvement of workflow, used resources more effectively, and how you helped make the lives easier of those who are in sales or revenue producing roles. That’s just as important since it contributes to healthy profits.
Schedule a Time to Talk About Your Raise
Rather than springing a salary discussion on your boss, it’s really important to set a time and day to discuss your compensation with the appropriate person whether it be your hiring manager, Human Resources etc.
You want it to be clear that you’re opening a dialogue to talk about salary and you want them to be in the right mindset to have that kind of conversation.
It can feel confronting but you need to be transparent about your desire to negotiate salary in order to create the kind of outcome you’re hoping for. When your manager is also prepared to have this conversation, it puts you in a place of power. You can be totally open and upfront and your manager will expect you to be.
Take Control Of The Conversation
Being the one to request the conversation, you’re also in a place to lead the conversation if you choose…and it’s wise to do so.
Take control of the conversation by being the first to when you enter the room. Thank your manager for taking the time to review your compensation package and let him or her know that you’ve pulled together a package to review together. Present your case and allow her to provide their feedback but do not allow her to control the conversation.
When you’ve stated the facts and your requested salary, close the conversation by asking for immediate feedback if that’s appropriate or a clear date of decision.
You want to make it clear that you’re expecting a decision or decision date at the end.
Be Ready For Objections
To effectively control the flow of conversation you’ll also want to prepare for any objections beforehand.
Think of all the possible reasons your raise or promotion might be declined and come up with a counter point.
Here are a few to get started….
If they say, “Well there’s no room in the company budget.”
Prepare notes prior to the meeting on ways you can increase funds for the company or department. Or, consider countering with benefits that aren’t directly related to salary such as personal development days, money, vacation time or days off.
If they say, “That no one else is getting a raise.”
This might be an opportunity to discuss the timing of your last raise if it’s been a while. You’ll also want to explore your performance over this period of time to demonstrate where you’ve performed over and above your colleagues and therefore deserve unique opportunities. Again, you might wish to consider or suggest non-salary benefit like extra training.
Follow-up, Follow-up, Follow-up
Once you’ve wrapped up your presentation, ask for a decision within a certain timeframe. Then, let your manager know, you’ll be following up within a week and that you look forward to a positive result from the conversation. Close the conversation immediately afterwards by thanking your manager for his or her time and walking out of the room with confidence.
Be sure you follow up in a week as promised… or even better, as soon as you walk out of the room, schedule a follow-up meeting so they have it on their calendar as well.
One Last Thing…
If you’re a ball of nerves either right before you head into the conversation, the best place focus is that list of accomplishments you’ve created to help you really own the fact you that you are an asset and deserve to be compensated accordingly.
I also shared a few more tips recently right here
Remember! You have a lot to offer and your list of accomplishments (along with your cumulative list of degrees and career achievements) is proof that you have contributed so much already so go ahead and create that list!
Now is actually a great time to recall and capture your accomplishments throughout the year if you haven’t been keeping track.
To help you get crystal clear on the value you brought to your organization in 2017 and to begin setting your career goals for 2018 I have a special gift to send your way…
It’s the Veza 2018 Goal Setting Intention Guide.
This is a special workbook I’ve created for our community (for free) to help you review your year and set intentional goals for the year to come. The first section is all about capturing this year’s accomplishments so I highly recommend downloading it if you’re wanting to talk new salary (or new role) in 2018.
Download your copy of the Veza 2018 Goal Setting Intention Guide here
p.s. After you grab your copy be sure to join us over in our private Facebook Community where we’ll be completing the workbook together and masterminding to create a game plan to magnetize your dream career (with the salary to match) in 2018.
May these resources guide you to ask for what you’re worth and get it! Enjoy!
by Manpreet Dhillon | Oct 23, 2017 | Coaching, Community
I knew the power of collaboration and sisterhood but this weekend I saw it again.
I am reveling in the energy of the weekend where I was blessed to teach Akashic Records Level 3 to group of women who dove in deep into the trenches of their own souls so they can further uncover their light and be more of a contribution to this world.
It was powerful to see the transformation that occurs when we truly see each other, hear each other and are present to other people’s experiences.
Reflecting on this weekend, I noticed how much many of us spend time trying to control the experiences of others, trying to prove that we are lovable and trying to prove that we are worthy of love but really the magic is in just BE-ing.
I never noticed the magic of just BE-ing and pure love for me just being me until I spent more time with my nephews and nieces. I realized I love spending time with them because they love me for just me. I don’t have to give them anything, be anything or do anything. I just need to show up, be present and see/hear them.
The same that these women experienced this weekend with each other.
At the root of it all, all of us just want others to be present to our love for them. We want others to see themselves as we see them. We want others to just BE themselves as it gives us permission to be ourselves.
This isn’t just with personal relationships. This is the same at work as well. Each person in your organization wants to be seen and heard so they know their contribution is valued and appreciated. When that is done, magic happens. They perform better. They contribute even more AND they stay engaged with the goals of the company. That person is you who wants to be seen and heard and is in the place to see and hear others so they feel that magic that you want to feel.
As leaders, contributors to organizations and contributors to society, it is your role to BE so you can give permission for others to be.
It is your role to see and hear others so you can be seen and heard as well.
It is your role to build a community of collaboration and sisterhood/brotherhood around you, so you feel that you are fully empowered, you are fully present with your strengths and you are BEing the best version of yourself as you experience love for being just who you are.
The weekend with these wonderful women reminded me the power of mastermind, collaboration and support that we are call for and desire.
I know in my role as a connector that is the work I am hear to do. Connect others through creating community of like-minded women.
This is why the group programs that are offered through Veza are SO important as they allow women to see and hear each other especially when their hearts are raw and they feel ever so vulnerable.
It is time for you to BE, BE seen and BE heard. It is time for you to be you and know you will be loved.
We are enrolling in the Magnetize Your Career 8 week group program starting November 13, 2017. If you are ready, willing, committed to your career of choice, it is your time to join the collaborative sisterhood that exists. Click here to enroll.
by Manpreet Dhillon | Oct 19, 2017 | Coaching
As we send our prayers to all the places in the world that need them today, remember your responsibility is to bring more light into this world and live your life with fulfillment and happiness.
That is what will rid the world of this darkness.
The world is a safe space as long as you continue to live your light, be kind and do your inner work to release your shadows and darknesses.
You are worthy of being that beacon of light that you are.
Be shining your light you give others permission to shine theirs and that is how we will bring more peace in this world.
Be the light. Do what it takes to allow yourself to shine even more brightly. Stop making money an excuse – that is your fear of your own light. You owe it to the world to bring your unique gifts to it.
PS. Your gifts include magnetizing your career so you can be of best possible service to this world. If you are ready to amp up your career, attract more money and the position you desire click here
by Manpreet Dhillon | Aug 15, 2017 | Coaching
Some aspects of our lives come easier than others. We have become a master at being fulfilled at those areas as we are able to do what it takes to truly gain success in those areas. There may be other areas that are a struggle and require more focus and attention.
Recently I put the Guide to surviving family events as a single person out there and the comments/feedback I received reminded me of a few things:
- According to the Wheel of Life exercise, we can only be truly fulfilled as the lowest area on the wheel of life.
- How in many cases, some women really find career alot easier or they find relationships with others or the relationship with their body – it is usually a few select areas that they find easier to master and feel fulfilled.
- The areas that they are not fulfilled, they have been struggling at and now feel frustrated.
So as I write this, I am feeling the need to share a key question that will allow you to feel more fulfilled. It is simple, “What do I need to do or be in order to be more fulfilled in the _____ area of my life?”
That’s it, you may be thinking. Yes, you have the answer within yourself. Sometimes you may have a blind spot or need to work with a coach to develop a plan and see the blind spot but really that is it. Ask yourself on a consistent basis this question and see what miracles occur.
Yes, miracles can occur from a simple question. You are opening your mind up to new possibilities, new way of doing things and a new way of approaching life.
Ask yourself the question and what came up for you?
PS: Download the Guide to surviving family events as a single person even if you are in a relationship or single, there is a seven step process to gain confidence and feel more fulfilled in the guide.
by Manpreet Dhillon | Sep 12, 2016 | Coaching
My journey as a coach and the coaching world
What I love about coaching
Coaching has been a journey of self-discovery for me. I started my journey in 2007 through my first coaching program at the University of British Columbia. I quickly came to realize how I had been using the coaching questions naturally through my discussions about people’s careers. I felt that the coaching questions really allowed for an individual to see their own truth and shed light into their own shadows. It was an beautiful experience seeing how individuals understood their own actions and how they developed their own future through the coaching conversations.
I found the coaching conversations to be powerful as individuals realized that the answers laid within themselves, they just need to be asked the right questions, have someone hold them accountable, provide a safe space as they explored the truth within themselves. The power of coaching would allow them to utilize the coach’s wisdom and past experience to understand their own pathway whether be it a career or personal issue. The coach had a toolkit to draw upon that may include certifications, experience, understanding of business trends/personal development trends that would impact on how the individual processed their problem. As a coach, I would be able to be a lifelong learner – which I loved as I would have the opportunity to use these skills and training in my individual or group coaching. All this excited me about becoming a coach.
My first time being coached
A few years prior to taking these coaching experience, I had experienced being a coachee. I was frustrated with my job and coaching was an avenue made available to me as an employee of the University. Through being coached, I went from a place of hating my job to be grateful and appreciated of where I was. At the same time, I had been applying for other jobs and within a month I was able to achieve my goal of moving into a management position.
I feel that coaching allowed me to become more confident and clear with my strengths. The awareness and acknowledgment of my strengths allowed me to interview from a place of self-awareness leading me to a successful outcome.
When I was ready for a promotion again, the coaching allowed me to design a pathway to gaining that promotion. I was able to define my action plans with a coach and take the necessary steps in order to move forward. Within a few months, I was able to secure the position that I would align with what I had decided for myself.
Why I love coaching
Over the years of my training as a coach, I have learnt about emotional intelligence which has always been a place of curiosity for me. I loved to understand how people think and why they do the things they do. This curiosity had me choose a coaching program specializing in emotional intelligence as it would allow me to use the background of emotional intelligence as I allowed others the space so they can understand their patterns and beliefs. With this understanding, they would be able to make the lasting changes they want in their behavior so they can have the outcome they want.
My style of coaching
Every coach has a different style. That is what makes a coach unique. My style of coaching incorporates spirituality and emotional intelligence. In coaching sessions, clients will move through meditation, conversation, exercises, visioning, writing an action plan, accessing their creative aspects to developing one page strategy plans. It all depends what the individual needs at that time. In some sessions, they may draw their mind map for their business strategy with crayons and in others they are typing out their one-pager.
Who do I most enjoy working with?
I love working with individuals who are in a place of curiosity and ready to move from a place of suffering and discomfort to a place of clarity and pleasant uncomfortableness so they can grow.
People who are willing to take the action and steps to move towards their outcomes. They are willing to do the internal work so they can see external results. People who are coachable and open to having dialogue that will leave them feeling raw and vulnerable but that is the place from where they can have lasting change. People who are willing to do whatever it takes so they can have the outcomes and life they want.
Leading a workshop into self-discovery
What is the value that coaching brings to people?
Coaching brings the value of inner peace, a clarity of purpose in life and the place where they can give themselves permission to have all that they want in life. Coaching bring a deeper sense of self-value where people realize they deserve good in their lives. Coaching brings them clarity on how to have tough conversations from a place of empowerment. Coaching allows people to feel empowered and confident in their lives. Coaching helps people move to a new place in their lives where they are happier, confident, more sure of themselves, have more money, have better relationships and greater satisfaction with life.
A story about coaching success
There are so many stories about coaching successes. Times where through one coaching conversations individuals took the action they needed to fulfill the dream that they have always wanted for themselves (they registered in the course for the certifications that would allow them the business they wanted) to successes where women realized how they wanted to be more powerful as females instead of acting like males. They discovered their power as a leader through being connected in their heart, caring about people yet still being able to focus on the bottom line. They got promotions they had always wanted and were able to raise their businesses to new levels of success. Another success would be men who were able to understand better their spiritual side and able to start having conversations about their spiritual awakening with their loved ones only to discover how much closer that brought them to each other.
What is next for you and coaching?
I love what I do. I love being able to see the transformations so I will continue to coach individuals of various cultural backgrounds so they can better understand how their culture is informing their beliefs and behaviours in order to use their culture imprints to empower them to move more into leadership positions. I want to see a shift of having a higher percentage of women of color in senior leadership and owners of successful multi-million dollar businesses. As a coach, I will continue to coach leaders in their own lives so they can contribute to the world and impact the thousands they are going to impact.
Ishu Kler is a photographer and Social Media Manager at Veza Global. She currently owns and operates a freelance photography company called Ishu Kler Creative where she specializes in branding, portrait and event photography. Born and raised in Vancouver, B.C., her love and passion for photography led Ishu to travel and live in New Delhi, India, where she obtained her Diploma in Photography. She also travelled to Costa Rica in 2015, where she obtained her Certificate in Documentary Photography from Photographers Without Borders.
Kelsey is a passionate Multimedia Designer & Communications Specialist with a diploma in Multimedia Production and over nine years of diverse design experience in different areas of the world including roles within multinational in-house marketing teams Microsoft and Technetix, marketing agencies and freelance. These experiences have led her to develop strong use of design principles, skills in Adobe Creative Cloud, knowledge in motion graphics and video editing, and knowledge in creating effective communication for a wide range of audiences and cultures.
