At 19, Marcy left her native Ohio and moved to Los Angeles to discover the world and landed a job at an upscale home improvement center in Beverly Hills. This career move satisfied her need for hands-on work and soon she became a Buyer for the store and was fully immersed in all aspects of building and home renovation. But it was a flier posted in the store that launched Marcy’s artistic career and turned her hobby into an eventual livelihood.

And So It Began

The flier announced a workshop about learning to throw on a pottery wheel. Marcy immediately found her passion and immersed herself into this new hobby. For $50 a month she got a key to the studio, a shelf for her work, and access to the firing kiln. She was in pottery heaven.

While the newfound avocation was feeding her artistic soul, she still needed a day job to feed herself. She moved on from the home improvement store and put her artistic abilities to work at a landscape design business since she always loved plants. She focused on interior landscape designs for homes, offices, and restaurants and became an expert with succulents, cacti, and orchids in particular, creating art with living specimens.

Choosing the Hobby over the Day Job

While the landscape design work paid the bills and gave her another artistic outlet, it did not satisfy Marcy the same way that her ceramics studio did. In 1991 she made the bold decision that she liked her hobby better than her day job. She decided that she really wanted to go back to school to formalize her education and earn a degree that would empower her with the skills to broaden her career prospects.

In the 1990’s Marcy was able to take advantage of a thriving California college system where she could take course work at the community college level and transfer credits towards a university degree anywhere in the state. She quit the day job with the landscape design firm and went to school full-time, pursuing freelance landscaping gigs on the side. She enhanced her income selling her beloved pottery which began to establish her reputation as a working artist.

After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts – B.F.A. degree from California State University-Long Beach, Marcy was hungry for more education. She applied to several Masters of Fine Arts in Ceramics programs nationally and eventually accepted a full scholarship at Indiana University in Bloomington where she pursued a 3 year degree that gave her teaching experience as well as studio time to develop her ceramic art.

The Hoosier Heartland

The decision to come to Indiana University was easy as far as the MFA program was concerned but in the late 1990’s graduate student housing was very hard to come by in Bloomington and this almost prevented Marcy from accepting the scholarship. With the affordability of the Midwestern cost of living compared to the California economy where everything cost more, Marcy was able to buy a condominium for ½ of what her rent would be in California and her return to the Midwest was a done deal.

And so the journey began to hone her art and gain teaching experience to make her full-time career as an artist a reality. Marcy soon learned that she enjoyed teaching and was good at it but after she minted the MFA, finding a faculty position was very difficult. The classic budget cuts for the arts (then and now) made it hard to find a permanent university appointment. She landed a one year position as a visiting assistant professor at a private college in southern Indiana, and another year was spent working in a hybrid position at a university in Pennsylvania as an art instructor and art gallery director until the next round of budget cuts when her position was eliminated.

Feast or Famine

With a passion for her art and a determination to make this career fly, Marcy decided to move back to Bloomington, IN where she kept her condo (renting it to a roommate while she was away) and set a personal deadline of 4 years to make it work.

With business savvy and marketing experience from her previous home improvement and landscape design jobs, Marcy set out to grow her own ceramic studio business. With patience and fortitude, Marcy has successfully shown and sold her pieces at nationally juried art fairs, exhibitions, and galleries. It’s a laborious administrative process to apply for these opportunities to sell and show your work which makes it challenging to find enough time in the studio. But Marcy is committed to staying positive and channeling her energy to create her art.

The Artist’s Way

Marcy talked about a mental shift she embraced a few years back to help herself think outside of the box and sustain her positivity. She attended a workshop by Esther and Jerry Hicks which revolutionized her thinking and helped her focus on abundance, appreciation, and the law of attraction.

Marcy shared that it’s easy for artists to succumb to self doubt about their work. Will someone like this? Is it good enough? These are frequent questions for artists of all stripes but especially for fine artists who sell their work for a living. Marcy also credits the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron because it liberated her to make art because she loves to – not because she has something to sell.

Giving herself permission to do what she loves when creating her pottery has actually improved her work and Marcy’s buyers/collectors are excited to see what she has in store that’s new. Her body of work is always growing and changing and Marcy finds this intellectually and artistically stimulating.

A Hybrid Approach

Marcy’s own words best describe her hybrid approach:

“Abstractions of plant-life and the microscopic world are represented in the organic forms and surfaces I invent, searching to find a balance between man and nature, and science and nature.  Branches, roots, bones, and microorganisms are some of the ingredients that occupy my imagination.   Biological plant-like forms coming alive, growing, and aging are part of my visual language and serve as inspiration in the creation of my sculptures and functional vessels.  Each new series I create takes on a new title, such as, Organisms, Life-Forms, Hybrids, and Bio-Morphs.  It is the idea of the “history of life forms” – individual as well as universal.  I remember the first time I looked at plant tissues under a microscope.  They were alive, moving, foreign, and intimidating.  I felt uncomfortable and mesmerized in the same instance.  Complex organic forms and unique glazed surfaces are invented from my imagination, but inspired by nature and plant life.”

“My organic clay sculptures and functional vessels incorporate many different ceramic techniques; from paper clay slabs, which enables me to build large pieces that are very lightweight, to pinched coils and wheel thrown and molded parts. I am interested in the repeated layering of glazes, which encrusts the surface with texture, to the extent that it no longer is recognizable as a traditional ceramic surface.  This process includes a layering of custom made glazes, hand painted ceramic pigments, and multiple kiln firings.  The black and white painted surfaces are glaze fired two or three times.  Using ceramic pigments mixed with water, I paint with them over an already glazed surface. The paintings melt and fuse into the glaze in the subsequent glaze firing.”

Ideas such as transformation and mutation are important in the creation of her visual language.  Marcy wants the layers of the form and the surface to create an edgy tension within each piece, and imply life and history.  She is interested in portraying odd, quirky, foreign, and alien life forms; suggesting breathing living organisms, and transforming them into cultivated forms about life.

Since Marcy is a true hybrid artist combining sculpture and pottery, her work is very unique. She doesn’t plan most of her creations – she just let’s them evolve and happen. It’s the act of going into the studio and creating that still brings her great joy.

Wearing Multiple Hats

But the reality of a working artist is that she has to balance making art with making a living. So, Marcy teaches art classes at the Ivy Tech Center for Lifelong Learning and is a member of the Local Clay Potter’s Guild as well as the Visual Arts Guild-Arts Alliance in Bloomington. She was commissioned to work on a mural project with a local school and created a relief sculpture celebrating student diversity and what they loved about their school.

Future plans include growing her inventory since she has been very successful recently at art shows and exhibitions and must get back into her studio to create new pieces for upcoming shows. Her website is a work-in-progress and Marcy chips away at finishing the site when she has the time and inclination since she has a full schedule with teaching and making art. She has learned to prioritize so she can maintain her creative energy and a positive outlook.

An Artful Life

The internet has changed Marcy’s life as a working artist. She relies on referrals from satisfied customers and collectors but the internet has empowered her to network effectively beyond her client base. Marcy credits her mentors for their support and enthusiasm and believes in paying-it-forward to other emerging artists. She built a house a few years ago and shares her studio basement with several local artists to help them move forward on their artistic journey.

Marcy has a mantra of doing the best that she can each day – if it doesn’t get done, that’s ok. She is committed to being happy with what she does accomplish and is grateful for the opportunity to earn a living making art.

Marcy’s Advice and Action Steps:

• Give yourself permission to change.
• Work is always growth.
• Make choices and be confident.
• Know what you want to say to the world and make it work.
• Reward yourself for your accomplishments.

Quote:

“If you want to make art, just make it. It’s not about selling – it’s about making what you love.”

Marcy Neiditz

Resources:

Marcy’s website: http://www.marcyneiditz.com

A business or personal card is your ticket to effective follow-up when networking. Learn why everybody should take advantage of this essential career tool.

The Power of a Personal Coach

Debbie utilized the expert resources of a personal and executive coach, Silver Rose, whom she first encountered when she brought in Silver as a consultant on a project while she was still working at the firm. Debbie hired Silver personally and began exploring an exit strategy and new options for her career future.

Her professional reinvention began with weekly 1:1 calls with Silver and detailed homework assignments on self assessment and personal tracking. She conducted informational interviews with business peers and joined a mastermind group that works as an advisory board of sorts to provide motivation and accountability – all under the tutelage of her coach. Debbie also joined Toastmasters and a few networking groups for outreach, education and the personal growth purposes.

Silver gave Debbie permission to explore and she realized that golf – her passion – was also an educational tool and a business opportunity ripe for developing. Her knowledge about how to generate business through golf empowered Debbie as a resource others wanted to learn from. She also saw a tremendous opportunity to build confidence in businesswomen through strategies incorporating golf.

Move Over Boys – Women Are Playing Golf, Too!

According to Debbie:

“It’s a known fact that women, as a group, don’t participate in the game of golf to the extent that men do. For the most part, they see the game of golf as a mystery to which only men hold the key. Yet, the message businesswomen hear today is that golf is a widely accepted playing field for conducting business and they are missing out on opportunities by not participating. The golf community has created women-only golf clinics targeting the female executive. Statistically, women are the largest new group coming to the game of golf today. Yet, often frustrated with their skill-set, they are also the largest group that leaves the game and does not return.”

So Debbie capitalized on demystifying this critical business skill that can be used successfully on the golf course. Her business – Golf for Cause teaches women (and men) how to use golf as business tool, to create opportunities, to forward relationships because it’s more than just about going out and hitting golf balls. Golf for Cause provides the keys and the tools to demystify the game.

In her new role, Debbie enjoys being 100% responsible for the success and failure of each strategic decision in her company. She has control over her schedule and her work product matches her integrity and is a more accurate and rewarding reflection of who she is and what she wants out of a career. Debbie also appreciates the opportunity to set a positive example for her children by doing something that makes a difference and by giving back to her community.

Making Money Playing Golf

While the new career sounds too good to be true, Debbie has learned a lot over the years. Her initial business plan was not realistic and included programming that does not fit her business model today. That took some tweaking and adjusting over time. With a small staff of only two (including Debbie) she doesn’t have a large team to rely on as she did back at the firm. Debbie has learned that she can only control so much and that delegation is not always an option. A perfectionist by nature, Debbie also learned that delivering the perfect program was unrealistic. “At some point you need to step up to the ball and hit it off the tee!”

Since golf is now her livelihood, another important lesson learned was to identify which programs work well and which generate meaningful revenue. The economy has also been a challenge and the meeting & events industry has taken a particularly hard hit. Many companies have cut training and professional development budgets entirely. Debbie learned quickly that she needed to stay flexible and open to new ideas and partnerships in order to grow her business.

A personal goal for Debbie was to keep her schedule free enough to travel with her daughter, a student athlete to national tournaments and college recruiting trips. This was a liberty she gave herself with the new business that would not have been possible at the firm. She also set up administrative systems to enable the business to run smoothly in her absence.

“I set up systems such that I have an assistant who works remotely and maintains my database, follows up on various tasks as needed, brings forward ideas, keeps me on task, etc. Finding the right person was an incredible challenge as I spent a lot of time and money getting systems in place and then checking, redoing, and re-educating.  With the right person in place – I’m free to work “on” the business and not “in” the business.”

Mission Accomplished

The mission of Golf for Cause as an organization is to develop and deliver products and services that move others to use golf as a dynamic strategy to achieve their objectives, focusing primarily on business professionals new to the game, especially women.

While Debbie benefited from the expert counsel of her coach, Silver Rose, she also suggests that women seeking a career change develop a support network to help stay properly focused on goals and to provide a level of accountability.

She suggests that new entrepreneurs work with a good accountant from the start to better understand which strategies are effective and meaningful tax-wise for the business.

Birdies, Bogeys, and Business

Debbie’s repertoire of golf educational opportunities provides a myriad of topics such as:

• The secrets even successful business owners and managers don’t know
• Create an even more rewarding business environment
• See how your business success and your golf game are a reflection of who you are
• How to improve both your business and your golf score

Participants usually spend half the day in the classroom using golf as a metaphor to learn what differentiates being an entrepreneur, manager, or technician and the how this applies to the business world. After the classroom session, participants hit the course and play 9 holes of golf in a strategic format. All levels can participate, even never-played-before beginners. The day ends with a facilitated de-brief session, awards, and refreshments. An ideal group size is 6-40 participants and Debbie customizes programs to fit an organization or individual’s needs.

The reviews are in and Debbie consistently scores big with her clients!  The programs are experiential and golf anchors the learning. Debbie’s repertoire of golf educational opportunities provides a myriad of topics such as:

Mental Mulligans: A fun and enlightening team-building workshop for your group that reveals how you show up in and out of the office, on and off the golf course. Learn to understand different behavior styles on the golf course and how they impact your game and your success in business!

Get in the Game – Business Golf with On-Course Mentoring: A great way for business professionals to add golf to their business tool boxes.

Tee Off Program: A half-day outing designed to prepare the newer (or non-golfer) who wants to make a positive impression when playing in a charity or industry golf tournament.

Nine and Wine: A golf mentoring program offering a casual golf experience, designed especially for new golfers (men and women) to help them feel at ease on the tees. Golf up to nine holes with a mentor with facilitated debrief, networking and hosted happy hour after golf (“wine” not “whine!”)

Birdies, Bogeys & Business – Success On & Off the Course: a program that Debbie co-created and delivers with Joyce Friel from Peak Performance Consulting (www.peakperformancecorp.com).  This half-day program uses golf as a metaphor to learn what differentiates being an entrepreneur, manager and technician – and the implications for you and your business.  Explore your ownership mentality and create an even more successful business environment.

All Golf for Cause programs are designed so that participants at any golf skill level can participate, even never-played-before beginners.  Ideal group sizes range from 6 to 40 participants and Debbie customizes programs to fit an organization’s or individual’s needs.

By discovering new fairways and approach shots for defining business objectives, relationship development, and marketing strategies, Debbie Waitkus has turned golf into gold.

Favorite Quote:

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is that you’re the pilot.”

Michael Althsuler

Advice and Action Steps:

• For all the perfectionists – let go already and just do it!
• Consider a professional career coach and/or a resource team to assist you.
• Find a good accountant early on if you begin a new business.
• Really think about what you are passionate about doing – your next career may be right under your nose.

Resources:

Golf for Cause www.golfforcause.com

Silver Rose, Coach  www.silverspeaks.com

Learn to demystify networking and use it to your best advantage in your job search or career management. Check out my new video and consider subscribing to my YouTube Channel for regular new video posts. http://www.youtube.com/user/cdowdhig?feature=mhee#p/u

The Stigma of the South Paw

It’s important to take you back a bit farther to explain what initiated Jeannie’s passion for education and student advocacy. Growing up, Jeannie had an archaic teacher in grade school who believed (as many did at the time) that left handed kids were not good. It shows you how far we have come in our pedagogical views because Jeannie was actually singled out by this teacher who encouraged the other children in the class to point at and chastise Jeannie for using her left hand to write.

The peer pressure was unbearable and Jeannie was forced to try and change her dominant functions to her right hand. Luckily, Jeannie’s mom spoke with the principal who intervened. At the end of that year the teacher retired and Jeannie has been happily left-hand dominant ever since. We can only hope that this teacher would have felt differently after reading about Dr. Alan Searleman of St. Lawrence University in New York and his study that found left-handers can be considerably more intellectually gifted.

From that point on, Jeannie was committed to defending the underdog and was drawn to studying social work in college because she wanted to help people.

It’s Not the Destination but the Journey

At age 23, Jeannie remembered boldly applying for her ideal position as a school psychologist with the ink barely dry on her undergraduate diploma in social work.  The search committee was encouraging but shared the news that an advanced degree was required. So Jeannie set out on a mission to earn her Masters of Science in School Psychology to empower herself for this dream career path.

The journey to earn the Master’s degree was not fast as Jeannie and her husband were busy following the promotions, moving six times in seven years.  But in 1980 she minted the degree and took on the role of school psychologist at Chattanooga Public Schools. That same year, her first son, Michael was born so Jeannie was a busy woman to say the least.

As Jeannie raised her kids and grew her career, her husband continued to earn promotions and new career opportunities. As the family moved geographically and grew, with the addition of her second son, Christopher, Jeannie took on new roles in private practice and later as a school psychologist in northeastern Indiana.

No Roadblocks

A lifelong learner who craves intellectual stimulation, Jeannie noticed that her interns were talking about brain functions and other cutting edge industry disciplines that she found compelling. This also inspired her to consider the PhD. Jeannie is goal oriented and knew the next degree would open up additional opportunities to take her to a new career level.

A firm believer in the power of mentorship, Jeannie is thankful for the great advisors in her life who have inspired and counseled her along the way. She was ready to take this leap and enroll in the doctoral program but the closest university offering a degree in her field was an hour away at Andrews University in Michigan.

Jeannie had the full support of her husband and two sons who applauded her decision. Since they were in college and high school at the time, and more independent, it was a good time to transition to a new endeavor that would require even more of her professional time.

With a no roadblocks mindset, Jeannie was off and running towards earning the PhD. Her two sons have absorbed her passion and work ethic in their lives and careers and the energy in the Montagano family is palpable.

The Power of Stubbornness

Work/life integration was a challenge but Jeannie is proud that she never missed a single tennis match her son played during the time she was pursuing her PhD course work. She continued to work part-time as a school psychologist and took two classes each semester over a three year period. With the hour long commute each way, she had class from 6:30-9:30 pm, twice a week.

We talked about life balance and Jeannie shared her “just do it” attitude and pure stubbornness as part of her drive towards achieving a goal. She was happy to share that she never missed out on anything during this time because she took control over what she chose to do. Jeannie also believes that you must put your oxygen mask on first before you help your child, just like the airplane flight attendant’s spiel because you must carve out time for yourself to rejuvenate, re-energize, and focus on what you need most, especially if you are a caregiver.

Was it easy – no way – was it worth it, absolutely!

31 Parades

As any PhD holder will attest, the course work is demanding but writing the dissertation is herculean. The next four years were spent writing the dissertation and during the combined almost decade of course work and document writing, Jeannie recalls high school and college graduations, law school graduation, her son’s US congressional campaign and a wedding! While Jeannie admits that her quest was sometimes slowed down so she could participate in these important life events, it was never discarded.

She recalled walking in over 31 parades during her son’s congressional campaign and would not have traded a minute of it to earn the PhD any faster. Jeannie has mastered the art of realistic expectations and designed a life that is flexible so she can do what she wants to without sacrificing her personal goals.

Her Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Psychology was minted in 2010 and Dr. Montagano has made over 14 presentations to conferences including the American Psychological Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the International Association of Psychologists at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland in her first year as a PhD holder. Her research interest focuses on the nature of math anxiety, test anxiety, and social anxiety in elementary students.

Jeannie is now an associate professor at Andrews University and influencing young minds and accomplishing things that she had never imagined.

How to Live an Effective Life

Jeannie has long subscribed to Dr. William Glasser’s Choice Theory which postulates what we do, think and feel reflect our efforts to meet the basic psychological needs of love/belonging, fun, freedom, recognition, and faith. But, at times the behaviors we choose to meet those needs are not very helpful – and, may even sabotage our happiness! Over 10 years ago, with a longtime girlfriend, Jeannie came up with the idea to offer getaway weekends for women who were facing challenging transitions in life, teach them how to get these needs met, and remain balanced and happy throughout the process.

The business is now about to be rejuvenated with weekend events planned for Chicago, St. Petersburg, and Philadelphia to provide these much needed resources for women in transition. These relaxing retreats will provide a supportive and energizing environment for women to come together in community and learn from each other. They are designed to teach women how to live happier lives. The concept is simple – take them out of their routine, teach some simple strategies, shop a little, sip a little, and laugh a little. The company name is Insync and the website is being designed and will launch in the coming months.

I’m not Done

When Jeannie was a child, she had a wonderful teeter-totter in the backyard that she spent hours riding with her older sister and sometimes, alone. When flying solo, she would place bricks on the other side of the teeter-totter and patiently adjust the fulcrum, until it was balanced.

“I always view my life as a teeter-totter, all my to-do things are on one side and I am on the other. When I find myself higher than the other side, then I know I have to adjust the fulcrum, otherwise I feel vulnerable, and well, high and dry! So, I return to those basic needs and take a quick inventory of how I am neglecting or meeting each one.”

This is a perfect illustration of how Jeannie has integrated her personal and professional life – by adjusting the fulcrum. Balance is a relative state and she has achieved so much in her life by adjusting to each scenario accordingly.

With a passion to pay-it-forward to a younger generation in her new role as a professor, and to women in transition in her business venture, Jeannie is not done with her career growth. She wants to continue to contribute to the world as an advocate and a mentor and will always focus on satisfying her basic needs of fun, love, freedom, recognition, and faith.

A true artist designing her future, Jeannie Montagano is an inspiration for career reinvention. I’m eager to see where her journey takes her next.

Jeannie’s Advice and Action Steps:

• Tap into the power of great mentors and assemble your resource team.
• See yourself as timeless so you can embrace each new phase of your life as a new beginning.
• Life is never easy but it is manageable if you know what you want.
• Adjust your fulcrum to create balance.

Quote:

Bloom where you are planted!  - Bishop of Geneva, St. Francis de sales 1567-1622

Resources:

Insync2.com – website forthcoming – please stay tuned!

Andrews University http://www.andrews.edu/

I’ve seen men and women in career transition flinch from this question especially if they are unemployed at the time. Others base their entire identity on their career and launch into a long winded discussion about the details of their job.

In the USA, most of us default into answering this question based on our career or professional lives. While in most other parts of the world, particularly in Europe, the asker wants to know about your hobbies, how you spend your free time, and what your interests are beyond work? I’ve even heard an international colleague stop a responder from launching into a discussion about her career by saying – “Please tell me about you and what you do beyond work.”

I’m not suggesting that you shy away from a discussion about the professional you but feel free to take a chance and steer the conversation towards the avocation side of your life. It might be refreshing to start a conversation and establish a new friendship with someone based on who you are as opposed to what you do.

In the spirit of good networking, it’s not always about the professional arena. You can and should build your community of new contacts with people who do interesting things that appeal to you in addition to potential professional connections. You can always steer the conversation back to the career world but it would be refreshing to learn about your interest in organic gardening before you launch into your Project Manager role at company X.

Starting a conversation with your interests can also build trust and help others feel safe since inappropriate networkers are everywhere and blatantly ask for job leads making people feel uncomfortable and threatened by a new introduction.

Be confident in discussing who you are and not what you do as this refreshing change may lead to a more long term relationship that lasts beyond the cocktail reception.

These women had great insight about how their organizations could be improved and were frustrated that their ideas were rarely, if ever sought after. This situation is more common than not and compelled me to challenge them develop an action plan and present it to their respective powers that be.

Nobody likes a complainer at work since whining is contagious and toxic. But these women did not complain, they had terrific ideas that were sound and implementable and would ultimately help their teams become more successful and harmonious.

We discussed taking the plunge and presenting an action plan in a thoughtful and wisely timed way. It was clear that their bosses had optimal times for this type of discussion and these savvy women were intuitive about when a plan would be better received and contemplated than not. The women talked about dream scenarios that would make their careers ideal and how with some tweaking, their existing jobs would be much more engaging and energizing.

The energy and intelligence of this community of women was palpable and we fed off each other’s ideas in our group coaching session. The only question that remained was – would they take a risk and put these great ideas to paper, and when the time was right present them to their superiors?

True it was a risky venture but they literally had nothing to lose except the status quo and a lot to gain from their very wise solution oriented plans. We discussed the lack of leadership in so many managers and the need for professional development in organizations. In our 2 hour session we solved many of our collective issues with plans for improvement over a great meal, laughter, and new found friendships.

I was inspired by these women and I sincerely believe that they can and will be change agents in their organizations. They have the power to be assertive, pro-active, and deserve to have their amazing ideas heard. The courage level in the group rose as they rallied each other to move forward with their ideas and one woman courageously shared that she was looking for a new environment altogether since her values were not being met in her current workplace. Good for her!

The power of women in community is amazing and I was honored to be a part of this book club gathering for one very special evening. At the end of the night these women owned the fact that they deserve to be happy in their careers and so do you. It’s time to muster the courage to ask for what you need and want and supply positive strategies for improvement in your work environment. You have the power to be a change agent – so what are you waiting for – just do it!

But Barbara Ann left her thriving legal career to pursue political office. First, an unsuccessful run for a Senate seat, she is now in the midst of a campaign for Texas Attorney General. This unflappable career woman has a call to serve and is determined to make a difference as part of her Texas career legacy.

Have a Game Plan

Barbara Ann’s decision to pursue public office was very well thought out.  She studied how it could be done by reading and speaking to many, many people. She wrote a business plan and then implemented her plan. After the Senate race and 650 trips with wonderful new friends, she laid the ground work for her political future and formed two Political Action Committees. She kept her key personnel active and waited until polling data determined a state wide race would be winnable. Barbara Ann sat out an election cycle, but thoroughly enjoyed planning for this Attorney General race with her former Communications Director who now serves as her Campaign Manager, in addition to key consultants she enlisted very early.

Networking is just as important in politics as it is in business and Barbara Ann used every contact she could think of to fit into her business plan. The most daunting effort continues to be fundraising.  Having already made more than 14,000 fundraising calls in this campaign, Barbara Ann tapped into every person and resource she thought possible. She was also inspired by her late father, who was an escaped prisoner of war, a tailor, a NASA scientist and a huge believer in public service. Barbara Ann’s mother is the best inspiration for keeping it all in perspective and Barbara Ann considers her the smartest person she’s ever known. Her mother now lives with Barbara Ann’s family and is battling Alzheimer’s disease.

Connected to the Community

Barbara Ann has always valued hard work, honesty, and intelligence and has built her campaign on the platform of serving her community. While she admits there was a learning curve to a political life, most of the challenge came from accepting that which she could not change.

“Some people will oppose you no matter what. The remainder of the challenge is in remaining committed to the everyday hard work of raising money. Maintaining perspective, sense of humor, recognizing the need for others and retaining faith in your own judgment stands anyone in good stead, too.”

She encourages others considering a career change to do it, plan and work hard, and make sure you enjoy the journey!

Know Your Strategy

Barbara Ann’s strength has always come from having a plan and being prepared. She relates to a mantra from Admiral Chester Nimitz that she finds useful in almost any operative analysis. It outlines points to consider before launching an operation: Objective, Offensive, Surprise, Superiority of Force at Point of Contact, Simplicity, Security, Movement, Economy of Force, and Cooperation. In a nutshell, this describes how Barbara Ann operates and why others appreciate her Texas tenacity.

While her most pressing goal is to win the Attorney General race in November, Barbara Ann is taking the time to enjoy the upcoming marriages of two of her children and a family reunion before the election. A pioneering professional woman, Barbara Ann has achieved two important firsts in her career, thus far. At her former law firm, Vinson & Elkins, she was the first woman to have children as an associate and attain partnership. After her 2006 retirement from Vinson & Elkins, she became the first woman in history to serve as the Texas Democratic U.S. Senate nominee.

After an unsuccessful race for Senator, Barbara Ann refocused her sights on Attorney General – the state’s elected chief legal officer. Utilizing her legal skill set, she aims to reign in the high insurance and electric rates in the state of Texas as well as the franchise margin tax. She has also proposed an $18 billion lawsuit to the current Attorney General to file against the Wall Street Banks that brought down the economy in September 2008.

Taking on the Scoundrels

The lawsuit, supported by law professors, former Governor/Texas Attorney General Mark White, University of California, Irvine Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, former President of the State Bar of Texas, Bill Whitehurst and prominent statewide lawyers, sues to protect the physical and economic interests of Texas under well established Supreme Court law.   Barbara Ann is launching a petition drive at www.SueWallStreet.com today to collect 100,000 signatures urging States Attorneys General to sue, using the materials at SueWallStreet.com.  Barbara Ann offered the lawsuit and her legal services at no fee to work on the case in a letter to the Texas Attorney General.

According to Barbara Ann – “Texas and every other state can obtain justice from the scoundrels of Wall Street and achieve what the federal government has failed to do.” Texas has never had a woman Attorney General and if Barbara Ann wins this fall she will prove that she knows no fear in serving the citizens of her state.

On a Mission

It’s clear that Barbara Ann is passionate about making a difference for the citizens of Texas. She has dedicated her life and her career to helping others. From the law firm to the political stump, Barbara Ann has reinvented her career goals capitalizing on her legal skill set and her commitment to helping others.

A political campaign involves great risk and determination in addition to significant financial support from constituents.  A public servant loses all anonymity, especially during an election cycle so Barbara Ann is “on” 24/7. But her mission is energizing and rewarding and it’s clear that she is determined to make this career move successful. We’ll check in with Barbara Ann in November to see how things play out. For now, her career reinvention is an exciting journey.

BAR’s Advice and Action Steps

• Plan for it and then do it!
• Let go of what you cannot change.
• Fight for what you believe in.
• Find your call to serve.
• Always maintain your sense of humor.

Resources

Barbara Ann Radnofsky   http://www.barbaraann2010.com/suewallstreet

Ann Weisberg from Deloitte relayed a story about a senior male partner who spoke on a panel about the issue of gender diversity. He asked his audience, “Would you want your daughters working here? If the answer is no, then you should own part of that solution.”

Along with the wise women at The Glass Hammer, it does give one pause to consider the simple question – Would you want your daughter working here? and if that might finally change the way companies treat gender diversity and equity.

I recently interviewed a woman for my blog who has spent the past 30 years working in high profile corporations. She is a C-level professional working in a male dominated world and during our interview she brought up the same issue from a personal experience that one of her male colleagues had to deal with. She shared that when senior men see the work environment through the lens of their entry level daughters it actually hits home and this may be the factor that will finally move us towards some significant changes in work culture.

If companies genuinely want to improve their efforts with gender diversity then they must treat women’s initiatives as a business imperative, according to Barbara Adachi, the National Managing Principal for Deloitte’s award-winning Women’s Initiative. Once these programs become a mainstay anchor in workplace culture and not an add-on or special HR initiative, then we will move forward and impact careers by developing talent, retaining excellence, and building communities in organizations.

Perhaps the question about whether or not you would want your daughter working in your work environment will become the new litmus test for changing work culture for the better and for good. This is a powerful paradigm shift in thinking that has the potential to make the gender issue a personal one for everyone – not just women.

The beauty of LinkedIn is that it provides a forum for me to cultivate new professional relationships and steward existing members of my community. It also empowers me to showcase my personal brand with my home page profile as well as my participation in discussions or relevant events.

I have found that most people don’t used LinkedIn to its best advantage so I’d like to share 7 ways that you can enhance your LinkedIn usage.

These tips come from Susan Colantuono, Founder of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls: What Women Haven’t Been Told About Leadership from Career-Start to the Corporate Boardroom.

1. Open the weekly updates that come your way. This is a great way to see what people in your network are doing and to Nurture Your Network. It’s a simple click away to send someone an email about the promotion or new job they updated, events they posted or even if they’re coming to a city near you.
2. Post a network update…and if you’re on Twitter your update will automatically post to Twitter (for busy women, this is multitasking at its best) – thanks LinkedIn for the partnership.
3. Post an event – if you’re going to or hosting an event, let the world know. It’s a great way to invite people in your network – or to set up a “meet”.
4. Visit your home page – regularly to make updates and keep your information current.
5. Respond to discussions – if you’ve joined a group, take the time to selectively choose discussions to engage in. It’s a good way to build your online professional presence. This is especially important for women who have a reputation of being invisible (and if my observations are correct) initiate and respond to discussions at about 25% the rate of men.
6. Spread the word about a job - I often get emails about job openings. Since I can, I now post them through the Leading Women group. It’s a great way to help a colleague (or yourself) spread the word and increases the candidate pool.
7. Recommend a book – great reads that enhance your professional brand and will help people in your network learn and grow are always welcome.

Nurture your network and enhance your virtual brand with this amazing online tool. And as Susan says – Network ON!