Career
Foreign Policy Leadership Should Reflect Our Diversity
“As the United States becomes more ethnically diverse in the coming decades and as the country becomes more accustomed to seeing women in positions of leadership in other sectors of society, a national security establishment that does not reflect that diversity will...
IT’S OKAY TO TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF
As a professional woman who works overseas, I’ve realized that work-life balance has some additional twists. Twists such as not having familiar friends and family networks to fall back on when I need a little help and operating in a context where the primary language...
How to Avoid Being a CandleBlower
We are in an era where everything women do is under scrutiny; the way we look and dress, the way we parent, the life choices and decisions we make. And whether we admit it or not, we are often part of this dismantling of our fellow women and not just the ones we don’t...
How to Be a Professional For Today’s Workforce
The workplace has changed. The workforce has changed. Opportunities have changed. The employment landscape has changed. Many companies now hire foreign employment specialists to grow their business, something that wouldn't have been possible a few decades ago. But...
Mid-Career Malaise: How to Get it Before it Gets You
If you are like me – stuck halfway up the career ladder, far enough that you can see the light of leadership and authority to come, but not too far up that you don't still relate to the newbies – then you are what we call a "mid-level" or "mid-career" professional....
The Interagency Tango: How to Do It Right
Nobody works in a vacuum, especially when you work for the government. We may all have our specific lanes but, ultimately, we are working towards the same objectives and the same larger, overarching goals. The trick is finding a way to communicate with counterparts...
UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS: HOW TO NAVIGATE THEM
I have been privy to many conversations with colleagues at work and friends working in other sectors recently about having difficult and uncomfortable conversations with people when they say something or do something inappropriate at work. Sadly, many of my female...
6 Ways to Sharpen Your Professional Skills
We are all professionals and we all have jobs to do, but do you ever feel like you are getting stale or that your skills "ain't what they used to be"? Do you find yourself in a professional rut or do you feel like you don't have the requisite skill set to change...
A User’s Guide for the First Time Manager
So you are in your first job and managing people for the first time. This isn't like your last internship where you organized brown bags for the other interns and didn't have any real managerial responsibility. Now you are in a management position and accountable to...