What’s in a Cover?

My friend, novelist Morag Joss put an interesting post on her site recently about how her publisher had chosen two different covers and titles for her latest book  to appeal to two different markets – the U.S. and U.K. The covers are radically different  but the content is the same. One assumes that the publishers know their stuff but it is intriguing. The book for UK publication is called ‘Across the Bridge‘ and the US version ‘Among The Missing’.

First Impressions

One of these covers will probably attract you more than the other; you will be more likely to pick up one if browsing in a bookshop.

Whether we like it or not people judge a book by its cover. Every time you step into public view you are projecting an image. You may not like that idea and resolutely resist the idea that appearance matters and that will be the image you are projecting! It’s like your shadow, you can’t get rid of it, it’s always there. But you can choose, to a degree, what image you project.

So it is worth taking a few moments to consider if the ‘cover’ you are projecting to the world is the one you want out there. Is your ‘cover’ the best one for your target audience? When you first appear at an event or meeting, people look at you and make a judgement. It may be a positive assessment or it may not. If positive, you start with an advantage. If negative the reverse is true. You are on the back foot from the start and will have to work harder.

Which Cover?

Back to those covers. Here is the US version opposite. What do you think? Do you prefer the U.S version or the first? I’d love to know. If you are a US reader has the publisher shown the right cover to sell it to you, and likewise for the UK? Do tell!

And while we’re on the subject, what do you think of the cover of my book? You can be totally honest as hard copies are selling out and a new run will be coming soon. But there are still ‘first edition’ copies available!

Cats and Change! (And You?)

Today is recycling day in my village. We’re very lucky and almost everything gets taken for recycling here by the local council. That’s great but it does mean a lot of hustle and bustle on a Monday morning as I grab newspapers, bottles (!), plastic, milk bottle tops etc and make sure it’s all in the correct boxes and drag them to the front of the house.

I was doing that today surrounded by two very jumpy cats (mine). They always get very edgy on recycling day and run back and forth checking out what I’m up to, then pretending not to notice and indulge in frantic grooming (classic displacement activity…), then pop back to look only to run away frightened again.

This morning, in between making soothing type noises, (the neighbours think I am mad) I found myself wondering why they are always frightened of the noise when it happens every week, (although I guess a week really is a long time in ‘catolotics’.)

Cats and Humans Don’t Like Change

And then I thought, actually the cats are behaving like most of us humans.

Very few of us when faced with a change think that it will be a good thing for us. We either indulge in some frantic grooming type behaviour, i.e. trying to pretend it isn’t happening – denial; or we run about with our tails in the air with no clear purpose  assuming the worst will happen to us!

And very occasionally we are cool cats, and embrace it! We’re bold and take a long hard at what is actually going on and make a more realistic assessment of what it might mean to us, and then get as much out of it as we can.

I haven’t got any cool cats yet but I’m working on them! Here Kitty Kitty Kitty…..

What animal are you like when faced with something new? I like to think I’m more of a Tigger than an Eeyore….

Scourer or Soft Flannel?

Do you find you often turn to the same trusted advisers for advice? Have you ever thought about trying someone else?

I was engaging in one of my favourite activities the other day – lazing in a hot scented bath listening to the radio. I reached behind me to grab for what I expected to be a soft soapy flannel and, before I realised that it wasn’t, started rubbing it across my skin.

Well, that was a bit of a shock! Not the nice smooth strokes I had been expecting but a rude awakening! Somehow I’d got hold of the bath scourer and not my luxurious flannel.

Scourer Advice or Soft Flannel?

I wouldn’t recommend a bath scourer for a luxury time, although it did ‘refresh’ me and bring a new perspective to my bath time! The surprise attack of the bath scourer certainly interrupted my quiet reveries and woke me up. Which set me thinking, who are the soft flannels in your life? Have you got friends you regularly ask for advice because you know you will get a nice soft positive stroke? You know they will be supportive and could probably predict with 99% accuracy what they might say to you. There is nothing wrong with that, we all need it from time to time and supportive friends are worth their weight in gold..

But sometimes, a soft positive stroke is not what is required. Sometimes we may need the shock of the bath scourer to shake our complacency, to wake us up and make us think again.

So, if you wanted a really honest opinion from someone, no holds barred, who would you ask? Would you ask them? Who are your bath scourers? And do you use them enough…?

Womankind -International Women’s Day!

I shared with you a few posts ago how I was wanting to add value of the non monetary kind to what I do. I am truly passionate about helping women make positive change in their lives and wanted to, in some small way, to make myself part of a larger movement, to offer what I could. The project I talked about with women in prisons is looking hopeful and in addition I believe I have found the perfect charity to support. I’d like to tell you about them.

WOMANKIND Worldwide believes women in developing countries are a powerful force for change and works with women’s organisations across the world as well as in the U.K.

Why Womankind?

Why did I choose Womenkind? Well, I love their philosophy. They are not about doing things for women but about boosting women’s confidence to do things for themselves. Regular readers will know this whole site is dedicated to boosting the confidence of women to challenge the established order so it seems like a perfect match! This is what they say on their web site:

“Women have an abundance of practical ideas for improving their own lives and lifting their families and communities out of poverty. But this can only happen if they have the confidence and opportunities to articulate their needs and ideas – and be listened to.

WOMANKIND Worldwide is the only UK charity devoted to enabling women to achieve this.”

And:

“WOMANKIND Worldwide helps women in developing countries – silenced or isolated by harmful traditions, conflict, violence and intimidation or the sheer exhaustion of surviving in poverty – to have a distinctive say in what goes on in their family, community and country.

Our aim is to embed what matters most to girls and women into every aspect of life, from the smallest domestic details to the most sweeping strategic decisions.

How we help women achieve change

We help courageous individuals to challenge the status quo. In some countries, this could involve accompanying a girl to a village meeting so she can tell women and men that it is now against the law for a girl to be forced to marry a man after he has raped her, and encourage girls to see they do have a choice.

We help women get organised

In many different ways, we help women come together, often for the first time, to talk about what they want to change, and then we help them achieve it. This could involve reading and writing lessons or training to resolve conflicts, so women are better able to get involved with what?s going on in their community.

We help women claim their rights and secure new ones

We might provide legal help to enable a woman to obtain a divorce from a man who beats her, or work with the police to encourage them to help women rather than return them to their husbands.”

International Women’s Day 2011

Sometimes it feels too complicated, too difficult to really make a difference in the world. Womankind is making a difference by supporting women across the world, and by supporting them so are YOU!

In honour of International Women’s Day (and in the profound hope that in years to come the idea of a women’s day will be quaint because we won’t need it) I have made a donation to the Womankind charity and I urge you to do the same. If everyone who read this blog gave just one pound or a dollar that would be amazing and really help women the world over- come on The Sisterhood!

In addition, from this day on, I pledge 10% of  the profits of every book sold through my site or received in advertising revenue to Womankind. It’s not much but it can really help to make a difference!

Happy International Woman’s Day!

Mascara and Mistakes!

Have you ever been happily putting on your eye make when a blob of rogue mascara somehow kamikazies off the wand and comes to rest on your beautifully moisturised cheek?

And have you ever left it for a moment while you continue with the doey eyed look you’re aiming for with that new eye shadow, only to find when you then flick at it that it leaves a large black smear on your face?

And have you then tried to wipe it off with loo paper only to find that a bigger mark appears and that one cheek looks decidedly un-moisturised, red and blotchy, and your carefully applied make up is ruined and you look like you’re about to set out on Army manoeuvres?

And you have to start again?

Have you then been and bought a product which takes mascara off with the minimum of fuss? Possibly even eschewed the loo paper for soft organic cotton wool? You may have had to try a few products until you’ve found one that suits you but eventually you settle on one that works well for you.

And My Point Is…?

I am frequently asked how do I do this or that in relation to my business and my web site. The truth is, of course, that I don’t actually do it all myself. I have done the career equivalent of blobbing mascara all over my face and then going for the quick fix (hurriedly grabbed loo paper!). And really it hasn’t worked well…not the look I was aiming for…

Just to be clear, I write all my own material, I design and deliver all my own courses, I write my own talks, but when it’s necessary I bring in the experts. Or the purpose designed make up remover! I have learned that sometimes an investment of time or money at the right time saves masses of both later on.

If you are struggling at this moment in time, maybe with job applications, starting a new blog, serious relationship issues,career indecision, whatever it is; do think about getting some expert help in. You may just need a little advice, you may need more. You may have to compromise according to your purse, but remember there is lots of free advice out there too. If you want to be professional in your approach, develop yourself and your skills then seek out good, sound professional advice which suits you and your style.

Or give up wearing make up!

If you have any examples of your own mascara blob you’re happy to share, I’d love to hear! It may stop some of us making the same mistake!

Why Are Women Behind?

The U.K. Government say more women on boards or else…

But why do have we so few women on boards given that we’ve had the Equal Pay Act since 1970 and the Sex Discrimination Act since 1975 right up to The Equality Act 2010?

It’s fascinating on one level that with all the legislation to back us up, we women still regularly earn less than men and are still significantly under represented at senior management levels in so many otherwise forward thinking companies.

Does the fault lie within ourselves? Well, of course, we could all do more to put ourselves out there (and Gloria Feldt, author of ‘No Excuses’ would certainly argue that women are ambivalent about taking power). But I believe it’s more than that.

A recent report from the Institute of Leadership and Management surveyed over 3000 managers which revealed that three quarters of the women felt there was a glass ceiling. It discovered several factors holding women back:

• Women had less confidence and self belief than men e.g. 20% of men will apply for a role despite only partially meeting its job description, compared to 14% of women.
• Women had varied career paths and had to step off career ladder to have children.
• Women didn’t expect to get senior positions and had lower aspirations than their male counterparts.

Gender Equality Pays

This is potentially a serious issue for business as companies that have invested in developing its women employees have found it pays dividends, which seems to suggest that those which do not are losing potential profits.

In 2008, research from Professor Michel Ferrar of Ceram Business School on companies from the French CAC40 stock exchange index, showed that the more women there were in a company’s management, the less the share price fell in 2008, the crux year of the global financial crisis. The only large French company to record a share price gain in 2008 was Hermes – whose management was 55% women, the second largest share among French blue chips.

Many companies think they have done the right thing by setting up and supporting in house women’s groups but in fact these have often served to ghettoise the problem and probably have contributed in some measure to women and men seeing the issue of gender equality as a women’s problem. If it is to succeed it needs to be an initiative across the board (no pun intended).

Additionally, most organisations have been set up in a very male-centric way. Male ways of behaviour are rewarded and seen as desirable, often by both genders. If you have one gender constantly trying to fit themselves into a structure and system designed primarily by and for the other, it will cause problems. Women should not have to behave like men to get on. What women bring to the (board) table needs to be equally valued.

So What to Do?
Penny de Valk, the ILM’s chief executive says it is crucial that employers who are serious about gender diversity take steps to find ways of nurturing women’s ambitions.

“Coaching and mentoring, in particular, have an invaluable role to play. We know that gender diversity drives performance organisations’ financial performance. Business leaders should need no encouragement to ensure their most talented employees move into leadership roles, regardless of their gender”

Time to take control, women! Grab this moment with both hands; there may never be a better time to challenge your organisation about its policy on developing women. If women are seriously under represented in your organisation, time to start asking why, of them and yourself…

If you’d like to know more about my Women Ahead programme, specifically designed to boost women’s confidence to progress at work, click here.