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Neurodivergent Women at Work

Written by Susan Fitzell

The difficult conversation we need to have before diving into neurodiversity in the workplace

We understand that the reason businesses exist is to make money. So naturally, an employer wants people who can best contribute to that goal. From the start of the industrial revolution, the ideal employee had no “hindrances” in helping the company meet its goals. As such, types of work were divided along gender lines. The striation is evident even today. Thankfully, the needs of society in the 1700s are not the needs of today. Further, current issues need innovative, out-of-the-box solutions, so a cookie-cutter “ideal” doesn’t have to exist for many roles.

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Are You a "Desserts First" Person?

Written by Juli Shulem

Are you that person who lives by the quote: “Life Is Uncertain; Eat Dessert First?” In other words, do you take the reward before doing the task? Did you go out to play before doing your homework? Do you play video games before getting an important task done? Do you watch TV, talk on the phone, shop online, etc. etc. before tackling the important things on your list? In my world - this means doing those quick, fun, and easy tasks on one's list before tackling the less interesting, and generally higher-priority, tasks first.

I had a client recently make this comment to me while working on prioritization, “I’m kind of a ‘dessert first’ person.” So, what that said to me was three things:

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One Element in Dissipating Anxiety

Written by John Barrow

I have read and processed many ways to get unstuck, and I am amazed at the attention to detail suggestions contain. Without this attention to detail, the stuck person loses some of her potential to get unstuck. Coach Juli Shulem suggests three ways in a recent blog that have the potential to change persons’ lives, especially when combined with working with a Coach. If you’re like me, feeling stuck can tend to make you feel less attractive and more friendless than usual. However, growing a relationship with a Coach can help push back if not dissolve these myths most of us can buy into when we’re stressed.

But when does the extra intensity of self-work end? For me, often the sign that I’ve worked through a time of being overwhelmed is that I can laugh again. Recently I had been feeling stuck in the process of making a hard decision about which job to take. As I talked with my Coach, our conversation began going to a place I had never imagined—mostly because I had tried hard to forget it.

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Harness the Collective Brilliance of a Mastermind Group

Written by Machen MacDonald

In the world of entrepreneurship, success often stems from the ability to connect with like-minded individuals, gain fresh perspectives, and hold oneself accountable for personal and professional growth. One powerful approach that business owners can leverage to achieve these objectives is by participating in a business mastermind group. This article explores the benefits of such a group, focusing on the transformative power of peer-to-peer accountability and its impact on driving business success.

Here’s how W.A.G.E.S. can optimize the profitability of any business.

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Knock Out Recruiting To Grow Your Sales Team!

Written by Michael Goldberg

3 Ways to Grow Your Sales Team!

If attracting top talent to grow your sales team is important, take these three “knock out” action steps to create your recruiting system.

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How to Get "Un-Stuck" and Why Coaching Can Help

Written by Juli Shulem

As a Coach specializing in Productivity Coaching and Organizational Coaching, my clients come to me because they are ‘stuck’ in some way. They might be in a rut with their job and not sure how to get out of it. They might feel uncertain about next steps in their personal or professional life or trapped in a cycle of wasting time and want to get off that “hamster wheel.” Whatever the situation, there is a gap between where the person is and where they want to be. Sometimes they may not know exactly where it is that they want to be, but through the coaching process, that can be discovered.

Coaches can provide various services to individuals seeking improvement, self-discovery, pivoting, growth, and acquiring new tools to move forward with greater ease. Coaches offer a sounding board, guidance with plans and decisions, accountability so you stay on track, assistance with handling new challenges as they arise, and ultimately helping you get what you want in both your personal and professional lives.

If you are feeling stuck and don’t know the steps you need to take to get “unstuck,” here are a few tricks you can try on your own:

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Is Unconscious Bias Stopping You from Hiring a Neurodiverse Team?

Written by Susan Fitzell

How do you overcome unconscious bias when interviewing to hire a neurodiverse team?
Difficulty recruiting and hiring neurodiverse talent is a common scenario. It happens because hiring practices favor neurotypical people. A talk of mine about the unconscious bias surrounding neurodivergence was recently nominated for a Virtual Speaker’s Hall of Fame Award. It got me thinking a bit more about how unconscious bias keeps neurodiverse people from being hired, even when a company is motivated to employ neurodiverse people.

What Is Unconscious Bias?
Unconscious bias is preconceived notions about what people may be like based on a single attribute. It is often made up of stereotypes, experiences, and things we have heard. Even if we consider ourselves open-minded, we can still have unconscious bias.

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The Gift of Making a Decision

Written by Dorothy Martin-Neville, Ph.D

I’ve written frequently about mindset and here I go again. Coming at it from the strangest of directions – gardening. It’s that time of year again when mulching needs to be considered and then executed. Do I buy the standard mix of soft and hardwoods, to be spread amongst my plants and shrubs, etc., and then replace it every 2-3 years, or do I pay 2-3 times as much and get the latest trend of brown shredded rubber tires that last 12-15 years?

There really is no one right answer. Whichever serves you the best way possible – that’s YOUR right answer… Higher price but does not attract all kinds of bugs and infestations, and lasts an extremely long time, or less expensive but carpenter ants and other pests will progressively thank you for it more and more over time, and it needs to be replaced or supplemented every two years? Uncharacteristically, it’s taken me two weeks to step out of the maze and confusion of the two choices.

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What is the Generalist's Advantage?

Written by Joe Curcillo

The Art of Being a Generalist

In today’s rapidly changing world, it’s becoming increasingly valuable to possess a diverse set of skills and knowledge. This is where the art of being a generalist comes in. A generalist is someone who has a broad range of skills and knowledge in multiple areas, as opposed to a specialist, who has a deep expertise in a single discipline. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of being a generalist and the strategies that make someone an effective generalist. That is The Generalist’s Advantage.

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How to Foster Authenticity and Trust in Neurodiverse Teams

Written by Susan Fitzell

The importance of team trust in neurodiversity
There are many different ways that human brains work.

Anyone who has ever worked with another human knows that great things can evolve when we approach conversations, problems, or ways of being in the world differently. Yet, while wisdom unfolds when people with differently wired brains collaborate, there is also a chance of friction. Some friction can spur better problem-solving, yet it can sometimes interfere with cohesive teamwork.

Individual success vs. team success
Employees naturally seek to grow in their careers. Because opportunities for recognition, professional reward, and promotion are limited, competition can cause conflict among team members. The potential for conflict is especially likely when a team member stands out as non-conformist, intense, and talented. However, at the same time, most individuals realize that working together is integral to achieving a company’s overall business goals. Managers also recognize that the company can only succeed if everyone works together.



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Compare vs. Contrast - A Strategy to Achieve Your Goals

Written by Machen MacDonald

It’s common for business owners to look back on last year and begin to plan out what they want to accomplish for the year and how they will achieve their goals. If done correctly, this process can be a liberating and inspiring exercise that enables great momentum going forward. If done incorrectly, it may be a sentencing to “paralysis by analysis”.

The challenge, for many, is that they are playing the Compare game. How did we do compared to our competitors? How did our business do compared to other investments we could have made?

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It's All In Your Mind

Written by Dorothy Martin-Neville, Ph.D

YOU BET IT IS! In listening to a podcast the other day, one of the distinctions that was made about Business Coaches was that some deal with the very pragmatic (theoretically, solely pragmatic) issues of finances, creating business plans, etc. while others deal with mindset.

It caused me to do a short meditation on what it is that I do. I support my clients in dreaming bigger, in putting a structure in place to support that bigger dream, and/or becoming the person who can create and maintain that bigger dream – usually by shifting their thinking – reprogramming their minds.

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Coach, Therapist, Mentor, or Consultant? Who Do You Hire for What?

Written by Juli Shulem

Often times we feel we would benefit from some guidance or support --- but which kind? I am often asked, “What is the difference between a coach and a therapist or even a mentor and consultant?” I thought I would answer that here in case you have been asking this same question as well.

So here it is in a nutshell:

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Knockout Strategies to Manage Your Calendar

Written by Michael Goldberg

Manage your calendar to have more control of your time!
I lead business networking events nationally and regularly deal with registration, planning, and all the prep required to lead a successful event.

Given our process, registration and overall attendance is excellent.

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The Advantages of a Multidisciplinary Team Approach for Problem-Solving - Part 2

Written by Joe Curcillo

This is part two of The Advantages of a Multidisciplinary Team. Multidisciplinary teams, or MDTs, provide an environment for improved communication and collaboration, better decision-making, and flexibility & adaptability to tackle complex problems. MDTs combine the knowledge of different disciplines to quickly identify solutions, reduce the time needed to complete tasks, and achieve higher-quality results. This allows them to address any challenges efficiently and effectively.

How Diversity in Experience and Expertise Leads to More Effective Solutions (Part 2)

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Different Lives - Different Experiences

Written by Dorothy Martin-Neville, Ph.D

Do you ever forget that there is so much more to you than simply your career and your family? Your family can be a blessing that makes life so worth living. Hopefully, your career calls you to continuously become so much more of who you are meant to be. Nonetheless, the many additional aspects of you may include your love of sports, your love of the sun, the outdoors, movies, walking, hiking, etc.

In addition to those, for most of us, there is also a calling to be a part of something bigger. To be a part of a community that feeds us and a part of making this world a better place. Since middle school, I have been involved in diversity and equity issues. This past Tuesday – 55 years to the day of Martin Luther King Jr.’s murder – a cherished friend of mine hosted an event at Three Rivers Community College here in CT. She presented a panel of Millennials sharing their ideas and concerns in the world of diversity and inclusion. Racism, sexuality, education, and even financial security were brought onto the table.

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A Dozen Tips for Effective Presentations When Managing Neurodiverse Employees

Written by Susan Fitzell

So often, managers call a meeting, share information, then end the session expecting employees to understand, assimilate, and implement the new information into their work endeavors. When this does not happen, a manager may feel frustrated with employees that just can’t do what they told them to do. Or a more self-reflective manager may wonder what is wrong with their presentation style. Add the fact that more managers are managing neurodiverse employees, and the challenge increases exponentially.

Here are a dozen ways to lead more effective presentations and meetings when managing neurodiverse employees.

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How to Add Some Knock Out Umph and Momentum NOW!

Written by Michael Goldberg

…To your day, your week, your month!

We all lose focus and momentum from time to time. Even me!

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Action for Traction and the Law of Attraction

Written by Machen MacDonald

I am enamored at the currently popular notion of the Law of Attraction and how it relates to growing a business. How cool is it to simply tune in to what you want and have it manifest? With movies such as The Secret and What the Bleep making more people aware of the concept, it seems that more and more people are relying on this universal law to grow their businesses.

Are you getting everything you want through the Law of Attraction?

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Be Attractive to Your Ideal Clients to Grow Your Business

Written by Machen MacDonald

Imagine a row of trees with only one or two thriving and in full bloom. Where does your attention go? Your focus doesn’t go to the small spindly looking trees with no leaves but rather to the ones with full blossoms and leaves. Many businesses tend to cut back their marketing and wonder why they’re not attracting the business they need in order to thrive.

Scores of business owners cut off critical marketing and promotion limbs because they hallucinate they can’t afford such things in times like these.

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