An author and executive coach, Valerie Sokolosky is a Certified Master Personal Brand Strategist who started Valerie & Company, a Dallas based international leadership development firm in 1981. Since then, she has become known as the expert in her field of strategic personal branding and professional presence. Valerie’s engaging style ignites the spark of enthusiasm in professionals to crea...
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Building Mentoring Relationships by Valerie Sokolosky - Feb, 2013 Here are a few tips to keep in mind if you are engaged in a mentoring relationship: 1. Broaden your Definition of the Term “Mentor” Another term for mentor could be “learning partner.” We can learn from people older and younger than us. You should select a mentor who can help you with specific concerns like conflict resolution, etc. Select them based on their knowledge. 2. Build a Board of Mentors Sometimes, yo... |
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Tips On Time Management by Valerie Sokolosky - Sep, 2012 Try to use waiting time (Dr’s office, business appointments) to knock out paperwork. Is everything on your list for today a priority? If not, put it on the list of “nice-to-do’s.” Maintain a list of most important things to do. Those you don’t want to do? “Eat the Frog.” Examine your time-wasting habits (e.g., checking email/texts too often). Eliminate them. Minimize — as gently as you can — those people, tasks who... |
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How Do You Show Up? by Valerie Sokolosky - Aug, 2012 June was a busy month of executive coaching. During these sessions I’ve consistently heard what a struggle it is for leaders to handle their over-flowing workloads. Yes, the age-old Time Management dilemma. So I held some informal focus groups to see how people are handling this dilemma. Here are some suggestions from those who have figured it out!. #1 – Strive for work/life integration rather than work/life balance. O... |
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Living in Yesterday’s Trash by Valerie Sokolosky - Aug, 2012 Who wants to live with yesterday’s trash? Show of hands? Just as I thought. No one. So, why do we keep looking in the rear view mirror at yesterday’s rubbish in our lives, like the disappointment when we didn’t get the promotion…the times the people we thought had our back, yet let us down…or that deep resentment we felt over a business deal. I’ve always known it did no good to dig up the past. But what about those of us... |
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What Happens to Your Brand When Change Hits? by Valerie Sokolosky - May, 2012 Working 15 years as a change management consultant in Fortune 500 companies, I learned how leaders handle the stress that often accompanies changes like a reorganization, downsizing (or whatever sizing is the buzz word of the day!), mergers or acquisition, and even having a new boss. What can you do during these difficult times to show your strengths and never deviate from your strong brand? Here are a few tips – not on... |
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Does Your Office Space Reflect Your Brand? by Valerie Sokolosky - Nov, 2011 When you think about personal branding, most of the time, you consider things like, what does my personal appearance say about my professionalism? Or, what does my web site say about my innovation? Or what does my speech say about my work ethic? What gets forgotten, or not even considered, is what does my office say about my company? And I mean physical office. Not your wonderful co-workers and superiors, but rather the fou... |
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How to Lead in a Competitive Environment by Valerie Sokolosky - Aug, 2011 If you consider yourself a strategic leader, then you know the importance of translating strategy into action and results. Here are a few tips: Know yourself — know your leadership brand and what makes you different than other leaders in similar roles. Ask yourself, “Are people willing to be led by me or am I just managing their daily activities?” If you have a strong leadership brand, you are being followed because you’ve ... |
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Conquering a phone interview by Valerie Sokolosky - Aug, 2011 A terrifying pause, a screaming child, a continuous beeping from the other line. There seem to be so many ways that a phone interview can go wrong. But they’re unavoidable these days. Employers use them to weed through applicants and select potential hires for in-person interviews. I think that there is a way to do phone interviews well. It requires preparation and focus, but it’s possible. 1) Isolate yourself. Clear the ro... |
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Office Space by Valerie Sokolosky - Aug, 2011 When you think about personal branding, most of the time, you consider things like, what does my personal appearance say about my professionalism? Or what does my web site say about my innovation? Or what does my speech say about my work ethic? What gets forgotten, or really not even consider, is what does my office say about my company? And I mean physical office. Not your wonderful co-workers and superiors, but rather the... |
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Forgotten Forms of First Impressions by Valerie Sokolosky - Aug, 2011 A crucial component of your professional image is your first impression. Your word choice, your tone, your appearance and your body language communicate a particular message to the person that you are meeting. Your entire relationship is built on this first interaction. Even if we don’t do a good job of preparing for this first meeting, most of us know that first impressions matter. We remember the offhanded comment said by... |
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