New Goal: Eye Exploding Bikini Bod

You may notice on my facebook page that there are no pictures of me in a bikini. There are photos of spring break, Cuba, cottage trips, even triathlons and swim events but you'll be hard pressed to find a picture of me in a bathing suit (let alone a bikini).

Well, this is the year. I'm knocking on the door of a quarter life crisis - so the time to be hot is now!! So here I am, publicly committing, this summer, to posting a picture of me* in eye exploding bikini sexiness.


I haven't quite decided which one of these girls I'll look like yet. Maybe the one in the white? Criss cross is kinda cool, no? Or maybe a bit more life shifty eyes over on the left. Either way, it's gonna be awesome. So get ready folks. Awesome progress update to come.

*Photoshop masters apply within

Goal Accomplished - Networking Ninja

The last couple of weeks have been a whirl of events. From Hashup, Sproutup, Foursquare Day, and coffee chats galore, I seen first hand the type of awesome party this city throws!

Even better, I can say with each event that's passed I've become more confident approaching people, and ended up making new friends each time. Sometimes the best approach is to just be yourself, and see where the night takes you. Photo evidence of a guardless Katherine Duffy below. Who let these nerds in?

New Goal - Conference Magic

I've got a bright and shiny new goal to add to my list; make HRevolution awesome!!

I get to go on my first work trip later this month in Atlanta, Georgia, and man am I pumped. Since this is such an incredible opportunity, I really want to make it awesome. In real terms that means,

Take care of myself in the weeks leading up to the trip
- Get enough sleep, eat well, de stress and make sure my most wonderful self is in attendance (rather than the sub-human mongrel type creature that comes with a case of the grumps)

Connect with attendees before hand
- You know that this will be an awesome event when one of the organizers calls you to personally welcome you! A great tip that I got from Ben, one of the organizers, was that once you "sort of know" everyone there, it become a reunion of friends rather than an awkward first meeting. This is the best way to ensure that real conversations, and real results ensue

Have a blast!
-Go out of my way to ask questions, meet people, try new things and live it up to the fullest!

Have you ever had a similar experience? tAny other tips for making it wonderful?

Employee Engagement

Publishing Goals

Are you telling the right people about your goals?

We all know, that a powerful force in goal setting is engagement. And what better way to be engaged, than by having a motivating partner to push your forward.

A lot has been said about the dangers of sharing goals with saboteurs - that sometimes those you rely on to motivate you can also contribute to your downfall. So the question inevitably comes up - am I telling the right people about my goals?
I choose to post my goals publicly, both at work, and in my personal life. This is because of my firm belief in the benefit of feedback.

I know that I'm surrounded by brilliant people. And that, by working together for hours a week, they MUST know things about me, and how I can improve. But if they don't know my goals, how can they help?
Take a look a how you share your goals. Is the benefit of guarding what motivates you, and what you want to achieve outweighing the possible momentum that a great piece of feedback would give you?

I miss my Gus.

My mom sent me this cute picture of Gus in the leaves by the house, as proof that he is ok staying with them for the week.

I'm sure he's enjoying sniffing the leaves in the suburbs, and chasing the chippies and squirrels in my parents yard. But its not quite the same to walk around our home without hearing the pitter patter of his little feet.

I hope that at least I make good use of his doggie vacation to knock some stuff of my list, and have some quality time - taking care of all of those things that usually get pushed off for the responsibilities of daily life, or the worries of rushing home.

And then Sunday... oh how we will play.

Who would've thought

I have left performance reviews crying.
I have left performance reviews planning the search strings I will use to look for new jobs.
I have left performance reviews hating everyone I work with, even myself.
But, I have never left a performance review feeling more happy and comfortable.
Until today.

I'm still new in my role, and have had just over 15 weeks to get to know my manager. Many of those weeks were during the holiday season, or on the crazy busy days of the start up norm. So not only is he smarter, older and more powerful than me - but my manager is also relatively unfamiliar.

But something interesting happens when you have an open culture.

You get amazing visibility into how people are treated and what to expect. I can see how fair, patient or open minded someone is by watching how they interact with others, or hearing feedback from the team. I don't have to plan my words, or wonder what impact each feeling I have, will have on my career. I know exactly what is expected, what works and if I'm talking to someone that will help.

And as a result, who would've thought... you can be honest.

Today I left my performance review feeling good. And It's not just because I work in the most badass company in the world, with a supportive manager and inspiring team. It's because, for the first time, I was able to actually tell a manager what I truly felt. And because I shared my concerns, my achievements and my opinions - I got a real solution. And real reprieve.

And that feels damn good.