“For years, there were no socially acceptable spaces where women—especially ethnic women—and the white male power-structure could intersect,” says Jessica Carter, attorney and author of Double Outsiders: How Women of Color Can Succeed in Corporate America.

“Even today, leadership circles are made up of mostly white men,” says Stacy Blake-Beard, associate professor of management at Simmons School of Management. “Unfortunately, women, particularly women of color, may be at a disadvantage because of lack of access to those leaders and a level of unfamiliarity with them that may impede the development of important career relationships. Diversifying our networks provides opportunities and resources for creating alliances with people who can connect us to those in power.”

Diversifying Your Network at Work
Your own company is a valuable resource for diversifying your network and building strategic alliances up, down, and across the organization. Many companies have established women’s initiatives and forums and support affinity or cultural groups for employees.

“Networking at work can help you develop friendships, broaden your perspective, and identify career and mentoring opportunities,” says Annette Martinez, operations executive assistant at State Farm, which has 120 different employee resource groups. “If you work for a large organization, you need the increased visibility that networking affords. Networking at work isn’t difficult, but it should be deliberate. Start by deciding what you want to accomplish in the next five years. What do you need to do this? Who can help you get what you need? Create a personal board of directors by identifying 10 to 15 areas of the company where you want to create connections, and meet with these people regularly.”

If your company doesn’t support formal networking, start your own informal network. “Look for opportunities to connect with team members and colleagues based on mutual interests, projects, and skills,” advises Barbara Adachi, principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP in San Francisco, and head of the company’s Women’s Initiative. “It’s never too early to start building your company network.”

Diversifying Your Network Outside of Work
“Building relationships with a variety of people outside the job can help you expand your sphere of influence in new areas,” says British Hill, program chair of Pinellas County Networking Professionals International in Florida and independent consulting director with Seriesse International.

Joining local business organizations like the chamber of commerce and service organizations can connect you with people from different cultures, professions, and interests. If you’re in sales or own your own business, these organizations can be rich sources of potential customers and clients.

Also consider participating in affinity groups and volunteer activities to meet like-minded people who can expand your social network. Painting a school, cleaning a park, or building a home for Habitat for Humanity can help you overcome networking shyness. When everyone is focused on the task at hand, it’s easy to start conversations and get to know people.

Check the business calendar section of your newspaper and your local volunteer center or craigslist.com listings for events.

Diversifying with Online Networks
Online networks demand less time and commitment than in-person networking and can expand your reach exponentially. A single mouse click can connect you to someone in Africa or Asia—or across town.

“Internet networks expand your reach and can provide mutually beneficial connections more efficiently than face-to-face networking,” says Attiya Abdulghany, director of marketing for Salesconx, a B2B lead-generator for sales professionals. Abdulghany has used FaceBook and LinkedIn to stay in touch with college friends, develop professional connections, and find jobs.

LinkedIn has more than 17 million members. You create a personal profile and invite others to join your personal network. Savvy users recommend establishing fewer, high-quality connections rather than many connections of questionable value. Social networking sites such as FaceBook, once the domain of young people, are maturing along with their members. They give people the opportunity to make more personal connections than purely business networks.

“Commit a couple hours a week to building your virtual network,” Hill advises. “When you join a virtual network, complete your profile and participate in forums. Get known, and share information.”

Diversifying Within Your Network
“The higher you move within your career, the more your network matters,” says Marva Smith Battle-Bey, president of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women and of the Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation. “Today, I work with senior-level government and elected officials, and my network has been a huge factor in my ability to get things done.”

Networks aren’t just about what you do, what you have done, and what you need—they’re also about who needs you and what you have to offer them.

“There is a quid pro quo in networking,” Smith Battle-Bex adds. “Don’t connect just with people you need. Connect with people who need you and what you have to offer. Men, I think, are more comfortable doing this. They more easily discuss their accomplishments. Many women are uncomfortable talking about what they have done and can do.”

This can be especially important for women who may be influenced by home upbringing and cultural background. “As a Japanese American, I was raised in a culture that expected me to stay in the background and not speak until spoken to,” states Deloitte’s Adachi. “Overcoming this reticence has been a challenge for me throughout my career. I believe that many ethnic women experience something like this. Networking provides a way of sharing experiences and solutions to these kinds of cultural challenges.”

You can diversify within your network by building win-win alliances and creating opportunities for cross-networking. Communicate regularly with people in your network, make introductions when people can help each other, and ask for introductions to people you think will help you. Encourage the members of your network to share success stories and make requests of each other. Create mini-networking events so members of your network can meet and mingle with each other, and ask them to bring new people into your network.

“Business networking is not just about what you do or how you do it,” says Caterina Rando, professional speaker, success coach, and author of Learn to Power Think. “It’s about building mutually beneficial relationships, helping each other overcome challenges, finding out what needs to be done, and doing it.”

Patricia Haddock is a communications and training consultant in San Francisco, and is the author of 11 books.

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How do individuals under duress approach family crises that require snap decision-making and a deeply informed knowledge base? Barbara Newman Mannix founded A Dignified Life LLC to serve as a research resource to help these families navigate tough decisions and evaluate all of their options in times of life transition. ADL is a unique company that advocates for families and relives their burdens with a wide range of support services in the medical, legal, and social services under one roof.

Mannix, a fomer Macy’s executive and mother of twins, was inspired to launch the company after her husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2006 and she observed so many others in distress.

From care for a parent or loved one to downsizing and relocation and legal planning, ADL offers both in-person and virtual consultations with people in crisis to implement an action plan. The team then connects families to carefully selected geriatric care managers, social workers, attorneys and benefits specialists. Families have turned to A Dignified Life to divest homes, establish a will or estate plan, apply for Medicaid, and stage interventions to arrange for care for loved ones with Alzheimer’s, among many other tumultuous and personal situations (see the company website for a comprehensive list of services).

“Baby boomers, despite the desire to provide the best care for their parents, often do not have the time or expertise to figure out how to plan for their parents’ elder years. They need somewhere to turn for practical, pragmatic, and sensitive advice. In times of uncertainty or crisis, how do they best sift through the maze of literature regarding health, financial, and human service programs?” prompts Mannix, who launched A Dignified Life after her own experience in dealing with her husband’s terminal diagnosis of cancer in 2006.

Adult children praise care managers like Mannix, who is particularly adept at helping families assess the health and safety needs of an aging parent. Mannix and her team can even play ‘bad cop,’ diminishing the role of the ‘nag’ often played by adult children, and act as the ‘voice of reason’ amidst what can sometimes be a complicated, albeit loving, family dynamic.

For more information visit www.adignifiedlife.com.

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Hawkins is the founder and chief executive officer of Evolutions Consulting, LLC, a business consulting boutique specializing in improving efficiencies, maximizing effectiveness, aligning strategies, promoting brand visibility and strengthening consumer engagement.

Having trouble adjusting to a new job or a difficult boss? Ready to make your side hustle your full time job? Get solutions now to your burning business issues in our new column, Shaunice Says.

Submit your questions to Shaunice at info [at] diversitywoman [dot] com.

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We asked Duncan for tips on how to better manage your workload and increase your productivity—and free time.

Stop procrastinating and take action. To reach your goals, put an action plan in place. Start with specific, measurable goals, and create deadlines, Duncan advises. “Say your goal is to get fit. Make one of your objectives something like ‘I will walk at least three miles three times a week.’”

Determine where your time goes. To jump-start your action plan, keep an “activity log” over several days to see how you spend your time and when you perform at your best. “Schedule the challenging tasks for times of day when you’ve got peak energy, and weed out the tasks that don’t help you reach your goals.”

Let Technology help. Streamline the paper clutter on your desk. Try personal- scheduling software that keeps a calendar, to-do lists, and phone and address books on your computer. But don’t get anything too complicated, Duncan warns. “The latest and greatest technology won’t help unless you know how to use it.”

Learn to say no. Turn off your cell phone and IM during non-office hours. When someone asks you to do something you don’t have time for, say so politely but firmly.

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Only one other Bengali woman works for my company, and we’d like to get together socially. But we wonder if we’d be viewed as separating ourselves. How can we connect without seeming to self-segregate?

Signed,

Socially (Self-)Conscious

Dear Socially (Self-)Conscious,

You might want to approach this by thinking about two types of socializing: private and public.

In your private socializing, you should feel free to get together with whomever you wish and not worry about what the “neighbors” think. This is your own time, and you deserve to be with the people you gravitate toward. If that means communing with your Bengali compatriot, it shouldn’t be a problem. So do as many dinners, barbecues, parties, evenings out, shopping trips, and the like as you want.

In your public socializing—by that, I mean anything company-related––you probably shouldn’t appear “glued” to one another. It’s fine to go out to lunch together once in a while, or chat now and then during the company holiday party. But make an effort to mingle with other co-workers on a regular basis. The point is to convey to others that you’re comfortable socializing with everyone. No one is likely to begrudge you your special bond with your Bengali friend—your co-workers would probably think it odd if you didn’t strike up a connection. But if she’s the only person you seem to be interested in, they’ll think you don’t want to talk to anyone else. They’ll be likely to respect that boundary, and then you’ll become isolated. That could have subtle negative repercussions for you on the job. DW

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While technically minded, that other side of her personality—the part that loved helping people—still needed to be fed, leading her to a career in computer training. She began working at a Radio Shack affiliate in Sri Lanka, and ultimately caught the attention of her company’s CEO. When he decided to launch a new start-up company in the U.S., Saman was one of just four employees he handpicked—and the only woman—to go.

Saman eventually founded her own firm, AIM Computer Training, ultimately building it to a multimillion-dollar global training program. She received Working Woman magazine’s Entrepreneurial Excellence Award for General Excellence and Innovative Solutions in 2000 and its Entrepreneurial Excellence Award for Customer Service in 2001. San Francisco Business Times named AIM Computer Training a Top 100 Women-Owned Company (six consecutive years) and a Fastest Growing Privately Held Company (three consecutive years). The company was acquired in 2004.

In 2006, Saman joined NorthPoint Financial Group as Executive Vice President, where she built and managed the company’s business development program. In 2008, she helped form a successful e-business concept for delivering analytics and investment ratings for residential real estate. One year later, a venture-funded company was spun off as SmartZip Inc.

Today, Saman is using her vast experience to help up-and-coming entrepreneurs navigate their way to success. She leads the Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses Coalition for Carly for California, and is also an advisor for Astia, a global not-for-profit whose mission is to foster the full participation of women in entrepreneurship and as accelerators of high-growth companies fueling innovation and driving economic growth

Diversity Woman: When you look back on your childhood in Sri Lanka, do you see any influences that might have helped you to become a successful entrepreneur?

SD: I was raised in a family of three girls and no boys. My dad was a military officer and he said, “I may have to go to war, so I need to teach these three girls to do everything independently.” So he sent me to karate classes when I was eight years old. I would play with my cousins and get beaten by the boys and come home crying. And my dad said, “Next time, you don’t come home crying. You hit them back.” And so next time, I did. (laughs) I think that was my first lesson in competing.

DW: How did you get interested in computers?
SD: I was actually studying to become a doctor. But in Sri Lanka, there’s an entrance exam to go to medical college, and for the life of me, I couldn’t pass it—three years in a row. I just don’t like sitting in one place and memorizing. I was getting really frustrated and was trying to figure out a way to get out of this.

Microcomputers were coming into the market, so my aunt said, “How about computers?” I had no idea what that meant. But I said, “Sure, sign me up!” That got me into technology. I studied and became a programmer and a systems analyst, and I did really well because math was a very natural thing for me. I just loved it.

DW: And then you began teaching others. How did that happen?

SD: I didn’t like just sitting in front of a computer to write programs, because I love people and I love helping. My family is almost all educators, so I think teaching is a natural thing for me.

I worked at Radio Shack, and I started studying software applications. Back then, just getting a call to the United States (for tech support) would take hours. There was no e-mail. I learned software applications, studying and troubleshooting on my own. Very soon, I became the expert internally on these software applications and then I started teaching internal staff.

I also started building a computer training school for children after work hours and on weekends. I was only 20 years old. I taught children computer programming languages by using a CPU with a keyboard, called a Sinclair computer, which you connected to a TV. I later developed it to an adult computer training center.

DW: What was your first career success?

SD: I was one of the first women to join Sales Support and Training, and I ended up building it into a profitable business unit.

I kept hearing from the executives of the company that this was a cost center that was eating into profits. The reason was that the support and training was bundled as part of the computer sale, not realizing and that you can’t commit to providing free support forever, because that’s going to eat in to your profits.

I established a policy that the customer would get training for the first 30 days or 60 days, but after that, if they hired new employees, they’d have to pay for the training. I couldn’t get the company to fund for me to hire trainers, so I recruited trainers from other departments who had a good understanding of the applications and had skills to train, and I had plenty of people signing up because I came up with a way to compensate the staff. I paid the staff from the profits. And once I proved the model, the executives said, “We see what you’re doing. You can hire (external) people.”

DW: How did you end up coming to the United States?

SD: Someone came to me and asked if I would teach our CEO to create spreadsheets using MultiPlan, the first menu-based spreadsheet application. The CEO was the first person to introduce microcomputers to Sri Lanka, so I was thrilled. I was this 22-year-old girl running around teaching computer applications. I studied very hard to be really good at it in a short timeframe and I taught him Multiplan. That created an opportunity for me to get to know him, and I made a good impression.

He was remodeling his home and was living in his vacation home, which was close to where I used to live. He would pass the bus stop every day during the remodeling. In Sri Lanka, there are hundreds of people running to the bus, and in all of these people, he spotted me, and he gave me a ride every day until his remodeling was completed. I had the opportunity to get to know him personally.

He wanted to start a software development company, and he transferred four of us to start this new startup venture in San Francisco. I was the only woman. In Sri Lanka, it’s unheard of for somebody at that age—22 or 23 years old—to move to U.S. to start a company. They don’t even leave their home until they get married. When somebody hires people at the early stage of a company, they want the best because they’re risking their money. He took a risk by selecting me, a young woman, to help build his startup.

I didn’t even know he was planning to start a company in the U.S. When they asked me if I would teach the CEO, I could have said, “No, it will take too much time. I have to study. It’s not within my 8 to 5.” Instead, I said sure. Going beyond what your (regular job requires) and taking on the challenge of teaching the CEO can really take you places.

DW: What was it like to move to a foreign country and launch a new company in your twenties? How did you make it work?

SD: It was a tremendous opportunity. We were launching an application, and my responsibility was to provide support and training to customers who purchased it. I was counting the days (until the release), but it was taking a lot longer than we anticipated, which is common in the software development world. The parent company in Sri Lanka was funding this venture, and if we ran out of money I would have to go back to Sri Lanka.

I told myself, “I’m not going back. I’m going to make this happen.” So I got contracts to provide training and support services to customers. We didn’t even have customers because we didn’t have a software application ready for consumer use. By providing training and support services for off-the-shelf software applications, I started generating revenue, and I single-handedly funded the company. The advice I give to entrepreneurs is to be determined, be innovative, and don’t quit.

Then the CEO came to me and said, “Well, it looks like you’ve mastered this. What do you think about starting a training company?” So while the software project was going on, I helped found a company called Training Alternatives (acquired by Heald College in 1992) to provide training and support services to corporate customers. I was training seven days a week to generate revenue to continue to fund the company and to have the opportunity to stay in the United States. I must have taught every PacBell and AT&T employee!

DW: You ultimately launched your own business, AIM Computer Training. What were the biggest challenges you faced?

SD: When you’re brand new, there are all of these established companies out there. How do you compete? That’s always a very difficult thing.

I made sure the company was credible. Image and experience was a big piece. You need to be able to tell the story and have a credible marketing presentation to ensure that people take you seriously.

DW: The tech industry is still fairly male dominated. Do you think being a woman has generally hurt you, helped you, or both?

SD: It was definitely difficult for me at both companies—Training Alternatives in the mid-’80s and then AIM Computer Training in the early ’90s—being a minority woman from Sri Lanka. Especially in the mid-’80s, there weren’t that many women in technology, and there definitely weren’t that many women from that part of the world. People would look at you like, “What the heck are you doing here?”

It takes determination. Also, you have to be really knowledgeable about what you’re doing so you can build credibility. You really have to prove yourself. It might take you four times as long to get from Point A to B.

But there are also many advantages for women, so I turned it around. I got my company certified as a woman-owned business and a minority-owned business, and I used that to build my initial customer base. It helped me bring in customers like PG&E and Cisco Systems, which was huge. Many companies now have supplier diversity programs. I didn’t necessarily have to use that throughout my career, but I did use it as a steppingstone.

DW: What is your philosophy of business?

SD: My underlying philosophy is that the world is so connected, and it’s really important that you continue to receive and give. If the receiving and giving doesn’t happen, it will come to an end. The more you get out there in the world, the more connections you make and more business you do. And that’s not just because you exchanged business cards. It’s because two people have connected beyond business interests. I strongly believe that if we keep helping each other in mind, then the pieces will come together.

DW: Is there an example that you can share?

SD: When I was 19 or 20 and trying to get my foot in the door in the computer field, I was working for an insurance company. I was taking microcomputer training classes and I passed as one of the top students. The company was outsourcing to the UK—developing software for the UK market—and I was chosen, so I went to the interview.

When I was working for this company, I made a connection with a lady in the lunchroom—much older than I was—and I was telling her that I was going to school in the evening. She was very impressed that I had a goal. She was very intrigued by how determined I was. I was excited and I told her about the interview.

The next time I saw her at lunch, she asked me what happened. I said, “I don’t think I got selected.” I was very disappointed.

She said, “Well, I didn’t want to tell you, but my brother heads that company. Let me make some calls.” I told her, “I don’t even want a salary. I just want to get my foot in the door to do something with computers. I just need little help to get in.” She called them and they arranged another interview. They said the reason they didn’t hire me was because they didn’t think I’d give up such a good salary to work as a trainee. That’s where I met the CEO who gave me the opportunity to come to the U.S., and look where it took me. It all started from that one connection in the lunchroom.

DW: Do you think that there’s anything in your Sri Lankan background that has shaped the way you do business?

SD: I think that when you’re an immigrant, you don’t take it for granted that everything is given to you on a silver platter. You know you have to really work hard for it.

I also think about everything from a cost-effective point of view. I am always thinking outside the box to make things happen instead of hiring so many people or spending so much money to get things done. I’m always thinking of alternatives—innovative methods to make things happen.

DW: A study just came out showing that, at tech companies in Silicon Valley, men are 2.7 times more likely to be promoted to high-ranking jobs. What advice would you give a woman who wants to succeed in tech?

SD: You need to be connected so you’ll know the people who can open the right doors for you. It takes effort and it has to be part of your day-to-day business life.

People often say, “Let’s get together for lunch,” and 98 percent of time, they don’t follow through. How in the world could you say something and not even bother to respond to an e-mail or to a phone call? Women are really good at making relationships, and we should take advantage of that. If you follow through, you’ll really shine.

Also, women tend to not think as big. The large corporations want you to think bigger, take risks, and have the courage to follow through. When I met my (then) fiancé, he had come from IBM and he always talked in millions, and I couldn’t comprehend it at that time. I remember telling my friends, “Everything he talked about was in millions.” I didn’t know that I would end up becoming a millionaire. (laughs)

DW: Now that you’ve sold your business, you’re helping other entrepreneurs who are just starting out. You’ve come full circle.

SD: I’ve opened a new chapter in my life. I’m doing a lot of volunteer work in entrepreneurship on a global level. I am consulting entrepreneurs for a fee or for equity as well as nonprofit work.

I’m involved with Astia, which helps women-founded and led companies get funding. I’m an advisor and I get calls all the time from people who want advice. I love working with entrepreneurs. It’s very satisfying and inspiring.

I had the greatest experience very recently. I was at the Plug and Play Tech Center. It’s an incubator in Silicon Valley. They bring in local and international entrepreneurs who want to learn and to get inspired by other entrepreneurs. They get exposure to VCs and get an opportunity to intern for tech companies. I got to interact with entrepreneurs from Indonesia, Singapore, Denmark, and China. I got the opportunity to tell my story. They were inspired. I had a long line of people waiting to talk to me.

A Silicon Valley leadership group had a program called Silicon Valley Leadership Summit 2010, and women executives shared their stories with young girls. More of these events need to take place, and we as women need to find the time to get involved to share our stories and inspire the younger generation.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS FROM SAMAN DIAS

• Never give up. “This requires hard work and determination. If you quit, no one will ever want to give you money to start a business.”

• Hone your competitive edge. “You have to like to compete in the business world and outside of the business world. I play tennis and I vigorously compete.”

• Have no fear. “I’m not embarrassed to make a fool of myself to learn something new or to take on a new challenge.”

• Think big. “This is something that comes very naturally to men. I’m sure Cisco and Google had a big idea when they started, even though they weren’t big at that time. If you don’t think big, you won’t be able to break into those big companies or raise funding in the venture capital world.”

• Connect and find ways to give. “Deepak Chopra says that in the cycle of giving and receiving, giving doesn’t just mean giving money. It means giving time, sharing your stories, and making an impact with little things. It could be just sharing a compliment. If everybody realized the power of giving, the outcome would be amazing.”

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Before long, the demands of doing it all alone caught up with her. Her boss reprimanded her for canceling meetings. She describes it as ‘a turning point conversation.’ “I realized that working that way didn’t serve me, or anyone else, well,” Bing says. “And it was starting to have a negative effect on my performance.”

Today Bing, who teaches leadership and management courses at New York University, views delegating differently. “Now, I think about where I could use help, and where this creates opportunity for others in terms of their skills development and expanding their network,” Bing says. “I don’t have to suffer in silence, and by sharing the work, I can help others, so I actively look for opportunities to 
do that.”

When delegating is done well, 
employees feel engaged and empowered to do meaningful work. Workplace performance improves, and productivity increases. Done well, delegating positively impacts the bottom line. For many managers and leaders, however, delegating gracefully seems to be an 
impossible task.

Barriers to successful delegation

Part of the reason so many of us find delegating difficult is because we don’t understand what it is, says Bing, who consults with managers and executives at Fortune 500 companies as the founder and president of Bing Consulting Group in Brooklyn, New York. “It’s not handing off your dirty work. It’s empowering others to develop their skills, and it’s a means of leveraging the talents of your team. You delegate well when you fully believe and recognize that the people around you add value to your work.”
Many long-held beliefs about the 
nature of work serve as barriers to effective delegation, says Bing. “The number one issue that gets in the way of delegating is the belief that if you want it done right, you must do it yourself.”

Other myths about delegating include the belief that delegating suggests you don’t know how to do the job or that 
asking for help is a sign of weakness. 
“Another misguided belief is that if I do it myself, I can maintain control and avoid mistakes,” Bing says. “Or perhaps you feel that others may not be as passionate or committed about the work as you are.
“When we start to understand in the broader sense what delegation really is, then it will start to help melt away some of the underlying fears we might harbor,” she explains.
Underlying beliefs about delegation that don’t serve us well should be discarded, she advises. “It’s a misguided perception that shared power reduces or diminishes one’s power as opposed to recognizing that sharing power 
actually expands one’s sphere of influence.”

The cultural divide

Cheryl Pearson-McNeil, senior vice president of communications and community affairs at the Nielsen Company, says that to delegate effectively, she has found that as a woman and a woman of color, she must monitor how she asks for help. “The tone in which you delegate is important, especially for black women. You don’t want to come across as being bossy, or you can end up being called a name that starts with a b, but is not bossy,” she says.
“I might say, ‘I’d really love your help on this,’ as opposed to ‘Do this,’” Pearson-McNeil explains, “or ‘I wish I had more time, but can you handle this project for me?’ Maybe I explain too much, but I don’t want people to feel like I’m dumping work on them.”

Linda Bates Parker, director of the University of Cincinnati’s Career Development Center and president and founder of Black Career Women, agrees that cultural biases related to race, gender, and ethnicity exist in the workplace between managers and subordinates. “For years, I’ve had to deal with having no one in my division who looked like me—an African American woman manager—and having employees who were not used to taking direction from someone like me. It felt different to them, and it was different—my style and leadership are going to be different. But I’m not a shy and retiring person, and so people have to get used to me,” Bates Parker says.

For Sylvia Lopez Navarro, marketing and retail manager for Fisker Automotive in Irvine, California, and vice president of the National Hispanic Business Women Association, being a Latina in an industry dominated by males can be challenging when it comes to delegating. “If I delegate something, the perception might be that I don’t have an interest in the project or can’t handle it,” she says.
Delegating became easier for Lopez 
Navarro after the birth of her son two years ago, when she suddenly realized that in order to be successful at home and at work, she simply couldn’t do it all herself. She had to ask for help, which has meant careful planning of projects and clearly communicating objectives and goals.

To help overcome cultural barriers to effective delegation, Kim-Yen Huynh, 
senior vice president of marketing at First Vietnamese American Bank in Westminster, California, and founder and president of the Asian American Women Business Association, advises women to believe in their own abilities as well as their capacity to be successful. “It doesn’t matter if you are black or yellow, if you do things right and demonstrate self-confidence, you will be looked at as a leader.”

Build a yellow brick road

Heather Herndon Wright, senior director of alliance relationships at the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council in Dallas, Texas, explains that being specific about desired outcomes is key to delegating effectively. Equally important is allowing her staff to achieve those outcomes in ways they believe are best.
“I frequently use the analogy, ‘Here we are, and there is the Emerald City. Build me a yellow brick road,’” she says. “It must be made of brick and they must be yellow, but I don’t mind if it’s curvy, straight, or triple decked, as long as it’s completed on time and meets the requirements I laid out.” Bates Parker says those delegating must know their staff well. “Try to 
connect tasks to roles, interests, and 
capabilities. I believe very much in respecting and valuing the different talents that people bring to a work environment.
“It also might be a ‘stretch opportunity,’” she adds. “It may not be something that they have demonstrated task capability in, but you view them as ready for professional growth and ready to take on job responsibility
outside their comfort zone.”

Bing says the first step to delegating gracefully is to get clear about what you want the outcome of the project to be. Next, identify the elements or features that need to happen in order to achieve outcomes. Also think about who around has the requisite skills, talents, and knowledge. Finally, outline the milestones or indicators that you will use to track progress.
As Bing explains, “No one of us, no matter how skilled and talented we are, can do it all. Nobody shows up fully loaded. If you’re not delegating, you’re not managing, and the costs to the manager personally, as well as to the business, are 
exponential.”

Catherine Crawley, Ph.D, is the founder of Crawley Communications & Research, which provides editorial content and research services to individuals and corporations. Visit her website at 
www.crawleycommunications.com.

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Knowing which products will work best for different markets hasn’t been the biggest challenge for this New York City–area native, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in engineering, then earned an MBA in Georgia while working for Dupont. Instead, the 49-year-old Stern has gotten a crash course in the Chinese philosophy of Confucianism, and a hands-on lesson in the art of tailoring—not of pants, but of messages. Diversity Woman asked how she adapted to a corporate culture that often dismisses some of the qualities that American executives prize most.

Diversity Woman: What were your 
preconceived notions about joining a 
Korean company?
Ria Stern: I was recruited by an American ex-boss who went to work for Hyosung. I knew the Koreans had a strong work ethic, which was fine by me, but I outlined some of the issues I was concerned about. I even amended my contract so that I could work four days instead of five if I wanted to. It wasn’t until I got here that I realized the complexities of working with Koreans.

DW: What were those complexities?
RS: I didn’t think language would be such a huge issue, but it can be. It’s not that my colleagues in Korea don’t speak English—they can read an e-mail and respond—but you often can’t have a conversation about a new product, so you do it via e-mail.

DW: How does the work culture differ?
RS: Korean culture and life are heavily influenced by Confucianism, which has influenced the work environment in two big ways. The society is very patriarchal, so there are not a lot of women on the Korean side of the company. In many cases, other than the translator, I might be the only woman on a conference call. The society is also extremely hierarchical—Confucianism has such respect for 
authority, which drives that overall need for harmony. It’s disrespectful, rude, to challenge your boss. If the boss asks you to do something by tomorrow, you do it.

DW: Doesn’t that get frustrating?
RS: I think they’ve had to get used to me, and I’ve had to get used to them. I 
remember doing things like this at Dupont—how I talked to someone in the South a little differently from the way I talked to someone in New York City. You can’t be too aggressive, too straightforward. With the Koreans, they’re very much about not losing face. You don’t challenge people and make them feel like they’re wrong or didn’t understand. And some people in the U.S. can be that way, too. The only difference now is you add 60,000 miles, a language barrier, and the cultural things on top of that.

DW: Can’t you have creative differences?
RS: We don’t have those kinds of disagreements—my peers in Korea tend to defer to me. They recognize that it’s a language thing—they can’t argue with me in English. They also sometimes ask me to send them a note that they can then take to their respective group president, because they know that when I say something is not a good idea, the group president may listen to me more to them. He knows there’s value in a different perspective.

DW: To what extent have you come around to their way of doing business?
RS: When you look at the history of 
Korea, they have made tremendous strides, given that they were occupied by Japan for decades, had a low GDP, and no natural resources. But thanks to companies such as LG, Samsung, and Hyosung, they have 
accomplished a tremendous amount.

And their competitive framework will continue to become more aggressive. I’ve had conversations with my Korean colleagues about what they think the future will look like, and the answer I get is that some companies are becoming more progressive. If you look at the evolution of certain American companies, they value 
diversity in thinking: for instance, high-tech companies that say they never know where the next great idea will come from—the intern, the mail room clerk, the VP of programming. We need to capitalize on 
that kind of diverse thinking power of 
all our employees to constantly increase 
our competitive advantage.

DW: What has been the upside for you?
RS: It’s been an amazing learning experience. As my Korean colleagues and I have worked more together, we share stories about our lives. With one man I work with, his English has improved so dramatically that we can now tell jokes. Another colleague has kids, and we laugh about 
how they’re both into princess clothes. DW

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When Catherine Fisher Collins, Ph.D, enters her academic office at the State University of New York’s Empire State College for the day, she instantly calms her spirits by clicking one switch that turns on the room’s purposely soft lighting, the radio tuned to her favorite jazz station, and the electronic picture frame on her desk, which automatically cycles uplifting images of African American children. She’s an expert on the stressors that a woman of color can face—in the workplace, in social circles, at home—and the remedies. Best of all, she follows her own advice.

“Like so many women of color, I wear many hats—professional, mom, sister, grandmother, cook, chauffeur, volunteer, professor, scholar, club member, and author,” says Collins, who’s an associate professor, member of the Buffalo Board of Education, and author of Sources of Stress and Relief for African American Women. “Every hat a woman of color wears has the potential to create stress, and she must be prepared to handle it.”

Creating a comforting ambiance in the various spaces Collins occupies is just one of many de-stressing strategies she employs over the course of any given day. And little wonder: Like many of her peers of color, she confronts many of the same hassles of office politics and crises in confidence, the same acts of covert and overt discrimination that white women endure plus the “double whammy” of race-related pressures.

Even in today’s so-called enlightened age, she contends, many professional women of color work hard to maintain their sense of self and competence in settings where they may bear the isolation of being the only, or one of a few, of their ethnicity on the job, or may suffer disparity in pay from their white counterparts, male or female. The glass ceiling that hampers white females in the workplace has been described as a “concrete ceiling” for too many women of color, one that can be more difficult to penetrate or get a clear view of the corner office.

It’s enough to get on your last nerve, but take heart. According to Collins, you can choose from among plenty of “fortifying behaviors” that can help bolster your sense of well-being and ease your state of mind. Here’s a sampling of what she and other experts recommend.

Get moving

Exercise is a natural stress-buster, so take your pick of ways to get physical: jog before or after work, take a walk on your lunch hour, play badminton, go salsa dancing, every chance you get. To make sure your workout is a regular occurrence and not simply a good intention, schedule it just as you do other essential activities. Collins says she loves to go for a stroll—outdoors or on a treadmill while watching the evening news—and encourages folks to take things a step further and try skipping. “It’s fun to skip and take your mind off some of the craziness you have to endure,” she says, suggesting that intervals of the novel exercise can break up the monotony, and energize walking or jogging regimens.

“Every time I skip, I go back to Pratt Street [where she grew up]. I can visualize my family’s home and think about some of the kids who were with me. It is a distinct mood lifter.” Collins is also big on line dancing, and travels to national line-dancing confabs. Dancing is “African American women’s favorite pastime,” she says. “Dancing also helps to connect us to ourselves [and others] and, as such, relieves loneliness, and shields us from depression.”

Bliss out

Among the endless possibilities: soothing baths after work, trips to a spa for a sauna or massage, curling up with inspirational reading. Another option: Try setting aside one night a week for relaxation. Collins suggests declaring certain evenings off-limits to your kids so you and your spouse can have uninterrupted time alone. Soothe your soul by listening to your favorite music; better yet, get into the act yourself and sing along in the shower or in your car on the way to work.

Simplify and 
prioritize

If youíre already booked up, “just say no” can be an apt modus operandi—whether your child’s teacher is recruiting field-trip coordinators, or your co-worker wants you to take on added responsibilities. While you’re at it, try saying “no” to taking work home. Protect the freedom of your days off by doing laundry on weeknights, batching errands, even rethinking your cleaning standards. (Does that closet really need immediate straightening?)

Keep a journal

Use a daily diary to help identify stressors (including interactions with co-workers or clients), express your feelings, and document your progress in stress management.

Network and 
debrief

Women are more likely than men to leverage their social network as a tool for de-stressing, researchers say. So those nights out with your friends not only are big fun, but can be downright therapeutic. Ditto for time spent in sororities, community organizations, cultural associations, churches, mosques, book clubs—whatever allows you to nurture your authentic self.

Journey inward

Everything from guided imagery and biofeedback, to yoga and deep-breathing relaxation techniques can do the trick. Collins credits her daily practice of meditation and prayer with getting her through life’s challenges, including the period when she simultaneously 
managed to write her stress book, assist her son with college applications, and care for her mother, who was ill with cancer.
Today’s high demand for stress relief has inspired a rich supply of resources: books, CDs, workshops, scads of internet info; so take advantage of the bounty. Know that stress relief isn’t a one-shot deal. It’s a continuous (read: lifelong) process. It also isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition, and some things simply take practice.

Mindful Health
Herbert Benson, MD, author of The Relaxation Response, is a pioneer in the field of mind/body medicine, and conducted seminal research at the Harvard University Medical School that helped popularize meditation and mindfulness-based stress reduction in the United States.Here’s a generic technique for deep relaxation that is taught at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital:

Start by picking a focus phrase, word, or prayer that is firmly rooted in your belief system [such as ‘one’ or ‘peace’]. Sit quietly in a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Relax your muscles, progressing from your feet to your calves, thighs, abdomen, shoulders, head, and neck. Breathe slowly and naturally, and as you exhale, say your focus word, sound, phrase, or prayer silently to yourself. Assume a passive attitude. Don’t worry about how well you’re doing. When other thoughts come to mind, simply say to yourself, “Oh well,” and gently return to your repetition. Continue for 10 to 20 minutes. Do not stand immediately. Continue sitting quietly for a minute or so, allowing other thoughts to return. Then open your eyes and sit for another minute before rising. Practice the technique once or twice daily. Good times to do so are before breakfast and before dinner. DW

Angela Noel is an editor and writer who works for a Bay Area publisher. She lives in Oakland, California, and is the mother of two daughters.

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Known for her sense of personal style, Lopez paired with Andy Hilfiger (Tommy’s brother) to found Sweetface Fashion in 2001. Sweetface was the holding company that produced lines of women’s clothing, jewelry, footwear, intimate apparel, and fragrances that bear the star’s nickname, J.Lo. and were sold through department stores and the Internet (www.sweetface.com). In June 2004, Sweetface Fashion opened the first freestanding J.Lo store in the Crocus City Mall in Moscow. The brands were sold in more than nine countries, with licensed products being marketed in more than forty. Though Sweetface went on hiatus in June of 2009, it did as much as $200 million in retail sales in its heyday.

Don’t feel too badly for Lopez, though; her JLO costue jewlery line is still sold in Macy’s, Victoria’s Secret catalogue continues to carry the brand’s footwear collection, and her company’s fragrances do quite well. To date six scents have been launched with Coty, and a seventh is due to be introduced this year.

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