Ignite Ambition

How women can inspire other women

(Family Features) Having “it all” is a concept women have discussed and aspired to attain for nearly 40 years. Still, the conversation continues because no one has determined what having it all actually means.

A first-of-its-kind social experiment dug deeper into the choices women make in life and uncovered that female relationships often play a significant role. In collaboration with Dr. Emily Balcetis, Associate Professor of Psychology at New York University, Lean Cuisine asked women to define their “ideal life,” as part of the ItAll social experiment.

The experience explored how women answered questions alone versus in the presence of other women in their lives. The results showed that women help each other set a higher bar for themselves. In fact, 89 percent of women set more ambitious goals in the presence of other women.

Despite societal stereotypes that suggest female relationships encourage anxiety, pressure and judgment, this experiment determined that women have a positive impact on other women as an engine for ambition.

“We rarely talk about the positive power of female relationships that we saw firsthand in the ItAll experiment,” Balcetis said. “Women can encourage each other to shoot for more where it matters most, rather than working to accomplish something less fulfilling only because society says they should. Women have a truly unique way of inspiring each other to reach their own greatest potential.”

Balcetis offers these tips, which were observed during the ItAll social experiment, to support women aspiring to be the best versions of themselves:

Be a Role Model
Allowing a woman to observe and model your performance, whether in your personal or professional life, is an opportunity to give someone the courage and confidence to excel in her own right. A role model can set standards for an aspiring woman to work toward, while proving that certain goals are, in fact, attainable.

Provide Encouragement
Take stock of the women in your life, including family, friends and social and professional acquaintances. Consider where you may be able to lend support or nudge someone into higher aspirations. It might mean encouraging someone to set or achieve a certain goal, or it may mean challenging someone to take a leap, like applying for a challenging new position.

For example, the ItAll experiment first surveyed female participants individually then allowed them to express their aspirations in the presence of familiar, influential women in their lives. Life choices became less conservative when others were involved. For example, participants declared a desire for higher salaries, chose to work more hours, wanted to spend more time with friends and be more involved with children.

Start a Conversation
It’s been said that variety is the spice of life, and no place is that truer than among women working to define their own ambitions. Engage with women from different backgrounds and start important conversations that may open your eyes to unique experiences or viewpoints you hadn’t previously considered. Arming yourself with that kind of knowledge can help make your own path clearer and encourage others to be a positive force for change.

Learn more about the social experiment and discover ideas to spur ambition for your own life at youtube.com/leancuisine.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images (women talking)

Make Working from Home Productive and Liberating

(Family Features) Working from home is a reality for a fast-growing portion of American workers. It can add flexibility, drive higher productivity and reduce company costs related to maintaining physical facilities.

However, it also comes with challenges. If you have worked from home, you have most likely encountered issues collaborating and communicating with colleagues in multiple locations. While there are multiple technologies aimed at helping remote workers and increasing their productivity, they can at times thwart it.

All too familiar with productivity, remote working woes and how to address it, CyberLink created U, a collaboration tool that integrates online presentations, video meetings and instant messaging whether working remote or down the hall from one another.

“It’s a place to hold online meetings, have presentations and chat with your colleagues that doesn’t come with the messy installation fuss and technical errors associated with other options out there,” said Richard Carriere, CyberLink’s general manager and senior vice president of global marketing. “It brings the best of social media, such as emojis, ease of use and the flexibility to have impromptu interactions, to a business environment, in a unique way that heightens communication and collaboration across users.”

According to commissioned research by polling firm YouGov, nearly half (43 percent) of U.S. office workers think it’s harder for remote workers to be seen in the workplace than non-remote workers. Office workers think it’s twice as difficult, when working remotely, to make strong relationships with bosses and coworkers while collaborating effectively. In fact, 1 in 6 think remote workers are less valued by the company, more than 1 in 3 think remote workers miss out on office culture and 1 in 5 think they get promoted less often.

There are also technical difficulties workers can encounter when using the technology solutions of the past. Of office workers who said disruptions and working with a solution that’s incompatible with the demands of a remote workforce today had impacted their work, the most prominent included:

• Nearly half (42 percent) have misinterpreted the tone of written communication (email, instant messaging, etc.) 
• Nearly half (40 percent) said an important call had been dropped
• 1 in 3 (31 percent) have been late to or missed a meeting because of a tech failure and a nearly one-quarter (22 percent) because it was too complicated to join
• More than one-quarter (28 percent) have used the wrong version of a document
• About 1 in 4 (23 percent) said an important video meeting had dropped
• 1 in 5 (21 percent) mistakenly “replied all” to an email

To help address these issues and others, all of U’s offerings create virtual counterparts to in-person scenarios, in turn allowing workplace culture, creativity and dialogue to resonate beyond the physical workplace and to all workers, despite location. Learn more at u.cyberlink.com .

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

A Top-Ranked Job Choice

Work-life balance, financial reward key factors for dentists

(Family Features) Figuring out the perfect career fit is a highly personal decision. One job, however, seems to stand out for offering both financial reward and work-life balance: dentist. In fact, year after year, U.S. News & World Report has identified it as the No. 1 job.

There are numerous variables that define a “great” job. Some people are motivated financially, while others prioritize work-life balance. The dental field offers both of these benefits and more.

Flexible location. Dentists are needed virtually everywhere. In fact, hundreds of counties across the country are known as a “dental deserts,” meaning they have been classified as a dental health professional shortage area by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Support systems. Many new dentists are surprised by how much of their workload involves tasks outside their area of expertise and interest. However, dental support organizations like Aspen Dental Management, Inc. help dentists with front-office support, staffing, marketing and other non-clinical tasks so dentists can focus on patient care. This approach helps to ensure dentists are also able to develop their careers and pursue practice ownership, all while maintaining a positive work-life balance. Learn more at AspenDentalJobs.com.

Salary and stature. Years of training tend to pay off for dentists. The average salary for a dentist is $173,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Dentists also tend to command respect for their expertise due to their education and training, similar to others in the medical field.

Community service. Because oral health is a critical part of overall health, dentists are directly contributing to an improved quality of life in their communities. This is especially true of those who are part of a dental support organization like Aspen Dental Management, Inc. that gives dentists and team members an opportunity to provide free dental care to veterans through its Healthy Mouth Movement. These dentists are also able to increase the amount of time they deliver dental services and at lower prices, thereby improving access to dental care to wider segments of the communities in which they practice.

Independence. Dental practices, including those supported by a dental support organization, are often operated by either a single dentist or small group of dentists, which allows them flexibility and autonomy.

Gender parity. Prior to 1980, women comprised less than 3 percent of all dentists, according to research published in Dental Economics. Today, women represent 27 percent of the industry, and this shift is quickly becoming more pronounced as almost half of all recent dental school graduates are female, according to the American Dental Association. In fact, 40 percent of dentists at Aspen Dental-branded practices are women.

Considering that most people spend the majority of every week at work, it’s important to find the right mix for fulfillment that goes beyond a paycheck, and the benefits for dentists who are part of dental support organizations can lead to greater potential job satisfaction.