UK Stylist magazine’s editorial director, Lisa Smosarksi, recently shared some bites of career wisdom that resonated here with us at The Jolt.
First, because she brought a strong female perspective to career advice, and second, because she was the former editor of teen-music magazine, Smash Hits, which, back in the day, was the UK’s hot-bed of everything in the known music universe.
Here are her Jolts of wisdom for your weekend perusal:
You Will Never Stop Learning. As a self-confessed bulldozer in her early working life, Lisa learnt that her fear of not knowing everything, was creating barriers with her colleagues and team. She had to be right and she had to be in control. So much so, that a boss sat her down and told her to loosen up or fail: to ask for help, drop her guard and be an ally to her team. Ironically, as soon as she did, she became better at her job, a better writer and editor, teammate and manager. She got out of her bulldozer and stopped to listen. Everything fell into place.
Nobody Enjoys Asking For A Pay Rise. As Lisa says, women are led to believe that their inability to ask for better pay is the cause of their financial downfall. She believes that blaming women for a lack of pay parity is a handy way to avoid the real causes of the gender pay gap, because everyone is uncomfortable around money discussions. Make a commitment to ask for what you are worth - and be ready to say no.
Find Your Work Village. Lisa spent decades with famous people, but the only thing she envied about their lives was their village, the people who were championing them, who were as vested in their success as they are. Find mentors, sponsors and peers who have your back, and then return the favor. She got to where she is today because of her village.
Adopt A Yes Mindset. Fighting the instinct to run with comfort over opportunity is key. Saying “Yes” opens doors. It stops you being the naysayer and minimizes a heap of sins we unconsciously commit at work. Yes brings experiences you could never imagine. Say yes as much as you can!
The themes Lisa talks about are the themes we’ve written about a lot at The Jolt.
These themes don’t rely on technical skills, but skills we can all adopt and use in whatever job, in whatever industry, and at whatever level we’re at.
They’re like balloons. Give them some air, and you’ll fly.
Go smash it!
Love The Jolt.
Nice to hear about Lisa’s backstory