Soft skills

My Employer, Silicon Valley Bank, Collapsed Overnight – Now What?

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A week ago, everything fell apart for Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) – the 16th largest bank in the US, and my employer for two and a half year.  I was busy planning our team offsite a week ago.  Now we are in a whole new reality for all 8500 employees – the threat of permanent extinction.

  • I had to cancel the team offsite of course.
  • SVB no longer exists and the parent company filed for bankruptcy
  • Our office locations are all closed ‘temporarily’ but may actually be permanent.  who knows?
  • We are now employed by the bridge bank SVBB, Silicon Valley Bridge Bank, with a new CEO and we have been working like mad helping our clients access their money.
  • We are faced with 3 options that are from okay to ugly – stay independent as a much smaller bank, get acquired by a big players, or close our doors forever.

Only time can tell what will happen next! ...  read more

How to Present Well to Executives – 7 Tips and Examples

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presentation-tips-7-tips-for-presenting-to-executives

If you want to succeed, you need to learn how to present well to executives.  It is an essential soft skill to  master over time as you progress in your career.   Presenting to executives can be a high-stakes situation, but with the right preparation and delivery, you can make a strong impression and achieve your goals. Here are 7 tips with  examples to help you present to executives effectively. ...  read more

Should You Ask for a Salary Increase – Ask Yourself 3 Questions

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It’s nearly year end.  It’s time for self-evaluation and year end reviews.  It may also be a good time to ask for a salary increase from your manager.   However should you do it?   The best way to determine if you should do it is ask yourself 3 questions

Which 3 Questions?

Question 1 – Do you have a good way to describe what you do today and how you contribute to your team or the company’s bottom line? ...  read more

How to Increase Your Happiness – Let Go of the Outcome

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As an overachiever for many years, I used to only have conditional happiness.   “I will be happy when x, y, z happens”    Sound familiar?   It’s the most detrimental line of thinking and one that had fleeting happiness.   It was my husband that helped me realize that I can decouple my happiness from my achievements or things that happen outside my control. ...  read more

Do You Work to Live or Live to Work – Answer These 10 Questions

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work to live

When I ask this question “do you work to live or live to work?  You may say, “I work to live.”  However are your actions and decision consistent with this response?  Below are 10 questions you can ask yourself to find out if you truly work to live.

Why the Answer to This Question is Not Simple

I think society has taught us – “To be happy we should work to live and not live to work.” as no one on their death bead ever regrets not working enough.   As a result, whenever anyone is asked this question, very few would ever admit that they live to work.  It’s just not as cool.   Our quick answer that “I work to live” actually means – “I want to work to live.  I don’t want to live to work as life is too short. ” ...  read more