On May 2, 2013, at the age of 82, Warren Buffett sent his first tweet, “Warren is in the house.”  He did so publicly, in the middle of a live-streaming interview with Fortune’s Patricia Sellers.  The discussion, titled “Women, Work & Other Wisdom” was the first of its kind, a social interview conversation to discuss his views on women in the workforce.

The interview came as a follow-up to his essay, “Warren Buffett is bullish…on women,” published earlier that day online by Fortune Magazine. Per Mr. Buffett, the essay is a response to a lot of the ideas he had, some of which were sparked by Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In: Women, Work & the Will to Lead.  In his essay, Mr. Buffett acknowledges society’s role in denying women with equal opportunities in the workforce, but also says that it is important for women to stop imposing limitations on themselves.  He muses that since thus far, America has only utilized 50% of its workforce, he can only imagine how far we can go if we utilized 100% of our human capacity.

Warren Buffett’s Fortune interview was followed a few days later with another, this time with Levo League co-founder, Caroline Ghosn.  Both were especially great to watch.  There were so many nuggets of wisdom, but here are a few that resonated most with me, none of which are gender specific.

Why Failure Isn’t So Bad

Towards the end of the Levo interview, Mr. Buffett told the story of taking a 10-hour train ride to Chicago to interview for Harvard Business School, where he was promptly turned down in the span of 10 minutes. One of his biggest concerns as he turned around to take the 10-hour trip back, was wondering how he would tell his dad, who had always told him he could do anything.

Looking back, he can see that everything worked out for the best.  He went to Columbia where he met Ben Graham, and then his wife, two of the most important people in shaping his life and career (more here).
Mr Buffett said,

If you fail, you really do [have to] dust yourself off and get right back in…Almost everything that looked like a failure turned into success…always remember, the world isn’t over yet.

Failure is a hard pill to swallow, but it is important to not give up, as it is many times just a stepping stone to something better, and what is meant to be.

Why Passion Is So Important

Passion is a theme throughout all interviews with Warren Buffett.  He does not believe in taking jobs just to build a resume, or working hard just to make money.  Work-Life balance is not an issue for him because he enjoys work or “getting to paint his canvas everyday.”  

For example, he has always been a voracious reader, reading all the investment books in his local library by the age of 11.  Mr. Buffett still reads 5-6 hours a day, not because he has to – but because he is passionate about the topics, and that is no doubt one reason he is so successful in choosing investments.  Moral of the story? Do what you love!

On the Meaning of Success

For more impatient readers, fast-forward to 7:07 in the video below where Warren Buffett is asked how he would define success.  Surprise – it’s not about money or power.  It’s about having the love and respect of the people that matter most to you.

You can have all the money in the world. You can have buildings named after you, hospital wings, whatever it may be…[but] unless you have people that really care about you, you’re not a success.

Enough said.  After you’ve had a chance to watch the full interview below, let me know what you think. What are YOUR biggest takeaways?

Wait…there’s more!

Feeling inspired?  Can’t get enough of Mr. Buffett’s wisdom?  If so, here is a link to the Levo interview and also to a few of my favorite articles on him and his anectdotes and life lessons.  Enjoy!

Levo League Interview - Caroline did a wonderful job interviewing Mr. Buffett – they both claimed to be introverts, but you wouldn’t know it from the way they seemed to connect so easily, and make the conversation flow so well.

5 Lessons From Warren Buffett’s Office Hours, Drake Baer, Fast Company – More great lessons here, especially about confidence and the importance of overcoming the fear of public speaking.

Say No To the Funhouse Mirror, Jesse Draper, Forbes – Read this article to really understand what the “funhouse mirror” is and how to start looking at your abilities realistically.  I also love how Jesse mentions Mr. Buffett’s answer to the classic question “If you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive, who would it be…?”

20 Uncommon Lessons from My Weekend with Warren Buffett, Scott Dinsmore, Live Your Legend – This is from last year, but just as relevant today.  Print it out and read it on your commute if you have must, but it is not to be missed.

How To Find And Do Work You Love, Scott Dinsmore, TEDx – This is an inspiring talk in its own right, but I add this link here because of a piece of Buffett wisdom that Scott shares near the beginning of the talk, one that completely changed the course of his career.

The post Warren (Buffett!) Is in the House. appeared first on Career Girl Network.

Every now and then, you find a man who is willing to stand up to change the world for….women and girls. Richard Branson is one of those men, and his recent column for Entrepreneur addresses the lack of women in the boardroom head on. Read the whole thing by clicking here, but we’re also linking a few of our favorite excerpts below.

Seventy percent of household purchasing decisions are made by women, according to the Boston Consulting Group. Those decisions are not just about grocery lists or kids’ clothes — women also choose big ticket items such as cars and vacations. So, if 50 percent of the staff at a company is female, and women drive 70 percent of the buying decisions for its products, what possible rationale can senior management have for leaving women out of the corporate decision-making process?

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If you are looking to increase the number of women in leadership positions at your company, you might start by considering what opportunities female employees have for career advancement, and what barriers they may be encountering. Ask women from every area of your company about their experiences and for their advice.

Thanks, Richard, for being a man who truly, truly gets it!

The post Richard Branson Says “We Need More Women in the Boardroom” appeared first on Career Girl Network.

Sure, your school may have had the best celebrity graduation speaker ever, but are they really the best source of advice. What about turning to those lesser recognized, but often just as influential characters in your college or B-school experience? The deans! Forbes has taken the advice of just those individuals, Directors and Deans of some of the best B-schools in the nation and asked them their advice for 2012 grads – advice that is easily applicable in all of our careers.

My favorite piece of B-school Dean advice from this article are below:

Bob Bruner, Dean of Darden School of Business : I wish you all moral courage to get after the problems that really matter, whether they be in your companies, your communities, or your nations.

Nick Barniville, MBA Programme Director at ESMT: Think of how you would like to be remembered and work backwards.

Philippe Oster, MBA Admissions Director at HEC Paris: Use social media with social grace. Such online platforms are likely to play an ever greater role in your professional life, but remember to go beyond the formulaic and standardized messages that Linkedin and others have written for you. Reach out in a personal way, that shows commitment and real interest. After all, would you approach somebody at a dinner party or a conference and say by way of introduction “I would like to add you to my professional network.”

Read the rest of the advice by clicking here. It’s worth your time.

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What separated Steve Jobs from other CEOs and startup leaders? There are millions of answers to this question. Perhaps it was his sheer will, relentless ambition or bold determination. August Turak, Forbes Contributor, contends that what truly set Jobs apart – both in the beginning of the Apple corporation and throughout their successful run – was his incredible and dominating communication skills. We’ve heard stories of Jobs berating and yelling at employees, not always the best boss, but we’ve also been regaled by accounts of his amazing ability to communicate with potential investors and the media was second to none.

August Turak says in his article “Steve Jobs and MTV: Nine Steps to All the Power You’ll Ever Need”, “I still get goose bumps when I recall the story that a young Steve Jobs used in the early 80s to lure John Scully away from his heir apparent position at Pepsi: “It all comes down to this. Do you want to spend the rest of your life peddling sugar water to little kids or come to Apple and change the world?” This two sentence story isn’t a business case. It turns Jobs into a prophet offering Scully a mission from God.”

What Jobs knew how to do, probably better than any businessman in recent history, was tell a story. Your story tells the truth about your work, your mission, your vision, and your goals. Your story compells investors, shoppers, friends, colleagues, employees. It makes them want to work hard for you, for your business, and for your mission. So what’s the secret to telling great stories? Turak gives us 9 phenomenal tips in his article at Forbes. Check it out now by clicking here.

And while you’re at it, take some time today to tell your own story. How can you implement your own storytelling in your career today?

• Update your LinkedIn profile. Let LinkedIn tell a story about you, not just the timeline of your employment. Use the “Summary” section to introduce your story, and recommendations to support its findings.
• Write a killer bio. Even if you’re not a writer, a speaker, or a public figure, you should have a kick-ass bio that explains exactly what your story is; your history, your passions, your future.

More tips at Forbes.com, check it out now and follow in the footsteps of Steve Jobs, amazing storyteller.

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On Monday, a new profile of Rahm Emanuel hit stands in the pages of Michigan Avenue Magazine. Editor Susanna Negovan calls this issue her “crowning achievement as an editor.” Together with her husband and WGN Anchor/Reporter Tom Negovan, Negovan and Michigan Avenue have given us a true personal profile of the sometimes controversial and always opinionated Mayor Emanuel.

In his conversations with Negovan, Mayor Emanuel talks openly about his focus on getting things done quickly. He says, “I’m driven by, to quote Dr. Martin Luther King and his speech on the Mall, the ‘fierce urgency of now.’ I cannot wait another year and allow a child to be caught in a school system that for five years running has been on the watch list with no prospect of getting off it.” It’s a fantastic piece to choose from the famed MLK speech – the “fierce urgency of now.” What a phenomenal idea.

Inspired by the Michigan Avenue cover story and Rahm’s passion for his job and for Chicago, I too will work to be driven by the “fierce urgency of now.” Will you? What can you do today…..not next week, next month or next year….to change your world, your career, your company? Do it. With the urgency of today behind you.

Click here to read Tom Negovan’s full profile of Rahm Emanuel at Michigan Avenue Magazine’s site. On newsstands today.

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Getting one-on-one time with executives is a treat for any young man or woman. For years, I’ve attended any panel discussion, speech, and networking opportunity I could that featured high powered executives just to get the tidbits of advice only the corner office can provide. That’s why I was so excited when I found this article from Business Insider where “Executives Share The Best Advice They Ever Received.” From Google to Facebook to Citigroup, Business Insider has compiled some phenomenal quotes from executives to share with us their “best advice.”

My favorite? Richard Parsons, former chairman of Citigroup. His best piece of advice came from Steve Ross, who said, “Just remember, it’s a small business and a long life. You’re going to see all these people again.” Advice that rings true in any industry. Be careful who you cross, because you’ll absolutely cross their paths again.

Read 21 other executives’ best pieces of advice at Business Insider by clicking here. It’s worth it!

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We here at Career Girl Network don’t generally post advice from the male persuasion. But this was too good not to share.

Last night, while catching up on “The Apprentice”, one of the contestants won a meeting with famed hotel developer (often called the King of Hotels) Barry Sternlicht, the founder of Starwood Properties. And Mr. Sternlicht said something that made me sit straight up in my seat and smile.

Talk about a breakthrough moment, an a-ha statement. And it goes back to my own personal mantra, one that came from my father. I may not be the prettiest, I may not be the smartest, but damnit, I will always be the hardest working. Maybe hard work isn’t the key, though. Maybe perseverance is. I don’t have to be a natural genius to succeed, I don’t have to be the smartest one in the room. I simple have to persevere, always. And that, my friends, I know I can do.

I’ll take Mr. Sternlicht’s words with me as I journey through my career. I will persevere…and hopefully someone will think I’m a genius.

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