SIMMA QUOTED ON WORKPLACE ISSUES
SIMMA QUOTED ON LIFE WORK BALANCE
SIMMA ON DIVERSITY
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7-Eleven Shows Ethnic Pride.
Human Resources Executive, March 2003.
Simma explains how 7-Eleven's innovated approach to diversity differs
from traditional approaches.
Excerpt: This kind of approach,
in which differences are valued and utilized, is not the way most
organizations have historically managed diversity, according to Simma
Lieberman, president of Lieberman Associates, an Albany, Calif.-based
consulting group specializing in diversity and gender communications.
Failing to recognize that differences could be beneficial to the
organization, she says, companies typically have stressed sameness and
focused their efforts on helping people tolerate differences, rather
than leveraging them for the overall good of the business.
"They wouldn't look at a situation and say, 'We have all these people
from different cultures with different perspectives; how can we use
the differences they bring to the organization to help us achieve our
goals?' They weren't being strategic," says Lieberman, who is also the
co-author, with Kate Berardo and George Simons, of "Putting Diversity
to Work."
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- Embracing the Rising Sun.
FastCompany, 2004 Fast 50 Entrant Leader.
Simma comments on the strategies used by Craig Smith, CEO of Nakano
Foods, Inc. to bridge cultural differences while working with the
Japanese.Excerpt: Unlike many other companies that do
business internationally, Craig took the time to understand the
culture of the organization and was able to use what he learned to
build a workable business strategy that turned this company around. I
can see that his strategy is designed to create ongoing results and
not just to be the flavor of the month. Unfortunately many US
companies still don't understand the importance of not imposing our
own ethnocentrism in working cross culturally. As a diversity
consultant and author, I can say that Craig Smith is a model leader
that other leaders can take lessons from. Simma Lieberman - Albany, CA
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Marist Students Participate in MonsterTrak Leadership Weekend.
Career Watch, Newsletter for the APCA Commission for Career
Development. Winter 2003.
The Career Watch highlights Simma's training work with Monster.com
and Monstertrak.Excerpt: Also during the
career-networking program, a diversity presentation was delivered by
Simma
Lieberman, formerly of the Bronx, NY, but currently lives in Albany,
California. Lieberman generally
provides talks on stress management, diversity in the workplace and
gender communications.
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- Over the Rainbow. Upscale Magazine, August 2002.
Simma provides tips on creating mentorship programs that are valuable and helpful to all employees.
Excerpt: "The program
needs to be formal, with clear guidelines and goals," says Simma Lieberman,
a diversity consultant in Albany, Calif. "A buddy system is also a good
idea. New people should have someone assigned to teach them the norms."
Affinity groups have also worked well. Groups of African-Americans,
other minorities and women, for example, can offer themselves the kind
of support needed to navigate the choppy corporate waters.
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Excerpt: "People get promoted based on informal
networking," says Simma Lieberman, a consultant who has worked on
diversity initiatives with organizations like Pillsbury, GE, and Lucent
Technology. "It's as simple as encouraging people to talk about their
weekends, their personal lives, their families."
Lieberman, like Harlan, advocates strengthening the fabric of an organization
through increased communications, not preaching on the importance of
tolerance and inclusion. She frequently breaks up employees into groups
of two and invites them to discuss their lives outside of work. In one
session, a lesbian and a conservative Christian, both parents, empathized
with each other about the rigors of raising children. "It really changed
how this [straight] person looked at this lesbian woman," says Lieberman.
"It made for a more comfortable work relationship."
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Excerpt: Although most managers know it's illegal to
discriminate on the basis of traits such as race and religion, they sometimes
unconsciously hire and promote people who are similar to them, because
they feel comfortable with them, says Simma Lieberman, a diversity-training
consultant in Berkeley, Calif. By recognizing this tendency, you can avoid
this biased behavior.
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- Diversity Matters. Restaurants USA, November 2001.
This magazine of the National Restaurant Association features tips from Simma on working with people from different cultures and with different native languages.
Excerpt: Leave your biases at home, says Simma Lieberman,
a diversity-training consultant in Salem, Calif. For example, don't assume
that employees who don't speak English are less intelligent than those
who do. They may have great potential, says Lieberman. "Don't be
afraid to ask questions about their culture. They'll appreciate your effort.
If you don't know how to pronounce their name, ask them to write it phonetically."
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SIMMA ON WORKPLACE ISSUES
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Reinventing Yourself in the Corporate
Environment. Black MBA, Fall 2003 Conference
Issue
Simma provides tips on ways people can position themselves
strategically at the workplace.Excerpt: Be honest too
about whether you need an attitude adjustment. Are you your own
worst
enemy? Counter that with a can-do attitude. Says Simma Lieberman a
diversity consultant and
speaker in Oakland, California, "Be the first to volunteer for
strategic projects that can showcase
your strengths in a way you might not get to in your daily
activities."
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Striking a Healthy Worklife Balance:
How to "get a life" while staying productive.
Economist Intelligece Unit, The Economist.
Read Simma's tips on effectively balance technology and time
management.Excerpt: Much of the extra time that people
spend in the office is wasted. It can help to use e-mail rather than
the telephone to communicate, for example, particularly with chatty
co-workers. But use caution here. “A lot of people sit in front of
their computer and answer every
single e-mail,” warns Simma Lieberman, president of Lieberman
Associates, a corporate productivity consulting firm. "Don’t let
your e-mail in-box set your agenda or divert you from more pressing
tasks.
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Ventas: Quiero matar a mi cliente (Sales: I want to kill my
clients!). Diario el Zonda. El Zonda Business
(Argentina): October 2003.
Simma's talks about the power of silence in negotiation for this
Argentenian business site.Excerpt:
Simma Lieberman, una consultora de Berkeley,
California, coincide: “Si permanezco en silencio, tanto en una
conversación telefónica como en una entrevista, es porque quiero más
que lo que mi interlocutor me está ofreciendo,” dice. En este caso,
el vendedor debe hacer esfuerzos para descubrir si el potencial
cliente está usando el silencio como una táctica, y, de ser así,
decidir si le conviene seguir avanzando con la negociación.
English Translation:
Simma Lieberman, a
Berkeley, California consultant, agrees: "If I remain silent,
whether in a telephone conversation or in an interview, it is
because I want more than what the person is offering to me," she
says. In this case, the salesperson must make an effort to determine
if the potential client is using silence as a tactic, and if he/she
is, decide whether or not to continue with the negotiation.
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Failure to Coach Welfare Workers Spurs Hostility.
Managing Workplace Conflict, June 2002.
Read Simma's tips on how to effectively manage and coach welfare-to-work
employees.
Excerpt: The experts recommend that managers evaluate
[their] employee's understanding of the workplace expectations. Lieberman
recommends that you explain the overall mission of the organization, the
formal and informal rules, how conflict is managed, dress code and how
to address others, despite what [the] orientation program covers.
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Excerpt: When the ambition vampire strikes, you can genuinely
become too poorly to work and find yourself going home feeling ill. Feelings
like this are typical, according to stress-management expert, Simma Lieberman.
You might begin to get headaches at the same time every day or wake up
and find you can't get out of bed because you feel so low.
Another tell-tale sign, says Lieberman, is if you're obsessively fretting
out of hours. If you lie awake at night worrying about your career, something
needs to changes. "The triggers for any of these three signs can
be anything from general overwork to difficult workmates," says Lieberman.
"People don't take on board the fact work stress can take a serious
toll on your health if you don't listen to the warnings."
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How Much Face Time is Enough?
Working Mother, June/July 2002.
This column about spending time with coworkers outside of the office
features Simma's opinion about the advantages of relationship building
through informal events.
Excerpt: Q: My coworkers socialize
after work, and my company hosts family events on weekends. I like my
colleagues, but I see enough of them at the office. Do I need to go?
A: People don't get promoted on qualifications alone. Bosses promote people
they're comfortable with, and one way to get to know people is through
informal events. Be strategic about what you attend. Decide in advance
whom you want to talk to and how long you want to spend at the gathering.
You can also suggest alternatives: If you don't want to join your coworkers
at a bar, suggest going for coffee or having lunch together.
Simma Lieberman, corporate consultant and speaker
SIMMA ON LIFE WORK BALANCE
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Secrets In Easing Bad Job
Habits. Investor's Business Daily, August 7, 2006.
Simma describes how she overhauled her own life to gain control, and
provides strategies for effective stress management.
Excerpt: One of the lessons she learned in adopting a
healthier lifestyle was to set
small goals, achieve them and then set slightly higher goals.
"If you over commit to a goal, you'll feel like a failure if you
miss it," Lieberman said. "So I didn't push myself too hard.
I'd meet my goal of walking three miles. Then I'd try to run a
little and walk the rest. "Then I'd walk — and eventually run —
three and a quarter miles. Make progress in increments and you'll
feel great."
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A Tight Fit: Squeezing exercise into
even the busiest schedule. Jugglezine, January 14, 2004.
Simma suggests her effective 2-for-1 strategy for effective time
management.
Excerpt: Use trainer Simma Lieberman's 2-for-1 strategy:
Exercise at the same time that you're doing something else productive,
e.g., walking and talking business on a cell phone, listening to
work-related material on CD or tape while walking, running, or doing
other exercise. If you're put on hold, use speakerphone and do yoga or
stretching.
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Experts Advise Americans to Savor Summer. Fox News, Saturday, June 22, 2002.
Simma talks about the importance of making time for family.
Excerpt: Lifework-balance and
stress-management consultant Simma Lieberman, of Berkeley, Calif., said
learning to relax can be accomplished in increments.
"Can you not take a lunch hour, leave an hour or two earlier so you
have more time with your family?" she said. "You have to be
more flexible instead of saying, 'My child is going to sleep at 7 p.m.
every night no matter what.' Little things like making lemonade together
with your child instead of having to worry about homework - that's really
important."
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