5 career lessons from Game of Thrones Daenerys Targaryen

5 career lessons from Game of Thrones Daenerys Targaryen5 career lessons from Game of Thrones Daenerys TargaryenYou may not be the Mother of Dragons, but that doesnt mean that you cant have theconfidenceof one when youre at work. Daenerys Targaryen, one of the breakout characters fromHBOs Game of Thrones, is best known for her quest to conquer the Seven Kingdoms in the shows. However, if you look at it from a different perspective, shes also an incredibleentrepreneurwho turned a few dragon eggs into a major empire.Whether youre a fan of the show or not, we can all learn something from one of televisions best female role models. Here are some key business lessons that the Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea and leader of many other names can teach workingwomen.(As a precaution, this article will reference moments in Game of Thrones through the end of season seven. If you want to avoid spoilers, youll want to bookmark this article for later)Surround y urself with positive influencesIn season one, Daenerys was consistently put down and manipulated by her power-hungry older brother. She wasnt given the freedom to make her own choices, and when she made suggestions or asked questions, Daenerys was told that she wouldnt understand the intricacies of the business she was trying to enter (a.k.a. being a queen).How did she get out of her bad situation? By surrounding herself with positive influences. She spent less time with the people that made her insecure in her own power and created a sttze system ofadvisors, confidants and allies. Now, several television seasons later, that support has propelled her to furthersuccess.Learn from everywhereWhen Daenerys was told she would become Khaleesi, she could have rejected the opportunity. Instead, she actively made the effort to learn from and immerse herself it. This earned her the respect of her subjects, who have since followed her across the Narrow Sea to help her achieve her goals.Daenery s experience remind us of the importance ofdiversity. When you open yourself up to new experiences and to working with people of different backgrounds (like Khaleesi did when she elected to work with Olenna Tyrell, the Queen of Thorns), you open yourself to more opportunities. The more opportunities youre presented with, the more chances you have to better yourself as a professional and as a person.Know your self-worthDaenerys knows that shes meant to be queen of Westeros, and she makes aya that everyone else knows it too. Whenever shes confronted with an individual who does not believe in her legitimacy, she emphasizes her self-worth and ensures that those she is speaking with are aware of it as well. As she constructs her kingdom at Dragonstone, the self-proclaimed Breaker of Chains makes sure she is treated exactly the way that she deserves.As a professional, its important toadvocate for yourself- especially when you dont think youre being treated the way you should be. Dont hes itate to speak up for yourself, whether that means making sure a work dispute is handled correctly or asking your boss for a raise. It can be difficult, but the more you advocate for yourself the easier it becomes.Recognize whats a priorityWhen Jon Snow convinces Daenerys to join his fight against the Night King, she does so because she understands that its more important to work together to ensure the existence of the Seven Kingdoms than to continue squabbling over who gets to rule it. Though shes putting her biggest goal on the backburner, shes not giving up on it. Rather, shes prioritizing her tasks in a way that helps her in the long run.Knowing how to prioritize is an underrated skill in the workplace. Managing a long to-do list full of micro and macro-level goals is tough, but being able to put all those items side-by-side and know which to tackle first will help you manage yourself and your team responsibly. It also helps strengthen your work-life balance, which is important to protect your mental and physical health.Dont give upThe Daenerys Targaryen we see in the first Game of Thrones episode is drastically different than the one we see in season seven. Shes learned a lot, met new allies andenemiesand made many mistakes along the way. And yet, despite all this, she has never given up.Professionals across all industries will tell you that grit and perseverance are more important to success than natural talent. Though she will no doubt continue to encounter many obstacles along her journey, her dedication to her cause is what makes her the most likely victor in the war that she has entered.This article was originally published on Fairygodboss.comAt Fairygodboss, our mission is to help you create the best career for your life. Weve helped over a million women do this by crowdsourcing hard-to-ask information about job flexibility, salaries, work-life balance, maternity leave policies and whether women are promoted fairly in their companies and departments . Come see our free job reviews and career advice

ASME Fellows Jahanmir and Taboas to Receive ASME Awards at Honors Assembly

ASME Fellows Jahanmir and Taboas to Receive ASME Awards at Honors Assembly ASME Fellows Jahanmir and Taboas to Receive ASME Awards at Honors Assembly ASME Fellows Jahanmir and Taboas to Receive ASME Awards at Honors AssemblySaid Jahanmir Each year at the Honors Assembly, ASME pays tribute to the engineering trendsetters who have made invaluable contributions to the profession and the Society. At this years ceremony, which will take place next month at the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition in San Diego, ASME Fellows Said Jahanmir and Anbal Taboas will be among the 10 influential individuals who will be recognized with ASME awards during the multimedia event.The 2013 Honors Assembly - A Celebration of Engineering will take place on Nov. 18 from 600 p.m.-730 p.m. at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego. Admission is free to all Congress attendees. Said Jahanmir, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer MiTiHeart Corp. and vice president for biotec hnology at Mohawk Innovative Technology Inc., will receive Honorary Membership in ASME at the ceremony. First awarded in 1880, the founding year of the Society, Honorary Membership recognizes a lifetime of service to engineering or related fields. Dr. Jahanmir is being recognized for seminal contributions to the advancement of mechanical engineering, particularly the multidisciplinary technologies in tribology, manufacturing, biomedical materials and devices, in the promotion of standards and for significant contributions to ASME. At MiTiHeart, a subsidiary of Mohawk Innovative Technology, Jahanmir is leading research and development efforts on implantable blood pumps, high-temperature coatings, high-speed micro-machining and high-speed oil-free compressors. His efforts have led to the development and pre-clinical testing of a new generation of mechanical heart assist pumps with magnetic bearings for heart failure patients, and the development of a novel ultra high-speed micro-machi ning spindle with rotational speeds beyond 500,000 rpm. Jahanmir has also been an active ASME volunteer, serving as chair of the Tribology Diimagination, chair of the hauptplatine on Research and Research and Technology Development, and chair of the International Congress Committee, among his many Society positions. As a member of the Board of Governors from 2009-2012, he served on several Board committees and Presidential task forces, and was instrumental in the ASME Global Impact Strategic Initiative and the new ASME website. Jahanmir received ASMEs Dedicated Service Award in 1995 and Mayo D. Hersey Award in 2001, and the Tribology Divisions Donald Wilcock Distinguished Service Award in 2009. Anbal Taboas Anbal L. Taboas, president and CEO of ASPIRA Inc., will be recognized at the Honors Assembly with the Societys Dixy Lee Ray Award. The award, established in 1998, recognizes significant achievements and contributions in the broad field of environmental protection. T aboas is receiving the award for advancing closure of the nuclear fuel cycle, and for his internationally recognized leadership in regulatory engineering and sustainable environmental management. Taboas work experience ranges from research and development at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory to a career at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) from which he retired, followed by consulting on strategic leadership, risk management and the defense fuel cycle. Among his significant contributions, Taboas had the vision and persistence to establish a defensible technical basis for regulations governing the categorization, management and disposal of hazardous materials according to practicability and risk, rather than by origin. Subsequent statutory and regulatory acceptance has served as the solid foundation for numerous developments, such as the waste acceptance criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.Taboas has held various positions on the ASME Environmental Engineering Divisions Environmental Communication and Executive committees. He also served on the Honors and Awards Committee and as chair of the International Conference on Environment Management series. He received ASMEs Dedicated Service Award in 2010.The ASME Honors and Awards program is sponsored by the ASME Foundation, through the management of award endowment funds set up by individuals, corporations or groups. For more information on the Honors Assembly and each of this years award recipients, visit www.asmeconferences.org/Congress2013/Honors.cfm.

Blocking Out Biases When Conducting an Interview

Blocking Out Biases When Conducting an InterviewBlocking Out Biases When Conducting an InterviewBlocking Out Biases When Conducting an InterviewOver the past five to 10 years, companies have launched diversity hiring programs with the greatest of intentions but limited success. Managers believed that achieving a diverse employee population matching the breadth of their customer base was both noble and required. While these corporate-level awareness programs are important in raising the diversity issue as a critical corporate objective, more needs to be done. Words, slogans and strategies wont solve the problem. Tactics will.The real problem lies with the hiring manager, interviewing team and the hiring process. This is where diversity hiring initiatives and legal hiring processes can easily fall apart. One of the fundamental problems preventing these programs from gaining any momentum is that most interviewers overvalue first impressions and personality.Avoid Common Hiring MistakesMo re hiring mistakes are made in the first 30 minutes of the interview than at any other time. First impressions, personal biases, stereotypes and prejudices unconsciously come into play when the interviewer and candidate meet in person for the first time. If an interviewer doesnt like someone during this brief encounter, the person will not get hired. Competency is irrelevant. And if the interviewer likes the person, competency is overlooked. Strengths are magnified and weaknesses ignored.Personality and first impressions as measured in the interview are not good predictors of subsequent performance. Some candidates can fake being nice and put on their party personality. Other candidates are somewhat nervous, and it takes a while for them to reveal their true selves. But this is when the interviewers biases and prejudices are most pronounced. One way to get past these is to never make a hiring decision in the first 30 minutes of the interview. First, measure thejobs performance.Match Candidate Skills with the Job DescriptionInstead of using skills and qualifications to assess competency, define what the person must do to be successful. Deliverables like designing a product or building a team of engineers are far more relevant than an engineering degree and five years of management experience. Get detailed examples from the candidate of comparable accomplishments. Evaluate these accomplishments over time, and look for their trend and growth. This is how to define and measure performance.During the interview, make sure all interviewers get examples of comparable accomplishments, especially during the critical first 30 minutes. This is how you measure performance. All candidates need to be asked the same questions, whether you like them or not. The 30-minute cooling-off period will allow natural biases and prejudices to dissipate.After 30 minutes, measure your first impression again. Youll discover that about a third of the candidates are far stronger than first i magined, and about a third are not nearly as strong as you thought. The other third are about the same.This 30-minute delay will allow you control your biases and prejudices. We all have them, but disciplining yourself this way helps you overcome them. The biases will reveal themselves. Understanding how you and other interviewers and hiring managers are affected by different types of people is critical for implementing a diversity hiring initiative.