The Source

No matter how many well-meaning phrases people share after a workplace mess-up, we still want the office floor to open and swallow us whole. While our instinct may be to hide our heads in the sand, doing the opposite may be what’s best for our careers long term.   

Nearly every aspect of our personal and professional lives has been turned upside down with the impact of COVID-19. Many of us are still working from home, and those who are in offices are wearing masks and staying six feet apart in meetings and elevators. Events and activities have been canceled, creating a communication crisis mode for both small and large businesses who depend on social media to inform and entertain their customer base. So, what do you talk about when there’s nothing to talk about?   

As many of us began working from home as a result of area “safer at home” directives, some women are leaning into the freelance market as a more long-term option. If you do make the decision to be your own boss, it’s then time to navigate the waters of the day-to-day, especially landing on a system of pricing yourself.   

Productivity was important even before a global pandemic, and now it's absolutely essential to reach our professional goals. More women than ever are working from home, and that means many of us have had to re-learn how to begin our days. We asked Jackson-area blogger and friend of The Source, Laurel Donahoo, to share her tips and tricks for getting the morning started off on the right foot.    

What qualities make a good leader? If you flash back to a great manager you had in the past, (or the one you have now!), you can likely identify the traits that made your office a pleasant place to work. Aside from the obvious knowledge, training, and experience in his or her respected field or industry, there are plenty of soft skills that seem to be present in bosses we particularly admire and with whom we enjoy working.    

In times of uncertainty, what’s better than collaboration? We love the phrase “empowered women empower women,” and we know amplification is the best way to reach a wide audience with a message. When two parties can take advantage of the other’s following, everyone wins!   

Did you know LinkedIn has been around longer than Instagram, Twitter, and even Facebook? Though the platform is often overlooked in terms of personal sharing and usage, its value as a professional networking tool has never been greater. As we spend more time online as a society, and even more so during quarantine, it’s not a bad idea to polish up our profiles, including our LinkedIn Summary.    

In an earlier post, we shared some insight from a few of the incredible women on our Advisory Panel. Even in the best of times, we at The Source seek their input and guidance, so was only natural we look to these amazing professionals to see how they’re changing the way they do business during these times of uncertainty and unpredictability. Here’s what a few more had to say:    

Even in the best of times, we at The Source seek the input and guidance from the incredible women who make up our Advisory Panel. It was only natural we look to these amazing professionals to see how they’re changing the way they do business during these times of uncertainty and unpredictability. Here’s what just a few had to say:   

None of us could have imagined the global shift that has taken over in the past few weeks. Between social distancing recommendations and working from home, many of us are spending more time on our devices, providing opportunities for even greater engagement and meaningful connections on social media. The Source reached out to three local “influencers” to get their take on what they’re doing differently during this time.