Kate White – Author, Career Expert, Speaker and Former Editor-in-Chief, Cosmopolitan Magazine #SCCTO

BY: 

Dave Forde
October 24, 2012

Kate White, Keynote Speaker at the ShesConnected Conference, 2012 presented a motivating, insightful and humourous session where she imparted some wisdom of her 3 secrets of success. These are highlights from her new book entitled ” I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This”.

3 Secrets of Success

1. You’ve gotta go big, or go home

  • first heard from coworker when referring to going out on a Saturday night
  • not enough to do what you’ve been told to do
  • need to push it, “go balls to the wall”, take it to the max
  • when was the last time someone said “WOW” about something you did?
  • it can be hard and scary to go big
  • 14 years ago, call from boss on a Sunday afternoon asking her to come in…
  • Offer to be editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan
  • Scared, hadn’t applied for it
  • Told herself she had to make it work by making it big
  • How do you do it?

Ask yourself:

  • Have I pushed it enough?
  • Am I as bold as I can be?
  • How stuck am I with “this is the way we have always done it”?

2. Stop worrying about people not liking you

  • get in touch with your “inner bitch”
  • sometimes we find ourselves annoyed with another person;
  • find out what we may be envious about
  • what is she doing that I should be doing?
  • turn it around on yourself
  • -sit beside the powerful person in the room
  • -Toot your own horn
  • -we don’t ask nor negotiate as well as men do
  • -we are afraid or intimidated because we think people won’t like us
  • -results in women making less overall than men
  • -asking for a raise “50,000 dollars in cash”, why didn’t I ask for “75,000”
  • -if you don’t ask for it you’re not going to get it

3. You’ve got to drain the swamp, and slay the alligator-getting caught up in the day to day things
What “drain the swamp” means to Kate:

  • “needing three hands”
  • reading emails, looking for any emerging trends
  • projecting the next year of cosmo
  • Where does Kate “drain the swamp”:
  • coffee shop
  • airport
  • “haven’t you done anything wild in your life?”
  • always make time for “draining the swamp”
  • we get so busy sometimes we forget to manage our successes
  • take one hour a week and ask yourself “am I where I want to be at this point in my life?”
  • network with the idea that you’re going to listen more then you talk, come back with at least one new idea
  • took Kate later then she wanted to realise the importance of draining the swamp
  • work life balance; Kate wishes she had scheduled time to drain the swamp earlier in life
  • Am I savouring life as much as I want?
  • Girlhood dream fulfillment? Author of fiction novels
  • Savour success
  • Stop working all the time
  • Be the bossy pants of our personal lives
  • Dare to set boundaries for ourselves

Kate White’s Holy Grail: Go Big, Sturdy Legs, Savour Success

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Dave Forde


Dave “The Connector” Forde has been involved in the marketing, public relations and technology industry across Canada for over 20 years in various sales and marketing roles, he launched The Connected One network of business sites which connects buyers to the right sellers. Profectio and PR In Canada covers news about the marketing and public relations industry each day helping professionals advance their career and businesses. He also serves as an advisor to a number of businesses across the country. Find Dave on LinkedIn and Twitter.


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