When Dr. Paul Vanderbroeck (Dutch/Swiss) contacted knowitall.ch about a new publication that he and Jannie Aasted Skov-Hansen (Danish) wrote together, we were curious to know more. This book shares real-life insights into the challenges and opportunities for International Career Couples (ICC). If you are one half of a career couple, you will certainly be interested in getting your hands on a copy of Here We Are – The International Career Couple Handbook. Read on to enter our competition to win a copy!
He has a background of managing talent in multinational organizations, is an Executive Coach, and a researcher and speaker on gender balance and leadership development. She is a Human Resource professional, specializing in global people mobility, and a founder of a global career consultancy. We thought a few questions were in order to understand more.
Why did you start? What has been the inspiration?
This book is grounded in our personal experiences as partners in International Career Couples, our encounters with the many couples we’ve befriended during our respective stints as expatriates, and our exchanges with talented individuals in our professional roles. From these engagements we learned, first separately and then as a team, that International Career Couples:
- are distinct from other dual-career couples;
- are not getting the support they need and deserve—from employers, publications or coaches;
- provide an opportunity for international talent management;
- are a complex organisation;
- can be successful and sustainable if they apply best practices from organisations.
WRS' Morning Team: Mark Butcher, Katt Cullen, and Tay Kinnear
PRESS RELEASE FROM WRS: 15 April 2020
Switzerland’s only English language radio station offers businesses free advertising, but needs financial help to stay on-air. World Radio Switzerland (WRS) is offering free advertising to small businesses across the country in a unique response to the coronavirus.
Switzerland’s only fully English language radio station says it is supporting as many small businesses as possible during the lockdown. In return, the station's loyal audience have started making cash donations to make sure it stays on air.
Station manager and Breakfast Show host, Mark Butcher says, “We are a small business - and we understand the pressures the lockdown is putting on all of us. We are trying to do as much as we can to help.”
Over 25 small businesses have already taken WRS up on the offer. The companies just pay for the production of a professional radio commercial - and then WRS broadcasts it for free for 6 weeks. WRS had already provided over Fr. 100,000.- of free airtime support.
Butcher says, “Many of our larger advertisers have had to cancel or suspend their campaigns for the time being. We understand their reasons for that. But it now means we have plenty of space and we are offering it to small companies so we can help others.”
WRS is a small privately owned business itself and it relies completely on advertising for its revenue. The lockdown means that cash for the next few months will be very difficult - but an ongoing call for financial donations from listeners may help bridge some of the gap.
Every now and again you come across a person that you inspires you. Sunita Sehmi is one of those people. Sunita Sehmi, an Executive Coach, helps clients understand how to attain their goals and guide them to find the solution. Not only is the book full of her own personal anecdotes but invites readers to fill out the workbook pages as well. Sunita started writing for knowitall.ch back in 2012 with her first article, Is that what you really mean?, that has had a respectable 2,672 hits since we published it; other articles getting upwards of 40,000 hits! She has been a dependable contributor and has written over 70 articles! Congratulations to her for now publishing her first book, How to Get Out of Your Own Way.
The book is punctuated by quotes and poignant thoughts and we asked her permission to add a few of them to this article (italics).
I think the most dangerous thing we can say to ourselves is “I have always been that way” or “I am too old to change.” These are auto discounts, self-traps that keep us stuck, wedged in the past. The way forward requires effort to implement, and the fundamental obstacle is our archaic reasoning. Hence, my profound wish is that you meet yourself in this book and come to some acknowledgement and acceptance of yourself.
What prompted you to do this book?
I wrote this book to democratise and demystify executive coaching. Often executive coaching is for top talent, the elite, etc.; I want to reach the other 99%.
Who is this book directed at?
Choosing the topic was easy for me I knew that being the only women in a meeting room was something I felt and my clients felt. Their struggles and stories are so powerful I had to share!
Do you have a favorite quote in the book? And if so, would you tell our readers why you chose it?
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”. ~ Maya Angelou That has been my life long mantra.
Other extraits from the book that we feel well represents its contents:
The Career Woman's Forum (CWF) is a non-profit, bi-lingual (French and English) Swiss association founded in 1982 in Geneva by highly engaged and pioneering women. This club encourages women’s professional development through the exchange of ideas, networking and self-fulfillment to achieve recognition as active and engaged women – able to influence socio-professional life.
Annually, CWF organizes a conference which has proved to be very popular and tickets sell out! Just to give you an idea of how great they are, here are a few comments from participants of last year's conference entitled: Reinvent yourself. Innovate your career!
"Quality of the moderator and the presenters, the authenticity of their sharing experiences, the right number of participants, enough to network, not too many in order to really have time to create a link, great food and drinks."
"The speakers were great and very complementary. The event was very inspiring. I would like to thank the CWF team for the great organisation and selection of the speakers."
"A diversified panel with different life experiences added even more value to the conference."
Impact Hub Geneva
Happy New Year from Know-it-all passport® and knowitall.ch! In the spirit of giving, we have decided to gift you an excerpt from the latest Know-it-all passport®'s 11th edition (from pages 515-516).
With the trend on co-working spaces, we thought you might like to know more. We put together this list for the book and will be adding to it over the year in anticipation for the next edition in 18 months!
Co-working spaces are very economical, practical, and flexible. Not only will you be able to stay independant, but you will be surrounded by like-minded people who can become your "colleagues" without actually working together. This type of environment is rich with start-ups, full of creativity, solutions and support. Often these spaces have a common eating/coffee area where you can network with others. Private meeting rooms allow you to host clients in a professional environment as well. Typically, those that work from home but need stimulation or have become isolated, will enjoy co-working spaces. Or it may appeal to those that simply don't have the space to work from home or need the discipline that comes more natural when others are working nearby.
Here are those that are taken from the latest book:
