Woman Wednesday Issue #48

Name that Woman Trailblazer: She was an American actress, comedian, singer, and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her career began in 1929 when she landed work as a model. Shortly thereafter, she began her performing career on Broadway using the stage name Diane (or Dianne) Belmont.

👉 Click here to reveal this woman.
👠 Check out all of the November Woman Wednesday Trailblazers.

I have over 3 years of experience in Human Resources two of those years being in the entertainment industry at my current company, Disney Studios Content.

I am a co-leader for one of our business employee resource groups (BERG) leading our community work and am a co-leader for our HR DEI & culture committee.

I enjoy making new connections, building partnerships, and am always looking for ways to grow and expand my knowledge. My purpose is to enable people to elevate their game by developing meaningful connections and I am glad to have the opportunity to do that every day in my role.

🔗 Want to connect with Lezlee? Say “hi” on LinkedIn.

End-of-year reviews are quickly approaching. What does that mean for you? Start getting together a list of completed projects, KPIs, and goals for the new year.

Not sure what your KPIs should look like? Review the top KPIs that every admin should keep track of!

Review prep also includes planning and asking for a training budget. Your training budget is dependent on so many factors, but if you show up prepared and with a cost outline you are more likely to succeed. Here is a tool to help you plan your annual training budget and propose it to your manager.

Q: How did you get into your current role/industry?
A: I honestly never dreamed that I would be working at The Walt Disney Company or doing outreach and events.

I started my career at Disney because of a referral. I am lucky to have a vast network and a recruiter whom I worked with in a previous job referred me for a position. I applied and went through the interview process and which led to my first role in employee relations for Disney Studios. After working in employee relations for over 2 years, I was ready for the next thing in my career and came across an internal opportunity to work in outreach and event.

I took a chance and am glad I did!

Q: What’s something you do to help boost your productivity?
A: I make sure to take breaks often. It could be taking 15 minutes to read, going for a short walk, or stretching. I feel that I am more focused after a break and ready to take on anything that comes my way.

I also like to keep virtual sticky notes on my desktop and prioritize tasks to remind me what needs to be done now and what can wait.

Doing that has prevented me from feeling overwhelmed because I have a clear plan for the day.

Q: How do you find work-life balance?
A: I preset off days on my calendar.

I try to take some time off every few months to prevent burnout. It’s easy to remove a scheduled day off if you realize you don’t need it.

My leader and team has also been great advocates when it comes to work-life balance. I feel that everyone leads by example.

We know that we all have lives outside of work and do our best to respect that.

Q: What’s the best piece of professional advice you’ve received so far?
A: Always advocate for yourself and take the leap. If you don’t try you will never know.

Q: What’s your favorite software or app that helps with your workflow?
A: Our main collaboration tool is Microsoft Teams. It’s been great to share documents with colleagues and make live updates.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time outside of work?
A: I take dance classes, I’ve really been doing a lot of hip hop classes, but would love to get back into latin dance.

I enjoy reading and am currently reading a YA novel called Court by Tracy Wolff. I also enjoying spending time with my loved ones, wine tasting, picnics, and live music.

🗣 Check out these Microsoft Teams tips.
💪 Read about how to advocate for yourself at work.

Some people prefer pen & paper while others prefer a digital workflow.

💻 If you prefer keeping track of your tasks and projects digitally, Sunsama is for you.

Here’s what you’ll get from Sunsama:

• Daily prompts and reminders to organize your day (helping build good habits)
• Integrations with the tools you’re already using
• Assistance in creating a sustainable morning (or evening) routine
• Structure around your priorities
• Reporting on what your time is spent on

But don’t take our word for it — try it free today and let us know how it worked for you.

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P.S. Their Focus Mode is a game changer 👌.

What has made me become a better professional is building a vast network throughout my career.

I have so many people that I can reach out to for anything related to my career and each person has a different perspective to offer which I love.

I am all about connection and feel that my connections have helped me so much in my career. Whether it was a referral to a role or a document they sent to help me work smarter, not harder.

That is basically a motto for me and having the ability to reach out to so many people who are willing to help has been crucial in my career development.

Fly By Jing’s new holiday collection is here. These Sichuan sauces and spices bring instant umami and heat to any dish, wrapped up in style for your favorite colleagues, clients, and vendors.

monday.com is the swiss army knife of project management software — and you can try it free today.

Every morning, TheFutureParty breaks down how today’s trends impact tomorrow in a digestible and witty package.

The Impact Job is a free weekly newsletter that mixes social impact news and jobs in a fun way. Like a 7/11 slurpee. Laughs guaranteed.

🔖 Catch up on all Woman Wednesday newsletters here.

🧠 Did you know there are 9 types of intelligence? Read more about them here.

🎁 If you’re sending employees gifts for the holidays but don’t want to deal with the hassle, let them pick out their own gifts.

🏪 The Assist Store: Check out our Employee Favorite Things Sheet and browse our Etsy Store.

• Virtual Assistant
• Bookkeeper
• Social Media Manager
• Website Specialist
• Accounting Clerk