Have you or someone you know on your job been experiencing some health issues lately that may have resulted in you having to take time off from work?  If so, it could be that your boss is making you sick.

Research evidence suggests that good leadership has positive effects on employee health and well-being, including decreased sick leave and disability.

Recent studies indicate qualities associated with good leadership included treating employees considerately and truthfully, providing social support, and providing inspirational motivation and intellectual stimulation.

Workers with good leadership were 40 percent more likely to be in the highest category of job well-being (ie, with low rates of symptoms like anxiety, depression, and job stress).

There was also moderate evidence linking good leadership with reduced sick days and disability. Good leadership was associated with a 27 percent reduction in sick leave and a 46 percent reduction in disability pensions.

Some studies found that good leadership was associated with increased job satisfaction, although this evidence was relatively weak. There was no evidence showing a significant effect of leadership on measures of job performance.

Several characteristics of work can affect employee health. Studies have shown that factors like job control and support influence measurable health outcomes, such as sick leave. Leadership is thought to be one of the most important factors mediating the relationship between work and health.

The findings support the “job well-being pyramid model”: a theory suggesting that a strong foundation of leadership, healthy work environment, and good working conditions reduces worker health problems.

Nearly all US women (94%) are satisfied with their lives and ability to balance multiple roles and responsibilities, but only half of married/partnered women are satisfied with their sex lives and the division of labor at home, according to (PDF) a Meredith Corp. and NBC Universal survey.

The “What do Women Want?” study examined women’s sentiments about relationships, family, careers and overall life satisfaction; it found key similarities and differences among Baby Boomers (born 1943-1964), Generation X (born 1965-1976), and Generation Y (born 1977-1989).

Issues related to children and education are women’s top priorities, followed by marriage and career.

Gen-Y women are more likely than older generations to place a high priority on marriage (73%) and career (67%):

Relationships:

• Four in ten women (43%) would like to change something about the relationships in their lives, with Gen-Y women (54%) seeking change the most.
• “Getting married” is more of a priority for Gen-Y women than it is for others.
• The majority of women in committed relationships are satisfied with their physical attraction to (64%) and emotional connection with (61%) their mate.
• About half of women in committed relationships are satisfied with the division of labor (49%), their opportunities to have fun with their mate (50%), their sex life (51%), the amount of quality time spent together (52%), shared interests/hobbies (53%) and communication with one another (54%).
• Three in ten married/partnered women say they would chose a good glass of wine over sex with their husband for stress relief.
• Eight in ten married/partnered women say their spouse/partner/significant other contributes to their stress; one-quarter say their mate contributes a great deal of stress.
• Some 23% of women who are no longer married say their former spouse causes them a great deal of stress; 43% say their ex contributes to at least some of their stress.
• Only two in ten married/partnered women seeking change in their relationship say they would have married someone other than their current spouse. Another 14% wish they had never gotten married.
• Boomer women are more satisfied than younger generations with their ability to nurture friendships (60% vs. 41% Gen-Y and 43% Gen-X women) and be involved as citizens and/or members of the community (53% vs. 33% Gen Y and 38% Gen-X

To read the full report click here:  What Women Want

Just about anybody you talk to today will tell you they are a part of or know something about Social Media. Facebook, which was once the popular hangout for high school kids, is now gaining popularity among adults. There are even communities within the website to suit your particular interests. You also have MySpace, Ryze, Plaxo, Ecademy, Twitter, LinkedIn, Squidoo, Eons, Ning and the list goes on and on.

As someone who networks heavily online, I am continuing to learn which sites are of most value to me as a woman in business. But I also realize there is nothing that takes the place of face-to-face networking.

Joining business organizations or networking groups allows you to interact with like-minded people who can be invaluable sources of information and support - and increase your business success. For example, many networking groups offer members the chance to present their business to the group, or get specific business advice. Business organizations with Web sites often allow members to list their businesses in their online directories for free, or advertise without cost on their sites.

Besides the support and camaraderie, belonging to business organizations can increase your business’ credibility. Many potential clients or customers view membership in relevant business groups as a sign that you’re an established business and accepted by your industry.

I’m a member of my local Chamber of Commerce and glad to be connected to these fellow businesses:

Insurance Center of Durham

Rapid Results Fitness

Always Remembered Mailing Services

Leon Bullard—Health and Vitality Specialist

Geeks on Call

La Tropicale Catering

Thrifty Office Furniture

Durham Crisis Response Center

Comfort Inn

Swedish Nannies

I found this wonderful article through the Powerful Entrepreneurs Networking Group I belong to. It’s written by Lisa Hunter of Extraordinary Women Thrive. With her permission, I am sharing it with you.

Extraordinary Woman Dilemma:

You’re down on yourself for being the world’s biggest procrastinator. You’ve got X thing to do and you’re dragging your feet, doing anything but. No amount of cheer-leading, badgering or bribing yourself is getting you there. What is the problem- why do you keep beating around the bush with this?!

What There Is For You To Know:

You’re stalling for a reason. Procrastination is actually a gift to you from yourself. It’s your Inner Knowing telling you something is off. Maybe it’s the timing. Maybe Project X is not what you need to be doing. Maybe you really do need a little break. Maybe this project is a big deal for some part of you and that part of you wants acknowledgment. The stalling is keeping you from burning unneeded energy because something is off.

The Biggest Procrastination Story Ever:

I’ve got a procrastination story that lasted seven years! When I was a performing musician, I constantly had the to-do list item “Make cold calls to book gigs” on my list. Every week I’d put the item at the top of my list only to watch myself do anything to avoid it. “Procrastinator!” I accused. “Stop being such a dud. Get on with it already!”

For seven years I replayed this same routine. Then, finally, one day I realized, “I hate cold calls. And when I check deep within myself, I have a strong sense that cold calls are not what’s going to bring my success, even though everyone says you have to do them.” I dropped the cold calls and soon after discovered an unusual approach that happened to really work for me.

Try It On The Fly:

Ahhh, how nice would it be to skip the self-flagellation of “You’re such a procrastinator” and instead skip right to what’s really going on? So next time you find yourself dragging your feet about something, cast away the “Procrastinator” label and don the “Inner Knowing” label instead. Take a minute to sincerely ask yourself from the heart, “What is really going on?”

Tips For Troubleshooting:

If you still can’t identify what’s really going on, that’s okay. The big juice here is having recognized that your Inner Knowing is telling you something is off rather than kicking yourself thinking something is wrong with you. Congratulate yourself on this! And keep checking with your Inner Knowing. It’s like a muscle- the more you play with using it, no matter how clumsy your attempts, the more you’ll get to know it and recognize when it is tapping you with some information.

I’ve always been told you can never get too much education. Even at midlife, there are opportunities to improve on your existing skills or to gain new ones.

More and more Universities around the country are offering online courses to help those of us who are interesting in learning more than we already know. And the cool thing about these courses are they’re absolutely FREE. Although you won’t be awarded any college credits or a degree, you will gain some additional knowledge:

The University of Washington’s FREE courses include Greek mythology, American Revolution and Heroic Fantasy.

Teach yourself sign language from Michigan State University. Browse through the vast treasures at the Library of Congress.

You can study theology at Covenant Seminary. Course offerings are delivered via a combo of free downloadable .pdf files and podcasts, and include subjects ranging from Church History to the Modern Reformation.

Learn mathematics with this extensive list of free online math courses from Whatcom Community College. Visit Carnegie Mellon University and take Biology, Causal Reasoning, Statistics, and more, all for free.

Penn State University offers a free Swedish language course, in addition to a free Hungarian language course. Or, you can take an Italian language and culture course from Brooklyn College. California State also offers a free Conversational Mandarin Chinese course, and you can learn Turkish from the University of Arizona.

The University of Washington School of Medicine offers free CPR classes online, complete with video and instructional guides. You can also take health courses from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; anything from adolescent health to population science.

Learn linear algebra from the University of Puget Sound. Learn about bioterrorism and other hazards from the University of North Carolina.

Spending time on the internet is proving to be more and more of a learning experience.

The Easy Glider takes each day as it comes. These are the boomers who just bought a condo near the beach, for example, and are happy to relax there with their spouse, take walks in the morning and cook dinners together. They enjoy every day and have no interest in going back to work. Easy gliders are usually financially secure and do not have to worry about long-term retirement costs.

The Adventurer makes daring changes with his or her life. They may have retired from one career, then gone back to school and started another career. The longtime teacher who becomes a massage therapist is a good example, or the accountant who earns a culinary arts degree and begins catering parties. Adventurers may be motivated by financial needs. If they have not saved enough for retirement, they need to figure out another source of income.

Adventurers also love to travel. Grandma is no longer knitting in a rocking chair.  She’s off on a week long cruise with her girlfriends.  Grandpa, meanwhile, is taking a cross-country trip on his Harley-Davidson.

The Continuer continues to use existing skills, interests and activities but modifies them to fit retirement. The math professor who retires from the university but continues to tutor students in math, for example, or the realtor who sells her busy and demanding practice but continues to occasionally list houses for friends or relatives. A continuer could be someone who worked as a preschool teacher who now baby sits young children.

The Searcher tries out different careers or hobbies to find something that will bring him or her happiness. Perhaps they’ve started making pottery through a ceramics class, but then find themselves drawn to a class about writing mystery novels. Maybe they’re taking up fishing again, or some other activity they haven’t had time for in years.

This searching also occurs on a spiritual level. Retreats involving prayer, meditation and a deepening of faith appeal to searchers, who are reflecting on what they have learned in their lives, and how they want to spend their remaining years. Most boomers will have a “searching” phase during or after retirement.

The Involved Spectator cares deeply about the world. They love their family members, feel connected to their faith and care about their community. However, because of illness or other circumstances, they are not as involved as they used to be. Someone who has been very involved in her church for many years, but now can only manage spending a few hours a week helping on Sunday mornings, is one example. Another is a grandfather who was always very involved with his grandchildren’s lives, but who sees them less now because of his health concerns.

The Retreater is the boomer who is confused and upset about retirement. The change may have been traumatic for them. They miss their former coworkers and have not been able to make new friends. Instead, they have retreated to their home to watch TV, withdrawing from friends and family. Although a person might be in the “retreat” category for a while, he or she can also transition from this into a more positive stage and become a “searcher.”

So which type of boomer are you?

Could you locate one of your important financial documents at a moments notice? Do you know details about your current financial status? (Besides “I’m broke!) Have you made long term plans concerning your finances? If you’re like most people and answered no to these questions, you need to do some financial organizing. Making sure you have some type of filing system, figuring out a budget, keeping insurance up to date, and establishing a will are all important steps to becoming organized.

First, you should set up some way to organize all of your financial documents. There are programs and websites that can be helpful in getting you started. An excel spreadsheet is an easy way that you may already have on your computer. You also need a filing system for paper documents that you need to keep. Some things will need to be kept forever, such as, birth certificates, divorce papers, life insurance policies, military records, important business documents and social security cards. Other things need to be kept for 6 years such as, bank statements and cancelled checks, investment records, and tax returns. Everything else needs to be kept until it is updated and then old versions can be discarded. Always make sure to dispose of financial papers properly by shredding or burning them.

Once your documents are filed and organized, it’s important to get a budget down on paper. Make sure to list all of the income you have in bank accounts, all property owned, stocks, bonds, cars, and jewelry as your assets. Then list all liabilities that you currently owe on, for example, your house, car, credit cards, life insurance, loans, etc.. Subtracting liabilities from assets will give you your net worth. Next you will need to look at your monthly income and expenses to see if you are making more or less than your spending. If not, find some ways to cut corners and save more. If you are bring home more than you’re spending, think about putting some of the extra cash into your retirement fund.

Making sure all of your insurance policies are up to date is another important aspect of financial organization. Keeping health insurance and disability insurance current is important in the event of an illness or accident that might leave you out of work for a while. A health impairment of any kind that interferes with your work can be financially devastating, especially if your finances are in a disorganized state. Also, if anyone depends on you financially, you should have life insurance at an amount that would be beneficial to your family to continue on at their current status in the event of your death. Having insurance can make the difference in your financial security because you never know what could happen tomorrow. Insurance makes sure your needs would be met.

Finally, when all of your finances are organized, budget is set and insurance is updated, it’s important to set up a will. If something were to happen to you or you and your spouse, you would want your children taken care of and your financial wishes carried out. A will is a legally enforceable declaration that will do exactly that.  Once established, a will can be changed or revoked by you at any time. So keep it updated with your present wishes.

Take steps today to set up a filing system, create a budget, update insurances, and establish a will. Taking care of all of these things will help you become organized and free your mind and home of all your financial clutter.

1. There is no glass ceiling—only the ceiling you put on yourself: Don’t buy into stereotype that it’s a man’s world. Regardless of gender, each person brings a unique set of valuable talents to the table. If you’re not sure of all you can offer, do a personal inventory of your strengths and areas of expertise. Then ask yourself, “To what level of success should someone with my experience be able to achieve?” Believe in yourself and your experience and you’ll be able to attain whatever success level you just outlined for yourself. And if you should find that your current skills can’t take you as far as you’d like to go, get the additional training you need. Don’t let anything stifle your professional goals.

2. Make being a woman an asset: Women and men are wired different—no one can deny that. But rather than try to diminish your female attributes, be proud of them and use them to your advantage. Women have numerous natural qualities that make them more adept in the boardroom and in all areas of the workplace. For example, women tend to have better intuition than men. They understand emotion better. They’re great communicators and listeners. Women tend to multi-task with ease. All these traits are essential for leading today’s workforce. Therefore, use these traits to your advantage. If your intuition tells you something isn’t right, speak up—you may just save your company from making a costly mistake. If there’s a misunderstanding during a meeting, use your communication skills to help clarify points. If the male-oriented logical way of thinking isn’t convincing that new client to sign the contract, put your emotional sales pitch to good use. Use your natural feminine traits and watch your success soar.

3. Learn how to play the game of business: Know what business skills are needed in your company or industry, and sharpen those skills on a regular basis. Such skills can range from contract negotiation to customer service to purchasing to management. If you’re not sure which specific business skills will help you, ask your supervisor for input. Some women are apprehensive about developing traditionally male-oriented skills, such as hard-ball negotiating skills, because they fear they’ll lose their femininity in the process. The key is to just be yourself. Don’t try to fit an image of what you think you’re supposed to be, do, or act like in a given circumstance. When you’re not authentic, you’re not in your power and you fall short. Be true to who you are and you’ll win every time.

4. Project confidence: People can tell when someone is truly confident. Those who display confidence rise through the ranks quicker, earn respect faster, and lead more effectively—even if they’re not the most knowledgeable person in the company or department. To project confidence, be proud of your expertise, and don’t be afraid if you don’t know all the answers. You can’t be all things to all people, and that’s okay. If you don’t know something, tell the person you’ll find out the answer and get back with him or her later. There’s nothing more powerful in business than the presence of a confident woman.

5. Don’t take it personal: Some women report that men still talk down to them in the workplace or don’t take them seriously. If this happens to you, try not to allow that negativity to affect you. Most of the powerful and secure men don’t talk down to women and actually want women in the boardroom and everywhere else in the company. They know women have much to offer. Unfortunately, some men are still from the “good ole’ boys club” and are scared of women in business. When you run into one of these types of men, don’t give them any reaction at all. Any negativity they display toward women usually stems from their own insecurity. So stay poised and remember that the comment or action is not about you—it’s about them. The more confident and authentic you are, the more others will respect you.

Courtesy of the Nova Scotia Business Journal

The good news for women in business is that the gasoline prices have dropped a little bit.  The bad news is the oil companies have made billions of dollars in profits.

Take Exxon Mobil Corp. for example.  The company broke its own record for the highest quarterly profit for a U.S. company on Thursday, joining other major oil companies in posting stronger earnings on the back of sky-high oil prices.

Exxon’s second-quarter net income rose 14 per cent to $11.68 billion.

HERE ARE A FEW FACTS ABOUT THE COMPANY’S RECORD HAUL:

- Exxon earned more than $128 million a day, or nearly $1,500 every second during the quarter. The company said that was after it paid $4,100 a second in taxes and $14,700 a second in expenses to run the business.

- Exxon’s quarterly earnings were slightly larger than the annual gross domestic product of Afghanistan, which was $11.63 billion in 2007, according to the World Bank.

- With Exxon’s quarterly profit, one could potentially buy Gap Inc., Ford or Starbucks, which have market capitalizations of $11.67 billion, $10.76 billion and $10.69 billion, respectively, according to Reuters data.

- $11.68 billion could buy roughly 179,692 new Cadillac Escalades, or 15.57 billion individual Snickers chocolate bars.

It could also wipe out hunger around the world and take care of the entire baby boomer generation for the rest of our lives.

The age of your neighborhood may influence your risk of obesity, according to a new study from the University of Utah.

The study found that residents were at less risk of being obese or overweight if they lived in walkable neighborhoods—those that are more densely populated, designed to be more friendly to pedestrians and have a range of destinations for pedestrians.

The study found that neighborhoods built before 1950 tended to offer greater overall walkability as they more often were designed with the pedestrian in mind, while newer neighborhoods often were designed to facilitate car travel.

Demographer Ken Smith, co-author of the study and professor of family and consumer studies at the University of Utah, says that although individuals clearly make personal decisions that influence their weight, neighborhood characteristics also play a potentially important role in affecting residents’ risk of obesity.

“It is difficult for individuals to change their behavior,” he says, “but we can build environments that promote healthy behavior.”

The study found that a man of average height and weight (6 feet, 200 pounds) weighed 10 pounds less if he lived in a walkable neighborhood versus a less walkable neighborhood. A woman of average size (about 5-foot-5, 149 pounds), weighed six pounds less.

“The data show that how and where we live can greatly affect our health,” says Smith.

According to the study, during 2003-2004 roughly 70 percent of men and 61 percent of women in the U.S. were overweight. The study also notes that by 2030, about half the buildings in the U.S. will have been built since 2000. How this growth occurs will have a significant impact on the environment and on the health of the people living in it, Smith says.

“We have the opportunity, using evidence-based data on community design, to create neighborhoods that encourage less car driving, benefiting residents’ health and wallets and shrinking our own carbon footprint,” says Smith.

Neighborhoods with higher percentages of pedestrian traffic—something the study found is associated with less obesity among residents—can serve as models for future residential development and redevelopment. “Neighborhoods with higher fractions of residents that walk to work tell us that something beneficial about the neighborhood is promoting health,” notes Smith.

“We expect these results mean that residents find walking more attractive and enjoyable where there are other walkers, a variety of destinations easily accessible by foot and pedestrian-friendly street networks. People want to walk when it’s pleasant, convenient and when there is a destination.”

Most adults in the U.S. will be overweight or obese by 2030, with related health care spending projected to be as much as $956.9 billion, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Their results are published in the July 2008 online issue of Obesity.

“National survey data show that the prevalence of overweight and obese adults in the U.S. has increased steadily over the past three decades,” said Youfa Wang, MD, PhD, lead author of the study and associate professor with the Bloomberg School’s Center for Human Nutrition. “If these trends continue, more than 86 percent of adults will be overweight or obese by 2030 with approximately 96 percent of non-Hispanic black women and 91 percent of Mexican-American men affected. This would result in 1 of every 6 health care dollars spent in total direct health care costs paying for overweight and obesity-related costs.”

The researchers conducted projection analyses based on data collected over the past three decades from nationally representative surveys. Their projections illustrate the potential burden of the U.S. obesity epidemic if current trends continue.

“Our analysis also shows that over time heavy Americans become heavier,” says May A. Beydoun, a former postdoctoral research fellow at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“The health care costs attributable to obesity and overweight are expected to more than double every decade. This would account for 15 to 17 percent of total health care costs spent,” Wang says. “Due to the assumptions we made and the limitations of the available data, these figures are likely an underestimation of the true financial impact.”

Current standards define adults with a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 29.9 as overweight and adults with a BMI of 30 or higher as obese. Both the overweight and obese are at an increased risk for developing a number of health conditions, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Researchers estimate that children and young adults may have a shorter life expectancy than their parents if the obesity epidemic is left unaddressed.