031 | Asking for and Accepting Help with Deborah Lansdowne
Deborah Lansdowne is the Principal of A Pinch of Time, LLC, a concierge and lifestyle management business offering virtual support for executives, owners, and individuals. Deborah started in IT Telecoms with Siemens Business Communications and was the founder of an IT company providing solutions to commercial, federal, and local customers. Deborah has achieved many accolades throughout her career, including being named Entrepreneur of the Year by the National Federal of Black Business Owners, one of the 'Fifty Influential Minorities in Business,' and being featured on the cover of Black Enterprise Magazine. In her concierge and lifestyle management business, Deborah helps her clients achieve a balance in their life while maximizing their most precious commodity—their time.
Deborah joins me today to share her journey from a stellar IT career to running her own lifestyle management business. She reveals how she handled working in a predominantly male environment and how mentorship helped her during pivotal moments in her career. She offers some career advice she would give her younger self and why it's essential to not take things personally in business. She also shares what her company does, the difference between male and female clients, and why many women find it difficult to ask for and accept help.
“Many times, if somebody is giving you a piece of advice or you are having a conversation with someone, it’s easy to perceive them as being critical. And they aren’t necessarily being critical.”
- Deborah Lansdowne
This week on The Unwritten Rules Podcast:
Deborah's journey from working in IT telecom to starting her own business
How Deborah handled working in a white-male-dominated industry
The power of mentorship
Advice Deborah would give her younger self in her career
Why it's essential to not take things personally in business
The unwritten rules that Deborah has discovered throughout her career
Advice for women who travel a lot for work and have children
The services that A Pinch of Time provides
Who Deborah works with and the differences she has seen between her male and female clients
The reasons women find it difficult to ask for and accept help when they need it
Our Favorite Quotes:
“One of the most important things you do as a leader is listen. You have to really listen .” - Deborah Lansdowne
“You need to have supporters; it’s not a journey you take on your own.” - Deborah Lansdowne
“When you feel guilty, you tend to overcompensate.” - Deborah Lansdowne
Connect with Deborah Lansdowne:
Writing the Rules of Women’s Leadership
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