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In the News

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Click on the links to read excerpts of articles where Charmaine has been interviewed and quoted. Read more articles in the Archives Section.

"Image and Personal Branding" (WOMEN Unlimited, Inc.)

As a follow-up to Charmaine's webinar on personal branding, WOMEN Unlimited, Inc. featured 6 key ideas of Charmaine's on personal branding, starting with the quote: 

"If you don't define yourself, others will and their definition will inevitably be inadequate."    

Read the full highlights in the WOMEN Unlimited, Inc. newsletter to learn how you can manage your brand image effectively.

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"Women are Changing the Corporate Landscape" (WOMEN Unlimited, Inc.)

In this latest book by WOMEN Unlimited, Inc., Charmaine shares her thoughts about the importance of understanding the organization you work in and learning how to successfully navigate its systems and culture. Read an excerpt of Charmaine's thoughts below or buy the book.

Charmaine McClarie, President of the McClarie Group, refers to what she calls Trap #1: Being Politically Blindsided by an Organization You Don't Understand. McClarie says to look around your workplace and pay attention. "Who gets seen and heard in your organization? Who is highly respected?" she asks, and why do people listen to them? "Who is a great contributor but goes unnoticed?  Who has great insight but is ignored? Why don't people listen to them?"

We've all had this happen or have seen it happen, when the best-prepared plans seem to be sidetracked or even plowed over by others in our organizations. We need to stop and think about why this occurs.

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"When and how to ask for your first raise" (Examiner.com)

When Heather Huhman, the Entry Level Careers Examiner for Examiner.com, decided to address that all-important topic of asking for your first raise, she turned to Charmaine. Read Charmaine's insight below on how to come across confident and deserving of the raise you are asking for, or access the full article.

8. “Own” your raise…don’t just audition for it. “Many people appear sheepish when they ask for a raise. Don’t. If you deserve the raise, don’t be apologetic about asking for it! Avoid qualifiers such as, ‘I know I’ve only been working here for a year, but…,’ and instead be confident. ‘I’ve been working here for a year and…’” said Charmaine McClarie, president of the McClarie Group.

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"Take the Wheel: Who's in Charge? You are! Get comfortable being a leader." (SELF Magazine)

Charmaine provides journalist Stephanie Booth with take-charge tactics for common leadership pitfalls: being afraid you'll get blamed if things go wrong and not trusting your instincts:

To calm your angst about getting blamed in case of failure, lay out solutions to potential problems before-hand. If you're eager to create a company website, explain what you'll do if the workload gets out of control (hire part-time help). "Doing your homework will make a bold proposal less scary," says Charmaine McClarie, a leadership coach in Los Angeles. ...

Practice going with your gut in little ways (suggesting a novel for your book club) to gain a sense of security. Then find a low-stress opportunity to hone your leadership skills. If your aim is to organize a triathlon to raise money, volunteer for the planning committee of a charity sports event. "That way you can see how others make authoritative decisions," McClarie says.

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"Finding Satisfaction in Your Current Job" (ExecuNet CareerSmart Advisor)

Charmaine speaks about the importance of creating your own advancement opportunities.

Experts agree that if you want advancement opportunities in your job, you need to aggressively obtain them. One way is to speak with your boss to explain your interest. “Speak in headlines to capture your boss’ and the organization’s attention,” suggests Charmaine McClarie, president
of Los Angeles-based McClarie Group. When asking for an assignment, McClarie says an executive must make these three points to his audience: why they should listen, what’s in it for them, what you want them to do about it.

“Many times, people make their presentation and then don’t close the deal by telling the person how they want them to help,” says McClarie. “Being a well-kept secret is a huge problem. You
must create witnesses often and always. Ask for the assignments. If you don’t ask, no one will know.” Read the full article...

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"Getting the Recognition You Deserve" (Working Women: Winning at Work)

Charmaine shares with Working Women readers effective ways to get the recogition you deserve. Below is one strategy. Read the full article to see all the strategies.

Overcome Your Internal Barriers.  The greatest obstacle to advancing often comes from within. Conveying your value to others may make you feel sheepish, but it's time to forget that childhood message that it's not ladylike to brag. If you're creating results for your organization, you have no reason to be apologetic about making them known. When you communicate your value to others it gives them the opportunity to do the same on your behalf.

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"Setting Your Performance Agenda" (ExecuNet CareerSmart Advisor)

Marji McClure reports on the importance of executive performance management plans and interviews Charmaine on the role feedback plays in the performance review process:

You need to make it a practice to ask for feedback about your performance. That’s another way in which you can collect the facts that support the job that you’re doing. “At least half of the executives I have worked with didn’t ask for feedback from whomever it is they’re reporting to,” says Charmaine McClarie, president of Los Angeles based The McClarie Group. “I have seen this play out so many times. It’s sort of like, don’t ask, don’t tell. People make assumptions about what the feedback would be, or ought to be, or they are simply in denial and behave as though, if they don’t ask for feedback, there isn’t any. You should ask for and get meaningful feedback often — at least once a month. Waiting until the [annual] review is far too late. You need the feedback to affirm what you do well and get support on your opportunity areas.” Only then will you know you’re on track for continued success. Read the full article...

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"Speak Up. Stand Out. Be Heard!" (Chart Training Flash)

In Chart's eNewsletter that features training ideas that work, Charmaine shares her effective strategies for being seen and remembered as a leader in your organization:

When you speak, is anyone listening? Do you communicate succinctly and with confidence? Are your recognized for the results you deliver? If your answer to any of these questions is “no,” it’s time for you to speak up, stand out and be heard. Read the full article...

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"Getting To No: Sometimes the right answer is the negative" (Forbes)

Forbes' reporter Hannah Clark highlights a key strategy Charmaine recommends to her clients when asked to take on new work: ask questions instead of auto-answering with a yes:

Ask Questions
Does your boss constantly ask for favors before thinking them through? Leadership coach Charmaine McClarie advises her clients to ask a lot of questions. What do you want to see as an outcome? How do you see this being accomplished? Is this more important than Project XYZ, which you assigned last week? With luck, your boss will realize this isn't a good idea

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"Get More From Training: How Contractors Can Maximize Professional Development" (Monster.com)

Charmaine explains how to evaluate professional development opportunities to make sure they are what you want and need:

Assess Yourself: "You should play a very proactive role in your professional development," counsels Charmaine McClarie, president of McClarie Group, an executive-development consultancy. "The clearer you are about what you want and need, the easier it is for you to get it. I recommend clients write their own takeaway list of the three to five things they would like to get out of a professional development workshop first. Then, find a best fit by comparing your ideal takeaway list with workshop offerings."

Of course, employees who have healthy and nurturing relationships with their bosses may be exceptions to this rule. In these instances, an employee may want to write two resignation letters -- a standard note for the file and a more personal one for the boss's eyes only.

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"Office Space: Career Couch; Also, I'd Like to Thank the Supply Clerk" (New York Times)

In the New York Times Career section, Charmaine explains the intricacies of well-crafted resignation letters, citing how being critical can come back to haunt you and giving strategies for professionalism during these times:

Charmaine McClarie, president of the McClarie Group, a management consulting firm in Los Angeles, added that if employees were determined to be critical, they should wait for the exit interview. Still, she said it was best to cast all comments as positively as possible. ''The same way you seduced them to hire you, keep that romance going until you walk out the door,'' she said.

Q. Should you disclose where you're headed next?

A. Avoid direct mention of your next employer, your future salary and your prospective boss, Ms. McClarie said. Anything beyond the most basic facts about your resignation could come to hurt you, she said.

''If you say, 'You were a great boss, and I'm just sorry things didn't work out the way we'd all hoped,' a year later you could be in a benefits dispute and this statement becomes evidence that you knew your performance didn't meet expectations,'' she said. ''When it comes to writing these letters, what bosses don't know won't hurt them.''

Of course, employees who have healthy and nurturing relationships with their bosses may be exceptions to this rule. In these instances, an employee may want to write two resignation letters -- a standard note for the file and a more personal one for the boss's eyes only.

Read the full article on the New York Times website.

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"Get What You Deserve: Successful Compensation Negotiations" (ExecuNet)

In the ExecuNet Career Guide entitled, "Get What You Deserve: Successful Compensation Negotiations", Charmaine shares how her Executive Success Principle® Embody Your Message®  can help individuals negotiate a raise:

Embody Your Message. The critical benchmarks of compensation negotiation are both the message the executive is delivering and the way in which he is perceived by the other party as they deliver it. “Deliver the right message and embody the message you are delivering, and you will get that raise,” McClarie says. Deliver the right message and do it in a way that dissociates you from that message or undercuts it, and your message will not be heard. “You will be undervalued, and you will not achieve your goal of a raise. It’s that simple,” she says.

In the build-up to and aftermath of the presidential debates, we heard a lot from experts who stressed “winning” the con-tests came down more to how each candidate presented their message, more
than even the content of that message.

To some extent, that’s also the case during a compensation negotiation, McClarie says. “Embodying your message means looking and acting the part of a top executive who deserves a raise. Do not appear apologetic or sheepish. If you deserve the raise, show it — in your confidence, your stride, your voice — and your message.”

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"What Wears Well" (Sun-Sentinel)

Charmaine explains how employees' images can help organizations to brand themselves:

"Image plays a large role in the impressions we make with others," says Charmaine McClarie, president of the McClarie Group in Los Angeles. "You can talk about the values of the organization, have great marketing literature and slogans, but if your employees don't walk the talk of the image you're trying to create, your message won't get through."

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"Dress code crucial for a company's image" (Herald)

Charmaine explains how dress codes can help organizations to regain clarity in the face of increasingly unclear dress guidelines:

Like many consultants and employers, McClarie concedes "what is appropriate has become increasingly unclear with the growth in popularity of business casual dress and dress-down days."

Dress codes, she says, assist organizations to regain clarity and avoid confusion, helping employees and the company to avoid embarrassing and inappropriate attire. They also increase self-image, efficiency and overall performance.

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"A Real Smoothie" (Albany Times Union)

Charmaine speaks about facial hair trends in the US. She points out how different industries have different attitudes toward facial hair by comparing firefighters and high level corporate executives:

A surprise, in some cases, says Charmaine McClarie, head of the McClarie Group, a California-based image-consulting firm. She notes the predominance of mustaches on 9/11 firefighters. In that instance, the beard has come synonymous with the rugged man. The hero. On the flip side, if you look at major corporations, people don't usually have facial hair, she says. Right on par with the Gillette Co. survey that also found 82 percent of Forbes' 100 wealthiest men in America are clean-shaven.

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"Special Report: Make your time more productive" (Dealers Edge)

Charmaine McClarie, President, McClarie Group in Los Angeles, offered her three most important  time management skills:

The ability to say “no.” For example, don’t attend meetings where your presence isn’t required, where your skills aren’t needed, or where the subject matter doesn’t concern you.

Technological discipline. Technology is tempting. E-mail, cell phones, PDAs, the Internet – all can be distractions and time consumers if not used properly. “Effective individuals know how to use technology to their advantage and when to turn technology off,” she says. They also know which type of technology works best in different contexts and switch between e-mails, phone, and face-to-face meetings seamlessly in a way that saves them time each day.

Economy of words. Effective communication is an often overlooked area for workplace efficiency. “Office managers in auto dealerships who speak to the point, write concisely, and draft their thoughts and ideas strategically with a well-formed process, can save a great deal of time each day,” she notes.

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"Career Builder: Making a Cash Advance" (Los Angeles Times)

Charmaine's strategies for negotiating a raise are featured in the LA Times:

Charmaine McClarie, president of the McClarie Group in Los Angeles, says you should start any discussion on raises by speaking in what she calls "headlines."

"Many people make the mistake of starting out their negotiation with background information - how long they've been working there, their responsibilities, etc.," McClarie says. "Begin your negotiation with a headline - something that will get your boss's attention and motivate him or her to pay attention to the rest of what you're about to say."

McClarie says you need to lay out answers to three simple questions your boss will no doubt be asking.

"The first is, 'Why should I listen?' The second is 'What's in it for me?' And the third is, 'What do you want me to do about it?' These are questions the person on the other side of the negotiation table is asking, and unless you answer these questions successfully, your case for a raise will not be fully effective."

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"Don't Wait: Start Your New Job Now" (Harvard Management Update)

Charmaine provides techniques for quickly sizing up corporate cultures in new jobs:

What's the Cultural Landscape?
In addition to asking questions about culture, observe employees in action. "An hour in the cafeteria speaks volumes," says Charmaine McClarie, head of McClarie Group, an executive development firm in Los Angeles. "Watch how people interact. Do the conversations seem open and informal? Do people eat only with others at the same level or team? Or do they mix it up?"

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