We’ll be in Miami / South Florida this week to attend the inaugural meeting of the South Florida Movement. What an exciting time! Lead by the incredible Barbara Hauser the first Florida group is shaping up to be amazing. Our guest speaker is Joanna Barsh, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, and author of “How Remarkable Women Lead”. The meeting starts at 3:30 on the 18th, and will be held in Weston.  If you’re interested in attending, register for a Moxie Encounter and we’ll get you the finer details.

Every once in awhile you read or hear something that really speaks to you. I came across two such jewels in the last 24 hours.

Jeff Bezos delivered a commencement address to Princeton grads this May. It’s simple, and profound and you can read the transcript here: Jeff Bezos at Princeton

I also heard Jerry Greenfield (Ben & Jerry’s) speak yesterday. His message was equally profound. “Business is a spiritual endeavor.”

At Moxie we believe in the power of businesswomen to make the world a better place. When we come together and learn from one another, inspire each other to achieve just a bit more and bring the next generation of female leaders along, powerful things can happen. At times it’s seemed crazy, and we’ve had our share of turbulence and nay-sayers as we’ve gotten started. I needed to read Jeff’s words and hear Jerry’s message as a reminder that we’re on the right track.

Have you read or seen anything lately that’s really spoken to you?

Wow! The Moxettes are on fire about how different the ‘connecting’ element of The Moxie Exchange Movement’s meetings are from traditional networking group’s efforts. We’ve had powerful conversations and have built our meeting practices and tools around making meaningful business connections instead of fly-by-night networking.

Let me explain. Traditional networking is a little like a one night stand. It’s meaningless, unfulfilling, and leaves you feeling like you’ve be worked over. There you sit the next morning with a handful of business cards wondering why you bothered in the first place. Very occasionally (and I do mean very) something worthwhile comes of the effort.

On the other hand, making meaningful connections is a little like dating. You take the time really really find out what the other person is all about, what their wants and needs are, and if you’re compatible. After you’ve gotten to know each other, you start introducing one another to friends and family. The same is true of meaningful business connections. Once I know you, understand what you do, and understand where you fit into the bigger picture, I can really begin to help you move forward by connecting you to resources, people and ideas that will matter to you.

We’re all about connections at Moxie.

I was sitting at a red light today, with my mind going a million miles and hour. There are a lot of moving parts right now as Moxie takes flight, and I was busy putting things in boxes- to do, delegate, move, move, move! I looked at the bumper of the beat up Subaru in front of me a read an old, faded blue and white bumper sticker that read, “Think inconclusively”. Brilliant!

The business world moves at lightning speed, and we draw conclusion and make decisions at a rapid-fire pace. Being a touch type-A, I like to move on things quickly and decisively myself. To stay competitive, speed is critical. Is it really though? Is being conclusive and decisive all the time really the right path?

The bumper sticker got me to thinking about the power of leaving things open a little longer. There have been several key conclusions that I’ve drawn over the past few months that have been flawed. If I’d thought a bit more inconclusively about the situation and let the dust settle, I think I’d have come to a better understanding , and ultimately a better decision, about what to do next.

So, I invite you to join me in thinking a bit more inconclusively about some of the choices and decisions in your business and career. I’ll be interested to hear what comes of it!

I was honored to spend Saturday evening with a savvy group of businesswomen. We were gathered to celebrate the launch of a mutual friend’s new venture. She a seasoned entrepreneur, having run her own company in a cut-throat industry for many years. This time around, she’s creating a new concept and it’s been enlightening to watch her business unfold.

At the end of the evening, the advice started to flow. I’ve winnowed it down to a few ideas:

-The hell with fear! Kick it to the curb and press on. Or, as Jack Canfield describes it, think of your fear as a two year old. You’ve got to go grocery shopping- they don’t want to go. Because you’ve got to buy groceries, you take them along with you anyway. Throw your fear in the grocery cart and get on with it!

-Make a difference. Do something that will leave positive tracks in the world. We have a lot of choices on how we can make money, so go with something good. I have a great friend whose Dad’s advice to him was ‘leave things a little better than you found them.’ Make sure you’re doing the same with your career or business.

-Surround yourself with extraordinary people. Choose to hang with the believers, do-ers, thinkers and difference makers. There were some great stories Saturday night about how the gathered entourage had collectively helped get this new business rolling. It had come in the form of advice, connections, support, expertise and positive pressure to keep moving forward, to name a few. You’re not going to get that if you’re hanging at the water cooler, Facebook page, or news source that’s loaded with toxic business associates. Be very, very picky about who you are allowing to influence your business thinking.

Take a moment and think of the five businesswomen you personally know (no, ‘I read about her once’ doesn’t count!) that you admire the most. Got them? If you think about what they have in common you’ll probably come up with some common traits- they’re positive thinkers, they take risks, they persevere, they’re confident. In short, they’ve got moxie!

I can’t limit my list to just five, because I’ve got a network of amazing women in business in my life. As I was thinking about the launch of The Moxie Exchange, and the women who are getting involved I was struck by how much is going on for each of the women on my list. To give you a sense:

-A woman leaving her accounting practice career to spend her first ever summer with her kids before launching her consulting practice this fall

-Two women in their mid-forties who have just recommitted themselves to their corporate careers. Both are in uncertain situations (mergers and layoffs abound) and after soul searching have determined that corporate America is their place in the business world

-A junior partner who switched law firms in the last year who is quickly heading toward partner. She’s in ‘on-call’ status to hop on an airplane to Africa to adopt her second child.

-An engineering company business owner who is adding staff like crazy to accommodate all of the new contracts they have signed, while buying out her long-term business partners and negotiating a merger with another firm

-A manufacturing company business owner who just returned from negotiating contracts overseas, to step right in an begin loan renewals with her bank so she’ll have cash to continue growing

-I could go on…

These women and their situations represent a small slice of the opportunities, complexities and day to day decisions businesswomen encounter. What are the women on your list choosing, experiencing and navigating? There are a whole lot of amazing women with a whole lot going on out there!

Now imagine all of our ‘lists of five’ getting connected and what a powerful force it will be when they all learn, plan, seek & give input and connect with one another. That’s what we’re up to here at Moxie. I’m pretty excited about the ‘moxie movement’ we’ve started and look forward to having you along on the ride!

Our meetings are value-packed, information-loaded, ‘tap into the experience of the smart women surrounding me’ affairs. This is not the place where the same old local speakers you’ve heard before come to promote, pitch and plug. Our presenters are national thought leaders who know we demand relevant and practical information. In a fast-changing business world, we don’t just keep up – we set the pace.