By Joyce Gannon
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) Meet Nicole Narvaez Manns, whose full-time job is vice president-manager of affirmative action compliance at Bank of New York Mellon. She is also a cosmetics industry entrepreneur and author of the book, “Here’s Your Script!: Keep Your Foot Out of Your Mouth and Your Butt Employed.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
As the featured guest at a recent lunch-and-learn session about how actions and words can impact career advancement, Nicole Narvaez Manns didn’t waste time getting her audience involved in the discussion.
“Who in this room has worked with a jerk?” she asked.
Most of the 40 or so attendees raised their hands.
Then she posed a follow-up: “Who in this room has been a jerk?”
The majority admitted they had at some point exhibited what Ms. Manns characterized as “jerk tendencies” that might resemble behaviors she’s observed in her toddler-age grandson.
Perhaps the questions weren’t traditional ice breakers, but Ms. Manns’ blunt comments got the group zeroed in on workplace communication — and its consequences.
Ms. Manns, whose full-time job is vice president-manager of affirmative action compliance at Bank of New York Mellon, is also a cosmetics industry entrepreneur and author of the book, “Here’s Your Script!: Keep Your Foot Out of Your Mouth and Your Butt Employed.”
The lunch-and-learn was hosted by Pennsylvania Women Work, a nonprofit that assists women who are making career transitions. Many are trying to land jobs that will lead to them becoming self-sufficient because they’ve spent years as homemakers, they lack formal career skills or they’ve experienced family trauma.
The organization also assists men, and one man was among those who attended Ms. Manns’ talk in a conference room at Centre City Tower, Downtown.
While some in the audience may have recognized her from broadcast spots on QVC, where she has promoted Nikki’s Magic Wand — a makeup applicator she invented that helps users scrape all the liquid or gel out of cosmetics tubes — her in-person advice was about how to survive and succeed in the business environment.
She describes herself as “a filter” who usually knows how to maintain her cool in tense situations. She learned those traits from her grandmother to whom she dedicated her book.
When challenges arise, Ms. Manns said it’s best to diffuse them — and save your reputation — by taking a deep breath and a pause before opening your mouth.
“Don’t jump on somebody; take time before you respond.”
Her 2015 book, published by Atlanta-based Ex 3 Books, includes tips she compiled from two decades’ worth of workplace experiences. Prior to joining BNY Mellon in 2006, she worked for 11 years at the U.S. Department of Labor in Pittsburgh as a compliance officer.
In the book, she goes beyond basic advice and provides samples of “scripts” workers can use to approach bosses and managers.
If you’re seeking a raise, for instance, don’t just show up in your supervisor’s office.
Send an email requesting a good time to meet and make it clear you want to talk about your position and salary.
Once the meeting is set, prepare for the discussion by taking stock of your accomplishments, researching how people in similar jobs at other companies are compensated, and why you believe you deserve more money.
Perhaps most important is to approach the discussion as a conversation. “You’re not going to war,” Ms. Manns said.
And always be prepared to hear the answer “no,” so that you can calmly ask what you need to do to earn a raise in the future.
Among the 20 situations for which her book offers scripts are how to deal with job boredom, how to seek more flexibility, and how to pursue joining a board of directors.
Ms. Manns, 45, grew up in Philadelphia and landed in Pittsburgh when she enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned a degree in business and communications.
Though she devotes about 15 hours a week to the Nikki’s Magic Wand business, she recently ramped up marketing for the book through a website, NicolenManns.com, and through personal appearances.
The book sells for $17.95 through her website and online book retailers.
Currently, it’s part of the curriculum in career classes at City Charter High School, Downtown, and Ms. Manns hopes to expose it to a wider audience — especially students at trade and technical schools.
“Even if you don’t go to college, you still need etiquette skills,” she said.
