Karen Morath: Managing Director of M Power

Melbourne, Victoria
www.communicationempowers.com

Karen is a speaker, consultant and writer who works on the philosophy that communication empowers. She has been in the communication industry for 24 years and is continuing her search for someone who will believe she started her career when she was eight.

She started her consulting business, M Power, literally at the kitchen table as a soloist and after a stint in the role of employer she has returned to the joys that a soloist lifestyle has to offer.

M Power publishes two free monthly e-newsletters reflecting the themes of Karen's consulting and speaking work - The M Powerer about individual and organisational effectiveness, and Palm trees and margaritas about 'empowered living' or keeping all the balls in the air.

If she had to choose between her masters degree in communication and her handbag collection, she would take the practical option (you can't put things in a certificate)

Karen's memorable quote
Well, besides ‘communication empowers’, “When the world around you changes, maintaining your equilibrium is a threat to your future existence” Richard T. Pascale.

Articles by Karen

• Technology

  Email overload: When email becomes the enemy

  For years as a solo business owner and a communication consultant no less, I was a big, big advocate of email. A raving fan. I had no issues with email overload at all.

  • Published 15 August 08
  • Karen Morath
  • 16 Comments

• Solo Psyche

  The naked truth about your business standards

  By virtue of flying solo I get to hide at home in unthinkable clothes and undone hair and sitting in a mess of an office. Have I let my business standards drop so far that I should fear getting my corporate kit off?

  • Published 11 July 08
  • Karen Morath
  • 6 Comments

• Solo Psyche

  Ever pondered pulling the pin?

  There were many days when I was a full time solo business owner that I thought I would pull the pin, throw in the towel, get a proper job and really do something with my life.

  • Published 06 June 08
  • Karen Morath
  • 10 Comments

• Solo Psyche

  Are soloists just corporate misfits?

  Since trading in being a full time soloist to become an institutional employee, I have been reflecting on why I decided to fly solo in the first place and wondering whether soloists are just corporate misfits.

  • Published 09 May 08
  • Karen Morath
  • 18 Comments

• Solo Psyche

  Work styles: From solo to employed

  I have sold out! For the first time in fifteen years, I have changed work styles and have a proper job. It’s part time, but it means I am no longer just flying solo.

  • Published 04 April 08
  • Karen Morath
  • 16 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  Balancing work and motherhood

  Recently I wrote about my decision to resume sending Christmas cards to clients and others I value. I was shocked when the reaction to what I thought was an innocent think piece proved so divisive.

  • Published 16 January 08
  • Karen Morath
  • 15 Comments

• Working Smarter

  Time for a business performance review

  December presents the ideal opportunity to learn and grow by doing a yearly business performace review. A time to reflect, rethink, reread and redesign before the start of a new year.

  • Published 03 December 07
  • Karen Morath
  • 5 Comments

• Networking

  Should you send Christmas cards to clients?

  This month I plan to correct one of the biggest mistakes I have made since flying solo and send Christmas cards to clients. In the past I didn’t do this, but instead donated the money I would have spent on cards and postage to a charity.

  • Published 02 November 07
  • Karen Morath
  • 32 Comments

• Working Smarter

  Business book recommendations

  The very best thing solo business owners can do to make the most of October is to get their hands on a really good book and spend the month actively reading it. So if you’re looking for a great business book recommendation read on.

  • Published 01 October 07
  • Karen Morath
  • 11 Comments

• Working Smarter

  How to make the most of September

  Spring is a time of new life, and that’s exactly what we can do with September. Now is the perfect time to reassess your business and do some of the things you have been putting off all year. Now is the time for action!

  • Published 03 September 07
  • Karen Morath
  • 7 Comments

• Solo Psyche

  How to make the most of August

  On the Dalai Lama’s recent visit to Australia, he delivered a strong message about the importance of gratitude. This really got me thinking about the way I live my life. I’m a soloist. Why?

  • Published 01 August 07
  • Karen Morath
  • 13 Comments

• Working Smarter

  How to make the most of July

  July is either the beginning of a new financial year or the middle of a calendar one. But whatever way you look at it, it is a great month to review our business planning and take stock of how our business is tracking.

  • Published 02 July 07
  • Karen Morath
  • 2 Comments

• Working Smarter

  How to make the most of June

  June is the ideal time to assess just how much value suppliers have added to our business. There is nothing like looking at the bottom line of these expenses for the year to help us decide if our business is better off.

  • Published 01 June 07
  • Karen Morath
  • 4 Comments

• Stay Balanced

  How to make the most of May

  May is a great time to indulge ourselves. I don’t mean we should merely plan a sleep in, a night out or a massage. Nor do I mean we should go silly and upgrade our Windows software or buy a better desk chair.

  • Published 02 May 07
  • Karen Morath
  • 1 Comment

• Stay Balanced

  How to make the most of April

  April is a great month. It’s school holidays for some, Easter holidays for others. Joy of joys. Many of us haven’t had a break since January! Now is the perfect time to focus on balancing work and family.

  • Published 02 April 07
  • Karen Morath
  • 2 Comments

• Working Smarter

  How to make the most of March

  I know I won’t be able to resist the obvious pun that the year is marching by, so there it is, out of the way early. But really. March. Already? I find March is a great time to do so many things, you need to be a good time manager to fit work in!

  • Published 02 March 07
  • Karen Morath
  • 7 Comments

• Solo Psyche

  How to make the most of February

  For many soloists, February is the time when things kick off in earnest. People, including me, have dusted the sand off their feet, got their kids back to school, tradespeople and factory workers have returned after the annual shutdown and we’re into it.

  • Published 02 February 07
  • Karen Morath
  • 2 Comments

• Working Smarter

  How to make the most of January

  We are all in planning mode as we begin another year flying solo. These tips will help you to truly embrace the start of a new year.

  • Published 03 January 07
  • Karen Morath
  • 1 Comment

• Working Smarter

  Measures of success for your solo business

  Without the reserved car parking space, the corner office or the large team of staff, what can we use as measures of success? How do we - and those around us - know we are successful?

  • Published 18 December 06
  • Karen Morath
  • 6 Comments

• Starting Out

  Working at home better than a 'real job'

  It can’t hurt us home business owners to reflect on all of the reasons why working at home works for us. Here we explore some of the best bonuses of not having a real job.

  • Published 05 December 06
  • Karen Morath
  • 2 Comments

• Working Smarter

  Flexible working hours: reflections on the four hour day

  Trish Weston's articles on the concept of flexible work hours and the four hour day has brought on the biggest mental shift I've had in ten years of soloism.

  • Published 08 November 06
  • Karen Morath
  • 4 Comments

• Marketing

  Get personal for effective business communication

  Has modern technology stifled effective business communication and depersonalised our relationships with our nearest and dearest? Is a text message as meaningful as a hand-written note? I think not.

  • Published 25 August 06
  • Karen Morath
  • 5 Comments

• Working Smarter

  Have a business decision making problem?

  Many soloists find it tough to be decisive. Luckily, business decision-making is a skill that can be learnt. Arming yourself with clear goals will help guide decisions and quash procrastination.

  • Published 19 July 06
  • Karen Morath
  • 2 Comments

• Starting Out

  Meet two types of home-based business

  There are two types of home-based business owners, the laissez faire homegrown and the ambitious solo professional. It seems no matter which we are, others assume our businesses are a mere folly.

  • Published 12 May 06
  • Karen Morath
  • 16 Comments

• Working Smarter

  Discover the business benefits of outsourcing

  One of the most important skills for soloists to develop is an understanding of what to undertake themselves and what to outsource to others.

  • Published 27 March 06
  • Karen Morath
  • 2 Comments

• Marketing

  Customer service example: a tip on how NOT to do it

  Soloists who dazzle their customers from the outset are likely to live happily ever after. Unfortunately, the reverse is also true. In this customer service example I ended up on the receiving end of an IT service provider having 'one of those days.'

  • Published 23 January 06
  • Karen Morath
  • 11 Comments

• Marketing

  Is it good business to barter?

  Whether you call it a contra deal, a business exchange or a trade, bartering amongst soloists is common practice. But is it necessarily the best way to support one another?

  • Published 06 December 05
  • Karen Morath
  • 13 Comments

• Solo Psyche

  Six rules to help you love your work

  In many ways, 'Six rules to help you love your work' is a terrible title for this article as many soloists - including me – come out in a rash when they see the word ‘rules’.

  • Published 18 October 05
  • Karen Morath
  • 3 Comments

• Marketing

  The soloist's guide to public relations

  Having control over how you're seen by your public is one of the joys of soloism. So are you using public relations to get your message out there?

  • Published 15 August 05
  • Karen Morath
  • 1 Comment

• Solo Psyche

  Are you really a business entrepreneur?

  Is bigger really better? More and more soloists are challenging the traditional definition of a business entrepreneur and appreciating the benefits of keeping things small and doing it their way.

  • Published 07 July 05
  • Karen Morath
  • 1 Comment