Last week I went to an alumni panel solely based on seeing one name from the tech industry (
Kara Swisher) listed as a panelist, but came away completely inspired to own my success and my career. I know this probably sounds cliche, but every once in a while I just need some inspiration, and that came from seeing these successful women sharing their experiences and observations. These are the gems I am putting down here so I can reference them as I keep building on my career:
- Even 'benign' has implications - there may not be outright bias against women in the workplace but it does still exist, in more subtle ways. It is still important to bring awareness to women's issues. Awareness begets fairness.
- Play a healthy mind game with yourself - if you're hesitating to go after something, ask, "What would my guy friends do?" [Guys usually apply to a position even if they meet only 6 out of 10 criteria.] Get used to taking risks...
- #1 trait of successful woman (people?) is: Resilience.
- You can do good in ANY sector. [The panelists had experience in academia, government, non-profits and the private sector.]
- Self-interest trumps everything: Yes, companies should promote diversity because it's the right thing to do, but lots of times you need to frame it precisely in terms of how it helps the company and/or the board and/or those executives whose support you need. So go ahead, pull that card; there is a gracious way to do so.
Also check out:
https://twitter.com/justownit
http://www.ownitsummit.com/
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