It's hard to believe the Women's Initiative Network Conference happened 2 weeks ago already. As part of the conference hosting team, I spent a lot of time with the organizers trying to develop an agenda that would appeal to a broad range of female GSB alums–from recent grads to those celebrating their 40th reunion, from people working 100 hours a week, to those who have stopped working for pay, and people in large and small organizations, entrepreneurs, nonprofit managers etc. Every woman in attendance had her own story, and the stories were fascinating.
In the end, I was thrilled with the speakers we invited:
- Professor Tina Seelig on Innovation
- CFOs Ciphora Herman and Sarah Friar in conversation with Sarah Smith
- Liz Lynch on Networking (see photo above of me with Lauren Levitan and Liz. Liz has been a friend since we worked together at Booz-Allen & Hamilton many years ago, and Lauren, '92, is a classmate of Liz and she and I work together on the Advisory Committee of GSB's Women's Initiative Network)
My personal takeaways:
1. From Tina: Think of your career as a patchwork, not a puzzle. There is no "missing piece" just opportunities to put experiences together in creative ways.
2. From Ciphora and Sarah: Take risks. Repot.
3. From Liz: Networking is as much about helping others as it as about asking for help.
4. From myself: The more I get out and talk to people, the more things happen, the more ideas I get, and the happier I am with my career. Learning and connecting are key inputs into any successful career, and finding venues to do both is critical.
