Women Leading The Future Blog

If We Really Want to Reduce Poverty, Empower Women! Blog Action Day 2008

maree — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:44:33 -0400

On Opportunity International's website there is a banner across the top which reads:

A parking meter in Australia makes more money in

one hour than 2.7 billion people make in one day.

It is calling on people to support the United Nations International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17. It is, however, very relevant for us here in this lucky country of Australia to reflect on it today - Blog Action Day 2008 - as we create awareness around poverty and its eradication.

70% of people living in absolute poverty are women.

How To Say "No" Because You Have A Bigger "Yes" Inside You. A Teleseminar for Women

maree — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 02:59:25 -0400

This is a teleseminar I am conducting in early November, 2008.

I have been asked this question so often by women: How do I learn to say "no"? I remember a woman being very critical of me on an evaluation form after an assertiveness workshop because I hadn't taught her how to say "no".

When we focus on that ability (or inability) it doesn't do us justice, as women. It raises the question that if we can't even say "no", how could we make the hard decisions that women need to make to lead and manage an organisation.

The Hard Stuff About Soft Skills for Women - And What They Need To Do About It! A Teleseminar For Women.

maree — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 03:08:08 -0400

This is a teleseminar I'm conducting for women in October, 2008.

As women we are considered to have good soft skills. These are the people skills, interpersonal and communication skills that are seen to be increasingly important to people who want to grow and advance their careers.

In fact, some male managers and CEOs think we have them in abundance. That's why we often get promoted to leadership roles in soft skills areas like human resources, marketing or public relations. Have you ever stopped to wonder why women are rarely appointed to hard skills areas like finance, building and maintenance or corporate governance?

Yet, in spite of our supposedly strong affinity with soft skills, many women find them very hard to use to advance their careers. In fact, the way we use them often has the opposite effect - it damages our careers.

Teleseminars - An Exciting New Technology for Professional Development.

maree — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:06:20 -0400

Time is a precious commodity, isn't it? Taking a whole day from work to attend professional development - even something we would passionately like to attend - is often a challenge. We think of what's going to be there for us tomorrow when we get back to our desk. Not to mention the emails.

Then there's the cost. Am I going to gain enough from the day to warrant spending so much of my professional development budget on one day workshop?

Of course, there's also the logistics of getting there - the travel, the parking. the organisation of children because you won't be home at the normal time.

This is why teleseminars are just so good.

Professional Women Advancing Their Careers

maree — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:10:04 -0400

If you’re reading this blog post, then you are one of the hundreds of women out there wanting to advance and grow their careers. I’m sure, however, that you all have a variety of motivations for doing that. I asked two groups of women, who did a workshop with me on “Growing Your Career”, why they wanted to grow their careers. Here are some of their responses.

“I know I have talent, expertise and potential and I want to develop it and use it.”

“I’m ambitious, and I have a vision for my life and goals I want to fulfil.”

"I’m a bit of a trail blazer. The idea of breaking through barriers, e.g., the famous glass ceiling, is a challenge that I find exciting!”

“I love the buzz of pushing the boundaries and discovering new challenges.”

“I want to prove to all the men in my family, who I don’t think really believe in my capabilities, that I have as much ability as they do.”

Stay at Home Mothers Changing the World

maree — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:03:27 -0400

I came across this great blog this morning on Darren Rowse's Problogger.net. Actually Darren didn't write it. It was written by a guest writer on his site - Michelle Mitchell from Scribbit. Its captivating title was what caught my eye - "Five Reasons Why Mom Blogs Are The Blogs To Watch". Apparently on April 10, the prestigious Wall Street Journal interviewed Heather Armstrong, a mom blogger known to millions throughout the US as Dooce. The interview was widely reported in the print media around the country.

Michelle's Five Reasons to Watch Mom blogs are:

1. Moms can blog at home.

2. Moms need the sociality of the net.

3. Moms have a wealth of material to use.

4. Moms are record keepers.

5. Mom blogs wield economic power.

I recommend you go and read the full article at Problogger.net.

Developing Australia's Women CEOs

maree — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 06:38:24 -0400

I came across this website for Women CEOs in Australia (see below) and thought I'd share it with you in case you were not aware of it. It is an organisation called "Chief Executive Women" and was established in 1985. It currently has 152 members who are women leaders from corporate Australia, the professions, academia, the public and not fot profit sectors.

"CEW's purpose", says the home page, "is to promote the development and effective use of Australia's leadership talent. We believe the whole community benefits if the talentts of women are fully utilised. CEW aims to accelerate talented women into senior leadership through:

Influencing CEOs, Boards and Senior Executives,
Fostering the development of talented women, and
Building a supportive and collegial environment for CEW members"

There are resources on the site; especially worth noting is the kit they have developed for Women CEOs and the training that goes with the use of that kit.

So go have a look at http://www.cew.org.au

Empowering Women on International Women's Day 2008

maree — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 08:50:53 -0400

Happy International Women’s Day 2008! I realise I’m a day late, but I hope you’ll believe me when I tell you that I was celebrating yesterday. In fact, because IWD was on a Saturday here in Australia, the celebrations took place on almost every day of the past week.

What a year it has been for the women of Australia. There are a number of events that have happened this year that make me feel especially good about being a woman in Australia. They have strengthened my identity as a woman and affirmed it. In fact these things have given me something to identify with that fits with my image of womanhood in 2008. I have confidence that there are other women leaders out there working to make the sort of difference I also am wanting to make.

1. There was the election of the Rudd Labor government and everything that came with that for women.

2. There was the media attention given to the Victorian Chief Commissioner of Police, Christine Nixon’s leadership style as she manages the cultural transformation of the Victorian Police Force.

3. There was the celebration of the centenary of Women’s Suffrage in Victoria.

Catalyst - Expanding Opportunities for Women and Business

maree — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 21:32:19 -0500

So many of us have asked the question: "How did he ever get that job? I have much more experience than he has. He's only been here five minutes anyway! I know I interviewed well and I had to interview better than him. He does not communicate well at all. It is felt by many people around here, not just me."

And if you are reflective you will go on: "What more do I have to do to be able to advance my career in this place? Or do I have to leave and try somewhere else? But then would it be any different? Is this about me or is it about the system in which we, as women, are trying to grow our careers?"

Good question, and far from feeling empowered in our workplaces, we begin to feel so disempowered. I'm always trying to find answers to these dilemmas. In fact, this is what this blog is about. So, when surfing the net one day, I came across this great organisation - Catalyst - I had to tell all of you about it. It's a good one to bookmark. I'll put the link on the bottom.

Women and E-Commerce - A New Directory

maree — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:30:45 -0500

Just this morning I heard about this new directory that is being established by Heidi Richards (Founder of The Women in E-Commerce Association International) and her team at "WE Magazine For Women". I've just added my name to the directory.

It's called the "Who's Who of Women in E-Commerce Directory". It will list women who have an online presence either with a website or business blog and who either promote a product or service via them.

The Basic Listing includes Name, Company Name, Company Slogan or tagline, website (or Blog) URL. That is free.

The Enhanced Listing costs $25 USD and can be paid with PayPal. This allows expanded contact information, address and phone number, your logo and one additional URL.

Heidi can be contacted at heidi@wecai.org.

For more information go to the following address;

http://wemagazineforwomen.com/whos-who-directory-of-women-deadline-extended/