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Speak Out and Change the World! Voices 2015
The document discusses the importance of women's voices in the tech industry and outlines steps to achieve thought leadership for women. It emphasizes the need for greater representation, a personal brand, and strategies for influencing change in various areas including workplace policies and education. Additionally, it presents actionable steps for building support networks and creating a lasting impact in the tech field through a nonprofit initiative aimed at empowering women.
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Speak Out and Change the World! Voices 2015
- 1. Global Tech WomenWebinar, March 12, 2015 Speak out and change the world!
- 2. About me •Nuts aboutgender equality •Equally nuts about gender equality in tech •Passionate volunteer advocate for women’s issues in San Francisco •STEM and the nontechnical me •Marketing/branding adviser •My story starts with failures
- 3. A call forwomen’s voices We’re long overdue for a world in which talented, deeply knowledgeable women break through the noise and rise to be known as the leading voices in their fields, as thought leaders. — from Guise’s Thought-Leading Women Manifesto
- 4. Today’s agenda •Unpacking trendingwords and ideas •Passion to make a difference: the underpinning •About influencers/thought leaders •Why we need more women influencers •7 steps to thought leadership •Overcoming obstacles •What success looks like for you
- 5. Unpacking trending wordsand ideas •Change the world/find meaning in my career •Authenticity •Thought leadership •Personal branding
- 6. Passion to makea difference Thought leaders... •Are distinctive experts •Are deeply knowledgeable •Change the way we think •Influence us •Are passionate to make a difference •Create a legacy of ideas
- 7. •Sought-after •Known for whatyou think •You may think differently about things •Visible and known: in company, in industry •You’re “packaged” — identifiable, distinguishable As a thought leader, you’re...
- 8. Advantages of athought leader Thought Leader Leave a legacy of your ideas Recognizable brand Influencer Prestige and Income
- 9. Top 3 CommonThreads of a Thought Leader Passion Expertise Experience Your Thought Leadership
- 10. Where are youon the continuum? Thought Leadership Distinctive Ideas Expertise/Competitive
- 11. Being a thoughtleader is… •Effective to advance your career •What you want to be known for…today, tomorrow •How you make a difference •About core ideas, expressing them, getting them known •Being an influencer
- 12. Influence in thecommunity
- 13. What gets influenced •Workplaceprocesses, behavior, policy •Products, product safety •School curriculum and education system •Healthcare •Immigration •Human rights •Policy: environment, science, economy
- 14. As an influencer,you… •Are a go-to authority •Are chronically curious •Mentor others •Help others succeed •Shape opinions •Move the needle towards gender equality •See your passion in action
- 15. Where are thewomen? My soapbox •Women’s voices are missing around the globe… •17% at Davos 2015 World Economic Forum •22% heads of state globally •3.2% CEOs of Asia Pacific Top 250 firms •8% CEOs of India Top 50 firms •4.8% CEOs of U.S. Fortune 500 firms
- 16. Where are thewomen? My soapbox U.S. TECH FIRMS
- 17. Where are thewomen? My soapbox U.S. TECH FIRMS
- 18. Where are thewomen? My soapbox
- 19. Where are thewomen? My soapbox Phil Cohen, “The most comprehensive analysis ever of the gender of New York Times writers.” Family Inequality blog, April 29, 2014
- 20. 7 Steps toThought Leadership 1. Build your support scaffold 2. ID your passion to make a difference 3. Develop your personal brand 4. Write about your core idea 5. Distribute your writing 6. Present/speak on your core idea 7. Keep it new and fresh
- 21. 1. Build yoursupport scaffold •Follow your passion •Develop relationships with uplifting women •Add support network: Global Tech Women •Find a mentor + role model •Enlist stakeholders •Look in/outside your company for feedback •Protect yourself from negative people
- 22. 2. ID passionto make a difference
- 23. Exercise: draft asentence… What are you passionate about? What could you become passionate about?
- 24. 3. Develop yourpersonal brand •Core idea/message…your passion •How you want others to see you •How others see you/your reputation •Executive presence •“Package” yourself •How you show up online/social media •Personal branding: a forever activity!
- 25. Personal vision statement Iwill________________________________________________________________ because_____________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ I will achieve this goal by __________________________ ___________________________________ I will provide tech women with the vital resources, tools and support they need to have successful careers, because of the challenges women in technology are up against and my passion to topple the status quo. I’ll achieve this by being a hub for programs and opportunities through my new nonprofit, FemResources.
- 26. 4. Write aboutyour core idea •3-5 starter topics •Develop “library” of intellectual property (IP) •Tie into what’s trending •Present “same ol” differently •Conduct a survey, write the report •Opinion piece or letter to editor for local print media, your blog, or company blog
- 27. 5. Distribute yourwriting •List ideal online/offline venues •Identify publications for opinion piece •Start a blog or contribute to company blog •Make influencer list/introduce yourself •Pitch story idea to media/press release •Create short videos •Create podcasts – just audio
- 28. 6. Present/speak onyour core idea •Toastmasters •Internal •Industry/professional meetings as panelist or solo presenter •Chambers, Rotaries if non-technical •Speak at every opportunity •Find/create speaking opportunities
- 29. 7. Keep itnew and fresh •Update as needed •Add new idea into your concept bag •Solicit feedback from mentor, peers, support group •Stay current with industry trends •Keep your passion alive!
- 30. Personal Action Plan GOAL& VISION ACTIONS TO ACHIEVE GOAL MEASURES OF SUCCESS TIMING POSSIBLE OBSTACLES HOW TO HANDLE OBSTACLES My vision: To help get more women into tech jobs and staying in tech, to achieve gender equality in technology Form nonprofit to provide resources and tools for tech women at all career stages Build website, launch “club,” resource directories and access to education, skills training, scholarships Conduct research to understand specific issues Key measure: tech women secure jobs Research is funded and implemented Partners sign on Funding and other grants secured Garner media attention and regular media inquiries Tech women sign up to belong Dec 15 April 15, ongoing May 15, ongoing May 15 May 15, ongoing No funding No partners Women don’t show up for membership Technical issues Get seed funds, run out Bad media reviews Hostile social media Seek alternatives, e.g. crowd funding Tweak messaging Tweak offerings Op-eds, letters to editors Ignore hostility where possible; address where needed
- 31. Barriers, obstacles andbrick walls •Outside your control: biases, hostility, •Within your control: Top 5 Barrier-busting Actions a. Reaffirm your passion b. Assess situation c. Assess costs to stay the course d. Assess costs to retreat e. Reaffirm your passion
- 32. Overcoming… Imposter syndrome •Repeat, “Iam not a fraud!” •Focus on your value •Compare yourself only to yourself •Let your passion drive your beliefs Image: © SnorgTees.com
- 33. Overcoming… Confidence obstacles andbarriers Global Tech Women Voices webinar: The Confidence Gap: Igniting Brilliance through Feminine Leadership Lisa Marie Jenkins, Cisco Systems/Lisa Marie Jenkins Consulting
- 34. What does successlook like for you? To be successful, be… 1. Curious 2. Bold 3. Patient 4. Impatient 5. Compassionate Above all, find your passion and live it!
- 35. Speak out andchange the world! Roberta Guise roberta@guisemarketing.com GuiseMarketing.com FemResources.org 415-420-6276 FREE 1-HR PHONE/SKYPE CONSULTING SESSION to first 5 people who sign up!
Editor's Notes
- #2 Welcome to all of you, wherever you’re located around the world. This is an exciting time…I’m at the UN CSW 59, Beijing+20, Platform for Action review etc etc. In next hr we’ll look at how you can accelerate your career by beefing up your personal brand and becoming known as a thought leader. Whether you’re an individual contributor, you’re in leadership, you’re a consultant or own a small business, the principles and steps are for the most part the same.
- #3 Before we get going…My work/clients all US based, so PLEASE share any comments abt your country if what I say doesn’t apply. Also know that I’ve angled the content towards women, so male viewers please adapt the content to your situation. So what I do…I guide passionate individuals especially women to become known as leading authorities in their field. And I advise experts and small business owners on how to be extraordinarily visible. My story… been working for self most of my adult life. Ironically, felt safer…negative messages growing up, took into adulthood…flunked high school 3X…friend said get edu…video…looked for meaning…knew it needed to be around women, girls…Mentor Magic before Google…told no-one would fund it…gave up…loped along until 4 yrs ago…got involved in volunteer advocacy, and returned my passion for women in STEM. Just founded FR, to accelerate gender EQ in tech and STEM!
- #4 I want you to know that I’m deeply committed to helping you find your voice and being able to use it. And in the next hour I’m going to show you how your voice will be most powerful and effective when it comes from your passion to make a difference.
- #5 Unpacking trending words and ideas...there a few terms we here over and over, like “unpacking” Passion to make a difference: the underpinning Deep dive into the world of influencers/thought leaders Look at why we need more women influencers 7 steps to thought leadership Overcoming obstacles What success looks like for you…Success is personal. You determine what success is for you. It can be big, or small and incremental.
- #6 Change world/find meaning…you know you want to make a difference. About finding your PASSION! You could bend metal with it. Nothing’s going to stop you! Authenticity…this is about being true to yourself, finding that place of meaning and passion, and sticking with it. Your passion can change…most important is to have it. It’s like a beacon that shines a light on your life’s path. Thought leadership…it’s being the person others want to hear from and be around, because you’re leading the way with your way of looking at things…more coming shortly. Personal branding…is how you show up, what we think of you and does that match what you want us to think of you. We’ll talk about this in more detail.
- #7 Imagine giving a TED talk. For those not familiar…TED is 18 min videos on new and novel topics, unique. What would your topic be? What’s big theme you’d want to convey? What you suggest we change our thinking about? Let’s look at what influencer is, as someone who shapes opinions. I persuade you to think abt something in a different way. A recent famous influencer: she reignited public discussion about gender equality, in particular in workplace. Sheryl Sandberg did TED Talk, speaking circuit, then published now famous book, Lean In. She’s continuing push for gender EQ through writing, partnerships and coalitions. This is an extreme example. LORAINE STORY: Client chem. Engineer, expert in water mgt. Will be leading contrarian voice on legionella bacteria…can kill If NOT medical facility big bldg mgrs should NOT test for legionella. Influence big building owners not to test…results not valid b/c 2 wk time lag, unneccesary legal. Who else becomes influencer/opinion leader? experts in any field; technical workers, business leaders; Economists; historians; scientists; academics; AND YOU!
- #8 Peoplewill look to youbecause you’ve been bold enough to step up and let them know about your ideas. If you’ve got an idea let’s say about process change, bringing different groups of people together who need one another, or a way to do things differently, even a new product, post your comment and we’ll try to call them out as examples.
- #9 Influencer: your opp to make a difference, where you put your passion into action Recognizable brand: you’re known for your ideas and thinking Prestige/income: it feels good to acknowledged. At work, you’re more likely to be promoted; self-employed, clients seek you out. Legacy: People have access to your writing and ideas, enriching their lives in some way.
- #10 Let’s study this diagram. Got to have experience…done it. Expertise…know what you’re doing. You have ability to communicate it. Passion: to make a difference…it’s not about ourselves…it’s BIGGER than us. Let’s talk for moment about PASSION. Client leads nonprofit whose mission: give young women/girls tools to resist distorted media images that negatively affect their sense of self. Op-ed on swimsuit issue SI…published a few weeks ago in SF Chronicle, tying perfection to distorted images of perfect bodies. She’s constantly devel her own original ideas. She’s passionate to help girls & young women. Loraine the chemical engineer is bold. To her, being contrarian is the ethical position. “I have a responsibility to my clients” she told me.
- #11 Term thought leader used to describe expert. I disagree. Here’s why. At tail: experts, in category of many. As you develop your ideas, write and speak, you stand out as distinctive Thought leadership: category of one. Breakthrough: think Sheryl Sandberg and Lean In. Lean In ignited conversations still going on. She’s continuing to author op-eds, in NY Times, mostly on gender biases and stereotypes. In technology: PadMASree Warrior, Chief Technology & Strategy Officer of Cisco Systems. In 2014, Forbes listed her as the 71st most powerful woman in the world. Her ideas are about enabling the future through technology. She’s considered to be the likely successor to CISCO CEO John Chambers. Notably, she has more than 1½ million followers on Twitter! That’s Thought leadership!
- #12 No question that if you put effort into becoming a thought leader your career will take flight. Or you may already be on career trajectory, and you add TL overlay…you’ll fly really high. But what if your area of thought leadership is outside of work? You may have an idea for the community, something novel for example to help the homeless. NEXT SLIDE: INFLUENCER…Lava Mae/Doniece Sandoval
- #13 Some people influence by having a novel idea and acting on it. LAVA MAE/Doniece Sandoval is another great example…marketer for tech companies, came back to SF after NY, saw all the homeless and their lack of access to hygiene. She told me: convert buses; went to former city supe, now homeless advocate; “he rolled his eyes, gave me homework!” She did it, and thus was born Lava Mae, originally Spanish for “wash me” Mission: delivering dignity one shower at a time. Doniece is making the change she wants to see, one shower at a time. Her IDEA turned into ACTION that is thought-leading.
- #14 These are some of the areas of our lives that you can help influence– Workplace processes, behavior, policy Products, product safety School curriculum and education system Healthcare Immigration Human rights Policy: environment, science, economy While you’re looking at this slide, let me mention again…I’ve been at UN CSW all week, listening to mostly women from all over the world. These women are influencing policy in their countries on gender equality, giving girls access to education, getting women safe access to water, fighting violence against women & girls the list goes on.
- #15 To sum this all up: As an influencer, as a TL yr someone people seek out because of your opinions, the way you think about things, & this helps accelerate where you want to go with your life and the difference you want to make.
- #16 SOAPBOX! How can women shape opinions and influence us, if their voices, our voices, YOUR voices, aren’t being heard? Short answer: they can’t!
- #17 Let’s put the numbers in perspective: these are companies we interact with every day, and even in non technical jobs such as HR and marketing, on average women make up only 30% of employees of the company. Women aren’t represented enough in the firms to be influential. In 2014 Facebook’s user population was 77% women. Could more women in leadership or more than 17% of engineers have ideas that would make the site more meaningful for women users? I think so!
- #18 I live in SF, and many days leave house around 7am to go swim in the bay. I drive through areas where the famous “Google buses” and buses for eBay, LI, Yahoo, Facebook, etc. pick up employees… Employees line up on the sidewalk as they wait for the bus to arrive. I’ve conducted a visual experiment: For every 10 men in line, there’s one perhaps two women. That’s it. So the numbers in the slide here are born out by the evidence on the sidewalks at 7am weekdays. Technical teams are missing women, and most importantly missing their ideas.
- #19 In consumer media, we’re not seeing many women influencing conversations – how can they when Sunday talk shows are more than 85% male?
- #20 The most influential topics – sports, science, opinion, technology, world, business, are dominated by male writers. This means that women aren’t shaping public opinion with their ideas on most of the important issues that impact people’s lives. They’re not submitting opinion pieces to publications. Only around 20% of submissions are from women. I want YOU to help change this status quo, that you’ll take every opportunity to get your ideas heard!
- #21 Realize we’re covering a lot…feel free to contact me offline if you have questions. The conference description says 6 steps. I modified for our session today. ***ANNOUNCEMENT*** I’m offering 1 hr free phone/skype consult to first 5 people to sign up. So wherever you are I hope you’ll take me up on the offer!
- #22 You build a support scaffold b/c you can’t do this alone. Don’t try it…it doesn’t work. Building blocks to the scaffold… 1. Let your passion drive and inspireThink about where you want to make a difference. Ghandi famously said, “Be the change you want to see.” as mentioned earlier, if you have the deep passion to make change, have that fire in the belly, nothing will stop you. 2. Find a mentorHave an inspiring female to look up to and help you and be a positive influence in your life. You can have a male mentor too, but having a female mentor is key. 3. Strengthen bonds with other womenSurround yourself with other strong women to learn from and give back. These relationships can help us build on our achievements and foster positive female connections. And here’s where we need male allies: Bond with supportive men. Plus we need men for balance and perspective. I can feel heads nodding! 4. Take actionOld saying, “good things come to those who wait.” You could wait a long time for it to happen. Instead, I suggest you adopt the mindset of “good things will come if I go out and get them.”
- #23 ASK: What’s my passion? Where are you passionate to make a difference? Not sure what your passion is? Try this: Take a look at what area of your life or work – pay or volunteer – do you LOVE, that you love telling people about? Identify who needs it/whom it serve… Ask Why is it needed/its value? What will change as a result of your idea? DEFINE: This is where you write sentence or two about your idea. By writing it down you start to give your idea some shape. DEVELOP, TEST, APPLY: You may have a process for doing something…or a model for how to make something work better, or a new way to explain something. Post if you like for all to see. After the webinar, write everything you can think about the idea. To test, run it by a colleague or friend. What do they think? If you get nods of approval, you’re ready to develop it further.
- #24 We could talk for days about developing an idea, but I wanted to give you a basic foundation for coming up with one for yourself. Think for a few moments and jot down what you’re passionate about. This will form the basis for your core idea. OK if you change it later…right now important to tune your mind to THINK IN NEW WAY about what you do, or want to do. As if we’re FILTERING for gem. Post in chat if you’d like to share it with everyone.
- #25 As we said earlier, personal branding is about how you show up, what you want people to think about you, and what in reality they think about you and are those two aligned. In PB think about Packaging yourself -- your passion...you want peeps to think about your passion when they think of you – come across…how you dress and hold or comport yourself -- what you say and how you say it -- your online presence/social media…FB LI Twitter…peeps get an impression of you -- your experience/expertise -- you relationships/whom you know, who knows you -- if you don’t purposefully brand yourself, others will do the job for you and you might not like what they do!! vision statement next slide
- #26 Vision statement: What to you want to become? Or do? Tie it in to your passion. Use this as a template or guide to write your vision statement. My vision statement: I will provide tech women with the vital resources, tools and support they need to have successful careers, because of the challenges women in technology are up against and my passion to topple the status quo. I’ll achieve this by being a hub for programs and opportunities through my new nonprofit, FemResources. And if you don’t know, write “I don’t know yet” – make a commitment to discover your passion.
- #27 The best way to get going is write 3-5 topic idea…idea paragraphs. Easiest may be what’s in the news: Jennifer B on PERFECTION re SI Swimsuit issue…big discussion in news was big size model in swimsuit lineup and even bigger size model in an ad. In her op-ed Jennifer tied perfection to the less than perfect big size women and how models are photoshopped to perfection.
- #28 Multiple platforms: Blog you write or company blog, company newsletter, your own newsletter, industry publications print & online, online only publications, mainstream news in print and online; blogs edited or curated by influencers. For blogs by influencers, find who is heavily read in your industry…these will be the influencers that you want to be friends with, and ask to guest blog. Reach out to a few select reporters who cover your topic. Offer yourself as a subject matter expert. Or suggest a story based on your idea.
- #29 Speaking personalizes your message. The live effect is powerful. Amplifies your writing, if you’re writing as well. If you work for a firm, offer to speak at internal meetings in your area. You can also research conferences and meetings in your industry, and offer yourself as a panelist. Or, propose to put together a panel with you as moderator. I LOVE Toastmasters. My club has members from Adobe, Advent Software, Zynga, Dolby. Toastmasters lets you try out ideas with a real audience, but without consequences. And you get honest feedback on your speeches! My message here is that you seek to speak at every opportunity possible. You can’t speak often enough! It’ll balance with the writing that you’re doing. You’ll get practice talking about your idea or concept.
- #30 How do you keep your idea fresh? First, Ensure that it’s is current…update as needed If it becomes out of date or irrelevant and you’re stumped for what to do next: go back to your passion! If you have a new idea, Start the process with drafting a new idea statement…follow the previous 6 steps. And make sure that your passion drives whatever you decide to do. …………….. Update as needed Add new idea into your concept bag Solicit feedback from mentor, peers, support group Stay current with industry trends Keep your passion alive!
- #31 So we can’t do a personal action plan right now, but we can review the essentials of a personal action plan. This is a template I’ve created for you…put in my own draft action plan. Goal Actions to achieve goal Measures of success Timing What could hold me back How I’ll handle obstacles Feel free to take it and make it your own
- #32 Things outside your control…you feel unwelcome, put down, ignored, b/c you’re a woman Do something about: no self-blame here! Do my top 5 barrier-busting action items to keep sane and on track: Reaffirm your passion...remind why…so strong bend metal Assess situation…how bad is it Assess costs to keep going Assess costs to leave Reaffirm your passion While this doesn’t give a prescription for dealing with obstacles, it does give you a way to look pragmatically at your challenging situation. Whether you work for a firm or yourself, always return to your passion and let it be your guide.
- #33 Been socialized to believe we’re not good enough…that it’s too risky to take risks. My message to you is: Don’t doubt what you know. Go back to your passion and what you know is true. That’ll put you back on solid ground. Imposter syndrome… Repeat, “I am not a fraud!” Focus on your value Compare yourself only to yourself Let your passion drive your beliefs
- #34 Perhaps the stickiest wicket of all…Confidence, or lack of it, is a HUGE obstacle for many women. Because there’s a great presenter in the Voices conference on this topic, I’m referring you to Lisa Marie Jenkins’s session. And I highly recommend The Confidence Code book by Katty Kay & Claire Shipman. I don’t want confidence issues to get in the way of your becoming the renowned authority you deserve to be. Whenever you have any doubt, this is what I do…think back to your passion. Yes, speaking out and expressing your ideas requires a thick skin, confidence and resilience. And…you can grow a thick skin, you can increase confidence, and you can become resilient. It’s never too late!
- #35 I have a few last words of advice as you embark on your journey to Speak Out! and change the world. As I suggested earlier, success is personal. You decide what success means to you. The 5 concepts I’ve put up here will help accelerate your success, whatever that ends up being for you. Curious: be a nosy news hound…know what’s going on in the world, in your industry, areas that affect your industry, and of course in your particular field. Try never to say, “I don’t need to know that.” By knowing what’s happening, you’ll be someone who connects the dots, see connections and make sense of things others haven’t yet seen Bold: When you’re deeply passionate about something, you’ll be bold without barely realizing it. Passion to make a difference is a whopping motivator! I’m speaking from experience! Patient: Practice patience with others and with yourself. This isn’t an overnight process. Flip side… 4. Impatient: you need to take action now! Old saying, “good things come to those who wait.” You could wait a long time for good things to happen. Instead, adopt the mindset of “good things will come if I go out and get them.” 5. Compassionate: show you care. And have compassion for yourself too Nothing nothing will stop you if your passion is real, and if you follow it! **NEXT SLIDE IS THE END**
- #36 Glad you could be here today…and for participating. Thx those who sent in questions If you’re watching the recording, feel free to get in touch with any questions. Reminder the 1st 5 people to send their names get a free one hour phone or skype consulting session And thank you Deanna for creating this incredibly valuable Voices conference! You’re doing such a valuable service to curious minds around the world…thank you SO much!