Leading Women Unite at Smith for Day of Sharing

What does it take for women to succeed in business? For one woman Janna Morrison, senior vice president of customer care and technology services for Choice Hotels International the secret to success was a series of lists and a very specific career map.

Morrison, who was a keynote speaker at the Smith School's Women's Leadership Conference (March 3, 2006), began her career as a road warrior, traveling six days a week helping to teach, advise and guide Choice hotel operators. She then moved into management, overseeing all the company's employees west of the Mississippi. But her ultimate goal was to become part of the senior management team, and there weren't any openings at the vice president level. Morrison decided to see if she could create a position for herself, writing a business case and a proposal. The proposal was accepted, and Morrison got her position.

At the Communicating for Results panel discussion, young business leaders discussed their experiences in communicating across different audiences within their organizations. (left to right) Amanda Morgan, MBA 04, brand strategy manager, Choice Hotels International; Teresa McGlynn, MBA 02, brand manager, Campbell Soup Company; Pamela Hall, commercial operations and associate sales leader, Maternal Infant Care Americas, GE Healthcare Clinical Systems; Kirwei Lo, marketing manager, American Bankers Association; Zoey Rawlins, MBA 05, founder, SHOP DC.

Lists were also part of Morrison's strategy for moving her career forward. She decided that she wanted to move from marketing management to the new and growing area of information systems management, but she lacked a technical background in IT. In order to gain skills in this area, Morrison volunteered for any and every cross functional committee where she could learn something about the company's information systems and technology infrastructure. It meant long hours of extra work, but she learned what she needed to know. The experience also taught Morrison about the importance of getting noticed by those in your company. A lot of how you get ahead is finding meaningful ways to create organizational visibility for yourself, she said. When there is a need, people turn to who they know.

In the Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling panel discussion very successful women shared tips to climbing the corporate ladder, achieving success, and helping others once you get to the top. (left to right) Maureen Johnson, director of marketing and business development for ISG Army Division of Anteon; moderator Professor Ritu Agarwal; Susan Hovanec, CFP, vice president of investments at Ferris, Baker Watts, Inc.; Donna Sprague, research manager at National Geographic; and Sonia Choudhary, MD, FACOG.

Women should also look for high-risk projects that can define their careers, recommends Morrison. She found that high-risk project when Choice Hotels mandated that all its hotel operators switch to a new computer system for reservations. The new system wasn't popular, and Morrison was promoted into a position During that initial period, all I did was deal with people yelling at me, she admits ruefully. But the project, though difficult, turned out to be one of the most rewarding of her career.

Morrison recommended that women establish a network of advisors and being assertive about asking them for coaching and mentoring, recommendations, referrals, introductions, and career advice. She encouraged conference attendees to fill their rolodexes with contact information from the conference and then maintain a connection with those contacts.

Have a 15-year plan, Morrison finally advised. Figure out where your going. Then make your lists; figure out what skills you need and which people you need to connect with to get there.

The Women's Leadership Conference is an annual event organized by the Smith Association of Women MBAs (SAWMBA). This year's conference was attended by more than 100 members of the Smith Community and was sponsored by Air Products, Choice Hotels International, and Pepsi. The day-long gathering included two keynote speakers, lunch, and a variety of panel discussions and workshops.

"The conference was a huge success," said Melinda Duvall, president of SAWMBA. "The best part of the day was that it provided an open, relaxing forum for Smith women - full-time, part-time, and executive MBAs; alumni; and faculty to connect with other local MBA women and female business executives and gain insights on their experiences, lessons learned, and paths followed. I heard many comments that it was refreshing and inspiring from those that attended the conference," said Duvall.

Keynote speaker Patricia Mattimore, vice president of energy and materials, has been with Air Products since 1982. Mattimore recounted her unique career path as a chemical engineer in a conservative company -- from a participant in the company's career development program all the way up to president of Air Products Electronic Chemicals. She assumed her current position in January 2005.

"There is no substitute for speaking for yourself," said Mattimore to the all female audience. Make sure you are articulate and smart enough to know what you want and need out of the job. Does that match up with what your employer wants and needs from you?

At the Marketing Yourself to Employers workshop, current part-time MBA student and sales coaching and training expert Lisa Lamprecht Sechler got the audience involved in activities aimed at helping them more easily recognize marketable features and their benefits.

"I never took a job I thought I wasn't going to like," said Mattimore. The enthusiasm you bring to your job will predict whether you will succeed or fail. Mattimore added that "no skill is more important than learning to work with other people."

What makes a good leader? Mattimore said, "I think I'm a good leader. I can attract talent." As you move up, your job knowledge of your support system isn't there. You can't do the jobs of the people who report to you, so it is important to have a good network, she said. But if you don't understand your team, it is difficult to succeed as an individual.

▓ Rebecca Winner, Alissa Arford-Leyl, Office of Marketing Communications, March 7, 2006