Women in Business Conference Highlights Many Paths to Success
"By Chantelle Wallace
On Feb. 16, MBA students, alumni and other businesswomen gathered at the Austin Convention Center for the sixth annual Women in Business Leadership Conference. Through panels, speeches and workshops, the conference aimed to help women consider their own unique definitions of success. Participants also considered some of the issues and challenges that still affect women who pursue graduate degrees and careers in business.
Qualified Women in Management
The event’s keynote speaker was Lee Epting, vice president of Forum Nokia who described herself as “just technical enough to be scary.” Epting discussed the “huge wave of innovation” sweeping telecommunications: “I believe we’re on the cusp of a revolutionary transformation where phones are our life managers,” she said.
Epting’s leadership philosophy puts people at the center. “At the end of the day, people are the foundation of your organization so empower them and instill a no-fear policy,” she said. “Lead by doing, and recognize employee achievement.” A challenge Epting frequently faces is the lack of qualified women to hire. “I’ve been trying to bring some women into my management teams and am having trouble finding them,” she said, postulating that perhaps women aren’t marketing themselves well enough. She advised women to find their “angel”—another woman to aid career progression through mentorship and job connections.
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Other advice dispensed at the conference included the importance of finding positions in which you can gain knowledge and personal growth. “What has always driven my career decision is what the opportunities for learning are in the job,” said Marianne Seiler, MBA ’79, who is on her “third career” as a consultant with Accenture. She also recommended determining what gives you “a sense of significance” in life and pursuing positions that relate to it.
Other panelists echoed this sentiment: “It’s not about the next career step. It’s about aligning your life with what you love,” said Alissa Bayer, MBA ’04. Bayer is the entrepreneurial owner of Milk + Honey, an Austin day spa.
“Get into something you’re passionate about even if it doesn’t necessarily progress your career,” said Dell Marketing Director Karen Plotkin, MBA ’98. “If you stay with something that excites you, it will inevitably push your career progression. Passion gives you confidence.”
Mentor Network
Another theme of the day was the importance of mentorship. Great mentors see your strengths and provide career contacts, said Lynn Utter, BBA ’84 and chief strategy officer for Coors Brewing Co. “Don’t think of mentors as someone who can give you all the answers. Think of them as people who share their experiences, which you learn from and apply to your own situation.”
Utter has extensive experience as a both a mentor and a protégés. Most of her mentors have been men, from whom she learned the importance of forthrightness in a mentorship relationship. “Men are usually better at giving candid feedback to other men,” Utter said. “Women would benefit from being more frank with each other.”
Despite her positive experiences with male mentors, Utter emphasized the importance of female to female advising because of the uniquely female nature of certain issues such as work-life balance.
“Women have a bad rap for not helping each other, but I haven’t found that to be true,” Utter said. “Don’t forget that you are a role model for someone out there —take the next step and be a mentor.”
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