I have been thinking deeply about how women in STEM can have more seats at the table and not the kiddie table where one goes to do tidying up and office housework. The table where their voices are heard, acknowledged, and acted upon. Working in tech myself, I notice particularly how women of color are under-represented and white men are over-represented. Is this a result of the ways in which women are conditioned since childhood? The subtle messages they receive again and again? Are women being excluded in important conversations and meetings? Are their thoughts discarded or ignored? Are they not being given credit for their contributions? Is a lack of mentorship and sponsorship the problem? Is the motherhood bias compiled in under-represented fields? Do women of color experience this even more than any other intersectionality? In many ways women are made to feel as if they don’t belong and speaking up about it can come at the detriment of one’s job and security. However, this narrative needs to change. If we want more women leaders and more of them at the top, we need to be able to approach these conversations calmly and strategically. We need a framework for having inclusive conversations and with that framework we need to use it as a piece of workplace culture that emanates throughout the rest of the organization.
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Topics:
Events,
Leadership,
Women,
Career,
Communication,
Network,
Culture,
Women in STEM,
Upcoming Events,
Professional,
Tools,
Trust,
Conflict Resolution,
Challenges,
Inclusion,
Ally,
Allyship,
Strong Women,
Strong World
There are so many questions we can ask about trust. How can teams increase effectiveness through building trust? What skills are needed to build trust? What about virtual teams? During WEST's 10/14 webinar with Laurie Bohn, you will engage in an interactive, virtual dialogue about building trust within your team and across your network.
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Topics:
Leadership,
Women,
Team,
Career,
Women in STEM,
Upcoming Events,
Interactive,
Trust,
Developing Your Skills,
#WESTevent,
#WESTorg,
Webinar
Just as leadership is a role best executed by personal example, in The Speed of Trust, Stephen M.R. Covey explains that the foundation of trust is personal credibility, which Covey describes as the product of “Four Cores”:
- Integrity: Do your actions align with your values?
- Intents: What’s your agenda? Are you thinking about your year-end bonus or your team’s long-term success in the context of your organization’s mission?
- Capabilities: As important as what you know and how you do it, is your ability to accurately gauge your competencies and execute accordingly.
- Results: Listed last, but this really comes before everything. This is the track record that proves a person worthy of that initial trust that gets things moving.
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Topics:
Events,
Women,
Tech,
Team,
Science,
Career,
Community,
Women in STEM,
Workshop,
Networking,
Upcoming Events,
Biotech,
Interactive,
Connect,
Trust,
Career Development,
Influence Without Authority,
Own It,
Learn
Ugh. Another set of sleepless nights full of anxiety getting ready for a difficult conversation. Whether the conversation involves providing feedback to a colleague or involves asking your boss for a long overdue promotion and pay raise, you just know it is going to be difficult. And stressful.
But… fear not, there REALLY ARE ways to reduce some of the anxiety.
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Topics:
Events,
Women,
Tech,
Science,
Career,
Communication,
Community,
Women in STEM,
Networking,
Upcoming Events,
Biotech,
Interactive,
Connect,
Trust,
Developing Your Skills,
Challenges,
Career Development,
Own It
The way in which we communicate – whether at work, at home or in school – has changed dramatically over the years with the accessibility of email, texting, and the use of social media applications. Communications among colleagues and friends are often reduced to fragmented collections of written phrases and responses, fired off moments after receipt of an inbound message. The on-demand, always accessible manner of communicating has certainly brought significant conveniences, but it has reduced the opportunities for conversations among us. As a result, we may be missing out on the chance to connect, engage, and collaborate in a more meaningful way.
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Topics:
Events,
Women,
Tech,
Science,
Career,
Communication,
Community,
Women in STEM,
Networking,
Upcoming Events,
Relationships,
Biotech,
Interactive,
Connect,
Collaboration,
Trust,
Developing Your Skills,
Impact,
Career Development,
Own It
You are probably managing or working in a team with members scattered in different offices, different cities and different parts of the world. We can all underestimate, and especially if we are the ones at cozy HQ, how lonely, disconnected and inefficient this can feel. Misunderstandings and toxic office politics can swell with distance as team motivation and the sense of agency diminishes.
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Topics:
Events,
Leadership,
STEM,
Women,
Career,
Communication,
Community,
Resilience,
Cambridge,
Women in STEM,
Networking,
Upcoming Events,
Relationships,
Management,
Trust,
Vision
