Manhattan-New York

Massachusetts Conference for Women

boston.jpgBy Liz O’Donnell (Boston)

On Thursday, December 11, approximately 5000 women from the business, finance, technology, law, and health industries attended the Massachusetts Conference for Women at the Boston Convention Center. The conference’s theme, “The Next Chapter of You,” was underscored throughout the day in educational sessions and keynote speeches with titles such as “Standing Out in the Crowd,” “Second Acts and New Beginnings,” and “A Brand New, Brand You.” Speakers encouraged attendees to both invest in themselves and give back to their communities. There was little talk about Wall Street’s woes and the bleak economic outlook. Instead women focused on the issues they could control: how they were showing up professionally and where they could affect positive change in their business and personal lives.

Syndicated gossip columnist, Liz Smith was especially inspiring. The 85 year old media veteran moderated a keynote panel with Judith Martins, aka Miss Manners, broadcast journalist Lesley Stahl, and publishing powerhouse Joni Evans. Together the four women founded wowOwow, an online community for mature women.

One of the most popular sessions was “Women’s Networks that Work” a panel discussion on programs that recruit, retain and develop women in business. The panelists included Pamela Paton, senior vice president, State Street Corporation, Amy Munichiello, inclusiveness consultant, Ernst & Young and Patricia Deyton, director of The Center for Gender in Organizations and senior lecturer in management at Simmons College. Kathy Jo Cook, president of the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts, moderated.

Cook opened the session by asking Deyton why we need women’s networks.

“The other system hasn’t worked for women,” Deyton said.”The network needs to be intentional,” she said. “Intentionality makes a difference.”

Old boy’s networks, she said, are hidden, strong, exclusionary and well-established in industries such as finance and law. “Covert barriers exist that block promotions and create occupational stress,” said Deyton. On the other hand, women’s networks, she said, are formal, connected, transparent and inclusionary.

Paton and Munichiello head global inclusion strategies at their respective organizations. These programs focus on mentoring and networking programs that support career development, communication, and leadership for women.

In order for women’s networks to be successful, the panelists offered these tips:

  • Decide on a goal and communicate it throughout the organization (Paton wasn’t even aware State Street had a women’s group until she was asked to take it over.)
  • Maintain accountability for the group’s goals.
  • Select and recognize a formal leadership structure.
  • Allocate resources; including a budget.
  • Enlist an executive sponsor; most likely a man, and use him to get buy-in throughout the organization.
  • Likewise, recruit the top women in the organization as champions.
  • Ask managers to support women’s involvement in the group.
  • Create a diverse steering committee. Link the network’s strategies to the organization’s business strategies.

But even when companies have a formal strategy in place to foster women’s advancement, women need to be proactive in how they position themselves at work, cautioned the panelists. “You can’t always blame it on the guys,” said Paton. “You need to work hard.”

Peyton concurred. “Don’t use any of this as an excuse. Just be aware of what is embedded in the organization’s infrastructure.”

Finally, she cautioned, do not disengage from the male dominated networks. They still exist and hold most of the power.

This year’s conference sponsors included State Street, EMD Serono, Microsoft and Accenture. The Massachusetts Conference for Women is a sister event to the Women’s Conference which was held on October 22 this year in California and run by California’s first lady Maria Shriver.

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