The Gamma WomanLast week, Advertising Age held its annual Women to Watch Awards Luncheon, honoring thirty of “the most innovative, empowered and accomplished women in the world of media and marketing.” Hailing from industries as varied as energy, internet entertainment, professional sports and banking, among others, the honorees were given just a couple of minutes to answer a single question posed – mostly related to marketing advice or work-life balance.

 

Each of the speakers was inspiring and powerful. Helen Clark, Corporate Marketing Manager of Chevron Corporation-under whose guidance the successful “Power of Human Energy” campaign was launched-advised “be brave…know your challenges.” Lynda Clarizio, President of Platform A at AOL, the world’s largest online ad network, told the crowd of the importance of having a “clear, strategic vision…” and “to not be afraid to make the tough decisions.” And Annette Stover, CEO of Euro RSCG, New York, advised to “capitalize on teamwork and technology” when attempting to achieve work-life balance.

The room was packed with powerful and accomplished women–event organizers, honorees, and audience members alike–who have broken free of stereotypes and surpassed expectations to reach the top of their fields. This made the announcement by Meredith Publishing, one of the sponsors of the event, all the more incongruous. Meredith Publishing’s new study, “The Gamma Factor,” purports to define a powerful marketing segment: the “Gamma woman.”

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pharma.JPGby Pamela Weinsaft (New York City)

Writing for PharmExecutive.com, Kristin Rand recently asked “Where are the women in Pharma?” (article) . The article reported on a study–commissioned by the nonprofit Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association and fielded by Booz Allen Hamilton–which showed that, despite a concentrated effort on the part of the industry to ensure diversity, women at the top of pharmacuetical companies remain few and far between.

Perhaps the most telling fact is that the percentage of women in management in pharma showed little, if any, increase, over the course of the five-year period studied. The researchers, drawing on data from 19 US and European pharmaceutical companies, found that women held only 17% of senior management positions and 34% of middle management positions over the five years.

The Glass Hammer is hopeful that the following women, already making their marks in the industry, will pave the way for the next wave of women in pharma:

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Corporate politics is something everyone loves to hate, but is seldom discussed openly. The “Elephant in the Conference Room” – it’s big, it’s often clumsy and destructive, and everyone
tries to pretend it’s not there.

We’ll start out by naming the Elephant for what it is: interpersonal politics. And we’ll talk about why it
seems so unpleasant and overwhelming.

Grace Judson will be the key speaker. Grace Judson is an executive coach and business consultant with more than two decades’ experience in strategic planning, coaching, business planning, and tactical execution. Her career includes over a dozen years in senior management. A coach, consultant, and teacher, she guides organizations and individuals in making choices and decisions that create powerful, integrity-based results for employees, executives, and shareholders. She specializes in corporate politics and workplace culture issues.

*All registrations must be received by Tuesday, August 19, 2008

To Register

Presented by SixFigureStart (and GlassHammer columnists!) Caroline Ceniza-Levine and Connie Thanasoulis

Learn real-world tactical strategies to get a job in this market from two former recruiters who have hired from thousands of candidates just like you.
If you’ve always wanted an inside view into how the hiring process really works, bring your questions for this interactive and engaging discussion.
Learn the six steps to landing the job you want where you want
Find out the three categories of candidates and how to know where you fit (and what to do about that!)
Discover a common mistake that many candidates make to blow the offer (usually right before the offer comes)
*Bring your questions and get candid, no-nonsense responses.

Please RSVP to psunyprofwomen@gmail.com

(Lite snacks and beverages will be served.)

For more information on SixFigureStart

Contributed by Ruth Haag of www.RuthHaag.com

conference-room.jpgWhen you are leading an unruly group, you need to take every advantage to maintain control. The shape of your meeting table can help or hinder you.

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Contributed by Caroline Ceniza-Levine of SixFigureStart

istock_000005168521xsmall1.jpgJob searches seem to be taking longer given the poor economy. How can I use the wait to my advantage?

A lot of recruiting is waiting: you send a resume and wait for an interview; you go on an interview and wait for more interviews; you go on more interviews and wait for the offer; you negotiate the offer and wait for the response; etc. In a shaky economy like the present, the waiting can be even longer as budgets are slow to be approved. To keep this waiting time from wasting time:

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by Valerie Poulin (Toronto)

twowomenatcomputer.JPGWhen I decided to return to life as an employee after a decade of freelance and contract work, I thought that it would be tough to find get back into the swing of things. But while I dreaded leaving behind the freedom and flexibility of the freelance life, I longed for the stability of full-time employment, as well as the back up that comes from being a part of a team.

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Contributed by Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro ®

istock_000005607341xsmall1.jpgEven if you start out the day with plenty of fuel, you may eventually feel that energy slipping away. You can be zipping along just fine, then — Boom! — you hit what sports enthusiasts call “the wall.” How well you handle your energy budget will determine whether you break through the wall and move on to the rest of your day, or just bounce off and slog through the mental mud. Try these tips to stay on the straight and narrow.

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by Jane Lucken

How do you make partner not once, but twice, before reaching age 35? To find out, The Glass Hammer spoke to Laura Hinton, Tax Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) in London.

Upon graduation from university, uncertain of her direction, Hinton applied to accountancy firms to boost her qualifications and gain exposure to a range of businesses. With an eye toward some day having a business or consulting career, she started her career in 1994 at BDO Stoy Hayward, an accountancy firm in London.

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By Ellie Barnes

I boarded a plane for Miami with all the confidence of a young (and naïve) salesperson ready and eager to pitch my company’s commodities expertise to Latin American clients at a conference in Miami. In my short eight months of experience, I thought I had met with enough clients and observed enough interaction to be able to handle what lay ahead. I had envisioned myself effortlessly wining and dining the clients, while simultaneously charming the senior management who had come to Miami from trading floors in Latin America and all over the globe.

Before leaving New York, I had gone over my products, practiced my pitch, and even I had picked my outfits weeks in advance. However, there was no way I could’ve prepared myself for the scene that was unfolded before my eyes as I descended into the hotel lobby. After one sweep of the crowd, I realized I was not only the youngest, the most junior, and one of the only non-Spanish speaking, I was also the only woman among at least forty Latin men. I took a deep breath and set off to wow them, but panic set in when the introductions began.

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