WICT Leadership Conference: A Newbie’s Perspective

Karen Livingstone, Zentive Americas. Atlanta Chapter Member

Where would you have the opportunity to hear the personal stories of a trailblazing political strategist, a former Whitehouse press secretary and an Olympic gold medalist all while learning ways to navigate the career ladder?  The answer is this year’s 2009 WICT Leadership Conference.  It’s hard to believe so many panelists and speakers were combined into a day and a half event. This year marked the celebration of WICT’s 30th anniversary and I had the honor of attending as a scholarship recipient.  As a first- time attendee I didn’t know what to expect, however, the conference proved to be filled with pertinent information that was relevant to every stage of a woman’s leadership journey.

Featured speaker, Donna Brazile opened the conference with a candid and spirited discussion of her rise to a well sought after political strategist.  She described her humble beginnings as a 9-year old who campaigned for a playground in her neighborhood to eventually serving in every presidential campaign from 1976-2000.  Donna emphasized the importance of encouragement and support among fellow women to promote leadership.  She stressed that once leadership status is attained, it’s just as important to share the code of how to breakthrough into a leadership position.  In her words, “it is our time” to seize the moment and to support each other’s career journeys.

As the first female Minnesota senator and one of seventeen female senators serving in the US senate, Amy Klobuchar epitomized how one individual can make a difference for many when she rallied expectant moms to show support of a law to guarantee a 48-hour hospital stay for new moms.

The panel discussions ranged from “Striving in Tough Times”, “Climbing the Corporate Lattice” to the light-hearted “Dressing for Success”.  Former Whitehouse press secretary, Dana Perino, explained the value of being prepared for your role.  She triumphed over responding to tough questions by waking up at 4:15 am every morning to prepare for the daily press conference.  The afternoon discussion of “How to Leverage Your Leadership Skills” highlighted the importance of a mentor and that many times the best suited mentor may be outside one’s comfort zone.  Moderator, Grace Killelea emphasized the importance of building a network as a supportive path to becoming leader when the statement “Networks are like compound interest, they grow with time”.  Then style expert, Lloyd Boston put his fashion-sense to work when he made over audience participants by making simple and classic changes to their everyday attire.

Mom, Olympic medalist and author, Dara Torres concluded the conference as the keynote speaker.  Dara told how she defied naysaysers when she competed once again in the 2008 Olympics and won three Olympic medals.  Dara lives by the motto “treat others the way you would want to be treated, if you were in their position”. When asked how she keeps things in perspective, she responded with “there are more important things in life than the Olympics.” By keeping what’s important to her a priority, she’s able to juggle Olympic training, motherhood and modeling contracts all with grace while inspiring those around her to strive for their very best.

This year’s conference combined several topics that provided timely and useful insights for every woman to navigate these challenging and uncertain times. I’m grateful to the Atlanta Chapter to have been part of this truly memorable event!