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Who Do You Work For?
By Margaret Heffernan
What matters more to your employer? Whether your company's goals are met -- or whether your personal and professional goals are met? The answer may surprise you.
A few weeks ago, I had to good fortune to run into an old boss of mine, Piers Plowright. He was one of the first people I worked for at the BBC, and one of the best. Much to my amazement, I discovered that he was now retired but not at all to my amazement, that he was enjoying his retirement immensely. "From time to time, they ask me back to do something for them," he said. "I try not to go back too often. I just think it's better for everyone to move on without me."
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Don't miss Margaret at WITI's Silicon Valley conference, December 8 & 9! For details...
Please join us at the 10th Anniversary WITI Hall of Fame Gala!
Can you believe it has been 10 years since WITI established the very first WITI Hall of Fame? We are especially excited that this year's celebration will truly underscore the "international" in WITI! Not only have women already registered to attend from several countries (Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, England, among others), but we also have an extraordinary line up of winners for the 10th Anniversary celebration which includes women from Spain, Australia and, of course, the United States.
We hope you will join us as the WITI Foundation holds its annual WITI Hall of Fame event, a fund raiser to raise awareness of the accomplishments of women in science & technology and to encourage young girls and women to pursue careers in technology and become technology literate. Please invite your network: organizations and individuals committed to demonstrating their support for the accomplishments of these extraordinary women to attend this event; make a donation by purchasing a table for your colleagues, customers and partners; and champion support for this event in your company.
For more information and to register, please visit www.witi.com/center/conferences/siliconvalley/halloffame.php
The Hidden Danger Of Refinancing To Pay Credit Cards
By Marilyn August
Turn on the radio or TV and you will hear several times each day, "Refinance now! Low interest rates! Pay off high interest rate credit cards!" Sounds good, doesn't it? Who doesn't want to lower their home mortgage interest rate and be able to eliminate those nasty high interest monthly credit card payments? It seems like a great deal! But there is a very real hidden danger to this plan.
The Hidden Danger is the very real possibility of recreating the same or greater credit card debt. Stop and think about how you first ran up charges on your credit card that you did not pay in full each month.
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Register today for Marilyn August's teleclass, "Journey to Wealth and Wisdom"
WITI Talk TeleClasses:
Are you ready to transform your life and/or your career, but need help figuring out "what next?" Do you know that there must be "more to life," but you aren't sure how to go about finding it? Do you want to join the journey to financial success by making a commitment to uncover and eliminate unconscious barriers to your success? If you answered YES to any of these questions, please join us for a WITITalk Teleclass. Participants in these teleclasses have made major changes in their lives, after just the first class!
WITI FASTTRACK
The next issue of WITI FASTTRACK closes November 11. Click here for more information or contact Cindy Zauss at [email protected].
Leading Virtual Teams
By Nance Goldstein, PhD
US firms have jumped onto the bandwagon of "virtual teams." Virtual teams offer irresistible opportunities to bring in specialists from anywhere in the world with no travel costs. With available information technologies (IT), we now can collaborate instantaneously with many others across any distance. Businesses can learn faster, bring products to market sooner, solve problems and create new value. Suddenly many of us participate in, or lead, a virtual team.
Like so many other things in the tumultuous marketplace, successful virtual teamwork is harder than it looks. Research consistently shows that teams succeed when everyone participates, feels a part of a cohesive group and project, has sufficient trust to act autonomously and communicates well on interdependent tasks. Factor in the distance between teammates and their dependence on IT, and even the simplest coordination or communication gets more complicated.
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Discuss this article!
Nance, as a WITI Member, submitted this article to WITI for publication. Do you have expertise to share? WITI gladly accepts submissions for publication. For more information or to make a submission, please visit the Members' Area.
Women on the Move
Catherine Kitcho, The Launch Doctor, releases latest book, High Tech Product Launch - Second Edition
Product launch is not well understood, but Catherine Kitcho is trying to change that. Known as the Launch Doctor, she has spent ten years helping companies and entrepreneurs launch their products, writing several books along the way. Through her work, she has created and evolved a whole new business discipline. In her latest book, High Tech Product Launch - Second Edition, Catherine has captured the best practices of product launch that companies of any size can use to launch any type of product or service.
Some people define "launch" as a one-time product announcement. In fact, the practice of launch includes all of the work done during the three months before a product is made available to the market, requiring a unique blend of marketing and project management skills. The challenge is how to do all of that work in a short and chaotic period of time, according to Catherine Kitcho. In her efforts to help people learn and apply this new business discipline, Catherine uses a simple and realistic approach. High Tech Product Launch - Second Edition guides the reader through the entire launch process step by step, from data gathering and market analysis to strategy to launch implementation.
The book is now available from the publisher at www.pelepubs.com for $29.95 (ISBN: 1929936044, 259 p.).
Do you have an announcement or promotion you'd like to share? Use the form in the Member's Area to send us your news to appear in the Strategist and also on our website. If you prefer, you can also email the editor.
WITI Marketplace
Featured Business: A Perfect Time
A Perfect Time is your source for event planning at its best! We offer a wide variety of custom invitations, announcements and personalized party favors that we have personally created just for you! In addition, we offer some of your favorite designer collections from Birchcraft Wedding, Birchcraft Holiday, Carlson Craft, McPhersons and Regency. Shop our online catalogs to see thousands of invitations, announcements and gifts at discounted prices! We are committed to providing our clients all of the ingredients for your most memorable social events!
A Perfect Time brings friendly service and years of professional expertise to the party-planning process. We offer Event Planning Services that is guaranteed to provide you with unsurpassed quality service. We work closely with our clients to understand their goals and tastes, making sure that planning the party is nearly as enjoyable as the party itself!
Please explore our online boutique and see why our customers keep coming back! If you are unable to find what you are looking for, please call or email us to discuss your request. Whatever the occasion is, A Perfect Time is here for you!
Is your business in the WITI Marketplace? Do you have a special offer for WITI members or would you like to be a featured business in a future issue of the Strategist? We'd love to hear from you!
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Partner Events & Announcements
An Evening of Enlightened Power at Eileen Fisher
Enjoy an evening of new ideas and networking on Wednesday, December 7th, 5:30-8:00 p.m. at the Eileen Fisher store at 114 Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, CA. Meet the editors of Enlightened Power: How Women are Transforming the Practice of Leadership (Jossey-Bass: 2005). Hear from the book's editor Ellen Wingard, Executive Coach, as well as co-authors Rayona Sharpnack, Founder and President of the Institute for Women's Leadership, and Susan Schor, Chief Culture Officer of Eileen Fisher, Inc. Susan is the co-author of Eileen Fisher's chapter on how women are transforming power and leadership for greater social, personal and corporate rewards, discussing how leadership has evolved from traditional styles to the inclusive and enlightened leadership practice brought forward by today's great female leaders.
The concept of Enlightened Power reflects our current time and increasingly common sensibilities about a workplace that mirrors our society: where women have an increasingly prominent place in leadership. What is Enlightened Power? It is leadership without control and dominance, the "new" reflective style of leadership that is making waves throughout the U.S. and abroad as the most effective form of leadership today.
Join us for this special event. Please enjoy a night of shopping and take $25.00 off your purchase that night! For more information and to RSVP, email [email protected].
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WITI Works
WITI4HIRE
Accelerate Your Career! - Companies that get it are searching the resume database at WITI4Hire every day. Don't be overlooked! So, whether you are actively seeking a job or just open to great possibilities, add your resume today (FREE for members AND non-members, and confidential too!) to be noticed by companies like New York Times Digital, Best Buy, Altiris, Southern California Edison and GOJO Industries, Inc. Don't want to wait? Visit WITI4Hire and search for your next job!
WITI HALL OF FAME
The WITI Hall of Fame was established in 1996 by WITI to recognize, honor, and promote the outstanding contribution women make to the scientific and technological communities that improve and evolve our society. Mark your calender to join us in Silicon Valley in December for the Tenth Anniversary Celebrations.
If you would like to make a nomination for the 2006 WITI Hall of Fame, please download the 2006 nomination form. The nomination deadline is February 1, 2006.
WITI FASTTRACK
WITI FASTTRACK features in-depth content on the issues facing today's most talented and influential women professionals in technology. It is the only regularly scheduled supplement targeting women in Information Technology. In partnership with CMP Media, FASTTRACK will be published two more times in 2005, appearing within the pages of InformationWeek magazine. InformationWeek is the leading IT publication in the industry, reaching 440,000+ qualified IT professionals on a weekly basis for the past 25 years. FASTTRACK will also be distributed to all attendees of WITI's annual conference, the WITI Hall of Fame event, as well as to WITI members attending hundreds of regional meetings per year.
For more information regarding advertising opportunities in WITI FASTTRACK, please contact Cindy Zauss at [email protected].
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Join WITI today and receive your choice of a FREE inspirational book!
Upcoming Network Events:
"At a recent WITI Boston event, I met a former client from 10 years ago when I worked for another company. We sat together at the meeting and got re-acquainted. Since then, my former client has introduced me to several IT executives at their firm to generate interest in our services, which may lead to new business. This demonstrates that networking and participating in WITI events can have very positive results...both professionally and personally."
-- Steffani Lomax, Vice President and Co-founder, Software Success Partners
October 27 - Los Angeles Business Alignment Strategy Workshop
October 27 - Atlanta Women in Business: SECRETS OF SUCCESS GROWING BUSINESSES IN ATLANTA
November 1 - Silicon Valley WITI Networking - with special Guest, Karenann Terrell, VP, CIO - Chrysler Group and Mercedes Benz North America
November 2 - Houston Executive Panel: Women Changing the Game Board
November 8 - Orange County Panel on Intellectual Property Law Update
November 10 - Portland Five Key Things That Led to Success
November 14 - Boston BioTech-BioScience: What's the Future for Women -- Sponsored By: Silicon Valley Bank
November 15 - San Diego IP and Trademark Laws: What's New, What's Changing, and How to Use Effectively
November 15 - New York Technology and Public Policy - Marianne Cooper, Vice President, IBM Americas
November 16 - Los Angeles "The Art of Negotiation"
December 1 - San Diego WITI's Holiday Fest at Region Restaurant!
December 6 - Boston 6 Degrees of Separation: Online & Offline Networking & Holiday Party -- Sponsored By: MONSTER
December 7 - Atlanta WITI Sponsor Appreciation Breakfast
December 7 - Houston WITI 2005 Holiday Social
More information about network events in your area is available on our website.
WITI @ ...Keeping you up-to-date on where you'll find WITI!
WITI@ keeps you up to date on where you will find WITI partners, WITI discounts, WITI women attending industry events. Visit the Members area of the WITI website for priority discount codes for these events. If you want a discount to an event you will be attending and/or want to meet other WITI women at that event, just let us know so we can get it for you!
Serious Games Summit Oct 31 2005-Nov 1 2005 Arlington, Virginia
2005 WTC Entrepreneur Venture Conference Nov 1 2005 Silicon Valley, California
Open Source Business Conference East Nov 1 2005-Nov 2 2005 Boston, Massachusetts
Women's Global Leadership Conference in Energy and Technology Nov 3 2005 Houston, Texas
Employee ROI Exec. Symposium for Women Business Leaders Nov 4 2005 Washington, District of Columbia
Women in Leadership Summit Nov 6 2005-Nov 9 2005 San Francisco, California
Employee ROI Exec. Symposium for Women Business Leaders Nov 16 2005 Chicago, Illinois
Meet the Angels Nov 17 2005 San Diego, California
WorkIt.com's Silicon Valley Mixer Nov 30 2005 Mountain View, California
SVASE MAIN EVENT: Your Global IP Strategy - Asset or Liability? Dec 1 2005 Santa Clara, California
Employee ROI Exec. Symposium for Women Business Leaders Jan 26 2006 New York, New York
WTC presents: Laying the Groundwork for Stem Cell Commercialization Feb 7 2006 San Francisco, California
For more information and discounts
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