2015 Conference Day Suggestions: Best Session Picks for Different Job Paths
Help me plan my day! It’s a request we get more and more as we add new offerings to the Conference. “Of course, you can’t go wrong with any mix of sessions, but we do the programming with several different career tracks in mind,” says Director Laurie Dalton White. Here, our recommendations for a few different career tracks.
Ignite Your Entrepreneurial Spirit
By Albany Irvin, QVC Program Host What does it take to create a compelling product, run a successful business and keep your passion ignited? Take your cues from Josie Maran, IT Cosmetics’ Jamie Kern Lima and Philosophy’s Suzanne Pengelly—just three of the many successful entrepreneurs I’ve worked with as a program host at QVC, the ideal proving ground for inventors. (As a special treat, this year’s Conference attendees will enjoy … [ more ]
Risky Business: The Safe Choice Isn’t Always the Right One
By Stephanie Raymond, Vice President, Transmission and Substations, PPL Electric Utilities Take risks. That was the career advice my dad gave me, time and again. And throughout my professional life, I’ve taken his advice, leaving my comfort zone for a new job, usually in a new place, with new things to learn and new challenges. In fact, taking risks is the key to who I am—and where I am—today.
Facing the Gender Gap Today—for Success Tomorrow
By Pat Milligan, Senior Partner and Regional President-North America, and Brian Levine, Partner, Mercer Tomorrow’s workforce is taking shape today. But business leaders should ask themselves if they have adequately addressed the issue of gender equality and are on a path to building greater workforce diversity.
‘Walk Your Talk’ and Other Inspiring Advice from Nobelist Leymah Gbowee
Since being internationally recognized for co-leading a women’s movement that ended the most recent civil war in Liberia, Leymah Gbowee has hardly rested on her (Nobel) laurels. She continues to work for women, peace and security issues, founding The Gbowee Peace Foundation to provide education to women and underprivileged youth as well as serving as a global ambassador for Oxfam International and as a member of the UNHCR High Level … [ more ]
Lessons from Off the Beaten (Career) Path
Borrowing clothes to put on models for photo shoots—in this behind-the-scenes-reality-TV-show world, we all know that’s what a stylist does. But back when Kemal Harris was quitting her day job to become a stylist in her small Canadian town, it was a far-fetched idea rather than an actual job description. “My parents didn’t understand it. They asked, ‘Are you making the clothes?’” recalls Harris, laughing. “They thought I was crazy.”
Q&A: Rachael Ray on Her First Job, Being the Boss and Eating Healthy at Work
Even though she has 22 cookbooks, four TV shows, a lifestyle magazine and a line of dog and cat food, don’t call Rachael Ray a one-woman-cottage-industry. “I don’t like those terms,” she says. “It sounds like I created an ‘evil empire’ or something.” Her success wasn’t plotted out: “I just enjoy working, I enjoy people and I enjoy food. So, I do what I love; the TV just sort of … [ more ]