IWLC Dubuque: ‘You have control of your journey’
SUBMITTED BY DIANE RAMSEY | CEO, Iowa Women Lead Change
More than 300 women and undergraduate students from area colleges joined together at the Grand River Center last week to glean wisdom shared by three nationally recognized speakers on women’s leadership as part of the second annual Iowa Women Lead Change (IWLC) Dubuque Conference.
Keynote speakers included Dr. Sylvia Ann Hewlett, founder and CEO of the Center for Talent Innovation; Dr. Tererai Trent, humanitarian, scholar and author; and Carla Harris, vice chairman of wealth management at Morgan Stanley.
Dubuque Mayor Roy Buol kicked off the conference, saying that he was raised by a single mother with the support of strong grandparents.
“We need to empower young women who are still in school to not be defined by the leadership norms of today,” Buol said. “Rather, they need exposure to the women who have walked in the path before them and who are helping to chart a new course.”
Hewlett, an economist with 20 years in global talent management, addressed the topic of how to fast-track your career. Based on years of research, she encouraged women to understand the difference between a sponsor and a mentor, and to position themselves to become a protégé.
Trent took attendees on a visual trip back to her native Zimbabwe, where she grew up in a cattle-herding family and where the colonial system and cultural practices of the area dictated that women were not allowed education. She fought determinedly to teach herself to read and write, leading to the creation of a new destiny.
“I live and breathe education,” Trent said. “I am who I am today because of education. All I ever wanted was an education.” The founder of Tererai Trent International, an organization dedicated to establishing schools for girls in her homeland, she also urged conference attendees to “have great hunger” and to follow their dreams.
To read the full conference recap, click here.
Harris carried over Trent’s theme of owning and creating individual destinies into her closing keynote speech. Harris, one of Fortune Magazine’s “50 Most Powerful Black Executives in Corporate America,” offered “pearls of wisdom” for maximizing and accelerating success in the work world. These pearls include:
- Perception is the co-pilot to reality.
- You must understand key success factors.
- Authenticity is your distinct competitive advantage.
- Have a professional agenda.
- Have an expectation that you will do well.
“The last thing you should ever do is to submerge that which is distinctly you,” Harris said. “When you bring your authentic self to the table, people will trust you. And trust is imperative.”
Attendee Vicki Dirksen said what she found most intriguing about the presentations was how there was a common message carried forward from speaker to speaker. That message? Your future is in your own hands.
“Whether you are a protégé looking for a sponsor, a person hungering to pursue their passion, or trying to climb your way up the corporate ladder, the path you choose to take is something for which you absolutely have control,” said Dirksen, principal partner at Plaid Swan in Dubuque. “I have experienced that in my career and will be taking their tips forward as I expand my sponsor and protégé networks.”
The next IWLC conference will be held in Des Moines on Oct. 27. More information can be found online.
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