Over the long Christmas weekend I was at home with my family in my parents' home in Franklin, MA. What a great opportunity it was to relax, drink wine, eat my mom's southern cooking, and cozy up to a book of Winston Churchill quotes. I mean, what other way to celebrate Christmas by reflecting on the "wit and wisdom" of one of the greatest leaders of our time, right? Ok, maybe that's just me. But as I was reading this book, which is filled with everything from famous quotes to coined phrases to Churchill's personal reflections, one quote particularly hit me. The quote said, "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." After reading it back a few times, it hit me: no one says bold things like this anymore. We've entered a time where everyone is encouraged to "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" and "stay connected" and "don't burn your bridges" etc.. but couldn't one argue that there is a time and a place to actually burn those bridges, end communication, and move forward with your life? Trust me, I'm a big advocate of building relationships and working through conflict and sticking with people even through major adversity, but I feel as I live longer on this earth, I'm also becoming a big advocate for only keeping people in my life who are adding true, real value. It's becoming clear that when I stand up for myself and advocate for my own self worth, it's one of the most empowering feelings in the entire world. I've learned this year that I don't have to please everyone; I don't have to "keep in touch" with everyone- I can actually choose who I want in my own little world, on my terms. I've learned more than ever this year that I don't have to be all things to all people. And when you do this, you close those certain "doors" whether that's friendships, relationships, clients, etc.. the most amazing thing happens: windows open. And I mean seriously big windows, full of opportunity and possibility. I can promise you that as we enter 2012, I will no longer straddle both sides of the fence or attempt to have people, relationships, work, or whatever both ways. I will stand up for what I believe in to my core, and if I make enemies in the process, so what? I will always know that I did the right thing for me.
If you haven't read anything on Winston Churchill yet, I encourage everyone to download one of the many books written about his life. It's truly inspiring and also hysterical.
-M
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Just before Thanksgiving..
Wowza! It has been a real whirlwind of events and activity over the last 5 or 6 days. Based on my schedule last week and the scramble to set up interviews and close deals, I think everyone tries to jam every bit of business into the few short days leading up to Thanksgiving. Not a bad approach, but I can definitely admit I spent most of the weekend sleeping and trying to recover. Before I fly off to Oklahoma on Wednesday (I know..please don't judge me), I wanted to spend some time highlighting and reflecting on a few of the really cool events I went to and the awesome people I got to meet. So, here goes:
Monday: industry event sponsored by Monster at the Westin on the waterfront. This was a great event but different than most I go to. Everyone in attendance included fellow recruiters and staffing execs AKA all of Monster's clients. I met industry folks from Texas to California as well as pretty much the entire Monster staff in Maynard. Not only did I get to meet Hollister's personal Monster rep, who was really awesome by the way, but I also participated in a lot of interesting dialogue with my competition. Who knew?! The opportunity to put 60 recruiters in a room all from different organizations is rare, but is truly a great chance to talk about the market and discuss staffing "best practices" with people from very different backgrounds representing very different parts of the country. It also didn't hurt that they had an open bar, amazing food, and really good cupcakes..
Tuesday: breakfast sponsored by Middlesex Bank at the Newton Marriott. Topic: "The Innovation Economy: What Makes Massachusetts Different." I love this topic. You know why? Because, bottom line, we are awesome. Ok, maybe I'm biased, but I think our economy stacks up quite well in areas such as R&D, innovation, technology, and healthcare compared to some of the strongest economies in the world. For example: Massachusetts ranks as the most R&D intensive economy in the world. Ranked at number 2: Israel. Our little state beats an entire country. That's pretty awesome. Even though we are so great, we also have some drawbacks. One of our state's major drawbacks: our slow population growth. Not only do we have slow population growth (most likely attributed to our population also being highly educated- 45% of our working age population has a Bachelors degree or higher) but we also have an aging population. That's right- we are getting older and older by the minute. Luckily we have a strong venture capital force coming on strong (California is ranked #1 in this category, no surprise) to create new companies, attract young talent, and hopefully, fingers crossed, keep these college students here in Mass.
Wednesday: BBJ Innovation All Stars event at the House of Blues. Let me say this was such a great venue to host an event like this. The vibe was celebratory as well as professional and included a room full of interesting, charismatic, and intelligent people all of which make up very different sectors of the Boston community. I had the opportunity to meet the CEO from Organogenesis, Geoff MacKay, featured as a "Tech Luminary", who is pioneering the science behind regenerative medicine. I also had the chance to meet a few of the folks from InkHouse Public Relations (featured as a "Rising Star"), Bobbi Carlton from Carlton PR and Mass Innovation Nights (also featured as a "Tech Luminary"), as well as several other people from the BBJ, Winter Wyman, Travel Leaders, etc... I felt very honored to be in the same room with so many of these bright and innovative leaders who are incredibly inspiring in their own right.
Events like these are so exciting and a thrill to be a part of. I'm looking forward to squeezing in a few more before the end of the year. I encourage everyone to get out there, meet as many people like this as you can, and embrace all that Boston has to offer. Trust me, you will get inspired. Until then, I'm officially in Thanksgiving mode and will officially snap out of it next Monday. Everyone have a wonderful holiday and enjoy all of your yummy food and all that we have to be thankful for!
-M
Monday: industry event sponsored by Monster at the Westin on the waterfront. This was a great event but different than most I go to. Everyone in attendance included fellow recruiters and staffing execs AKA all of Monster's clients. I met industry folks from Texas to California as well as pretty much the entire Monster staff in Maynard. Not only did I get to meet Hollister's personal Monster rep, who was really awesome by the way, but I also participated in a lot of interesting dialogue with my competition. Who knew?! The opportunity to put 60 recruiters in a room all from different organizations is rare, but is truly a great chance to talk about the market and discuss staffing "best practices" with people from very different backgrounds representing very different parts of the country. It also didn't hurt that they had an open bar, amazing food, and really good cupcakes..
Tuesday: breakfast sponsored by Middlesex Bank at the Newton Marriott. Topic: "The Innovation Economy: What Makes Massachusetts Different." I love this topic. You know why? Because, bottom line, we are awesome. Ok, maybe I'm biased, but I think our economy stacks up quite well in areas such as R&D, innovation, technology, and healthcare compared to some of the strongest economies in the world. For example: Massachusetts ranks as the most R&D intensive economy in the world. Ranked at number 2: Israel. Our little state beats an entire country. That's pretty awesome. Even though we are so great, we also have some drawbacks. One of our state's major drawbacks: our slow population growth. Not only do we have slow population growth (most likely attributed to our population also being highly educated- 45% of our working age population has a Bachelors degree or higher) but we also have an aging population. That's right- we are getting older and older by the minute. Luckily we have a strong venture capital force coming on strong (California is ranked #1 in this category, no surprise) to create new companies, attract young talent, and hopefully, fingers crossed, keep these college students here in Mass.
Wednesday: BBJ Innovation All Stars event at the House of Blues. Let me say this was such a great venue to host an event like this. The vibe was celebratory as well as professional and included a room full of interesting, charismatic, and intelligent people all of which make up very different sectors of the Boston community. I had the opportunity to meet the CEO from Organogenesis, Geoff MacKay, featured as a "Tech Luminary", who is pioneering the science behind regenerative medicine. I also had the chance to meet a few of the folks from InkHouse Public Relations (featured as a "Rising Star"), Bobbi Carlton from Carlton PR and Mass Innovation Nights (also featured as a "Tech Luminary"), as well as several other people from the BBJ, Winter Wyman, Travel Leaders, etc... I felt very honored to be in the same room with so many of these bright and innovative leaders who are incredibly inspiring in their own right.
Events like these are so exciting and a thrill to be a part of. I'm looking forward to squeezing in a few more before the end of the year. I encourage everyone to get out there, meet as many people like this as you can, and embrace all that Boston has to offer. Trust me, you will get inspired. Until then, I'm officially in Thanksgiving mode and will officially snap out of it next Monday. Everyone have a wonderful holiday and enjoy all of your yummy food and all that we have to be thankful for!
-M
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Reflection on the Hollister/MITX Panel @ MassChallenge
Hollister and MITX sponsored a fantastic event yesterday at the MassChallenge building. We had a great turn out, tasty breakfast and coffee, and intellectually stimulating conversation and banter. Below I discuss some of the main talking points from the panel speakers: Joe Finsterwald from Karmaloop, Scott Jamison from Jornata, Drew Volpe from Locately, and Chris Rose from Hollister with Dayna Grayson from North Bridge Venture Partners as the moderator- as well as some questions from the audience posed to the panel. All of the topics and questions center around how to attract technical talent in such a hot, booming tech market and furthermore, after you attract the talent, how do you keep people and what incentives do you provide to make them stay.
Here is the summary below:
What are your thoughts on offering equity to attract new talent?
The panel was pretty much in unison with this topic. Everyone agreed to be selective with how much equity you give away at such an early seed stage. You don't want to give away equity too quickly and without a vesting schedule, which Dayna Grayson suggested be between 4-5 years. They made the point that if you give away too much too quickly, you could run into a situation down the road where this person or set of people no longer align with the company's goals, subsequently they leave, and then they have a controlling stake in your company (oops!). Case in point: Facebook (anyone see the Social Network?). In sum, offer equity (especially when you don't have any funding or have very little), but be selective and enforce a vesting schedule.
How big of a role does a company's environment play when attracting talent?
The words "environment" and "culture fit" were a recurring theme on the panel. All agreed that although technical skills are very important, culture fit is probably just as if not more important. Scott pointed out that Jornata's environment consists of an open culture minus the cubes, but with lots of Nerf guns. He describes his company's environment as a home-base for employees to feel safe, comfortable, and productive. All agreed cubes were the worst invention of all time. Joe talked about Karmaloop's beer fridge and later joked that the fridge has probably led employees to drinking problems. Drew and Chris mentioned the importance of communication and camaraderie as well as "fit" within the team. They all seemed to make the point that environment is critical to attracting talent but you first have to decide what environment you want to have and thus strategically hire people who will only further develop that culture or environment.
How do you feel about your employees pursuing a start-up on their own? How do you approach that?
The panel had some differing opinions on this one. Joe came out strong on the side of supporting his engineers to pursue whatever passion they have, as long as it doesn't interfere with the work @ Karmaloop. Joe feels that people who have outside interests and passions are typically some of the best employees because they are smart, interesting, and think outside the box. He also said he offers to help his employees with their own pursuits in any way he can. Both Scott and Drew felt it was more of an intellectual property issue and were careful to not endorse any "side" projects or companies, simply because the lines can be very muddled with what is an employee's property vs. the company's property.
Are there any specific methodologies you use when interviewing candidates? What are the most important questions you ask or qualities you try to assess in interviews?
Although they all had different interview styles they described, the panel all agreed that determining a candidate's problem solving ability was priority number one. Scott mentioned that candidates can be very good interviewers but when asked to solve a problem on the spot, often times they fail miserably. The challenge is finding someone who can communicate and articulate their points but also have this problem solving ability. The other important factor is assessing a candidates' computer science background. The mastery of a certain programming language is not the primary focus, but rather determining the mastery of data structures, algorithms, and operating systems. Chris stressed the importance of arranging for the candidates to meet with not only the technical team, but also other non-technical people in the company. This is important because most engineers nowadays are not siloed, but rather wear many hats, interact with end users and clients/customers, and sometimes are even the face of the company. It's important that engineers are multi-faceted and have the ability to think independently.
Thoughts on acquiring a company simply for the talent? i.e. Hubspot with OneForty
Drew reflected on his days as Director of Engineering at Endeca when this was a pretty common practice. However, all agreed that this is not a common occurrence here in Boston, at least not yet. The most recent example I can think of here in Boston is the acquisition of OneForty by Hubspot. I believe as the start-up community continues to explode, companies swallowing up other smaller companies, simply for the engineering talent, will happen more and more. It's certainly one way to solve the "we can't find good engineers" issue!
What are the best methods of finding talent? Traditional ways or more creative ways out there?
The panel came to the conclusion that traditional ways i.e. posting your job on Monster are way outdated. Scott encouraged everyone to use your own network and "always be hiring". He said that when he attends networking events or meetup groups and makes connections with good engineers, he understands that the hire may not happen immediately. He embraces the fact that these things take time, sometimes even 6-12 months. Joe talked about "wining and dining" potential hires and really taking the time to show them what you're all about. Most felt that this was the best way to find the best talent but it was also the most time consuming. Sometimes companies need engineers and cannot afford to wait 6-12 months for the "right" person. This is when more traditional ways may enter the equation such as utilizing recruiters or posting your job online. My take on this topic is that hiring managers should use all avenues possible. Don't just use recruiters or don't just rely on your network. Embrace all possibilities and that way you'll always know what's out there.
How does one go about retaining the talent once you find it?
The strongest point the panel emphasized here was: keep your engineers challenged and intellectually stimulated. If your engineers get bored or feel they aren't making a major contribution to the overall direction or bottom line of the company, they will leave and find another company where they can make an impact. Allow them to explore and use their problem solving skills to discover a new approach or solution. Drew and Joe encourage their engineers to tell them (Joe and Drew) what they want to work on. That way, it's their choice and never feel like they are siloed or stuck working on the same thing every day. Of course, the beer fridge and Nerf guns don't hurt either.
All in all, it was a great panel filled with very different points of view and perspectives on such a debated and hot topic in Boston. There were many other topics discussed and questions asked, but these were some of the highlights of the discussion. I'd love to hear any other thoughts or comments!!
Here is the summary below:
What are your thoughts on offering equity to attract new talent?
The panel was pretty much in unison with this topic. Everyone agreed to be selective with how much equity you give away at such an early seed stage. You don't want to give away equity too quickly and without a vesting schedule, which Dayna Grayson suggested be between 4-5 years. They made the point that if you give away too much too quickly, you could run into a situation down the road where this person or set of people no longer align with the company's goals, subsequently they leave, and then they have a controlling stake in your company (oops!). Case in point: Facebook (anyone see the Social Network?). In sum, offer equity (especially when you don't have any funding or have very little), but be selective and enforce a vesting schedule.
How big of a role does a company's environment play when attracting talent?
The words "environment" and "culture fit" were a recurring theme on the panel. All agreed that although technical skills are very important, culture fit is probably just as if not more important. Scott pointed out that Jornata's environment consists of an open culture minus the cubes, but with lots of Nerf guns. He describes his company's environment as a home-base for employees to feel safe, comfortable, and productive. All agreed cubes were the worst invention of all time. Joe talked about Karmaloop's beer fridge and later joked that the fridge has probably led employees to drinking problems. Drew and Chris mentioned the importance of communication and camaraderie as well as "fit" within the team. They all seemed to make the point that environment is critical to attracting talent but you first have to decide what environment you want to have and thus strategically hire people who will only further develop that culture or environment.
How do you feel about your employees pursuing a start-up on their own? How do you approach that?
The panel had some differing opinions on this one. Joe came out strong on the side of supporting his engineers to pursue whatever passion they have, as long as it doesn't interfere with the work @ Karmaloop. Joe feels that people who have outside interests and passions are typically some of the best employees because they are smart, interesting, and think outside the box. He also said he offers to help his employees with their own pursuits in any way he can. Both Scott and Drew felt it was more of an intellectual property issue and were careful to not endorse any "side" projects or companies, simply because the lines can be very muddled with what is an employee's property vs. the company's property.
Are there any specific methodologies you use when interviewing candidates? What are the most important questions you ask or qualities you try to assess in interviews?
Although they all had different interview styles they described, the panel all agreed that determining a candidate's problem solving ability was priority number one. Scott mentioned that candidates can be very good interviewers but when asked to solve a problem on the spot, often times they fail miserably. The challenge is finding someone who can communicate and articulate their points but also have this problem solving ability. The other important factor is assessing a candidates' computer science background. The mastery of a certain programming language is not the primary focus, but rather determining the mastery of data structures, algorithms, and operating systems. Chris stressed the importance of arranging for the candidates to meet with not only the technical team, but also other non-technical people in the company. This is important because most engineers nowadays are not siloed, but rather wear many hats, interact with end users and clients/customers, and sometimes are even the face of the company. It's important that engineers are multi-faceted and have the ability to think independently.
Thoughts on acquiring a company simply for the talent? i.e. Hubspot with OneForty
Drew reflected on his days as Director of Engineering at Endeca when this was a pretty common practice. However, all agreed that this is not a common occurrence here in Boston, at least not yet. The most recent example I can think of here in Boston is the acquisition of OneForty by Hubspot. I believe as the start-up community continues to explode, companies swallowing up other smaller companies, simply for the engineering talent, will happen more and more. It's certainly one way to solve the "we can't find good engineers" issue!
What are the best methods of finding talent? Traditional ways or more creative ways out there?
The panel came to the conclusion that traditional ways i.e. posting your job on Monster are way outdated. Scott encouraged everyone to use your own network and "always be hiring". He said that when he attends networking events or meetup groups and makes connections with good engineers, he understands that the hire may not happen immediately. He embraces the fact that these things take time, sometimes even 6-12 months. Joe talked about "wining and dining" potential hires and really taking the time to show them what you're all about. Most felt that this was the best way to find the best talent but it was also the most time consuming. Sometimes companies need engineers and cannot afford to wait 6-12 months for the "right" person. This is when more traditional ways may enter the equation such as utilizing recruiters or posting your job online. My take on this topic is that hiring managers should use all avenues possible. Don't just use recruiters or don't just rely on your network. Embrace all possibilities and that way you'll always know what's out there.
How does one go about retaining the talent once you find it?
The strongest point the panel emphasized here was: keep your engineers challenged and intellectually stimulated. If your engineers get bored or feel they aren't making a major contribution to the overall direction or bottom line of the company, they will leave and find another company where they can make an impact. Allow them to explore and use their problem solving skills to discover a new approach or solution. Drew and Joe encourage their engineers to tell them (Joe and Drew) what they want to work on. That way, it's their choice and never feel like they are siloed or stuck working on the same thing every day. Of course, the beer fridge and Nerf guns don't hurt either.
All in all, it was a great panel filled with very different points of view and perspectives on such a debated and hot topic in Boston. There were many other topics discussed and questions asked, but these were some of the highlights of the discussion. I'd love to hear any other thoughts or comments!!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Keeping Talent in MA: A Hot Topic These Days
About 2 months ago, Hollister decided to join forces with our friends at MITX to sponsor a panel event around the idea of keeping technical talent here in Boston, thus naming the event "Attracting and Retaining Top Technical Talent." We decided as a group to contact various relevant players who know, understand, and embrace this challenge on a daily basis. Unless you have been living under a rock these past 12 months, you may have heard about how competitive the tech landscape is currently here in the Commonwealth. We have VCs and Angels breathing life into start-ups more than ever before; we have Mark Zuckerberg coming to MIT and Harvard to poach our talent; and we have people like myself who are constantly networking and out trying to make new connections for possible introductions to my clients. It's a war zone out there! So, we decided to have this event to highlight some of these issues as well as some possible solutions from industry veterans.
We were lucky enough to schedule Joe Finsterwald, CTO from Karmaloop, a wildly popular e-commerce site for streetwear that has grown from 1 employee in the CEO's basement to a company of about 130 employees; Scott Jamison, CEO from Jornata, a well respected Microsoft Sharepoint consulting company in downtown Boston; Dayna Grayson from North Bridge Venture Partners, a venture capital firm that has invested in companies such as A123 Systems and Demandware; Drew Volpe, CTO and Co-Founder of Locately, winner of last year's MassChallenge; and Chris Rose, Director of Hollister's IT division.
The discussion will mainly revolve around:
The event is free and breakfast will be provided at sign in!
We were lucky enough to schedule Joe Finsterwald, CTO from Karmaloop, a wildly popular e-commerce site for streetwear that has grown from 1 employee in the CEO's basement to a company of about 130 employees; Scott Jamison, CEO from Jornata, a well respected Microsoft Sharepoint consulting company in downtown Boston; Dayna Grayson from North Bridge Venture Partners, a venture capital firm that has invested in companies such as A123 Systems and Demandware; Drew Volpe, CTO and Co-Founder of Locately, winner of last year's MassChallenge; and Chris Rose, Director of Hollister's IT division.
The discussion will mainly revolve around:
- What are the competency gaps between candidates and companies' needs, and how are they being addressed?
- What are the crucial tech roles, and what are the top companies doing now to ensure success for these positions within for their businesses?
- What are the specific strategies for attracting and retaining tech talent? Which ones have a proven ROI?
The event is free and breakfast will be provided at sign in!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Check These Guys Out...If You Haven't Already: BostInnovation
BostInnovation is a fantastic website for anyone in Boston who wants to get on the inside track for practically anything "Boston". The articles, written by employees of BostInnovation as well as "community members" who write from the home base of their own organizations, are well informed, relevant, and intellectually satisfying. I tend to gravitate toward the articles written around the latest VC and Angel Funding news with Boston's start-up community, "Titletown" sports controversy i.e. Sox meltdown in September, the NBA lockout, etc.., the restaurant scene buzz- new chefs, new hot spots, etc..., and the goings-on with the local universities such as Northeastern, MIT, Harvard, Emerson, and Boston University. Another cool thing- anyone can be a "community member". You don't have to be a journalist from the Boston Globe; you just have to be in the community, an ambassador and thought leader in your world (mine being technology, recruiting, jobs, consulting, etc...), and you need a point of view!
Seriously, these guys are great so check them out: www.bostinnovation.com
Have fun!
-M
Seriously, these guys are great so check them out: www.bostinnovation.com
Have fun!
-M
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Women's Leadership Forum 2011
I thought I would kick off my first post with a reflection on the Women's Leadership Forum 2011 that occurred today, November 3rd, at the Microsoft NERD Center in Cambridge, MA. I'll start off by admitting that I really didn't know how much this event would impact me. As a technology staffing consultant, I've been to tons and tons and tons of networking events and panel events in and around Boston over the last couple of years, and so far I can only think of one or two that have exceeded my expectations. On the other hand, I always give everything and everyone a fair chance before making my judgements so let's just say that my attitude was cautiously optimistic. I want to say that this event was AWESOME. And by AWESOME, I mean AWESOME. From the speakers to the event hosts to the attendees, every single person I met was confidant, eager, graceful, and overflowing with "oomph". It certainly left me wanting more.
The event highlighted various women thought leaders in the community who have impacted and inspired the younger generations around them. These thought leaders included Suzanne Bates, CEO of Bates Communications, Jennifer Hayes, Managing Director of Microsoft Research New England, and Jill Becker, CEO of Cambridge NanoTech. The panels and breakout sessions addressed relevant issues that women face today which included how we encourage women to enter the science and technology fields; how to rise to the top by building powerful relationships, courtesy of Suzanne Bates; and finally how we can distinguish ourselves in the community by following our passions. It was a room filled with powerful women who want nothing more but to pass the torch and inspire the next generation to continue on their path.
The event concluded with a "fireside chat" with Carol Fulp, SVP of Corporate Responsibility from John Hancock. This by far was the icing on a very delicious and rich cake. Simply put: Carol is an ambassador of the community. Not just the Boston community, but the world. She was appointed by President Obama to serve at the United Nations, has built an all girls school in Rwanda, and traveled to Louisiana to help Hurricane Katrina victims. She's also won several awards for her transformational leadership ability. But at the end of the day, Carol was authentic and down to earth and furthermore, inspirational. Carol focused her talk on following your passion and becoming a leader through the community. She believes that one cannot be a CEO or just a leader in general without intimately knowing and embracing the community around you. Carol also emphasized the importance of diversity within companies. She quoted Hillary Clinton twice, "Empowering women is not the right thing to do; it's the smart thing to do." Her point was that having a company or a board or executive level leadership that is multi-dimensional will only allow your organization to stay relevant and at its intellectual and evolutionary peak. Beyond anything else, she challenged everyone in the audience to take our abilities and pass it on to the next generation. She said we are not true leaders unless we pass the torch; we must inspire those around us to be curious, seek guidance from mentors, and take risks. We are not doing our job as leaders unless we empower these younger up and coming women.
As I reflect on the day, I can once again say it left me wanting more. I have never left a conference or a networking event or a panel feeling so energetic or inspired to go out and do more. It got me thinking about all the things I've thought about doing but maybe have never pursued. It got me thinking about how much more value I can be adding to the community whether it's volunteering at a local school or a local shelter or simply "connecting people" through my job. I can certainly say that I've had several people in my life who have "passed the torch" to me and have given me all the tools and the wisdom to be successful. Now, for me, it's about giving back to someone else. As a leader in the community, I owe that to the younger generations as well as all the mentors who have inspired me to be bold, and to take risks, and beyond anything else, follow my heart.
I hope this post leaves you thinking and evaluating what you do every day or every week to inspire someone around you.
The event highlighted various women thought leaders in the community who have impacted and inspired the younger generations around them. These thought leaders included Suzanne Bates, CEO of Bates Communications, Jennifer Hayes, Managing Director of Microsoft Research New England, and Jill Becker, CEO of Cambridge NanoTech. The panels and breakout sessions addressed relevant issues that women face today which included how we encourage women to enter the science and technology fields; how to rise to the top by building powerful relationships, courtesy of Suzanne Bates; and finally how we can distinguish ourselves in the community by following our passions. It was a room filled with powerful women who want nothing more but to pass the torch and inspire the next generation to continue on their path.
The event concluded with a "fireside chat" with Carol Fulp, SVP of Corporate Responsibility from John Hancock. This by far was the icing on a very delicious and rich cake. Simply put: Carol is an ambassador of the community. Not just the Boston community, but the world. She was appointed by President Obama to serve at the United Nations, has built an all girls school in Rwanda, and traveled to Louisiana to help Hurricane Katrina victims. She's also won several awards for her transformational leadership ability. But at the end of the day, Carol was authentic and down to earth and furthermore, inspirational. Carol focused her talk on following your passion and becoming a leader through the community. She believes that one cannot be a CEO or just a leader in general without intimately knowing and embracing the community around you. Carol also emphasized the importance of diversity within companies. She quoted Hillary Clinton twice, "Empowering women is not the right thing to do; it's the smart thing to do." Her point was that having a company or a board or executive level leadership that is multi-dimensional will only allow your organization to stay relevant and at its intellectual and evolutionary peak. Beyond anything else, she challenged everyone in the audience to take our abilities and pass it on to the next generation. She said we are not true leaders unless we pass the torch; we must inspire those around us to be curious, seek guidance from mentors, and take risks. We are not doing our job as leaders unless we empower these younger up and coming women.
As I reflect on the day, I can once again say it left me wanting more. I have never left a conference or a networking event or a panel feeling so energetic or inspired to go out and do more. It got me thinking about all the things I've thought about doing but maybe have never pursued. It got me thinking about how much more value I can be adding to the community whether it's volunteering at a local school or a local shelter or simply "connecting people" through my job. I can certainly say that I've had several people in my life who have "passed the torch" to me and have given me all the tools and the wisdom to be successful. Now, for me, it's about giving back to someone else. As a leader in the community, I owe that to the younger generations as well as all the mentors who have inspired me to be bold, and to take risks, and beyond anything else, follow my heart.
I hope this post leaves you thinking and evaluating what you do every day or every week to inspire someone around you.
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