Dear fellow members of Atlanta Women’s Network,
Authenticity resonated from the Egyptian Ballroom on March 6th when more than 300 of Atlanta’s women and men celebrated International Women’s Day. Authenticity, along with proactivity and preparation, were presented by Carol Frohlinger, our keynote speaker, as fundamental tools for enhancing success.
STATUS OF WOMEN
Authenticity resonated from the Egyptian Ballroom on March 6th when more than 300 of Atlanta’s women and men celebrated International Women’s Day. Authenticity, along with proactivity and preparation, were presented by Carol Frohlinger, our keynote speaker, as fundamental tools for enhancing success.
STATUS OF WOMEN
Annually, AWN marks this occasion with a report on the status of women in the workplace to provide our participants with insight and tools for enhancing their success.
Once again we see that women are making progress, but it is slow. The results this year show a persistent gender gap in wages ($0.77 for women, compared to each dollar men earned for equivalent work). Other gaps are under-representation of women on public company boards of directors (7.4% of boards of directors of Georgia public companies include women) and women leaving the corporate world at the rate of one per minute.
NEGOTIATION IS A TOOL
With the mission of equipping ourselves with tools for change, AWN identified negotiation as the theme for WomenUP 2008. We reinforced the knowledge that women negotiate as well as men WHEN we negotiate. Through speaker Frohlinger, our Emcee Natalie Pawelski and the dramatization created by Jill Pullen, we saw that women often find ourselves unwillingly acceding to the wishes of others without recognizing opportunities for negotiating. Knowing what we want and asking for it with authenticity is the first principle of successful negotiation.
STEP UP TO SUCCESS TOOLKIT
We witnessed the authenticity of our Step Up to Success panelists, as Christine Jacobs (CEO, Theragenics Corp.), Lisa Hamilton (President, The UPS Foundation) and Marsha Anderson Bomar (Founder-President, Street Smarts) -- women who have beaten the odds with their success -- candidly shared their stories.
In each case, these successful women were willing to extend themselves beyond traditional role models and negotiate their positions based on their own talents and priorities. In their open exchange with moderator, Richard Warner and the audience, each of them modeled authenticity, strength and a passion for balanced success.
AWN will continue to build on these and additional tools throughout the year, and we look toward WomenUP 2009 to continue the legacy we began in 2005. Whatever the occasion, the women (and men) of Atlanta Women’s Network create the energy of change. We welcome and celebrate the diversity that springs from the authenticity of our members and guests.
-- Jackie White
AWN President 2007-08
