Post 5: Women & Leadership
Hello blog world- sorry I have not blogged in a timely manner these past two weeks. School has become very intense and I want to make sure that I can post thorough and meaningful blogs.
This past Friday (10/13), my class mates and I, had the opportunity to attend a leadership conference put on by our Professor, Mark Bonica. The event was split in half with two different panels. The first pertained to management, while the second was a panel of experts in the policy field. This was an amazing experience and I gained tons of insight into to the future work force I hope to one day play a a part in.
After the panels were over, a few of my fellow HMPer and I had the chance to meet with Karen Clements, Chief Nursing Officer at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. We had a round table discussion where we had the chance to ask questions in a smaller group. She has amazing credentials and is someone who will be a fantastic contact for young students to have in the future. She talked about the importance of mentors, she advocated for us to join a professional association like HMFA or ACHE, she also touched upon her take on women in leadership roles.
I got the chance to ask her what her advice would be, for the all but one females, sitting at the table in front of her. She told us that even though it is 2017 there are of course still discrepancies between men and women in the work place. She has experienced different pay, more judgement, less opportunities. She suggested that we prepare for this in the work place but to just keep working hard. She told us that it took her husband, a health care CEO, just 9 years to get to the top of the ladder. For Karen it took a much longer time.
She touches upon this subject in her interview on The Health Leader Forge led by Professor Bonica, which you can access here. Karen Clements has an awesome story and awesome advice for students! It was important for us to see a women in a leadership role, especially as we are begging to create our goals for our future.
This past Friday (10/13), my class mates and I, had the opportunity to attend a leadership conference put on by our Professor, Mark Bonica. The event was split in half with two different panels. The first pertained to management, while the second was a panel of experts in the policy field. This was an amazing experience and I gained tons of insight into to the future work force I hope to one day play a a part in.
After the panels were over, a few of my fellow HMPer and I had the chance to meet with Karen Clements, Chief Nursing Officer at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. We had a round table discussion where we had the chance to ask questions in a smaller group. She has amazing credentials and is someone who will be a fantastic contact for young students to have in the future. She talked about the importance of mentors, she advocated for us to join a professional association like HMFA or ACHE, she also touched upon her take on women in leadership roles.
I got the chance to ask her what her advice would be, for the all but one females, sitting at the table in front of her. She told us that even though it is 2017 there are of course still discrepancies between men and women in the work place. She has experienced different pay, more judgement, less opportunities. She suggested that we prepare for this in the work place but to just keep working hard. She told us that it took her husband, a health care CEO, just 9 years to get to the top of the ladder. For Karen it took a much longer time.
She touches upon this subject in her interview on The Health Leader Forge led by Professor Bonica, which you can access here. Karen Clements has an awesome story and awesome advice for students! It was important for us to see a women in a leadership role, especially as we are begging to create our goals for our future.
I am of two minds on this subject. The article I attached was one my cousin, a female wealth manager at Goldman Sachs and fellow Baylor Grad, sent me. It is a widespread issue the women are perceived differently than men. We have to do what Fred Astaire did, only backward and in heels. That is that state of the world. But, as I tell my 16 year old autistic son, your opportunities are what you make of them just as are your challenges. I have been harassed at work. I have been denied opportunities because I am a mother. I have been dismissed because of my appearance. The only great advice I can give is to not give up. The walls are there to weed out those that don't want it bad enough (thank you Randy Pausch). Unfortunately, the power dynamics will never go away and strong female mentors pave the way. I am glad you got to see an example of strong female leadership and I hope it leads you to create positive change in your future organizations.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/05/the-confidence-gap/359815/
Following up on this comment. Anna - I applaud you for sharing your personal stories, thank you. Experiences are truly what you make them and if you persevere enough, you will be able to accomplish your goals. Our President and CEO is a woman, my Division Director is a woman and all but one of my 11 person admin team are women. I agree that the national statistics are not in our favor but we must work together to bridge the gap between this imbalance in the work place.
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