Trailblazing Women: Haas Women in Leadership Conference 2010
Posted on Tue, Mar 30, 2010 @ 01:14 PM
Last week’s Women in Leadership Conference at the Haas School of Business could not have come at a better time! After a long applications season, I couldn’t believe I had an invitation to the MBA program of my choice. As the good news sunk in, I wondered about the road ahead, so I sought to learn from women trailblazers who had come before me. As FWL's VP of Development, I joined my fellow officers at this year's WIL Conference. 
Conversation at the consulting career panel featured a lively discussion of work-life balance issues. As a career switcher, I found the insights of experienced women in many firms incredibly helpful. A few tips for finding success that I found applicable across industries:
- Follow your own passions and seek out relationships with colleagues who share your values.
- Build your expertise so you can leverage unique strengths to negotiate salary and flexibility in your schedule.
- Learn about yourself and speak authentically to feel powerful in intimidating, male-dominated situations.
Earlier in the day, keynote speaker and founder of Bare Escentuals Leslie Blodgett spoke powerfully to the audience, sharing her story of founding her cosmetics line with down-to-earth confidence. Though I don’t have a particular interest in the cosmetics industry, I was touched by Leslie’s story of how much her relationships with customers matter to her and how she has been able to stay true to herself as the CEO of a growing company.
In addition to many other inspiring events at the conference, I also enjoyed the opportunity to connect with officers and attendees also creating their paths.
Did you attend WIL this year? What were your takeaways?