Women Breaking Barriers and Sharing Ideas in August08

August went out with a bang as Sarah Palin was nominated to be Vice President by the Republican Party, making women center stage at both conventions with Hillary's historic run for the Presidency on the Democratic side. This makes it clear to anyone who hasn't noticed that there of plenty of capable women around. August also saw some significant jobs on the business side being filled by women, including Pamela Nicholson being made President of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Sharon Ellis Treasurer of Texas Industries, and Norma Corio Treasurer of JPMorgan Chase. Other major companies putting women in big jobs in August included Accenture, Qwest, Marriott International, Southwest Airlines, Barclaycard, Ann Taylor Stores, Credit Suisse, Lockheed, Zale, Chrysler and United Healthcare.

August also saw women giving good advice to other women. The speakers at the Advertising Women of New York "Women to Watch" luncheon told us to be champions of big ideas; have a clear strategic vision and a plan with deliverables so you can measure success; emphasize value for your customers; and capitalize on teamwork and technology. Mary Morgan, Publisher of Redbook Magazine, suggested we be open to change, and keep the focus on our community. Ideablob, who voted Elizabeth Dehart's organic food vending machine idea their August winner, advised learning about the competition, seeing what else is going on in your space, and garnering the support of interested parties to help your business. A lot of good advice was flowing in August. Let's hope we will learn more in Spetember.