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Thank You Chicago
 
Thank you for attending the 12th annual POWER Chicago 2016.
The robust discussions on the importance of diversity on corporate boards, breaking down workplace silos and elevating managers to leaders provided new perspectives and invaluable guidance. Thank you to all the speakers and participants for creating a rich and thought-provoking exchange.
We want to thank our presenting sponsor, CNA, for their continued support. We also want to recognize our program sponsors, Baker & McKenzie, Edelman, ITW and Southwest for their support. Special thanks to Sandra and Deven Rand for once again hosting an executive dinner panel. To our speakers, thank you for sharing your knowledge so generously.
Takeaways
Conquering Gender Barriers
Don’t assume that you can only serve on corporate boards if you’ve been a CEO or have senior business management experience. Other backgrounds bring important value to boards – CFOs (i.e., audit skills), HR (i.e., pay and compensation expertise), IT (i.e., cyber security). Sometimes cross-functional experience brings a valued perspective.
Board service is important. You help companies find the balance among all stakeholders – shareholders, employees, customers, sometimes environments, even communities.
Consider this advice from POWER speakers on how to advance your career into the C-suite or boardroom:
> Pick an area in your career and do it extraordinarily well.
> Be willing to take risks.
> Recognize when it’s time to stick it out with a company, and when to cut your losses and leave.
> Identify a challenge that will help you grow.
> Get a mentor.
> Find a corporate sponsor. (Someone within your organization who will nurture your career.)
> Realize that networking is part of your job.
Conquering Silos
Silos are endemic to organizations. Information isn’t shared among departments. Departments are competitive. Power is guarded within company “tribes.” Cultural patterns promote our natural instinct to create silos.
We have a choice. We can change. Companies that are “boundary busting” can be successful. Personal experiences that expose you to different “silos” can lead you to combine them in unexpected ways at some point in the future.
Tips to help loosen up your silo-nature:
> Have the courage to jump out of the box.
> Read more outside of your discipline.
> Be involved with civic activities and meet people
with other perspectives.
> Collide with the unexpected – broaden your life.
> Get a mentor.
> Welcome diversity of vision at work.
> Follow people on Twitter that you don’t normally follow.
Presentations and Articles
Yvonne Thompson CBE
Author: 7 Traits of Highly Successful Women on Boards
Keynote presentation >  
Tips for Board Candidates
Articles co-authored by Madeleine Condit
Writing a Resume  > Acing the Interview  >
POWER Chicago 2016
POWER Chicago plenary (L to R): Regine Corrado, Partner, Baker & McKenzie, Roxanne Decyk, Member, The Committee of 200, and EVP, Royal Dutch Shell (retired), Madeleine Condit, Founder and CEO, Condit Associates, and Project Director, Every Other One, Erin Gardiner, SVP, Edelman, Yvonne Thompson CBE, Personal Development & Leadership Coach, and author of 7 Traits of Highly Successful Women on Boards, James Wooten, Jr., SVP, General Counsel and Secretary of ITW (retired), Deirdre Joy Smith, Founder and CEO, POWER: Opening Doors for Women, Vicki Kramer, President, Thirty Percent Coalition, Liz Aguinaga, SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer, CNA, and Susan Gallagher, EVP & CFO, Patina Solutions.
POWER Chicago 2016
Building Inclusive Work Environments: Conquering Silos and Gender Barriers (L to R): Trisch L. Smith, Executive Vice President & Managing Director, Diversity and Inclusion, Edelman, Susie Gallager, Executive Vice President, and Chief Financial Officer, Patina, Gillian Tett, U.S. Managing Editor, Financial Times and Author: The Silo Effect - The Peril of Expertise and Promise of Breaking Down Barriers, Deirdre Joy Smith, Founder & CEO, POWER Opening Doors for Women
POWER Chicago 2016 From Manager to Leader – Tools from your Toolkit Executive Dinner Panel
Manager to Leader panel (L to R): Anzhelika Shatrov, Controller, Bria Health Services, Karen Brown, Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Baker & McKenzie, Thea Polancic, Managing Partner, ClearSpace, and Chicago Chapter of Conscious Capitalism, Regine Corrado, Partner, Baker & McKenzie, Deirdre Joy Smith, Founder and CEO, POWER, Erin Gardiner, SVP, Edelman, and Miguel Noyola, Partner, Baker & McKenzie
POWER Chicago 2016 Global Status of Women on Corporate Boards and in C-suites Executive Dinner Panel
Women on Corporate Boards panel (L to R): Yvonne Thompson CBE, author of 7 Traits of Highly Successful Women on Boards, Vicki Kramer, President, Thirty Percent Coalition, Cheryl Mayberry McKissack, COO and President, JPC Digital, Lois Scott, President, Epoch Advisors, Deirdre Joy Smith, Founder and CEO, POWER, Deven Rand and Sandra Rand, Civic Leader and Philanthropist
We look forward to seeing you in June 2017!
Sincerely,
Deirdre Joy Smith
Founder & CEO
POWER: Opening Doors for Women®
and the entire POWER team
SPONSORS
SPONSORS: CNA, Baker and McKenzie, ITW, Edelman, Southwest (Official Airlines)
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