by Amy K. Lavender '05
Women from all over west Georgia gathered recently at the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce’s Burson Center in Carrollton to hear some sage advice from four successful professionals – who also happen to be women – during the annual Women Empowering Women panel hosted by UWG’s Richards College of Business.
Left to right: Becky Blalock, Missy Dugan, Laura Travis, Erica Qualls-Battey
This year’s panel discussion, entitled “Taboo Topics for Women in Business,” featured Becky Blalock, managing partner at Advisory Capital and author of “DARE,” and former senior vice president and chief information officer for Southern Company; Missy Dugan, president and chief executive officer for Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta; Erica Qualls-Battey, general manager and chief executive officer of Atlanta Marriott Marquis; and Laura Travis, director of grants services at The Nature Conservancy.
UWG First Lady Jane Marrero welcomed guests for the second year in a row to the sold out event. Dr. Faye McIntyre, dean of Richards College of Business (RCOB) and Sewell Chair of Private Enterprise, moderated the discussion. Panelists were asked questions related to mistakes women make in the workplace, work/life balance, and how to handle difficult conversations in the office.
The panelists agreed that one of the biggest mistakes women make in the workplace (apart from not dressing appropriately) is not promoting themselves or the successes they have to their peers and – more importantly – their bosses.
“Sometimes, you have to advocate for yourself,” Becky said. “It’s very critical.”
All agreed that women often lack enough confidence to boast about a job well done, and this leads to them getting passed over when it comes time for raises and promotions. All four ladies impressed the importance for women to be their own cheerleader at the water cooler and the negotiating table.
“Have your research there, do your homework, know your self worth,” advised Erica. “Sometimes, we know what to say in our hearts, […] but we have to have confidence in who we are.”
The panelists reminded the attendees that women make up half the work force, but still aren’t paid the same as men.
“Women who work full-time still make 78 cents for every $1 a man earns,” Laura said. “So think about that.”
Being your own advocate, they said, was a good way to start turning this number around. They also said that because women are often under the microscope, they sometimes have to work harder and really hit the ground running in order to maintain a newly acquired position or to earn a promotion.
“Don’t just sit around and think somebody is going to pull you along all the time,” Erica said.
Missy agreed: “Don’t wait for someone to tell you what to do. Never sit there with nothing to do. Take action. Then if you want to move forward, I think it’s about working for the job you want, not the job you have, and really taking care of the gaps in your portfolio.”
According to Becky, constant learning is about “keeping yourself current. You have to continue to learn new things to be successful.”
The group also advised women to take advantage of relationship building in order to both advance in their careers and simply operate more efficiently in their current position. But, most importantly, women should support each other in the work place.
“There are a lot of women who cause other women not to succeed,” Missy observed.
The other three panelists stressed that this is an issue and women should be “raising each other up” rather than throwing each other under the bus or participating in office politics and office sabotage.
Dr. McIntyre raised the point that there is growing concern these days about work/life balance. She therefore asked how the panelists balanced their own work and home lives.
Becky summed it up in one word: priorities.
“It’s all about priorities,” Becky said. “Not everyone wants to be a CEO, and that’s fine. But if you want to be a CEO, you’re going to miss a few ball games. You have to set priorities. [For example] my house wasn’t clean unless I paid someone to come clean it. I missed a lot of things, but my daughter doesn’t remember me not being there because I asked her every week what was the most important things for me to be at, and those were the things I tried to make it to.”
Missy and the other panelists agreed that there is no such thing as true work/life balance because something is going to monopolize your time and – try as we might – women can’t climb the corporate ladder and make Martha Stewart jealous at the same time.
“And that’s OK,” Erica said. “It’s not about that. It’s about finding your passion and what is most important to you.”
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