Friday, March 22, 2013

Discounted Registration Available to our community


Registration for the West Hollywood Women's Conference is now open. We invite our members to begin registering for the kick-off and conference now.

Our special discount code is: NWPCWLC13

Registration Instructions

2. Select the date of the event you wish to attend.
3. Click “Enter a Password of Discount Code” (NWPCWLC13).
4. Enter Promo Code in the box and click “Show Available Tickets.”
5. Your Promo ticket category will appear and you can then add tickets to your cart and check out.

We look forward to seeing you at the 2013 West Hollywood Women’s Leadership Conference! For more information visit www.weho.org/wlc    

SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, APRIL 19th – SATURDAY, APRIL 20th
The 7th Annual West Hollywood’s Women’s Leadership Conference: Unlimited Opportunities – Knowledge. Power. Community.
The annual  West Hollywood Women’s Leadership Conference hosted by the conference Friday night kick-off features a keynote address from Geena Davis, Chair of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, an exclusive screening of the Academy Award nominated film “The Invisible War” and a panel discussion moderated by Maria Hall-Brown, PBS SoCal with the film’s director Kirby Dick, producer Amy Ziering, Madeline DiNonno, Executive Director of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and Allison Gill, US Navy Veteran.  Saturday features dynamic speakers, panel and workshops. Special keynote address from inspirational author Agapi Stassinopoulos, The Unbinding Heart and noted attorney and advocate Sandra Fluke will be featured on the Keynote Luncheon panel. Admission is free for the kick-off but advance registration required. Special Saturday Conference Rate of $25 with code. 

Friday: 7 – 10 p.m.
Pacific Design Center
8687 Melrose Avenue, Silver Screen Theatre
West Hollywood, CA  90069

Onsite Parking: $8

Saturday: 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
West Hollywood Park
625 N. San Vicente Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90069

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Thursday, March 21, 2013

9 Ways Being Nice At Work Is Holding You Back

9 Ways Being Nice At Work Is Holding You Back

By Amy Keyishian
Forbes.com
 
As I read Sheryl Sandberg‘s “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead,” I nodded so hard that I worried my neck would sprain. I noticed after a while that the highlight function on my Kindle was turning every page fully yellow.
The takeaway? Succeeding in business—whether that business is a blog, the PTA, or being COO of Facebook—is hard, and nobody can do everything right. But you can try, and you can remain a human being while doing it.

My own mom was a classic ’70s feminist who dressed me in brown corduroy, cropped my hair short (“because you should be reading, not brushing your hair 100 times each night”), and led by example, raising her voice Brooklyn-style whenever she felt she was being slighted. Even under her tutelage, I internalized the idea that ambition and aggression were a turn-off. And that’s a trap so many of us fall into: We want to be nice all of the time, whether at home or at work.

It’s a constantly evolving position, a constantly moving target: How can we women—and men, too—be true to ourselves while succeeding in the workplace? In her book, Sandberg gives us nine instances when being nice isn’t just unneeded—it’s actively holding us back.

The Nice Behavior: Sit Out of the Way 
What to Do Instead: Take Your Place at the Table

Sandberg tells several tales of women entering a meeting and, instead of sitting at the main, central table, fading back to sit in the outer ring of chairs so as not to appear presumptuous or to inconvenience any other attendees.

“Because of their seating choices, they seemed more like spectators than participants,” Sandberg writes. After the meeting, she pulled the women aside and told them they should have taken their rightful seats at the table.

The Nice Behavior: Be Realistic About Your Shortcomings 
What to Do Instead: Fake It ‘Til You Make It

“Be more confident” isn’t realistic advice—confidence isn’t something everyone can summon with a snap of their fingers. But faking it? That’s something we can all manage.

Sandberg calls it “fake it ’til you feel it,” but the sentiment is the same: Women, more than men, let a lack of self-confidence discourage them from trying for their goals (for instance, they’re much more likely to say that their experience doesn’t qualify them for a new position, or their particular skills make them ill-suited for a project). Assume you will figure out the bits you don’t know, she says, and fake the confidence you need to take initiative.
 
The Nice Behavior: Follow Instructions to the Letter
What to Do Instead: Bend the Rules to Suit Your Aims

After Sandberg gave a speech on gender issues in the workplace, a young woman approached her to tell her what she’d learned from Sandberg’s speech. “I should have kept my hand up,” she said.
What did she mean? After wrapping up the talk, Sandberg said to the audience: “Only two more questions.” At that point, all of the women put their hands down, while all the men started waving theirs more aggressively. Sandberg wound up taking two more questions. “Even though I had been giving a speech on gender issues,” Sandberg says, “I had been blind to one myself.”

The Nice Behavior: Sacrifice Your Time for Your Client
What to Do instead: “Bill Like a Boy”

When a male friend of Sandberg’s realized that his wife and her female colleagues tended to underestimate their billable hours to keep from over-charging, he told her to “bill like a boy.” As he put it, men “considered any time they spent thinking about an issue—even time in the shower—as billable hours.”

The Nice Behavior: Wave Off Praise
What to Do instead: Accept Compliments Gracefully

Sandberg tells of a mortifying moment when she was placed on a well-known publication’s “most powerful people” list along with formidable women such as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—and ahead of First Lady Michelle Obama.

Feeling that she wasn’t more powerful than the First Lady, Sandberg spent days removing the list from her friends’ Facebook walls, telling anyone who would listen how silly the list was and waving off congratulations from coworkers. Then her executive assistant pulled her aside and told her to cut it out: Her insistence on talking herself down was making her seem insecure and ungracious.

The Nice Behavior: Accept Your First Salary Offer
What to Do instead: Explain Why You Deserve More

Sandberg points out that there is not only a gender gap in wages—there’s also a significant gap in how men and women are perceived when they try to rectify it. For instance, research shows that women who explain their qualifications and previous achievements in a job interview are less likely to be hired. (And how are you supposed to negotiate without describing your worth?)
 
She acknowledges the existing gender bias in a realistic way and presents solutions: A woman needs to justify her requests and she can’t seem self-serving. To do this, she can ensure her manager’s empathy by saying upfront that she’s negotiating harder because she knows that women statistically don’t; she can use “we” rather than “I” when describing her accomplishments at her last company to share the credit; she can cite a higher authority, such as a salary database or a previous manager, rather than just asking for a random additional number.

The Nice Behavior: Ignore Coworker Transgressions and Missteps
What to Do instead: Present Problems Respectfully
We often worry about piping up when we think someone is wrong. We could offend someone, we could fly off the handle and become angry or we could just be plain wrong and look dumb.
Sandberg counsels anyone to train in effective communication (she had her team at Google go through a program with Fred Kofman, a communication expert), and to approach any conversation knowing that there are two truths: yours and your coworker’s—the real truth is usually somewhere in the middle.
By explaining your concerns using “I” statements and avoiding accusations (“I feel frustrated that you haven’t answered my last four emails, which leads me to believe that my suggestions are not important to you. Is that so?”), you can get your message across clearly and effectively.

The Nice Behavior: Wait for Feedback
What to Do instead: Ask for Feedback

We get feedback on our work all the time, in the form of a “Great job!” or “What happened?” It helps us understand how to act and perform going forward. But sometimes, you have to ask. It not only helps you develop better strategies and behaviors for the future, but helps you build open, respectful relationships as well.

Asking for feedback sends a vital message that you take direction, are willing to work, and don’t see yourself as a finished product. Ask for things that are hard to hear, and “remember that feedback, like truth, is not absolute,” says Sandberg.

The Nice Behavior: Wear a Pleasant Smile at All Times
What to Do instead: Be Genuine

At business lunches, and golf games, and company parties, you can be sure that people aren’t talking solely about business. Being genuine and connecting with your coworkers on a personal level (even if it’s just “How was your weekend?”) makes for a more productive workplace.

Sandberg says that even crying occasionally isn’t the disaster it’s made out to be—people do get upset at work, and expressing your emotions can help you connect with your coworkers. By extension, you’re more motivated to work well with people you care about, and you care about those you’re connected to. As Sandberg says “An all-business approach is not always good business.”

That’s what makes “Lean In” feel like more than a book. It’s like a comforting lounge where I can warm myself in the presence of other women who are just trying to get by. I can’t wait to stop being nice … and start being better.

Original URL:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/learnvest/2013/03/21/9-ways-being-nice-at-work-is-holding-you-back/print

Sunday, March 17, 2013

March Updates


Newsletter Header
DIGEST OF UPCOMING ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

MARCH BOARD MEETING

Join us for our March Board Meeting at Smith House Tap & Grill, 7:30 PM on Tuesday, March 19 (address: 10351 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, 90025). Have a drink or appetizer. Stay the entire time or just come for part of the meeting. All NWPC LA Westside members are welcome to join us! If you are thinking of becoming a member or getting more involved, this is the meeting for you. RSVP or for more info.

WendyGreuel
Support Our Endorsed Candidate!
Wendy Greuel for Mayor

Here in California, women have been breaking barriers for decades. We elected the first two women to represent one state in the U.S. Senate, we're home to the first woman Speaker of the U.S. House, and now we have the chance to elect Wendy as first woman mayor of Los Angeles. This past week, Wendy's campaign announced a major new supporter of the campaign: EMILY's List, a national organization dedicated to electing women to office. Read more.

"Women Organized to Win" Summit
March 23-24 | Hosted by Asm. Cristina Garcia

Join Assemblymember Cristina Garcia at Cerritos College in Norwalk, California, to help get more women elected to the Legislature.  To jumpstart her efforts, Asm. Garcia is hosting a women's summit to begin the search for viable candidates. Women need resources and information to run a winning campaign! To RSVP or for questions, please contact Arianne
at
arianne@ariannegarcia.com or 626-327-7295.

Women's Leadership Conference
April 19-20 | West Hollywood

The 7th annual West Hollywood's Women's Leadership Conference: Unlimited Opportunities will be held April 19-20 2013. The mission of the West Hollywood Women's Leadership Conference is to provide tools and support, inspired by the City's Core Values, for women to be successful leaders in their private lives, in business and in the community. Register or more info.

SandraFluke
Sunday Brunch with Sandra Fluke
Sunday, April 21st | 11am - 1pm at the Pasadena Hilton

Join Us in Pasadena for brunch with Sandra Fluke. The National Women's Political Caucus is hosting a special brunch with guest speaker Sandra Fluke on Sunday, April 21 from 11 AM - 1 PM in Pasadena. There will be limited seating, so register now! The location address will be provided with RSVP. RSVP or more info.

VotesForWomen
March Honors Women's History

Women's History Month honors and celebrates the struggles and achievements of American women throughout he history of the United States. American women have struggled throughout our history to gain rights not simply for themselves but for many other underrepresented and disenfranchised groups in America.
membership
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Friday, March 1, 2013

Get Out the Vote Phone Banking and Canvassing


Get Out the Vote Phone Banking and Canvassing 
for Wendy Greuel!

Where:
West LA Office: 11040 Santa Monica Boulevard #210, Los Angeles, CA 90025
South LA Office: 5444 Crenshaw Boulevard #101, Los Angeles, CA 90043
Boyle Heights Office: 1868 E. 1st Street, Boyle Heights, CA 90033
Van Nuys Office: 7100 Hayvenhurst Avenue, Van Nuys, CA 91406
Studio City Office: 12307 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, CA 91604

When: 
Saturday, March 2 and Sunday, March 3

Shifts:
9am - 12 noon
12pm - 3pm
3pm - 6pm
6pm - 9pm

More Information:
http://www.wendygreuel.org/events/

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