What does it take for a woman to be successful in business today? Attendees at this week's XChange '09 conference in Washington, D.C., got some pointers from five successful women channel executives, with advice ranging from not being afraid to speak up to identifying a potential mentor.
The "Women in Technology" session opened with Rauline Ochs, senior vice president and managing director of Everything Channel's Institute for Partner Education and Development, noting that 99 percent of all CEOs are male. Ochs, a former channel chief at Oracle, joined Everything Channel, the parent company of Channelweb.com, earlier this month.
So, what must women do to get a seat at the executive table and win the respect of their superiors, co-workers and teammates?
Reputation, results and track record are key, said Julie Parish, vice president of global partner sales at NetApp. "I don't think it's any more mysterious than that." Gale Brown, vice president of business partner sales " general business at IBM, added that resilience is another key attribute. "When you see a woman [in an executive position], you know they've earned the right to be there, it wasn't an accident," she said.
Other characteristics of a successful woman: Being results-oriented and paying attention to details, said Pam Rocco, senior manager of commercial channel marketing at Epson. "It's also about showing up, standing up and speaking up," said Wendy Bahr, senior vice president of U.S. and Canada channels at Cisco Systems.
How to identify a mentor and work with him or her was a recurring topic. Bahr advised seeking out an advocate or sponsor, someone you admire and want to emulate and who seems to have a vision of where they are going. And then get to know that person on a more personal level. "That was really the most effective method for me."
Too many women keep their head down as they work hard, believing that eventually they will get noticed and promoted, Bahr said. But it rarely works that way, she said.
"I believe that being aware of what's going on in your company is important," Rocco said, noting that being able to recognize opportunities and contribute to an organization is key.
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