Women of the Channel Offer Career Advice

The first annual Women of the Channe: Winter Workshop event sponsored by Channelweb.com parent company Everything Channel took place Dec. 10 in New York City at the Grand Hyatt at Grand Central Station. Attendees networked, learned and benefited from sharing their unique -- and sometimes all too common -- experiences. If you missed it, next year's conference will be the first week in October.

The morning registration and "tabletops" provided an opportunity for attendees to mingle. Here, Angela Trillhaase (left), vice president of sales and marketing at Stratum Global, a vendor of RFID solutions, chats with Tricia Atchinson, senior director of the market channel, midmarket and strategic partners Americas Marketing at Symantec.

The women of Avaya came out in full force. Carol Giles Neslund (second from the right), vice president of North Americal Channel Sales at Avaya, is active in her local Colorado community in advancing women's careers in technology.

Nancy Hammervik, senior vice president, events, at Everything Channel, acted as the day's emcee.

Janet Schijns, vice president of global channels at Motorola, entertained the audience with her keynote speech: Everything I Learned About Tech Leadership Happened Before My 10th Birthday. She credited her family with giving her the confidence to succeed in the male-dominated business of technology.

Schjins focused on early life lessons: Don't be afraid to ask questions (and be prepared to keep digging if you don't get immediate answers); put your talents to work; realize that no one owes you anything, no matter who or what you are; and understand that you won't get promoted if you are only good at one thing, so work on improvement without crowding out your natural talents.

Later, Schijns sat on a panel (right) with Carol Giles Neslund, vice president of North America Channel Sales at Avaya (center), and Tricia Atchinson, senior director of the market channel, midmarket and strategic partners Americas Marketing at Symantec. One of the biggest challenges facing women, noted the panelists, was the tendency to try to fit in with "the guys." Sometimes, the best strategy is to simply be yourself, they said.

Connie Glaser, best-selling business author, speaker and consultant, discussed the differences in communication skills between men and women -- and offered advice on using women's natural abilities to their fullest potential. One tip: try not to end sentences with a question-like tone. Steady intonation will convey a secure sense of the idea you are trying to convey.

Do you know what your thinking style is -- and what your strengths and potential blind spots might be? Kimberly Douglas, president of Firefly Facilitation talked about the importance of understanding how other people think and how to enhance your communications with them for a better end result.