The Leadership Coaching Committee (LCC) was at WE19, the largest conference for women engineers. There were over 15,000 attendees and over 400 companies represented at the career fair. The keynote presentation was given by Carol Malnati from Medtronic. She told us about how at 16 she started a climb with her father that terrified her. She was successful because she stopped looking at the whole climb, and just looked at what was just in front of her. Carol Malnati wants us to “Find yourself one step at a time.” The trick is to find your moxie, be resilient, ask that one powerful question, find your greatest fan and finally follow your inner compass. And then repeat. When adversity comes up, it helps to remember that whatever is going on, “it’s not the hardest thing you’ve ever done, just the longest.” Another wise thing she said, “Don’t let adversity harden your heart. Let it harden your determination.”
At our training, the Director of Local Engagement, Libby Taylor gave our diversity and inclusion moment. She asked us to identify our visible/apparent and invisible/non-apparent diversities. These are what makes us different and unique. Some things people can see and others will discover as they get to know us. Taylor wanted us in the end to get uncomfortable and find more ways to become more inclusive in our personal lives.
There were 3 sessions that LCC members presented. Each session were chosen based on what sections said they needed help with during the FY19 year. Alya Elhawary, Adriana Porter and Abigail Wendt started the sessions off with “Mentorship: The Secret to Filling Your SWE Leadership Pipeline” on Thursday. Attendees were able to learn about some successful mentorship programs that improve a section’s ability to get leaders. On Friday, Jennifer Bly, Susan Parsons, Natalie Setterberg, Abigail Wendt and Sammy Zellner presented “Membership Matters: The Ongoing Cycle to Growing Your SWE Section”. People were able to share the different activities that their sections do to involve members. The final session “Turning the SWE: How to Keep Members Engaged” was led by Kristina George, Brianna LaBarge, Adriana Porter, Erin Syverson and Libby Taylor. The panel was able to help sections find ways to keep members active through their own successes.
Another keynote presentation was by Rachel Hutter. She used a lot of Star Wars references in her speech, which is unfortunate because I’ve never seen these movies. She used these movies to show all of the things she has learned while working for Disney. Like when Rey didn’t trust her boss’s decisions. Hutter suggests that she and we need to “get all the facts, try to see things from their perspective and give them the benefit of the doubt.” Other stories she mentioned that didn’t involve a Stars Wars reference were on her relationship with her coworkers. Rachel Hutter learned the importance and value of when one is not asking enough for help and envying someone else’s gifts. They are willing to share their tips on perfect hair!
Friday afternoon at the SWE Boutique the LCC had the opportunity to sell some great SWE swag: our experience and services. A lot of sections showed up at our table and met up with their coaches or with Libby Taylor. Others learned more about the LCC itself and others got advice on how to improve their sections with the help of their LCC Coach.
Friday night was the best night of the week though! Kimberly Miller, last year’s chair-elect was awarded the SWE Distinguished New Engineer Award at the Awards Banquet. This conference was as amazing as previous conferences have been and as inspiring as future conferences will be. I hope everyone got what they wanted out of the conference, to relax and recharge.
“May failure be with you.
May hope be with you.
May friendship be with you.
May Rey be with you.
May the force be with you.”
Rachel Hutter
At our training, the Director of Local Engagement, Libby Taylor gave our diversity and inclusion moment. She asked us to identify our visible/apparent and invisible/non-apparent diversities. These are what makes us different and unique. Some things people can see and others will discover as they get to know us. Taylor wanted us in the end to get uncomfortable and find more ways to become more inclusive in our personal lives.
There were 3 sessions that LCC members presented. Each session were chosen based on what sections said they needed help with during the FY19 year. Alya Elhawary, Adriana Porter and Abigail Wendt started the sessions off with “Mentorship: The Secret to Filling Your SWE Leadership Pipeline” on Thursday. Attendees were able to learn about some successful mentorship programs that improve a section’s ability to get leaders. On Friday, Jennifer Bly, Susan Parsons, Natalie Setterberg, Abigail Wendt and Sammy Zellner presented “Membership Matters: The Ongoing Cycle to Growing Your SWE Section”. People were able to share the different activities that their sections do to involve members. The final session “Turning the SWE: How to Keep Members Engaged” was led by Kristina George, Brianna LaBarge, Adriana Porter, Erin Syverson and Libby Taylor. The panel was able to help sections find ways to keep members active through their own successes.
Another keynote presentation was by Rachel Hutter. She used a lot of Star Wars references in her speech, which is unfortunate because I’ve never seen these movies. She used these movies to show all of the things she has learned while working for Disney. Like when Rey didn’t trust her boss’s decisions. Hutter suggests that she and we need to “get all the facts, try to see things from their perspective and give them the benefit of the doubt.” Other stories she mentioned that didn’t involve a Stars Wars reference were on her relationship with her coworkers. Rachel Hutter learned the importance and value of when one is not asking enough for help and envying someone else’s gifts. They are willing to share their tips on perfect hair!
Friday afternoon at the SWE Boutique the LCC had the opportunity to sell some great SWE swag: our experience and services. A lot of sections showed up at our table and met up with their coaches or with Libby Taylor. Others learned more about the LCC itself and others got advice on how to improve their sections with the help of their LCC Coach.
Friday night was the best night of the week though! Kimberly Miller, last year’s chair-elect was awarded the SWE Distinguished New Engineer Award at the Awards Banquet. This conference was as amazing as previous conferences have been and as inspiring as future conferences will be. I hope everyone got what they wanted out of the conference, to relax and recharge.
“May failure be with you.
May hope be with you.
May friendship be with you.
May Rey be with you.
May the force be with you.”
Rachel Hutter
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