Knowing and Leveraging Your Value
Terri Nimmons, Principal- Stone Lake Leadership Group LLC, A Personal Brand Company

The WICT Leadership Conference has been created to help the multi-dimensional leaders needed today to thrive in the industry.  In her session "Building your Leadership Brand," Terri Nimmons will introduce you to a unique, market-driven approach to professional development.  For a sneak peek at what you'll learn from Terri at the WICT Leadership Conference, keep reading...

Women consumers represent a critical and highly sought after market within the cable industry.  Our impact as consumers and contributors to technology is undeniable: Women make over 80% of consumer purchases (Marti Barletta, Prime Time Women), and represent 60% of internet users (Farna Warner, The Power of the Purse). 
 
Yet, women continue to be under-represented in both technology positions and in senior level leadership within the cable telecommunications industry.  WICT’s 2006 PAR Initiative report describes the industry “crisis regarding women in technology: there are simply not enough of them, especially to lead new product development and to market to women, who control over half of all technology spending.“  As for women in leadership positions, the PAR initiative found that in 2006 women held 38.3% of mid-management positions and 28.6% of senior executive positions.  While these numbers represent an increase in the past year, there are still significant opportunities for women to play a greater role in technology positions and leadership overall. 

Serious professional women interested in capitalizing on these opportunities need effective strategies for managing their career and professional development.  “The Leader’s Edge: Using Personal Branding to Drive Performance and Profit” by Susan Hodgkinson describes an innovative and proven strategy.  Personal Brand Management.

Business leaders know that strong brands create customer loyalty, increased market share, increased customer retention, and decreased price sensitivity.  They also know that strong brands are rooted in value.  When evaluating the strength and value of their company’s brand, or building strategies to strengthening that brand, leaders often focus on two key attributes:

•  Relevance.  How relevant is the company’s service offering to the market?  Does it meet an important need for customers?
• Differentiation.  Do customers see their offering as significantly better than the competition?  Does it offer unique value that customers can’t get elsewhere?

So where would you put your company on the following four-square of Relevance and Differentiation?  Is your company highly relevant and highly differentiated - “high and to the right?”  Or is there room for improvement? 

Like your company, you can leverage the unique value you provide to the company by developing a Personal Brand Management strategy.  Doing so will provide a competitive advantage for you, your team and your business unit. The first step is to ask your self new questions: 

• Are you clear about your value to the organization?
• Is your organization aware of the unique value and impact you provide every day? 
• Do those around you have ready access to your knowledge, skills and experience?  
• Can your boss and your bosses’ boss articulate your value and impact? 

Now consider the strength of your brand – your Personal Brand - your value as a leader and key contributor to your company’s business results.  Where do you fit on the 4-square above?  Ideally, you are “high and to the right” and enjoying the benefits of being a key contributor whose impact is known and valued.

Strong brands don’t happen by accident, they are managed outcomes.  Women leaders who understand – and promote - their value must have a strategy for leveraging the competitive advantage they bring to their organizations.  Capitalizing on this opportunity requires the same approach that business leaders use when building a strong brand for their companies… managing a meaningful exchange of value between yourself (as a service supplier) and your organization (as your marketplace).  Join us and discover possibilities for strengthening Your Personal Brand and enjoying all that comes with being “high and to the right.”

The Leader's Edge by Susan Hodgkinson of the The Personal Brand Company can be purchased at Amazon.com. [return to top]

WICT Leadership Conference

WICT Leadership Conference
March 7-8
Hilton New York

Are you ready to add high-impact successes to your career, department, company and the industry? Then now is the time to sign up for a brand-new experience in leadership training. You will pick up skills and strategies that will enable you to increase your visibility at your company and in the industry. Walk away with proven plans you can incorporate right away.

Visit the brand new WICT Leadership Conference web site at www.wictconference.org for up to the minute information on speakers, panelists and registration.

More than 30 Key Speakers and Panelists, including:

Gerry Laybourne, Chairman & CEO, Oxygen Media LLC
Debra Lee, President & CEO, BET Holdings, Inc.
Anne Sweeney, Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks & President, Disney-ABC Television Group
Padmasree Warrior, EVP & Chief Technology Officer, Motorola
Melinda Witmer, SVP & Chief Programming Officer, Time Warner Cable
Torie Clark, Senior Communications Advisor, Comcast
Collen Abdoulah, President & CEO, WideOpenWest
Cathy Avgiris, SVP/GM, Comcast Voice Services, Comcast Cable Communications, Inc. 

Plus…

Gain insights from 50 senior women executives during leadership development table discussions at the Town Hall Luncheon. (selected from Cable World magazine’s Top 50 Women in Cable and Top 50 Women in Technology lists)

Register Today!
WWW.WICTCONFERENCE.ORG

Secure your hotel room by February 12!

The 2007 WICT Leadership Conference is presented by:

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Apply today for a fellowship to the WICT Leadership Conference

The WICT Foundation is offering three Fellowships to the Leadership Conference this year:

CHERYL GREEN FELLOWSHIP
The winner will be selected based on the applicant's ability to most effectively demonstrate
how they have helped the advancement of women in the workplace.

JUNE TRAVIS FELLOWSHIP
The winner of this fellowship will be selected based in part on his/her ability to demonstrate how the WICT Leadership Conference will help them gain new management and leadership skills and enhance their range or level of expertise.

LUCILLE LARKIN FELLOWSHIP
The winner will be selected based on the applicant's ability to most effectively demonstrate the value of the contributions they have made to WICT and the industry as a whole.

DEADLINE:
The deadline for ALL Fellowship applications is Friday, February 9, 2007.

WEBSITE:
For more information on Fellowships go to http://www.wict.org/WICT/Foundation/Fellowships/

For more information on the WICT Leadership Conference go to http://www.wictconference.org/

QUESTIONS:
Please contact Megan Luczko at 703.234.9814 or mluczko@wict.org with questions.
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They Open More Doors for Women
Amy Joyce, Washington Post

This article is no longer available online.

Congratulations to the 2007 Chapter Presidents

Our volunteer chapter leaders are the lifeblood of our organization.  Many members experience WICT primarily through their local chapters and these volunteers ensure that their experience is a positive one. 

Congratulations to the 2007 WICT Chapter Presidents:

Atlanta- Stacie Buckley, Turner Entertainment Group
Carolinas- Andi Curtis, Time Warner Cable - Raleigh
Greater Chicago- Tamra Goodman, Comcast
Greater Ohio- Shiree Gerst, Time Warner Cable
Greater Texas- Dana Gage, Tribune Media Services
Michigan- Olivia Visperas, Comcast
Midwest- Shannon Dunham, Charter Communications
New England-Deena Vandeberghe, Comcast
New Mexico/ Arizona-   Michelle Duran, Comcast
New York- Lori Givens, National Cable Communications
Oklahoma- Lisa Crandall, Cox Communications
Pacific Northwest- Emily Tantare, Comcast
Philadelphia- Amy Bennett, QVC Network, Inc.
Rocky Mountain- Katherine Kilstrom, Comcast
San Francisco- Janet Root, A&E Television
South Florida- Roseann Fusco, Fox Cable Networks
Southern California- Gena Nason, NBC Universal
Tampa- Amy VanDell, Bright House Networks
Virginia-Rachelle Whitacre, Cox Communications
Washington, DC/Baltimore- Kimberly Hulsey, TV One

At the 2007 Chapter Leadership Conference, three chapters were recognized as Chapter of the Year. In the large chapter category, the WICT Atlanta Chapter received the Chapter of the Year Award.  For medium-sized chapters, WICT New England took Chapter of the Year honors and the WICT Pacific Northwest Chapter captured the Chapter of the Year title for small chapters.

Atlanta- Large Chapter of the Year	New England- Medium-sized Chapter of the Year	Pacific Northwest-Small Chapter of the Year

To see more photos from the Chapter Leadership Conference, visit the CLC Photo Album. [return to top]

Welcome New Members

Each month, we will spotlight the new members of WICT—those who joined within the past 30 days.  More than 130 new members joined WICT during the month of January, from the companies highlighted below. Check out the complete listing of new members and welcome your colleagues!

Advanced Communications, Inc.
American Life TV Network
Cable in the Classroom
Cablevision Systems
Carat ICG
Cartoon Networks
Channel Broadcasting Cable
Channel Law Group
Charter Communications
Cisco Systems
Comcast
Comcast CN8 Sports
Concurrent
Convergys
Cox Business Services
Cox Communications
CSG Systems
Discovery Networks
Earthlink
ESPN
Fox Cable Networks
GSN
Hallmark Channel
HBO
Hellicon Media
Metrocast Communications
National Geographic Channel
North Highland
PBS Kids Sprout
The Promotional Edge
Scientific Atlanta
Scripps Networks
The Sportsman Channel
Suddenlink Communications
Time Warner Cable
Tuesday Creative-Tuesday Group
Turner Broadcasting System
Turner Studios
TVHead, Inc.
WE tv
The Weather Channel [return to top]

Just in time for Valentine's Day

Oxygen Finds Out:  Who looks for love on the internet?

• 54% of women (v. 57% of men) ages 15-49 search the internet for info on friends, colleagues, classmates or prospective dates
• 17% of women (v. 32% of men) ages 15-49 find someone on the internet to date casually
• 15% of women (v. 29% of men) ages 15-49 use the internet to find someone to date seriously
• 14% of women (v. 34% of men) ages 15-49 use the internet to find someone to hook up with
• 13% of women (v. 17% of men) ages 15-49 use the internet to end a relationship

From Oxygen’s Women’s Watch 2006: “Girls Gone Wired” Study

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Start the new year off with new career possibilities!

Whether you are looking for a new job or a new employee, make the WICT Career Center your first stop in the new year!

The WICT Career Center, which can be viewed at careers.wict.org , is a member benefit that puts you directly in front of  job seekers or employers in your industry. 

Job Seekers:

• Job search control – quickly and easily find relevant industry job listings and sign up for automatic email notification of new jobs that match your criteria.
• Easy job application – apply online and create a password-protected account for managing your job search.
• Resume posting – make your resume available to employers in the industry, confidentially if you choose
• Saved Jobs – come to the site and quickly save up to 100 jobs to a folder in your account so you come back to apply when you are ready.

Employers:

• Incredible exposure for job listings –the largest audience of industry professionals.  
• Higher quality candidates –by searching within the industry, you not only get a job seeker, but a player in the profession.
• Economical pricing - highly targeted advertising exposure for a very reasonable price.

Employers- Save 15% on all single postings and posting packages now through March 1.  Simply enter the promotional code WICT07 at checkout.

To get started, simply view the WICT Career Center.
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