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CATA WIT Forum Summer Newsletter
July 15, 2009
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[ en français ]
Good Afternoon,
The people that you spend the most time with are the ones that influence you the most! Better make sure you have a hand in designing your "people environment" to be the most supportive and productive in reaching your goals, especially during these turbulent times.
There are many people that can provide pearls of wisdom and savvy guidance. Check out this newsletter for some insights on mentors: learn what "gold nugget" Mary-Ann Massad's mentor gave her when launching her business; and gain detailed information on mentoring from expert Dr. Barbara Orser.
There are many definitions of mentors but the one I like the best is:
"Mentor: Someone whose hindsight can become your foresight."
Who doesn't want a little advice from someone who has been down the well-travelled road of experience! Why not set up a chat over coffee, lunch, or a quick call with a possible mentor that might be able to provide you just a little insight into your journey.
Good luck and enjoy our short but wonderful Canadian summer!
Anne Raymond
CATA-WIT Professional Development National Champion
Xtreme Productivity Coach
anneraymond@xtremeproductivity.com
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Status of Women Canada Update |
"Supporting Women's Leadership in the Advanced Technology Sectors" is a multi-project initiative spearheaded by CATA WIT Forum in partnership with Status of Women Canada, Ontario Women's Directorate and several corporate partners.
Over the last two months close to 75 women attended focus groups in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto and Calgary to share their experiences in career advancement. Not surprisingly, two of the top tips for success are the importance of mentors and networks and leadership training.
We continue to gather insights through a national comprehensive survey which Dr. Wendy Cukier will use to help develop her recommendations. Dr. Cukier is also interviewing HR directors in tech companies. Please contact wcukier@ryerson.ca for more info.
And 10 fabulous women CEOs have shared their tips for success which will be published by Dr. Barb Orser in a report on best practices for women tech entrepreneurs.
Bringing IT on .ca is a high destination social networking web site designed to encourage and help young women take up careers in technology. Stay tuned for its launch later this summer.
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Mary-Ann Massad, CEO and Founder, Knowsys Group
"If you keep pounding the wall, eventually you'll get through it..." |
Mary-Ann Massad Johnson has always had the perseverance to succeed, so much in fact that she sold her beautiful home and sacrificed the safety net of financial security for her company - all at the advice of her mentor. In 1995 Mary-Ann founded Knowsys Group, a multi-million dollar success story that focuses on strategic IT and management consulting services. As CEO and founder, the firm continues to grow under Mary-Ann leadership. As a motivational speaker who routinely inspires others, Mary-Ann offers a great deal of advice on the role that mentoring has played in her career.
"I think it's very important to cultivate mentors early on. I remember feeling very isolated and alone when I was starting out. It's important to feel like you belong, to feel supported and have someone to reach out to when you have questions or doubt yourself," says Mary-Ann.
Full Story
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Women managers need to be better informed about the benefits of mentoring
Dr. Barbara Orser & Dr. Joanne Leck
University of Ottawa Telfer School of Management
Research undertaken in 2007 by the CATAWIT Forum and the University of Ottawa Telfer School of Management showed that the majority of women managers in the advanced technology sector perceive gender-specific career challenges. Mentoring was one of the most frequent suggested solutions. However, few women managers talked about organizational or industry support for mentoring. In response, CATAWIT has established the Circle of Wisdom series. The series entails periodic, informal events to facilitate peer-to-peer mentoring. Events are often hosted in the home of local chapter members. To maximize the potential benefits of the Circle of Wisdom, it is useful to reflect on what research tells us about mentoring.
A multi-year research program about mentoring that is spearheaded by Dr. Joanne Leck and Dr. Barbara Orser of the University of Ottawa Telfer School of Management is examining factors that influence protégé and mentor relationships. The good news is that compared to non-mentored counterparts, protégés report that mentoring is associated with positive career outcomes such as increased compensation, promotion, and career satisfaction. Mentoring helps individuals to overcome career obstacles, gain insight about organizational politics, provides protégés with information and feedback, facilitates opportunities to gain access to resources; and can expose protégés to powerful networks. These benefits explain why Canadian women managers and executives have reported mentoring as the most "effective" gender-based program out of approximately 10 programs examined and that mentorship
programs are also among the most frequently-cited organizational practices offered to address gender differences in advancement (Orser, 2000).
Full Story
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 New Affiliate Partners
CATA WIT Forum welcomes new affiliate members: Women in Defence and Security, Canadian Women in Communications, Women Entrepreneurs of Canada, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Information Technology Association of Nova Scotia.
Chapter News
BC Chapter
BC Chapter held a very successful launch event on June 2nd, having more than 100 people in attendance. They've also been very successful with the launch of their Breakfast Club and Jazz IT Up Meetings. These informal forums are a great format for meeting new friends, sharing experiences and building our community of Women in Technology. Stay tuned for B.C.'s signature event set to take place on Oct. 21st. For more information on B.C.'s events list please click HERE.
CATA WIT is pleased to announce that B.C. Chapter Co-chair Tabitha Creighton was recently featured in an interview with Business in Vancouver where she discusses the BC Chapter and the role of the organization in B.C.
Please view the article on-line.
Ottawa Chapter
Ottawa's Chapter recently held the second instalment of their intimate and interactive Circle of Wisdom Series on June 18th. Participants enjoyed a light dinner and an evening of lively discussion with speakers Michelle Scarborough, Vice President, Investment and Commercialization at the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI) and Lynda Partner, Past President of In-Touch Survey Systems Inc. The event was held at the home of Dr. Barb Orser.
Ottawa is currently planning for their fall programming - we'll keep you posted with what is expected to be a great fall line-up!
Toronto Chapter
Toronto's Chapter recently held a well-attended event in partnership with Microsoft and IAMCP on June 16th. The evening included a light snack and featured a book reading from Sheryl Steinberg, journalist and author of the novel "Opportunity Rings", a light-hearted look at finding our strengths through our adversities.
Toronto is also planning for their fall programming - stay tuned for program details!
Montreal Chapter
CATA WIT is pleased to introduce Huguette Guilhaumon as CATA WIT's Quebec Regional Director, she has been busy organizing the Montreal Chapter for the fall. Please contact Huguette at huguette@cata.ca should you wish to join Montreal's executive organizing team. Huguette has recently created a LinkedIn group for Montreal, please feel free to join at http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1982337&trk=hb_side_g and keep up-to-date with the best of the best in Montreal's tech community!
CATA WIT would also like to thank Vivian Hudson for her many years of dedication and hard work as Chair of the Montreal Chapter. We wish her the best of luck as she takes this time to focus on her career!
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