Two recent events featuring smart women and careers: 

Marci Alboher points us to a panel she was on with three other women, talking about women in the workplace, on the Sirius Satellite radio show, Be Happy, Dammit!, as well as another blogger’s summary of the panel discussion. I was struck by how many of the same topics came up in conversation at a recent women’s networking event I attended, sponsored by a prominent Denver law firm.

The recorded show is about 45 minutes long and is available in MP3 format. Just right for getting your brain in gear during the daily commute.

My fellow panelists and moderator for the "Shifting Gears in Your Career Path" talk at the Texas Conference for Women were brilliant. Together, we covered everything from taking stock of how one is perceived in the workplace to the importance of taking on line positions with P+L responsibility to getting your financial house in order before making a career transition. The Q+A with the audience was equally enlightening. My thanks to (from left to right) Betty Spence, president of NAFE,  Kim Hammonds, director information technology at Dell, and Laura Bellomy, founder of Bellomy Associates, for a great conversation.

In the speaker’s room beforehand, I connected with Rosalyn Taylor O’Neale, author of 7 Keys to Success. When asked about the elements of leadership, she talked about courage and faith. Both of these are what’s needed to go into the unknown, something that leaders must do with increasing frequency. Rosalyn also reminded me of the importance of living a full life now. She told the story of a friend who died suddenly and always talked about "when I’ve done XYZ, then I’ll enjoy life." Problem was, there was always another XYZ to achieve.  I was struck when she said, "I know that my friend didn’t live life fully. I saw what his life was like."

The conference also reminded me of the importance of taking time to connect with others who feed me, intellectually and creatively.  Go find someone today who lifts you up, makes you think more deeply, and gives you another perspective.