In 2011, five women started building The CLUB, to create an environment where women can help women accelerate their collective leadership paths. In the years that followed, The CLUB has found strong support for building this community that enabled us to grow to 250 members across many professions and generations, while also delivering programming and services and expanding leadership within our organizations.
To help guide us through the next critical chapters, the Board of Directors has appointed Kristiane Koontz to the role of CLUB President. Annie Rogaski, our president for the past three years, is moving to our Advisory Board and will remain heavily involved in The CLUB. Annie will continue to provide leadership to our Thriving Workplace Initiative, and will continue to walk and talk on Fridays, and to participate in our CLUB events. Diana Olin, who has served on our board for the past two years, will be serving as a consultant for new initiatives. Many thanks to both Diana and Annie for their board service and for the lasting impact they’ve had on The CLUB.
Please join us in congratulating our new board members, Mindy Morton; Alice Katwan; and Judith Coley as our new 2016 board members alongside existing board members Karen Catlin, Laraine McKinnon, and Kristiane Koontz!
2015 Programming Recap
Our main event for the fourth quarter was our 3rd Anniversary Party at the picturesque Fremont Hills Country Club, with a thought-provoking keynote by Sally Thornton on the future of work and women’s leadership. Sally offered a few time-saving tips: energy gives you more time so exercise is important (aim for 10,000 steps a day); cheat time by finding “multipliers” (e.g., a walking meeting with your team or cooking dinner while listening to a podcast); sleep matters; and outsource what you can (a great cleaning person is totally worth the cost). Mostly importantly, find work that you’re passionate about.
2015 signified the inaugural year of our Incubator Program, our Big Read Initiative, and the launch of our CLUBhouse in Palo Alto! Incoming 2016 President Kristiane Koontz presented her vision for the future of The CLUB and the importance of the CLUB’s Thriving Workplace initiative in shaping the dialogue on workplace policies and best practices that will help enable a critical mass of women leaders to thrive. CLUB members Jennifer Lotz, Kathleen Bost, Jo Ann Woodsum and Judith Coley received CLUBbie awards for their contributions to the CLUB this year.
2016 Programming Quarterly Theme Announcement
The CLUB’s Programming Committee is excited to announce the quarterly programming themes for 2016.
Q1: Power: “Unleash Your Inner Superwoman”
Q2: Promotion: “How to Brag Your Way To The Corner Office”
Q3: Prosperity: “Bring on The Abundance”
Q4: Philanthropy: “You Get Back More Than You Give”
First Quarter – Power: “Unleash Your Inner Superwoman”
In the First Quarter, we’ll explore power – how to accumulate power, how to be a strong leader, and how to embrace your superpower to propel you to success. Despite all of the strides made by women in leadership over the years, the percentage of women holding the very top positions remains disturbingly small. According to a CNNMoney analysis in 2015, only 14.2% of the top five leadership positions at companies in the S&P 500 are held by women. Even more startling, out of 500 companies, there are only 24 female CEOs.
http://money.cnn.com/2015/03/24/investing/female-ceo-pipeline-leadership/
Equally troubling is the fact that the percentage of female equity partners has remained largely stagnant for nine years now, with women comprising only 16.8 percent of equity partners according to demographic data from Am Law 200 firms.
http://www.americanlawyer.com/id=1202726917646/A-Few-Good-Women?slreturn=20151001205058
Here’s a little homework to get you in the mind set for our First Quarter Theme - Did you know that just standing in a Wonder Woman pose can boost your self-esteem and make you appear more confident and powerful?
http://www.bustle.com/articles/64462-how-the-wonder-woman-power-pose-might-actually-help-you-get-ahead-at-work
On March 2, 2016 at Synopsys, the CLUB’s inaugural Incubator participants will host a panel discussion on learnings gleaned through the 12-monthIncubator program and inspire us with their personal leadership journeys. The panel discussion will be complemented by break-out discussions on developing leadership skills based on the Incubator Honeycomb format and finding your own path to leadership.
Second Quarter - Promotion: “How to Brag Your Way To The Corner Office”
While “bragging” can sometimes seem like a dirty word, the reality is that no one will know about your accomplishments unless you toot your own horn from time to time. We’ll spend the Second Quarter getting comfortable with the idea of self-promotion and how to do it effectively, both within your organization and externally, including through social media and other tools. CLUB Board member Karen Catlin will give a workshop on self-promotion and teach us how to promote ourselves effectively within our organizations. Attendees will have the opportunity to perfect their “elevator update” so they can be prepared when the opportunity arises for a little self-promotion. We’ll also have a workshop on use of social media to promote yourself, and we’ll partner with the Mentoring Committee on a micro-mentoring event exploring individual strategies for self-promotion.
Third Quarter – Prosperity: “Bring on The Abundance”
Prosperity often means different things to different people and your definition of prosperity can change as you move through various stages of life. Whether you want financial security, more meaningful or challenging work, or more time to focus on your personal goals, the Third Quarter will give you the opportunity to find out how to live your most prosperous life! We’ll have a presentation on financial prosperity by Financial Advisor Laura Jarrell, and, in CLUB Member Kristi Royse’s workshop, you'll create the personal strategic plan you need to make your dreams and goals a reality.
Fourth Quarter – Philanthropy: “You Get Back More Than You Give”
The CLUB was founded on a philosophy of women helping women, recognizing that we all have special talents to share and everyone benefits when we help one another succeed. Adding to that, numerous studies have found that giving back is a critical component of well-being and that people who give back are happier and more fulfilled.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brady-josephson/want-to-be-happier-give-m_b_6175358.html
In the Fourth Quarter, we’ll put that advice to use and find out how we can get more happiness and fulfillment in our lives by giving back, both within the CLUB and in the broader community. We’ll also celebrate the CLUB’s 4th Anniversary at the Anniversary Party where we’ll have the opportunity to connect, reflect, and set our aspirations for 2017!
Programming Committee Needs
We’re looking for Event Chairs for our 2016 events. Chairing an event is a great way to develop your project management, presentation, and marketing skills while becoming more involved in the CLUB! If any of the above events pique your interest and you want to learn more about what it takes to chair an event, please contact Jennifer Lotz.
Mentoring 2015 Roundup
The Mentoring Committee expanded the mentoring program with new program offerings in 2015. We hosted two micro-mentoring sessions with the Programming Committee (resulting in over 60 mentor-mentee connections at the events) and launched the pilot Mentoring Circles program (a year long, in-depth mentoring program to develop personal brands and career plans). In addition, we continue to support one-on-one and small group mentoring.
Mentoring Program in 2016:
Are you looking for guidance on setting your career goals this year? Have a work-related new year’s resolution? The mentoring program has a variety of program offerings to help you advance your career in the coming year. You can take advantage of the program in the following ways:
- Apply to be part of the Mentoring Circles Program. The Mentoring Circles Program is designed for members with eight or more years of experience who want to define their personal brands and career plans through self-exploration and reflection, thought partnership and continuous growth. Through this eight-session program, participants will be challenged to explore their values, strengths, purpose and goals to generate these outcomes. Participants will exit the program with solidified personal brands and networking strategies to meet their career goals. For more information and to apply, please click here.
- Reach out to a CLUB member for mentoring. Over fifty CLUB members have offered to mentor fellow members—either as a micro-mentor offering targeted coaching in a single session, or as a formal mentor offering regular, in-depth mentoring. More details about the program and how to find a mentor are available here.
Stay tuned for our launch of virtual micro-mentoring sessions this year. A micro-mentor will lead a small group discussion on an online video conferencing platform that is easy to use with your laptop, tablet or mobile phone. We’ll also be hosting our annual in-person micro-mentoring event in the second quarter.
Philanthropy Update
Thanks to all the CLUB members who joined us for two great Philanthropy Committee events in 4Q 2015. The first event was in October, where a team of Club members volunteered during the evening to sort fruit for the hungry. We had a fun time getting to know each other while helping others and hope more can join us next time. Then, in November, many thanks to everyone who donated toys (or money for toys) for foster children in conjunction with our anniversary party. The toys and donations have been delivered to Sleep Train and CLUB members helped make many foster children very happy this year!
Thank You to our Sponsors!
In 2015, we had many companies step up and be counted on to support our mission in the Club by supporting our Anniversary Party. When we are choosing who we do business with, we should all keep in mind who chose to support The Club. Those companies include:
Sponsorship is available for many levels. If your company is interested in sponsoring The Club, please reach out to Megan Jones now. It is a great way to show support for women across a broad platform in Silicon Valley.
