Highlights of the 2010 Professional Business Women of CA Conference

Connect-Discover-Shine! was the 2010 theme for the Professional Business Women of CA (PBWC) Conference held May 11 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

by Debbie Josendale, Publisher
San Francisco Bay Area Women’s Journal

The PBWC was started 21 years ago by Jackie Speier who today serves as  U.S. Congresswoman, 12th District CA.  Speier’s vision to create an organization that inspired women in both their careers and personal lives was in full swing with a blockbuster lineup of keynote speakers and workshops.

Here are some of my favorite sound bites of “wisdom” and other memorable  moments from the conference:

“It starts with you.  Trust in yourself first.” Misti Burmeister, who led a fabulous workshop on Expanding Your Influence.

“Leaders have to be the light.  Leaders have to bring possibility thinking.” Dr. Cile Chavez, who shared insights on The Leadership Imperative.

“The answer to “How are You” should be more than “just fine”. Your answer is an opportunity to share and promote yourself.” Chris Melching, whose workshop Paddle Your Own Canoe…Tips for Selling Yourself, was filled to standing room only… and, overflowed out the doors.

“Change your thinking from networking to net-worthy. Net-worthy is about abundance and asking yourself how can I be a resource to others?” Sarah Michel on The Art of Intentional Connecting.

“If you can see it, YOU can be it!”…the tag line from Jennifer Siebel Newsom, First Lady of SF, new documentary Miss Representation.

Safra Catz, President of Oracle

One of the highlights of the day for me was the keynote given by Safra Catz, President of Oracle Corporation.  Frequently named to the Fortune 100 Most Powerful Women list among many other accolades and accomplishments, it was a rare gift to hear from the media shy Catz.

Delightful, witty and clearly a razor sharp mind Catz shared her thoughts on things she learned on the way up, that she wished someone would have told her .

1. You can never be #1 by chasing someone else’s business. To be #1 you have to do something different.  And quite often in that pursuit, people will think you are an idiot until you are a genius!

2.  Focus on the value that your business provides versus size. It’s all about scale and serving your customers better.

3.  If it doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t make sense.

4. Don’t stand still. You can’t beat the competition if you’re standing still.

5.  Don’t chase fashion! Execute on your strategy and stick to your core.

6.  If you don’t ask, you don’t get!

7.  Just because everything can be put online…doesn’t mean everything should be put online.

8. Integrity is a perishable asset. You can recover from being stupid, but you cannot recover from being a liar.

9.  Business is a team sport.

As Catz finished her talk, the energy in the room was electrifying.  For most of the women in the audience, it was the first time to ever hear a Keynote speech given by a President of a Fortune 500 company…who is a woman!

And Now for the NEXT Generation

And finally two High School Senior young women were awarded PBWC scholarships.  Each of them gave a brief speech that was filled with excitement, enthusiasm and great expectation that they could do anything they set their mind to.  It was such a joyous moment to witness these two young women filled with ambition.  Yes we have a way to go…but oh how far we have come!

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Posted on 17. May, 2010 by SFWJ in Publisher's Note

Tags: Career, Inspiration, Leadership, marketing, motivation, Small Biz