sphinxx news alert    
18 November 2009 | www.sphinxx.com.au   

We had a ball at last week's sell out Ascend Development Day in Sydney and raised the enough funds in the process to fund a SISTER2sister mentoring match in 2010. Thanks to those who came and don't forget to save the dates for our 2010 events. This week you can check out following tips for work and life:

1. What are the business lessons we all can learn from The Apprentice?
2. Step aside BRIC... The Female Economy is the next frontier of marketing opportunity
3. sphinxx Leadership Program is coming to Brisbane - join us for complimentary introductory drinks
4. Boost your brain and your performance with workshop giveaways
5. 1 million women to tackle climate change
6. A magical escape for women - tour to Rajasthan with Postcards from Millie
7. The Perfect Gift for a Man

If you have an idea for a topic we should include in a future news alert, please let us know - we’d love to hear from you!

All the best,

Jen Dalitz
Founder & The SheEO, sphinxx.com.au

I've been hooked watching Australia's own version of The Apprentice over the past couple of months and judging by the conversation around town yesterday, so too have many others. On Monday night 23-year old Andrew Morello, an auctioneer from Moonee Ponds in Victoria, won the final challenge to be hired by Mark Bouris in a contract worth $200,000. So what can we learn from some of the contestants and their journey:

1. From Gavin the lawyer, we learned that it wasn't enough to deliver 100% personally, if you can't get 100% from your people.
2. From Sabrina the uni student and former Miss Australia, we learned that confidence will get you everywhere and camouflage many mistakes along the way.
3. From Sam, the 19 year old law student from Adelaide, we learned that there's no age limits on fresh ideas... but experience counts for a lot.
4. From Heather we learned that you can have the winning product and the winning pitch, but still not come out in front.
5. And from Morello, we learned that charisma, building rapport rapport and being a people person will get you a long way... but responding to feedback from your boss and being comfortable with selling will get you further.

Just my thoughts... post your comments about your take on The Apprentice and how much it reflects the real world of business...

As a market, women represent a bigger opportunity than China and India combined. So why are companies doing such a poor job of serving them?

Women now drive the world economy. Globally, they control about $20 trillion in annual consumer spending, and that figure could climb as high as $28 trillion in the next five years. Their $13 trillion in total yearly earnings could reach $18 trillion in the same period. In aggregate, women represent a growth market bigger than China and India combined—more than twice as big, in fact. Given those numbers, it would be foolish to ignore or underestimate the female consumer. And yet many companies do just that, even ones that are confident they have a winning strategy when it comes to women.

A study by Harvard Business School has found that women feel vastly underserved and despite the remarkable strides in market power and social position that they have made in the past century, they still appear to be undervalued in the marketplace and underestimated in the workplace. They have too many demands on their time and constantly juggle conflicting priorities—work, home, and family. Few companies have responded to their need for time-saving solutions or for products and services designed specifically for them.

Click here to access the Harvard article and post your comments - what do women really want in the market place?

sphinxx Leadership Program is coming to Brisbane - join us for complimentary introductory drinks

Looking to fast track your career with personal and professional development, and to tap into and learn from successful role models? The sphinxx Leadership Program could be for you.

When you join the sphinxx Leadership Program you’ll have access to everything you need to take your career to the next level. Whether you need to sharpen your business skills, build a network or simply build your confidence, our development days, online tools, PD packages and member only offers are designed to both challenge and support you on your journey.

In 2010 we're bringing the sphinxx Leadership Program and development day series to Brisbane. If you'd like to find out more about the program and how you can participate in Brisbane, join us for complimentary introductory drinks on Monday 30th November.

Boost your brain and your performance with workshop giveaways

Your brain is the key to your performance. Isn't it time you really understood it?

Those who understand the brain, its quirks and limitations are more productive in every aspect of their work and lives, are able to solve problems quicker, stay cool under pressure more easily, drive change and collaborate with and influence others more effectively.

This one day ‘Your Brain at Work’ workshop will give you the tools to be more productive in everything you do, through giving you a greater insight into what's happening in yours and other people's brains.

Join global thought leader, author and key note speaker David Rock for only $147. Click here to register and we have 3 complimentary passes to this workshop to give away... Post a comment on this blog about why you want to win to be in the running...

1 million women to tackle climate change

You might have heard about the campaign to get 1 million women to kick start the climate change debate by cutting a collective 1 million tonnes of CO2 from their lives over a year. 1 Million Women is a campaign of daughters, mothers, sisters and grandmothers who are committed to protecting our climate, our communities and our future, leading change for the better. The goal is to inspire 1 million Australian women to take practical action on climate change by cutting 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse pollutant causing global warming. Every woman who joins has a personal goal to cut 1 tonne of CO2 from their daily lives within a year of joining the campaign and the 1 million women website has many tips on what you can do to change your emission practices.

A magical escape for women - tour to Rajasthan with Postcards from Millie

A magical escape for women - tour to Rajasthan with Postcards from Millie

Postcards from Millie is a boutique travel company founded by Victoria Ugarte that offers an out of the ordinary and culturally authentic travel experience for women. Victoria's aim is to promote the spirit of adventure through the exploration of mystical lands and vastly different cultures and she promises to deliver to “worldly women” travelers an enriching and unforgettable travel experience.

Victoria is currently organising a beautiful women's tour to Rajasthan in March 2010. Staying in luxurious palaces and charming boutique hotels, this culturally authentic tour is a must for any woman wanting to visit this part of the world but was worried about going alone. Victoria will be hosting the tour, and the group will be a small & intimate group of 8 passengers or less, exclusively women.

Quote sphinxx when booking for $100 off the tour price.

Click here to request more information.

The Perfect Gift for a Man

OK this is not normally a heading you'd expect to find on the sphinxx site... but it's a terrific project that my good friend Scott Middleton has been a contributor to. The Perfect Gift for a Man – 30 Stories about Reinventing Manhood is a book which aims to get men talking about their feelings and stories about their own transition to manhood, in a bid to hep prevent male suicide (In Australia, young men commit suicide at more than three times the rate of women of the same age and mental illness and drug and alcohol dependency is severely affecting men aged 16-24).

I figure getting men talking about their feelings could be a great thing for many of our colleagues too... would certainly create more female-friendly workplaces!

If you're the mum of a teenage boy, I couldn't think of a better resource... I think I'll order a copy for my nephew... I only hope he'll find the time to read it!!

You can order The Perfect Gift for a Man here on blurb.com