sphinxx news alert  
31 March 2010 | www.sphinxx.com.au   

This week we talk about advancing women, the quota debate, Mummy's Wish, stepping beyond your limitations and sphinxx is offering $10,000 in scholarships to NFPs.

1. YOUR CAREER: Advancing women serves us all
2. WORK: Getting a handle on the quota debate: great new article
3. LIFE: Paint the Town Red - for two very good causes
4. LIFE: Congratulations to our winner of the Snowgoose Hamper!
5. LIFE: Step Beyond Your Limitations
6. OFFERS: sphinxx offers $10,000 in scholarships for NFPs
7. OFFERS: Ascend in May

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

YOUR CAREER: Advancing women serves us all

This was the parting message from Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, the Governor General of Australia in her keynote presentation at yesterday's inaugural CEDA Women in Leadership series. "I am very happy about the gender balance here today - it makes my heart sing", Her Excellency began, acknowledging the collective potential of the mostly-female audience.

But she soon went on to point out the many indicators of a nation that is failing to harness this potential: the declining numbers of women in executive roles and on our top boards; that the issue of a statute based maternity leave system remains unresolved; and those feelings of failure that women share when it seems they don't have it all together. "What progress have we actually made to ensure there are more women in leadership?"

In her official role as Governor General, Ms Bryce confided that women often ask her "How did you do it?", in full knowledge that there's no need to explain the "it" (as a mother of 5 and grandmother to 7 she fully understands the challenges of working women). She spoke of the "pearls of wisdom" women seek, but suggested there are none: only a lifetime of experience harnessed in an environment that includes a supportive family, understanding professional friends and colleagues and of learning the importance of looking after oneself, because "if we're okay then everyone else will be too". And of how much she herself gained from watching others who are succeeding and learning from them.

Drawing her presentation to a close, Her Excellency challenged men and women, corporations and individuals, to work together and to share the responsibility of finding different and better ways to support women through their careers, "because I promise you, advancing women serves us all".

At sphinxx our vision is to see women equally represented in leadership roles in our workplaces and communities, which also means all of us working together towards this common goal.

So I ask of you:

1. If you are an employer, how are you removing the roadblocks that have been holding women back in your business?
2. If you are a leader, what behaviours are you role modeling to your team?
3. If you are an aspiring leader, how are you tapping into successful role models and learning from them?
4. If you are a working mum, what tips do you have on managing family and work commitments?
5. If you are an employer, how are you removing the roadblocks that have been holding women back in your business?
6. If you are a community leader, what role can you play in this debate?

Please share your ideas on the sphinxx blog - I'd love to hear from you and our thousands of readers will appreciate your tips. And in the spirit of Easter, I'll even send out cocolo chocolate to those who post their ideas.

The quota debate is a big one - and it's intimidating to get involved in. Opinions on whether or quotas are the best way forward to executive gender diversity are often strongly held, and from experience I know these arguments can get emotional very quickly. It can also be challenging to argue about the issue from a broad point of view, when most of us have personal experience of gender bias in action.

So I was delighted when I came across this article - because it's comprehensive, wide-ranging and not especially preachy. It's American, but does cover a variety of nation's quota schemes. Perhaps tellingly, Australia doesn't even crack a mention.

You can read the article that features five different experts on the question of quota, and then trawl through the 89 (!) comments to get a really solid grounding on the issues in the debate, on both sides.

Sure, there are some frustrating comments and a couple downright ridiculous ones. But if does raise a host of related issues that one stand alone article can't cover: does a quota fix all gender disparity issues in the workplace, will Germany improving maternity leave solve some of the issues they face, how does sexual harassment fears affect the mentoring of women in the United states, what impact does training, experience play in the success of such a scheme, and explores the ever present discussions around biological difference and limitations, resentment/entitlement, attitudes vs processes.

It's a fascinating read, and well worth the 10 minutes (max) it'll take to take it in, and get a grip on this quota business.

Paint the Town Red - for two very good causes

If you're going to be in Brisbane on Friday the 16th April, there is a fantastic fundraising event for two great causes - the Red Cross Blood service and an organisation called Mummy's Wish.

Mummy's Wish is a relatively new organisation created with a specific and heart wrenching cause in mind  - pregnant women or mums with young children diagnosed with cancer. Mummy's Wish supports these women and helps them to connect with other women in similar situations. Blood donations and cancer are both great causes, but did you know they are closely linked? A huge proportion of blood donations go to cancer patients, and Paint the Town Red gala event aims to highlight this connection, and raise money for Mummy's wish.

Congratulations to our winner of the Snowgoose Hamper!

We've been trying the new "Fruit at Work" 2 week trial, and have loved it. The fruit is perfect, they taste great and they seem to glow invitingly across the office, even in the miserable weather we're having today in Sydney!

We got some great health tips in the competition for the Snowgoose Hamper, and have awarded the hamper to Karen Stace because it's a tip every single reader can pick up instantly. Her great tip of a couple of simple stats to prove what we all know about drinking more water (but don't do enough of) was:

"Have more fun & stay healthy by simply drinking more water. Keep those brain cells lush & lively. Astonishingly brain cells are 85% water. Couple of trivia: brain cell function as gorgeous grape or raisin; whilst babies are 80% water the elderly are often as little as 50%. And a simple tonic - squeeze lemon into that water to cleanse body & increase its PH making the body less susceptible to fatigue & illnesses. Love that water."

Step Beyond Your Limitations

Most of you who attended the Ascend series in February this year will remember Suzanne Mercier who spoke on a fabulous topic, the Imposter Syndrome. Have you ever wondered why you're not more successful, why you aren't satisfied with your achievements, why you seem to work header than everyone else to achieve the same outcomes, why you ignore compliments and place greater importance on criticism, why you aren't happier with where you are in life, why your relationships don't last or why you aren't any closer to achieving your dreams than you were when you first defined them? Then chances are, you're suffering from the Imposter Syndrome.

Suzanne has produced a 10-session DVD programme available now in the sphinxx online shop to help you better understand the syndrome and to develop strategies for you to move past Imposterhood. I think this syndrome resonates with more people than you might realise and if it rings true for you, click here - to purchase the DVD, Step Beyond Your Limitations and tackle those lingering issues once and for all.

sphinxx offers $10,000 in scholarships for NFPs

At sphinxx, we're often contacted by charities and not for profit organisations telling us about their new campaigns and initiatives, asking for support or advice. I've been thinking for a while about how to support and promote charities and NFP activities in line with sphinxx's aims of advancing women as leaders, and opportunities to support them in their achieving their goals too.

So today I would like to announce our first ever Scholarship Program for Not-For-Profit organisations. We will be giving three scholarships each in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane - which entitles scholarship recipients to a complimentary annual membership in the sphinxx Leadership Program - over $10,000 value in total.

Download the info pack and application form here. And make sure you forward this opportunity on to anyone you know who works in an NFP or community organisation.

I'm looking forward to learning more about the work going on in the NFP sector and in doing our bit to ensure women are equally represented in our workplaces and communities.

Ascend in May

Over half of places are already subscribed to Ascend in May, is it time you registered to secure your place? There's only a couple of weeks until the earlybird rate expires, so don't forget to book before April 16 on the Events page.