High Heels & Hard Hats: Breaking Barriers will be offered as a Deeper Dive session on October 4th, a day before World Workplace opens in San Diego, Oct. 5-7.
Any facilities manager who seeks advice on overcoming career, job and/or personal obstacles will take away valuable tools and strategies for balancing work/life challenges and turning roadblocks into results. Based on a quote from a woman in FM, “I had to kick off my high heels to go put out a fire,” this insightful workshop will help you break the barriers (real and imagined) that keep you from reaching your full potential.
Join a panel of women trailblazers—learn from their experience, ask them your questions, engage them in problem solving issues, and perhaps find a mentor. Learn how to lead with more confidence and less stress. The format will allow for networking at the tables. Participants will hear from the founder of HH & HH, Meredith Thatcher, IFMA Fellow, CFM, LEED AP, founder and president of Thatcher Workplace Consulting, about the undermining phrases that exist, and consider what phrases managers could substitute.
Presentations include:
Leading from the Middle: Changing the FM Mindset with Valerie Keyes, Senior Public Servant at the Canadian Department of National Defence, holding senior appointments in policy, operations and management in Canada and the United Kingdom, currently as the Director, Reserve Force Analysis and Transformation.
Women Leading in Turbulent Times with Laura Hambley, Ph.D., industrial/organizational psychologist, Calgary, Alberta; and University of Calgary, Dept. of Psychology.
Roundtable with Meredith Thatcher and Lesley Groff, CFM, director of facilities, Mennonite Home Communities.
There will be a panel discussion covering:
- What barriers did they break?
- How have their careers changed over time?
- What is the value of their network?
- What makes them a pioneer and what pioneering opportunities do you see going forward?
- What made you successful?
- Were there deliberate actions you took early in your career?
The panelists are Meredith Thatcher, Mary Gauer, (retired but still working), IFMA Fellow, formerly group manager, Planning, Design & Construction, Health Sciences Center, U. of New Mexico; Christine Neldon, CFM, IFMA Fellow, regional project manager, Corporate Real Estate, with Travelers; Sheila Sheridan, IFMA Fellow, CFM, CPM, LEED AP, (retired), formerly director of Facilities & Services, JFK School of Government, Harvard University; and Carroll Thatcher, IFMA Fellow, CFM, (retired), formerly, president and founder, Carroll Thatcher Planning Group.
A 1.5-hour networking reception, sponsored by Staples Business Advantage, will immediately follow the session. For more information, High Heels & Hard Hats.