If you go
The Fourth Annual Work-Life Balance Educational Conference for BusinesswomenWhere: Signature Grand, Davie.When: Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.Cost: $149.Ask some of the top women executives in South Florida about their work experience, and there's one commonality: international expertise. Apparently, the road to the top often detours in cities and countries around the world.
Now, ask these high-powered women what their days are like, and they will tell you about their ongoing struggle to find balance. I asked six women leaders about how they make decisions, figure their way out of conflicts, and live with the trade-offs. As the moderator of a panel at today's Work-Life Balance Conference, I plan to prod these women further for insight. Meanwhile, here's a look at some of their strategies:
Patricia Rosello, CEO of Baptist Outpatient Services, supervises 345 staff physicians and 530 employees, and she's also mom to two teenage daughters.
How have you become influential? You need to listen and reflect so you are in tune to people's needs. It can't be about you, it has to be about the team or the greater whole. I think that's where my strength lies.
What have you had to sacrifice to achieve balance? Being active in my children's activities. I couldn't be at every basketball game or play, or be the mom who went on a field trip.
Sonia Green is the leader behind General Motors' diversity initiatives. She also is a global thinker who has had assignments in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Colombia and Peru. With the automaker in cost-cutting mode, Green is putting in longer hours and stretching her skills. She also is the mother of two boys ages 18 and 23.
What's your best time-management tool? My Blackberry. It helps keep things moving. Yesterday I was at a dealers meeting, and my kid texted me. I was able to text him back within seconds and give him instructions about calling the doctor.
What's the biggest challenge in a corporate environment? I have had to move around a lot, which is hard with kids. The corporate environment is all about moving up and moving out.
Kimberly Palmer has been managing director of Merrill Lynch South Florida Region for the last two years, overseeing 22 offices from Vero Beach to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Palmer speaks Spanish, English, French and Portuguese. During her career, she has worked in Latin America, Asia, Europe and several cities in the United States.
Has it been challenging having relocated so many times? It has, particularly for my husband. He gave up (his career) for me. For 3 ½ years, he lived in Montana and I lived in Paris and we commuted. We vowed after that not to be apart. I almost never have turned down a move in the firm that made sense. Taking an opportunity that is given is important and can help you move forward.
What kind of advice do you give the junior people? Work relentlessly and succeed in your own way. Women especially need to be authentic. If you believe the only way to get ahead is to be like men, you won't succeed.
Penny Shaffer retired from AT&T after 26 years when she was facing her 10th relocation. She says she was enjoying her new lifestyle, but Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida dangled a leadership opportunity. Now Shaffer is market president for Florida.
Which personal quality helps you the most in business? Portability. I am willing and capable of doing just about anything. Never have to worry about my friends, family or employer putting a filter on what they ask me to do.
Do you have an organization tip to share? During the day, I might have six piles working, but at end of the day, my desk is clean. Yes, I might have stuff in my in-box, but when I walk in, I don't get overwhelmed visually.
Deborah Mulligan is a professor of pediatrics at Nova Southeastern University. On nights and weekends she helps families who visit the emergency room at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital. Mulligan speaks Spanish and Italian, lived and worked in Mexico for a few years, and considers herself a role model for her three teenage daughters.
Are there any pearls of wisdom you have passed on to your daughters? I tell them to be people of honesty, love and family relationships. Encourage them to follow their dreams and not just follow a path because it would fulfill something absent in a family member's life.
Is it a challenge to find time for yourself? I make something homemade for dinner every night, and the girls and I have dinner together. Also, I exercise with the girls. We go biking or running. Part of it is for me, part of it I do for my girls. I want them to know that an adult female can have three kids, look good and not have to go under the knife to get there.
Call Rhonda Calhoun a crafty strategist or a seasoned politician. In either case, she's vice chairwoman of Broward Health, formerly known as the North Broward Hospital District.
This week Calhoun found herself in a predicament. As the former vice mayor of Coral Springs, she takes pride in it earning the coveted Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. She'll be accepting the award in Washington, D.C., in a ceremony that coincides with the Balance Conference. Calhoun is also a mom to a daughter in college.
What have you done in the last week that you found surprisingly rewarding? I started a diet three weeks ago and have stayed on it. I'm hungry a lot during the day, but I have lost 10 pounds.
Also, I served on the Coral Springs Commission for 12 years. It's going to be rewarding to receive that award.
