PWA Milan supports and promotes the W.I.N. Conference, our members are entitled to a special discount for partners. See below an overview of the program of the Conference, which will take place in Paris, October 6-8.

The W.I.N. 2010 global leadership conference is the 13^th in a series of visionary leadership events that inspire thousands of women, enhance their careers and improve business practices. Be a part of it:

Day 1 – The global picture – setting the stage  Awareness of the most pressing global issues, new trends in society, and the forces shaping the environment in which we live and work

Day 2 – The future of work The winning organizations and enterprises of the future and the people who will create and lead them

Day 3 – Growing as individuals   How each and every one of us personally can realize our vision, how we find clarity and mobilize and move our projects to fruition

Day 4 – Post-conference workshops   Exploring your creativity through writing, theatre and art

Plus discussion forums: Women on Corporate Boards, Women in Media, Women Entrepreneurs, Women Empowering Women, Women’s Networks

During the three-day interactive forum, we will explore the authentic journey and the importance of how you do all you do as a way towards realizing your vision. Panel sessions and workshops are complemented by social and professional networking events and free one-on-one coaching sessions. The full brochure is now available on our website.

Rates until 15^th September

(including Euro 100 discount for WIN partners – PWA Milan included)

Standard Ticket Euro 1495

Subsidized Ticket Euro 995

 Standard Ticket: applies to all professional participants (entrepreneurs, consultants, corporations etc).

Subsidized Ticket: for women in transition, students, pensioners, NGO members, individuals.

(This offer cannot be combined with any other discounts or network savings)

Learn more or register at www.winconference.net (selecting your women’s network to get your discount)

A couple of days ago I was surfing on Facebook when I came across a post from Caterina Della Torre – founder of Dol’s – on a horrible advertisement on photovoltaic (click here to see the advertisment).

I was commenting on the above mentioned adv suggesting that the only way to impact such attitudes is to focus on what companies care about: money and profit. I thought about the most recent compaign from Diesel (Be stupid), that irritated me so much that it convinced me to cancel Diesel from my list of potential brands in case I need to purchase a pair of jeans.

I am sure that being outraged because of a communication campaign or a specific policy is not enough to put pressure on companies’ attitudes and behaviour: we have the power to make things happen by simply deciding not to purchase products that are publicized in a way we feel is offensive for women and their dignity.

Is there a similar experience you would like to share with us? Which was the advertising campaign that irritated you most?

But most important of all, do you think that PWA Milan should take an active role on this and support a moral persuasion initiative against companies that don’t respect our dignity?

On Thursday June 24 at 9.15 in Milan at Palazzo del Lavoro Gi Group in Piazza IV Novembre, 5 Moms@work and Bi Group will present the first outcomes of their project on work/life balance during the workshop entitled “MOMS @ WORK: più valore per le aziende, più valore per le mamme che lavorano”.

If you want to read the agenda of the workshop click here, if you want to register for the event click here.

A research from HBS shows that talented women are better than talented men at keeping the start shining after they change jobs.

“Women who are star performers on Wall Street tend to fare better than men after changing jobs. Why? According to HBS professor Boris Groysberg, star women place greater emphasis than men on external business relationships, and conduct better research on potential employers. Plus: Businesswomen are asked to share career experiences”, read the article “How Female Stars Succeed in New Jobs” at http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5949.html

Or read the comment from The Glasshammer at http://www.theglasshammer.com/news/2010/06/15/why-female-stars-succeed-in-new-jobs/

On June 10th Pari o dispare presents the event “Donne nei media e in pubblicità: per una diversa immagine delle donne in Italia”, the event will take place in Università Statale di Milano at 16.45.

If you want to read the program click here. The event is free of charge, please register by sending an email to segretariapod@gmail.com.

Every year the W.I.N. global leadership conference, a three-day global learning program, brings together over 700 people from more than 70 countries including: company executives, entrepreneurs, independent professionals, consultants, academics, artists, thought leaders, government and NGO representatives, international business school faculty and students.

Read more about this year’s conference here. PWA members are entitled to the Partner Discount.

The Norwegian Embassy has organized on Tuesday May 25th an event on the role of women as an opportunity and resource for the economy, providing a benchmark between Italy and Norway.

Click here to view the agenda of the event and here if you wish to know more about all the initiative related to Norweek.

The event is free of charge and you don’t need to pre-register, however if you want to make sure you have a reserved seat, please send a confirmation email to milan@innovationnorway.no

An interesting post entitled “Più donne nei CDA” on our special event “Ready-for-Board Women: diamo voce alle donne”, that took place on April 26th.

If you want to read the post, click here.

Read the article in Il Mondo about mentoring, where PWA’s own mentoring program that will be launched on May 19th is presented.

Read the article (in Italian, pdf) here.

by Monique Svazlian, PWA Mentoring Program Coordinator

During the process of creating the PWA Mentoring Program, the question has come up several times about the major differences between coaching and mentoring. Indeed, the question is a valid one as there are places where the two complement each other. Also, there are certain topics and issues better suited for mentoring where others are a better fit for coaching, and it’s helpful to determine which process would be more appropriate in assisting you to reach your intended outcomes.

As professional coaches, we (i.e. the Mentoring Program team members) are necessarily aware of the major differences between the two modalities, and realize that others may not have the same level of familiarity with the subject. In this article, we’ll explore the two methods in order to set expectations and increase your chances of obtaining successful results if you participate in the Mentoring Program.

The following is an example of a sample topic and what the outcomes would be through the two various methods.

Scenario: A woman entrepreneur has left the corporate world and is starting a small business. She is very excited and challenged with her new venture, and thinks she could benefit from a mentor. She is currently having a hard time balancing her business with her personal life and would like mentoring around this issue.

The Mentor approach: In this situation, a good Mentor fit would be a woman who has previously gone through a similar transition, and/or has extensive experience with starting a small business. She would share her stories and challenges faced while pursuing her entrepreneurial ventures, and give advice based on her best practices and learnings. She might also talk about her personal challenges transitioning from a corporate career to being your own boss and give advice on how to manage the added responsibilities of an entrepreneur.

The Coach approach: A coach would take a slightly different approach; rather than give advice based on personal experience, she would focus the conversation on the coachee, to find out her specific challenges. Depending on the underlying issue, the coach could help design new approaches to creating more work/life balance, guide toward a shift in perspective or help in identifying limiting beliefs that are keeping her stuck in this area. The coach would guide her toward specific actionable goals and keep her accountable.

The mentor and coach are similar in the ways they relate to the person they are mentoring or coaching. They both use techniques of active listening, asking powerful questions and offering new ideas and approaches to help guide the individual. But the outcomes from the two approaches can be quite different, and it’s important to identify your needs to ensure you reach the results you’re looking for.

As you’re sending in your applications for the PWA Mentoring Program (deadline 16 April 2010 for this first edition), be thinking of the specific areas in which you need advice and wisdom to help you in your career. Think about your desired outcomes, and be clear from the get-go with your Mentor if you participate. This should ensure that you make the most out of your time with your Mentor and get significant value for the time you put in as well!

If you have more questions on this topic or about the PWA Mentoring program, don’t hesitate to email us at professional@pwa-milan.org

• Valerie Ryder, Mentoring Program Leader and Professional Development Director
• Monique Svazlian, Mentoring Program Coordinator