Discovering New Knowledge, Developing New Networks
Power plays in the workplace. Hidden health risks of certain plastics. The mysteries of Generation X and Y. These were just a few of the stimulating session topics at the latest Griffiths Leadership Society Conference, April 11 and 12. The conference drew more than 60 collegian and alumnae members.
Among the highlights of the conference: an anecdotal history of pioneering women of Missouri medicine by Friday night’s keynote presenter, Elizabeth Garrett of the MU medical school; a visual tour of how advertising affects women’s body image by Saturday’s luncheon speaker, journalism professor Cynthia Frisby, shown at left; a reception amid the gleaming plaster casts of Greek and Roman sculpture in the MU Museum of Art and Archaeology; and the traditional champagne toast before singing the Alma Mater, “Old Missouri.”
Pioneering Women in Missouri Medicine
Physician and Professor Elizabeth Garrett shared stories of six remarkable MU women from the early 1900s, starting with the first two female graduates of the medical school. In school they were among the only, if not the only, women in their class. Once in practice, they became pioneers in fields ranging from ophthalmology to obstetrics to general medicine. Both goal-oriented and compassionate, the women traveled to their patients by horse and buggy, footboat, Model T, and even railroad handcars.
Among them, the six women contributed more than 275 years of service to their patients. “They made the most of what God gave them,” Garrett said.
The Impact of Advertising on a Woman’s Body Image
Associate Professor of Journalism Cynthia Frisby - a specialist in advertising and consumer psychology - presented a lively overview of how the media influence perceptions of beauty, body types, and skin color. She showed a variety of marketing materials to make her points, including the Dove “Campaign for Real Beauty” commercials and the Nike “Big Butt” ads. As an outgrowth of her academic research, Frisby is working with the state of Missouri to talk to 11- to 14-year-olds about the importance of challenging physical “perfection” - since what they see in the media often gets that way only with the help of cosmetic surgery and PhotoShop.
Making Healthy Choices
The key to smart eating in social and business settings: “Be conscious of how much you’re eating,” said Paula Vandelicht, a registered dietician with Hyvee grocery stores. Among her tips:
* Realize that a glass of wine or 12-ounce light beer contains 100 calories. It also increases your appetite and decreases your inhibition against eating more.
* Storing snacks of dried fruit, crackers, and granola bars in your desk is much better than a 3 p.m. trip to the vending machine for chips and a soda.
* At breakfast meetings, make a point of choosing mini-muffins or bagels instead of donuts, yogurt instead of Danish, and water instead of coffee or tea with milk.
Among Vandelicht’s most encouraging words: Simply by cutting out one soda a day, you could lose 10 pounds in a year.
Financial Success
Alumna and financial advisor Suzie Nichols offered a number of tips especially for women (though men could benefit from them, as well). Among the points Nichols stressed:
* Be allergic to debt.
* Save and save more.
* Save smart.
* Don’t wait for the “right time” to invest.
* Save regularly. *Have “now” money, “later” money, and “retirement” money.
* Seek professional advice.
Influence, Internal Politics, and Power
A new executive in alumna member Mary McClure’s former office once resisted eating lunch with everyone else in the company cafeteria. Within two years, he was fired. Coincidence? McClure doesn’t think so. “If you’re going to play the game properly, you’d better know every rule,” said McClure, managing director of McClure Management Consulting. You have to learn for yourself the rules that apply to your own workplace, but one is universal: You disregard office politics at your own peril. It’s essential to understand sacred cows, the powerful but hidden people, and the unspoken rules for getting things done.
Hidden Health Risks
MU researcher Frederick vom Saal presented an eye-opening session on the potential dangers of some plastic products we use everyday. The chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) is present in products such as baby bottles and food-storage containers. He said his research has shown that BPA causes a variety of health issues in mice even at levels deemed safe by the FDA. Although no studies have been conducted on humans, he showed statistics indicating that those same health issues have increased in people as the use of plastics containing BPA has grown.
Vom Saal offered these general guidelines.
* Never heat anything in plastic, including Tupperware and Rubbermaid. That means you shouldn’t put plastic containers in the dishwasher or microwave.
* Do not store your bottled water where it will get hot.
* Avoid plastics with the numbers 3, 6, and 7 on the bottom. You can use (but not heat) plastics with the numbers 1, 2, and 5.
* Remember that your cosmetics may also contain BPA.
Since the Griffiths meeting, vom Saal’s research has been reported in media outlets from the Columbia Missourian to the Today show. For more information, click here for environmental health news or here for information on safe cosmetics.
Women in Politics
Three politically connected Griffiths alumnae talked about why and how to get involved in ways that can change the world. Former state representative Vicky Riback Wilson started off with a reminder that women were not allowed to vote until 1920 - when Congress ratified the 19th amendment. She read from a Columbia newspaper article quoting women on how it felt to vote for the first time.
Jackie Clark, who has had a long career in government relations and public policy, talked about how to get involved in politics that affect MU. The Mizzou Flagship Council is a private organization of alumni and friends who work with the Missouri General Assembly to build, protect, and fund the university. The Mizzou Alumni Association’s Mizzou Legislative Network encourages members to advocate on behalf of the MAA and the university’s priorities.
Clark also cited statistics from a Boston Globe article to illustrate one reason why women should be motivated to participate in politics: A female college graduate makes $1.2 million less over her lifetime than her male colleagues. Participating in politics can help women enhance their own economic success as well as support traditional causes such as education and social welfare, Clark said.
Another former state representative, Emmy McClelland, noted that just 19.3 percent of Missouri’s legislature is made up of women, making the state 33rd in the nation. She urged Griffiths members to consider seeking an appointment to a state board or commission as an excellent way to change public policy.
The speakers offered a wealth of information on all of the state boards and commissions and an application form, which were reproduced in the spring Griffiths Program Book.
Lost Possible Selves
MU researcher Laura King - a self-described “psychologist who studies happiness” - described what she learned by interviewing people whose lives didn’t turn out as they planned due to divorce, disability, or sexual orientation. The research explored profound questions about disappointment and hope: Is it possible to be both happy and in touch with reality? If life dashes your hopes, does it honestly make sense to set more goals? If you don’t set more goals, can you ever be happy again?
Two things are certain, she said: happiness and unhappiness. “When you lose a possible self, you get a new self. The challenge of nevertheless remaining open to the good things in life is the challenge of adulthood.”
Understanding and Working with Generation Y
Laura Piper and Haidee Hubach of the MU Career Center sparked an energetic debate with their discussion of the sometimes-conflicting workstyles of Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), Generation X (1965-1980), and Generation Y (1981-2001). Their main advice for older supervisors: Take off your defensive hat and put on your development hat; leave tones of power and authority out of the discussion; accept technology; and embrace the inevitable.
After quoting a Harvard researcher who characterized Generation X as high-maintenance, high-risk, high-output employees, Piper added with a laugh: “We’re not as bad as everyone makes us out to be! You do have an influence - we look up to you and want your help.”
The Etiquette of Social Networking
While their mentors were learning how to handle Generation Y, collegian members attended a session on networking, both traditional (face to face) and electronic (via e-mail). Among the strategies presenters recommended:
* Listen. “We have two ears and one mouth,” noted presenter Amanda Nell of the MU Career Center. “Effective networkers use them both proportionately.”
* Make sure your online presence doesn’t damage your professional life. Think twice - or three times - and then, if you are still thinking about it, think again - before posting certain pictures on Myspace or Facebook. The presenters told two vivid cautionary tales. One was a CNN story about a person seen sporting an embarrassing Halloween party costume the day she told the boss she was going to a family emergency in another state. The other concerned a mayor who was asked to resign after pictures surfaced of her leaning on a truck in lacey panties and a push-up bra.
* As co-presenter Laura Peiter concluded: “Just use common sense.”
Grassroots Networking
To help everyone prepare for this interactive session led by alumna Kellie Bray, several Griffiths members responded to her request to share the secrets of successful networking. Click here for the full list. In the meantime, here are three to get you started:
“Be strategic when you attend each event. Who do you need to meet? What do you need to gain from the conversation/connection? And don’t just take; give the person something.”
-Jackie Clark
“What I have learned from Griffiths is that when you make a contact, you need to follow through with it. Just getting someone’s business card does not make them remember you.”
-Jessica Crews
“Get people to talk about themselves. If you’re lucky, they will say something that really sparks your interest. For example, last weekend I was at an event where I knew two of 35 people. I felt very out of place. Then two women next to me were chatting and I overheard the phrase, ‘And it’s helped my work/life balance tremendously.’
“So, I invited myself into the conversation by saying, “Heidi, I know we just met, but I’m intrigued by what you did to improve your work/life balance. What did you do?”
“For the next 30 minutes, we clicked. We had the same position at different companies, similar romantic relationships and sorority experiences, and so much more. By the time the event was over, we had connected, and I have a new friend in another state!
“Just be confident and speak up. Get people talking so that you are more comfortable. In my experience, it works nine out of 10 times. Ask! Ask! Ask questions!”
-Kristen Hornberger
Negotiation
There are three fallacies of negotiation, said Stacie Strong of the Missouri Law School: (1) The only successful technique is to rip your opponent’s head off. (2) The person with the most power always wins. (3) Good negotiators are born, not made.
To refute these fallacies, Strong described a number of techniques to use whether you’re trying to get along with colleagues or get a bigger raise. One theme that runs throughout: Know which negotiation point is most important to you, and constantly reframe your negotiation points in a way that adapts to what the other party wants but also works for you.
Strong recommends learning about the interest-based, or problem-solving, approach to negotiation popularized in the book Getting to Yes. Another resource to study before raise time: the book Women Don’t Ask by Linda Babcock.
Good Reading with the Book Club
On Saturday morning during the spring conference, the new Griffiths Book Club used its first selection, The Tortilla Curtain by TC Boyle, to stimulate discussion of stereotypes in society and the immigration challenges our country faces. If you missed the session, click here for the discussion guide.
The next selection: a short story collection called The Bones of Garbo by MU Professor Trudy Lewis. Lewis will join us at the fall conference to lead a discussion and answer questions. Purchase the book through http://www.amazon.com or click here to purchase a copy from MAA for $19.88 plus shipping.
A Resource Worth Saving
Be sure to make room on your bookshelf for past Griffith Society program books. Most of the speakers you hear at the conference contribute their PowerPoint presentations and a rich assortment of handouts to the program book. For example, the April 2008 program book edition includes tips on healthy eating from Hy-Vee grocery stores; an abundance of information about getting involved in politics; a quick-read chart on how baby boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y compare; and networking advice from former keynoter Anne Baber as well as your fellow Griffiths members. In addition, the Membership Directory and photos appear in the back.
By keeping the Griffiths program book on your desk, you can use it as both a resource for personal and professional development and a reminder of all you did and heard among friends at the Griffiths conference.