- Women of NATE Member Diane Mueller Introduction
- WON Profiles: Jeanne Piercey
- Upcoming Events
- Recent Event Highlights
- Featured Article - These 3 Soft Skills Can Give Women an Edge in the Future Workplace
Release:
May 6, 2020
Women of NATE Today Newsletter
Volume 2, Issue 4
As I am sitting at my home office trying to adjust to the new way of working, I realize that I am very fortunate to be able to continue working while others I know are either not able to work or on the “front lines” trying to help others. Everyone has been affected by COVID-19 in some way.
I am trying to adapt to working at home along with my two college students who are continuing their studies at home and not happy about it. My husband, who is a high school teacher is working on e-learning plans, staying connected with his students and adjusting to this new way of teaching. It is a challenging time. While I enjoy the family being together, I will soon be ready for family distancing! I am thankful everyone is staying healthy.
As many of you know, Women of NATE has had to adjust as well. The Women of NATE Leadership Summit being held at the Gleacher Center in Chicago, Illinois has been rescheduled to Monday, September 21, 2020. The Summit will be a day of education, inspiration, and celebration. We are working on finalizing plans for this inaugural WON Leadership Summit and are already discussing plans for NATE UNITE 2021 which will be held in Memphis, Tennessee. We are still in need of sponsors and volunteers for both of these events. Please consider supporting Women of NATE. If you would like to be a part of WON or help in anyway, visit the NATE website at www.natehome.com. While you are reviewing Women of NATE items, sign up for our Mentorship Program, register for the WON Leadership Summit, and/or sponsor the Summit.
For the Men and Women working on the front lines during this COVID-19 pandemic, you are truly appreciated. Stay safe.
Diane Mueller is a member of the Women of NATE (WON) Committee and NATE Member Services Committee. She is the Sales and Marketing Manager for CITCA LLC in Shorewood, Illinois.
WON Profiles: Jeanne Piercey
Jeanne Piercey is a professional engineer and a Director with Tower Engineering Professionals (TEP). Jeanne continually strives to be a leader. Her day-to-day responsibilities include overseeing Finance, Human Resources, Health & Safety, and Business Development for TEP’s Canadian division (formerly Pier Structural Engineering Corp).
Jeanne’s objective with her committee work is to enhance the knowledge and safety of TEP’s employees and strive to improve the safety of the entire telecommunications industry in North America. In the U.S., Jeanne is an active member of the NATE Member Services Committee, Women of NATE and is a WIN Liaison for Canada. Jeanne is also a member of the NWSA written exam committee and WWLF. In Canada, Jeanne is actively involved in STAC’s Workplace Health & Safety, the Radiofrequency Awareness, the Women of STAC and the Workforce Development Committees.
What things do you like most about your job?
Contributing to the continual improvement in how we do business and engaging staff to want a career in telecom and mentoring and empowering them to become future leaders.
What things do you like to do in your spare time?
I love going for a run outside, cooking, and spending time with friends. While there have been many world challenges in the last few months, I have cherished spending more quality time with our teenage children.
What are some fun facts that others may not know about you?
I grew up in a small town in Newfoundland, the most easterly province in Canada. Newfoundland was where a large number of planes were grounded during 9/11. Also, even though my immediate family is small, I have a very large extended family. I have more than 70 first cousins!
What is your favorite sport?
Hockey. Is there any other sport in Canada? I have thoroughly enjoyed watching our son and daughter play hockey over the years. Some of our best friends are the families we met through our kids playing hockey.
What is the greatest challenge you have had to overcome in your life thus far?
Growing a business with my husband to the point that someone wanted to buy it while continuing to be an actively engaged mom and volunteering in my community.
Has anyone in your family developed any new skills during the pandemic?
Our kids have learned how to help clean the house, which is an important life skill, and I have learned how to cut my family’s hair.
What is one of the favorite places that you have visited?
One of the best vacations I’ve had was to Italy. The food, the wine, and the history were all amazing. We toured Venice, Rome, Modeno, saw the leaning tower of Pisa and rented a house in Positano. While in Positano, we climbed more than 350 stairs every day to get from the beach to our house.
Why is the Women of NATE important to you?
As the telecom industry is a pre-dominantly male industry, I am excited to be a part of Women of NATE to help connect females in the industry and support their career advancement through the WON mentorship program, WON sessions at NATE UNITE and our upcoming inaugural Leadership Summit.
Upcoming Events
FBA's Women in Fiber Group Presents:
Work-Life Balance? It's a Pandemic!
Complimentary Webinar
Thursday, May 14, 2:00 p.m. EDT
Balancing work and life under normal circumstances can be a challenge, but how do you cope when extraordinary factors are added to your already full plate? Many of us are now overseeing our children’s remote schooling, negotiating shared space in households, and trying our best to be productive amid distractions and worries that pull us in so many directions. How can we achieve a healthy balance in these unprecedented times?
Our speaker, Michael Delman, CEO of Beyond BookSmart, is an educator who has spent his professional life teaching people skills that help them to self-manage effectively. Now, more than ever, we need to leverage those brain-based abilities to
help us not just cope with our current circumstances, but emerge ready to meet the challenges of shifting landscapes in the future. This session will be moderated by Tanya Kanczuzewski, FBA Women in Fiber Steering Committee Member and Senior Marketing & Communications Manager at Dura-Line.
Future industry events include:
International Telecoms Week
June 14-17, 2020
Atlanta, GA
International Telecommunications Society International
June 14-17, 2020
Sweden
Canadian Telecom Summit
June 15-17, 2020
Toronto ON
The Rural Broadband Association – Technology and Business Conference
June 15-18, 2020
Minneapolis, MN
The Big 5G Event
September 22-24, 2020
Austin Convention Center, Austin TX
To stay apprised of recent event updates and to view the most comprehensive events listing visit the NATE WIN (Wireless Industry Network) website at www.natewin.org.
Recent Event Highlights
On Monday, April 20, 2020 at 3:00 PM EDT/2:00 PM CDT/1:00 PM MDT/12:00 PM PDT, Ericka Spradley conducted a live Women of NATE (WON) webinar titled “Ditch Perfection: How to Win at Work”. As the Chief PowHer Officer/Founder of Confident Career Woman, Erika is an experienced Coach, Author, Interview Trainer, former Hiring Manager and Career Readiness Adjunct Professor who exists to help organizations improve their bottom line through professional development resources while simultaneously helping individuals achieve career success.
Winning at work isn’t impossible for women, we simply need to be equipped, empowered and encouraged to do so. If you’re ready to win, you definitely should view this webinar!
Click here to view the webinar.
Click here to view the Ditch The Downplay PowerPoint.
If you would like to be profiled in an upcoming issue, nominate someone who should be featured, submit articles about improving position skills, or work for a great company that supports women in technology, please email WON Committee Liaison Nikki Gronau at nikki@natehome.com for consideration.
These 3 Soft Skills Can Give Women an Edge in the Future Workplace
Do you aspire to a leadership role? Start working on mastering these three soft skills to prepare yourself for the future workplace.
Are you anxious about how technology will impact your career in the future? We’ve all seen the news stories and reports on how advancements in technology, from automation to artificial intelligence to data analytics, are changing our world. If you’re seeing their effects in your job today, just think about the possible changes five or 10 years from now.
While it’s important to keep up with technical advancements to move your career forward, I’d argue that having well-developed soft skills is equally — or even more important — especially for women in business.
Robert Half recently conducted research on the impact disruptive technologies will have on the workforce for our report Jobs and AI Anxiety. More than half (51%) of managers see the introduction of new technologies in the workplace increasing the demand for soft skills.
As just one example, automation is removing routine tasks from our daily schedule, giving workers more time to be strategic, add value and take on leadership opportunities. Professionals will need excellent soft skills to excel in these areas.
However, I thought there was another really interesting finding from the research. Workers were asked if they feel AI and automation will impact their jobs; while 56% of women said no, only 38% of men said the same. This concerns me. The shift to the future workplace is already happening, whether people realize (or believe) it.
If you want to advance your career in the current and future business environment, you absolutely need to embrace these changes now, learn to work with new technologies, and most importantly, develop and showcase stellar soft skills.
Here are the three soft skills I feel women in business will need to master to prepare for the future workplace.
1. Collaboration
Knowing how to collaborate will be particularly important in the coming years, as technology is bridging the divide between many departments. Cross-functional teams are becoming the norm, like the growing partnerships between marketing and IT to tackle digital marketing projects.
And, more and more, teams are located in different offices. Remote technologies now allow companies to hire employees across cities, states and countries.
So, how can you develop your collaboration skills? Consider joining projects that require working with new coworkers or multiple departments. Pay attention to how other people and teams tackle a task, manage deadlines and report issues and progress. How can you adjust your work style or methods to better collaborate with others? Is there anything you can suggest to improve processes?
Being able to work effectively with diverse and remote groups can be challenging, but honing these skills is key.
2. Power of influence
We communicate every day, but when you understand how to inspire and encourage action from your colleagues, direct reports, business partners and customers through your exchanges with them, your leadership potential will grow immensely. Women especially need to develop this skill, as it can often be difficult for our voice to be heard.
If you’re not currently in a position of influence, it’s important to get comfortable expressing your opinion, listening to others and leading a group. I’d recommend talking to your manager about taking on projects with increased responsibilities, where you can provide more input and work with other team leaders.
You can also take training courses on developing an executive presence, which can help you improve your professional communication style, body language and more.
3. Empathy
Empathy is crucial for leaders today. Organizations are strategically investing in the customer experience for all aspects of their business. Demonstrating empathy on initiatives surrounding customer focus can have strategic impact and significantly propel your career. But it’s important to also practice empathy towards those you work with.
Throughout the day, try to put yourself in other people’s shoes — whether that’s your customers, clients, business partners, colleagues or employees. When working with business partners in IT, legal or finance departments, what goals and processes do they have, and how do they differ from yours?
If you have direct reports, what do they want in their careers, and how can you enhance your organizational culture to improve their experience at the company?
Using empathy to understand others’ motivations and goals can help you form connections and handle possible conflicts effectively.
What else can women in business do to develop these soft skills and others? Here are some ideas:
- Stay abreast of industry changes. Read up on new advancements or practices within your profession, attend conferences and network with other professionals to remain current and competitive.
- Find a mentor. Having a mentor who helps guide you through career decisions can be a great asset. They can give you personalized advice on what soft skills to grow and how to do so. You can also gain helpful insights about your skills from being a mentor, too.
- Request 360 feedback. For your performance review, ask your manager to seek feedback on your soft skills from various colleagues, in addition to technical skills and project outcomes. This can help you understand your abilities and what you may need to improve.
- Seek training courses. Whether they’re offered inside or outside your company, taking a course is a great way to expand your skill set, as well as show leaders your dedication to professional development. You can find great online skills courses with sites like LinkedIn Learning.
- Volunteer for a “stretch” project. Raise your hand for a project that may be a little outside of your comfort zone or may require collaboration across diverse groups or different departments. The best way to develop newly learned soft skills is to put them into practice.
All industries are impacted by emerging technologies, and how you adapt to these
changes today will impact the rest of your career. If you aspire to a leadership role, don’t wait until it’s too late to develop your soft skills. Stay current of new trends and continuously reassess and enhance your strengths, and you’ll find you have an edge in the future workplace.
Author: Diane Domeyer is executive director of The Creative Group. When she’s not managing operations for TCG’s locations across North America, you can find her on a bike or spending time with her husband, five kids and grandchildren.
As a 25-year veteran in the staffing industry, Domeyer is a noted career and workplace expert. She has spoken at events such as Adobe MAX and HOW Design Live, and has been interviewed by publications such as Adweek, Business News Daily and Fast Company. Domeyer was named to Staffing Industry Analysts’ 2018 “Global Power 150 – Women In Staffing” list and was awarded “Forever Influential” status on the San Francisco Business Times’ “Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business” list.
