EVENT RECAP FROM OUR FELLOWSHIP WINNER:
“I am very thankful for the opportunity to attend WICT New England’s event yesterday in Cambridge, The Power of Vulnerability: Risk, Reward and Resilience. It was an incredible experience and provided a lot of insightful career advice.
The morning session featured a panel of executives from ESPN, NESN, Cox and Time Warner Cable who were available to answer specific career-related questions. One of the most valuable in my opinion was to look at constructive criticism as a gift because the person giving it to you wants to help you grow. They’re basically telling you that they’re vested in your success. If you don’t understand the message you need to ask for clarification and examples. Be open-minded, manage your ego and devise a plan to act on that feedback.
Knowing your teammates strengths and being able to elevate them is imperative to good leadership and building a high performance team. Understanding individuality and embracing diversity helps to promote creativity and innovation at every level. Check in with a diverse group of people and you may be surprised by all of the different opinions and angles that you may not have considered.
The mindset of perfection is stifling to creativity and innovation. No one’s perfect. We’re all going to make mistakes. It’s how you handle those mistakes and learn from them that is important. It also helps people connect with you when they realize you’re human and that we all make mistakes from time to time.
ESPN’s Anita Barbero presented a lot of helpful advice on how to be more mindful. So many of us are wrapped up in email, texting and never disconnect from our phone and this doesn’t help to connect or engage with others. Wherever you are, be present in that situation. Don’t think about what’s coming next or the other things you may need to do. Just focus on the task at hand and really engage.
Dr. Kym Harris, board certified coach, speaker and author had a plethora of helpful ideas on how to be successful in your career. She stressed the importance of making connections as one of the keys to executive presence and having the ability to balance competence with vulnerability. She also stressed the importance of initiating feedback so you know exactly how you’re perceived by others. By asking specific questions to your leadership team “In your experience working with me, in what ways am I most effective? What else can I do to be more effective? And what are your other general observations of me?” Don’t be defensive and really listen and take in the feedback. Build a strong support system of mentors and sponsors who will give you the benefit of the doubt and offer resources for insight. Make visibility a priority, ask for help when you need it, collaborate with others outside of your daily group or department and dare to fail were some of her suggestions that resonated most with me.”
Lindsay Reiff, ESPN Leader Designer, Motion Graphics
WICT New England Fellowship Winner
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Kym Harris, President & Chief Executive Officer of Your SweetSpot Coaching and Consulting
Dr. Harris is a board certified coach, speaker and author with expertise in executive coaching, leadership development, and career management strategies. Described as a “velvet hammer,” she utilizes a strategic and intuitive approach to guide clients out of their comfort zones in a way that minimizes discomfort and amplifies desired results. Along with coaching individuals and corporate clients, Dr. Harris also serves as a personal coach for the Kennesaw State University Coles Executive MBA and MBA Programs.
A copy of Dr. Harris’ presentation is available for viewing HERE!
Moderator
Sean McGrail, President & CEO, NESN
Sean McGrail has served as President and CEO of NESN (New England Sports Network) since May of 2000. Under Sean’s leadership, NESN has been transformed into one of the most popular media services in New England, growing from a premium service with 400,000 subscribers to a standard service with over 4.2 million homes. The network is also distributed to more than 5 million homes in over 85 DMAs outside New England as NESN National and is available everywhere with DirecTV and Dish Network. NESN also boasts a digital group that oversees NESN.com, one of the most visited RSN websites in the country, and develops distinctive mobile apps and other product extensions.
Panel Members
Scott Dalke, Director of Affiliate Operations, ESPN
Scott is the Director of Affiliate Operations for ESPN and is located at the ESPN headquarters in Bristol Connecticut. His responsibilities include leading the technical distribution and content protection of over seventy Disney and ESPN network products and services around the globe. He also serves as the Co-Chair of ESPN Enabled which is an Employee Resource Group with the mission to enable ESPN to understand, appreciate, respect, adapt to, support, and celebrate individuals with disabilities amongst the ESPN family and our fans.
Roger Iannetta, Director of Field Marketing, Cox Business Services
Roger Iannetta, Jr., is Director of Marketing at Cox Business. Roger has more than 26 years of experience, most recently with a focus on acquisition marketing, customer retention, and product management of advanced telecommunications services for the company’s Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Ohio markets. Prior to his current position, he served as a Senior Product Manager with Cox Communications, where he was responsible for the development and launch of Internet and data communications services for residential customers.
Nicole Loring, Director of Demand Generation Programs & Events, Time Warner Cable
Nicole Loring is the Director of Demand Generation Programs and Events for the Enterprise division of Time Warner Cable. She has a proven track record in providing strategic counsel and planning to CXO’s, as well as, program management and message development for internal and external audiences.
Nicole brings 13 years of experience to the table of providing organizations with sound, effective awareness campaigns that build credibility and support. She specializes in target communications to key stakeholders, crisis and merger/acquisition communications management, product launches, and brand packaging.