W2W Around Town

WOMEN2WOMEN EVENING 2 F

EMPOWERMENT

Are you the kind of person who sends emojis and detailed texts to your friends, or are you the type who just responds: “k”? That’s the question Marissa Orr challenged 200 empowered people in the ballroom of the Abraham Lincoln Hotel on Thursday, October 20.

The night kicked off with champagne and boozy cider drinks, along with a delicious spread laid out by Catering by John Lowe. Several VIPs had the chance to schmooze with our speaker in the Roosevelt Room amidst centerpieces by Saraí Variety Flower Shop. Rachael Romig, Director of Women2Women, invited us to think about our walk-up song – the song that empowers you – before telling us all about what W2W has accomplished this year. Next, she invited Alison Snyder, Chairwoman of W2W, to the stage, who welcomed our sponsors and shared her 10-year journey as part of W2W before introducing our keynote speaker. Marissa Orr, author of Lean Out and former executive at Facebook and Google, navigated the workplace with some success – making early, but awkward, introductions to Cheryl Sandberg. When Marissa was up for a promotion that would force her to manage a larger team, she felt dread. After taking a few personality quizzes, and really asking herself what she wanted, she figured out why that position wasn’t right for her. Just like texting without emojis, that wasn’t where her strengths were. When she first approached her supervisor with this revelation, it was rejected out of hand. This was the way the office worked, and they would not change it for her. She took the promotion, but was miserable. Eventually, she was able to communicate with a superior that what she really wanted out of work was more money and a genuine compliment, and she got it! The

email she received may have been written by her direct manager and only copy/ pasted into an email from a higher up, but it meant the world to her. And she got a bonus out of it!

Through her candid storytelling and deeply personal experience, Marissa asked us to take a look at what we really wanted out of our work – and our life – and realize that not everyone should define success the same way. Just because our work environment is set up to appeal to one type of worker does not mean it should be the only way. We all have different ways of communicating. Some of us are emoji people, and some of us are terse. There is nothing wrong with either! Through the lens of Marissa’s experience, she challenged us to really get to know ourselves by asking some deep questions about what we really want out of work and life. 2

By Katie Johnsen Events Coordinator, Greater Reading Chamber Alliance