WIC Program Highlight: Leaders Network

Whether you’re a consultant or you work for a company, it’s not uncommon to outgrow an organization that suited you well early in your career. At Women in Consulting (WIC) that’s not the case – and it’s one of the things I love about WIC.

Roughly five years ago the WIC board decided it wanted to ensure senior consultants had a place in the organization that helped then strategize and wrestle with the challenges related to running a mature business. And thus the germ of an idea was born. The result: WIC’s Leaders Network.
The Scoop
Developed and launched by Celeste Bishop, president of Bishop Market Resources, WIC’s Leaders Network allows our most senior consultants to gather quarterly to share best practices and successes, brainstorm on solutions to business challenges, and listen to subject matter experts who often speak at these quarterly meetings.

The great thing about the Leaders Network is it benefits all of our members. The organization stays strong because we retain the wisdom and insights of these senior consultants. Plus, these women are generous about sharing their experiences, writing articles and speaking at our general meetings. In fact, one of our most popular events last year was the Leaders Network panel discussion, moderated and organized by Deb Siegle, WIC’s current strategic audiences director.

Deb took over from Celeste in 2009, and she and her very small team have done wonders growing the group and taking it to the next level. Leslie Smith helped coordinator and manage the Silicon Valley Leaders Network group, while Melissa Stacey diligently worked on the structured and tagged meeting notes (an invaluable benefit), and Angi Roberts provided can’t-live-without administrative support.

I, for one, am grateful to this team for keeping this wonderful asset alive and thriving.  

With Much Gratitude

Following are the people to thank the next time you see or talk to them:

• Deborah Siegle, WIC strategic audiences director and principal at Strategic Marketing Solutions
• Leslie Smith, WIC leaders network chair and founder and principal of Coronado Financial Group
• Melissa Stacey, WIC finance director and owner and founder of Feeling Organized
• Angi Roberts, WIC association manager and founder and principal of The Association Office

And new to the team in 2011:

• Suzanne Skyvara, WIC leaders network chair and principal at Skyvara Communications  
• Candace Engelsen, WIC leaders network chair and principal at BioMed Marketing
• Elise Brownell, WIC leaders network chair and founding partner at ZephyrBiotech, LLC

More Things to Come
In early February, we had our annual kickoff meeting where we strategized about the coming year and the things we want to accomplish. The entire team is encouraged to participate, and each group picks an objective in support of WIC’s overall strategy and business goals for the year. The groups are in the midst of finalizing their plans, and I can tell you I’m excited to see the results – which I happily look forward to highlighting in these posts.

Until then, be sure to let me know if you have a question about any of WIC’s programs.