Women In Manufacturing Summit

Save the dates: September 23 - 25, 2015

Attract!

Retain!

Advance!

It is hard to believe that almost four years have passed since I participated in the inaugural Women in Manufacturing symposium. In lieu of a blog post this week, I am passing on information about the upcoming 2015 summit and sharing a #ThrowbackThursday picture of the amazing women who contributed with me on the 2011 Best Practices Discussion Panel:

Women in Manufacturing™ is a nearly 500-member-strong national organization dedicated to the attraction, retention and advancement of women who are pursuing or have chosen a career in the manufacturing industry.  This group encourages the engagement of women who want to share perspectives, gain cutting-edge manufacturing information, improve leadership and communication skills, and participate in sponsoring programs and network with industry peers. - See more at: http://www.womeninmanufacturing.org/

The Women in Manufacturing SUMMIT will be held September 23 - 25, 2015 in Minneapolis, MN. This annual SUMMIT is geared toward women who have chosen careers in manufacturing and want to share perspectives and network with others in the industry. SUMMIT 2015 is expected to attract more than 300 professional women in manufacturing with titles ranging from production to CEO. The agenda includes optional plant tours of Medtronics, Valspar, Pentair, or Caterpillar; a discussion of Generations & Gender; Transforming Your Manufacturing Business for the Digital Age; Smart Girls in STEM; Workforce Development, and much more! – To register: http://www.womeninmanufacturing.org/summit2015/register-now

If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

Encouraging Good Works

And let us encourage one another to love and good works

(Hebrews 10:24)

A year ago this week, I accepted the challenge of becoming a community blogger for the Stuttgart Daily Leader and sharing my Purposed Work blog in other Gatehouse Media online editions in Arkansas. At first, I wondered if I could really come up with enough content to post on a weekly, consistent basis. Fifty posts later, I can humbly say that it is possible because of the love and encouragement received. Thank you to all of the dedicated readers and commenters.

It took a lot of courage for me to expose the mountains and valleys of building a business and a brand, while attempting to maintain my primary role as a wife and mother. One the flip side, because I know that I opened myself to more people following the journey, I have had to lean on the knowledge that others are watching to give myself motivation to persevere when unexpected life events happen (like dealing with a major relocation). My faith has been tested in this year. However, the results of those trials have been exceedingly more than I ever expected or imagined. Thank you all for your virtual encouragement.

This blog is titled Purposed Work as a testament of the journey of releasing what I thought I would do through self-effort to receiving instruction for the work I was purposed to do through divine insight. At this point, I can say Thank You for unanswered prayers, for closed doors, and for earthly no’s because I am steps closer to a supernatural yes. On days where I am lead to places I never imagined, I forge ahead on the path, standing on the promise that faith, without good works, is dead. That blind faith and encouragement from those following the journey has allowed my business to grow into areas I never considered. Thank you all for your prayers and considerations.

One of the unexpected outcomes from writing this blog is the opportunity to mentor others in their efforts to walk by faith. I have received so many calls and emails and made so many new friends along the way. We encourage each other by sharing our stories of grace, mercy, favor, love, and humility in doing purposed work that does not happen easily but is needed to improve our communities. Thank you all for your service.

Sometimes you have to encourage yourself. Sometimes you have to speak victory during your test. And no matter how you feel, speak the word and you will be healed.*** Encourage yourself and others through love and good works. Has your purposed work led you to encourage others to persevere in their good works? Feel free to comment, or, send me an email at latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

*** http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/donaldlawrence/encourageyourself.html ***

Million Women Mentors

Partnership Seeks to Engage

More Than One Million Girls and Young Women

in STEM Education and Careers

I am so thankful to be graced to continue to share this journey of Purposed Work. My 2014 travel schedule has started. In lieu of a blog post this week, I’m sharing information about an exciting program for “advancing women and girls in STEM careers through mentoring.”

The National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) announced its partnership with the "Million Women Mentors" (MWM) initiative, launched January 8, 2014, in Washington, D.C., at the National Press Club, as part of National Mentoring Month. A collective effort of more than 40 nonprofit, media, education, government, and industry partners and 9 corporate sponsors, MWM will support the engagement of 1 million science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) mentors--male and female--to increase the interest and confidence of girls and young women to pursue and succeed in STEM degrees and careers.

In the past 10 years, growth in STEM jobs has been three times greater than that of non-STEM jobs. Today 80% of the fastest growing occupations in the United States depend on mastery of mathematics and knowledge and skills in hard sciences. Although women comprise 48% of the U.S. workforce, just 24% are in STEM fields, a statistic that has held constant for nearly the past decade. Although 75% of all college students are women and students of color, they represent only 45% of STEM degrees earned each year. Too many of these young women begin in STEM degree paths but leave despite their good academic standing, often citing uncomfortable classroom experiences and disconcerting climate. Even when women earn a STEM degree, they are less likely than their male counterparts to work in a STEM field--even though STEM jobs pay more and have a lower wage gap: 92 cents on a dollar versus 75 cents in other fields.

NAPE, through its Education Foundation, has developed a suite of professional development programs for administrators, educators, and counselors/advisors to improve opportunities for underrepresented populations in STEM courses of study and careers, including STEM-related Career and Technical Education. NAPE's  STEM Equity Pipeline™ offerings include the  Program Improvement Process for Equity™,  Micromessaging to Reach and Teach Every Student™, and the  Focus on Counselors Initiative. To date, NAPE has provided professional development in these programs to almost 1,700 administrators, educators, and counselors/advisors in 372 schools. 

As part of National Mentoring Month, on January 16, 2014, at 1 pm EST, NAPE will actively engage those who mentor girls in STEM in a webinar titled Building Trust.  NAPE COO Claudia Morrell will discuss the importance of paying attention to the use of subtle but powerful micromessages in building trust in mentor/mentee relationships. As explained by Ms. Morrell, "Without honesty there is no credibility in the mentor/mentee relationship, and the mentor becomes just one more person in a long line of people repeating things the mentee doesn't believe. NAPE is excited to contribute to this initiative by providing guidance to mentors about the best ways to communicate with their mentees."

Register for this free webinar today!

 To become involved with NAPE or Million Women Mentors, please visit www.napequity.org  or www.MillionWomenMentors.org . Contact: Claudia Morrell, Chief Operating Officer, (610) 593-8038.

If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

Falling on the Road to Good Works

…for the just falls seven times, but rises up again!

(Proverbs 24:16)

I got a text on Mother’s Day congratulating me for making “it” look easy. By “it”, I assume my friend meant juggling being a woman of God, a wife, and a working mom. While I am honored by the acknowledgement that she thinks I am doing a good job of it all, I want to remind everyone not to let the look fool you. As a good Southern girl, I was taught to smile and act as though everything was perfect. This followed me into adulthood, where I learned to act as though I had my superwoman cape on underneath my business suit, trying to do all things while making “it” look good and easy to everyone else. I got the reputation of being a fixer, so when I decided to become an entrepreneur, I continued the act, and proceeded like I could juggle all of my new responsibilities without any help.

The problem with juggling too many balls, or responsibilities, is that if one thing slips, epic fail or catastrophe is almost certain. I have spent so much time trying to prove myself that I sometimes forget that it is ok to ask for help. As I write this post, I do not know whether to credit Madeline Albright, Oprah Winfrey, Donna Freedman, or someone one else with this saying that has helped me to find balance in my life: You can have it all, just not at the same time. In my own experience, I was at the brink of failure (mentally, professionally, and financially) before I admitted that it was time to ask for help.

Starting a business for me was like getting married. In the beginning, during the honeymoon phase, everything looked easy, as though I could juggle all of the responsibilities. Getting married was the easy part, but after a couple of years, I soon realized that the real work was staying married. We surrounded ourselves with other married couples, of various ages and stages of their marriages, just to share experiences and to provide a sanity check that our journey was normal. Without specifically asking for help, these couples became our Marriage Board.

After starting my business, I made some avoidable mistakes, primarily, because I did not want to ask for help and have anyone think I was a failure, or a fraud. I am a survivor, so I learned a valuable lesson that allowed me to rebound stronger and wiser: I needed advisors. Large organizations have corporate boards to provide guidance and insight to avoid making catastrophic business mistakes. Throughout this journey, I know that everything will not go according to the strategic plan and that some failures are unavoidable. To help me manage the risks, I have an Entrepreneurial Board that consists of seven people who challenge me with checks and balance and boundaries:

• A seasoned mentor who has built a successful business model in industrial manufacturing
• A financial advisor who keeps me out of trouble with the taxman and in good favor with lenders
• A spiritual friend who reminds me that I am exactly where I am supposed to be
• A creative genius who dares me to color outside the lines (inside joke)
• A youthful mentee who has the same drive to change the world that I had in my twenties
• A retired collaborator who imparts wisdom and constantly asks about my exit strategy
• A soulmate who allows me to dream in living color but keeps me grounded in the present

So to my friend who says that I make “it” look easy, I say thank you, but rest assured it is not easy. I make a lot of mistakes every day. But as Pastor Donnie sings, we fall down, but we get up…on our road to good works!

Who Benefits from Your Good Works?

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas.

She was always doing good works and acts of charity

(Acts 9:36)

March is Women’s History Month. It’s 2013 and I am both confused about the debates over protecting women from violence or protecting women’s reproductive rights, while I celebrate Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the historical number of women elected to office or running major corporations. As a working mom, I know that we are making progress and preparing a better way for the next generation of women leaders.

In my own industry, I see phenomenal changes taking shape. In 2011, I participated in the inaugural Women in Manufacturing conference. It was rewarding to network with high-powered women who shared my passion and experiences. I left the 2012 conference feeling less enthusiastic. It appeared to me that affluent women had decided to become champions of manufacturing by using their position to influence policy. Their efforts are sincerely needed, however, I question if a person who has never worked in the environment understands the real world needs. I was actually turned off when I heard references to the “pink ghetto,” a take on a term assigned to jobs or functions typically filled by women. In their minds, it is not enough that women are ascending to C-level appointments in functional areas like human resources, finance, and marketing—that more women are needed in research and development, engineering, technology. The premise is true, but my lived experience is that the road to CEO is through the financial/commercial side of the business, not the operational side.

I was frustrated because the affluent women most likely to have a voice in the political world are least likely to know what really happens in the lower levels of manufacturing. One of my favorite songs has these lyrics: You don’t know my story. You don’t know the things that I’ve been through. These women do not know my story of a college educated, front line supervisor/manager in manufacturing,  and what it is like to work in a wet, sub-50 degree turkey processing plant, taking both vitamin B (to ward off pain in my hand from holding a knife for hours at a time) and vitamin C (to prevent colds) tablets daily or to work twelve hour shifts or to be pregnant and trying to navigate across a production floor covered with hydraulic fluid. These are the jobs you take throughout your career to prove yourself, to get the real experience to qualify you for those promotional opportunities en route to the C-suite or corporate board appointments.

I thought about this after last week’s controversy surrounding Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, and the flack she’s catching for her presumed inability to understand the challenges of women less affluent than herself in attaining professional achievement and financial prosperity. I applaud her attempts, but I question if she understands that it takes more than Lean In Circles for women to achieve their professional goals. To learn more about Sandberg’s movement, visit her Lean In community at http://leanin.org/

My self-reflection is asking what I am doing in preparing a better way for future leaders in manufacturing and technology. I can turn my frustration into a voice in the community I work and serve. I can use my participation in industry associations to discuss real world needs. I can mentor young women, advising them of career possibilities and sharing my experiences of navigating in and out of functional assignments. I can share with them the benefits of the work I have been graced to accomplish.

Sidenote explanation of the scripture reference: I remembered that my club alias, back in college, was Tabitha. Little did I know then that the name represented a woman of the bible or that the name is synonymous with a woman who does good works (Acts 9:36).