What is the first image that comes to mind when you think of a businessperson? The image that first comes to mind for most people is a man in a nice suit, carrying a briefcase. The male dominated business world can be a little intimidating to women who want to pursue a career in business. Although women in the workforce are rapidly increasing, women have always been a minority in the field of business. Many prominent business women talk about the initial shock of being one of the only females in the room when they entered the business world. I attended the “Presenting Opportunities for Women Conference” on November 7 in the PWC auditorium. The keynote speaker was Christine Dorfler, CFO of NBC sports group. Christine’s presentation was followed by a panel of women in different business fields and a networking session.
Christine Dorfler is a fascinating woman who has had much success in her career. As CFO of the NBC sports group, her day to day life is filled with excitement and a lot of decision making. NBC is a growing company and has a lot of room to continue to grow in the future, so Christine has the opportunity for a bright future with NBC. Christine is an army veteran, a mother of three children and a widely successful businesswoman. Wouldn’t you say that is inspiring? As a woman, I hope to have a successful career in business and I eventually want to start a family of my own, so Christine is someone who I hope to be as successful as one day. What is one quality that you hope to strengthen while at Villanova? The quality that is most important to me is leadership. It is evident that Christine is a prominent leader, and in her presentation she emphasized the importance of being a strong leader as a woman.
While Christine’s presentation was fascinating to me because of how successful she is, the most helpful part of the event was the panel. The four women on the panel all gave insightful advice to help women differentiate themselves in the male dominated business world. The biggest take away that I got was to get out of your comfort zone. Have you ever experienced a time where you knew that you should put yourself out there but you were scared of being judged or rejected? I know that I have. One of the most important skills that I need to work on is overcoming my fear of being rejected by others. I also need to work on using my voice to say what I want to say. Overall, I learned that it is important to be confident and assert yourself as a woman in the working world. To leave you, here is an interesting article that includes tips for women in the business world: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/328852.
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