Last month we were selected to represent our Edelman regions at the International Women’s Forum (IWF) World Leadership Conference in Boston, MA. We traveled across oceans, states and continents to come together for this event not just as communicators, but as professional women eager to learn and grow from those who have blazed trails before us in an effort to change the world.
Surrounded by former Olympic athletes, Fortune 500 CEOs, scientists, entrepreneurs, founders of global charitable organizations and many more, inspiration was everywhere.
We learned a few key things, as both communicators and women professionals, on how we can make strides towards changing the world:
- Learn it, earn it, and return it. No matter what phase of your career, you can participate in the mentorship cycle. Research shows that women have a more difficult time finding mentors than men, yet everyone we spoke to admitted that a mentor played an important part in their professional development and that mentoring someone has contributed to them becoming the leader they are today.
- Balance is everything. We can’t do it all – and the women who have changed the world couldn’t either. The advice we received is: 1) Find a solid support network and keep them close throughout your career; 2) Take time for you. You’ll never get the time back and it’ll make your work products more valuable; 3) Enjoy the journey. In a world where we’re all in the pursuit of greatness , it’s sometimes hard to step back and enjoy where you are, right now, but remembering these moments is what builds a career.
- Education has the power to change the world. Nelson Mandela said during his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Whether we were talking about the global energy crisis, world hunger or how telemedicine can change our quality of health care, one common thread ran across conversations: Education. This point resonated with all of us because it is something we do every day for our clients and one way that we as a firm can make a difference.
Having the opportunity to experience this conference, and the remarkable women who are part of this organization, has made a lifelong impact on all of us personally and professionally. In the coming weeks we are sharing these insights with our home offices and regions to spread this inspiration – not just within Edelman – but across the world.
Interested in learning more about how Edelman rewards its employees with career experiences? Read the blog post Claudia Patton, Edelman’s global chief talent officer, recently wrote after IWF. Edelman has a global partnership with IWF as part of its commitment to empowering women leadership.
Purti Simon, account manager, Edelman Bangalore.
Latiffe Ghanem, vice president, Edelman Miami.
Lara Luten, account manager, Edelman Amsterdam.
Jennifer Reynolds, account director, Edelman Vancouver.
Lara Blosser, account supervisor, Edelman Orlando.