Hold the Door Open

Original Post Date: February 28, 2024

This week's wisdom is about opening doors, and about making the effort to hold them open for others to walk through.

Celebrating Women in Technology gives us many opportunities to reflect back on the black women trailblazers who went before us and persevered towards incredible achievements that made it possible for our modern society to exist. Now there are living trailblazers who are creating more opportunities.

This weekend I heard a radio program based on a New Yorker interview (it's not open access sadly) featuring actor Lily Gladstone, who is an Academy Award Nominee for Best Actress- the first Native Woman to be nominated - for their role in Killers of the Flower Moon. In the interview, Lily is asked what it's like being the first, getting all that attention, being the one to kick in the door. Their comment in response to that really stuck with me, so much that I had to look it up and share it with all of you! Because it gave me a new perspective on the challenges facing trailblazers who also consciously keep the new trails lighted and stand in the doorways holding them open.

Lily said "I’m friends with Sterlin Harjo, the co-creator of “Reservation Dogs.” We’re both in the circuit right now, and we happened to find ourselves in the same hotel the week before last. He put it really well. He said, “We’re in a position where we’re kicking the door in. When you kick the door in, you should just put your foot in the door and stand there.” Kicking the door in and running through it means it’s going to shut behind you. While I’m the first specifically Native American Indigenous woman, I stand on the shoulders of a lot of performers. It’s all circumstantial that I have this moniker of the first, and I’m certainly not going to be the last. If I’ve kicked the door in, I’m just trying to stand here and leave it open for everybody else."

As we close out Black History Month and enter Women's History Month, let's honor the people who opened doors for more of us to walk through. And let's hold the doors open for as many more people as we can!

All the best,

Holly

Chart Your Own Course

This week's wisdom is about charting your own course. 

My email is starting to fill up with announcements for spring conferences, in addition to the regular ongoing professional development series meetings. 

Charting your own course leads to a more fulfilling life. And the more you know, the more choices will be available. Making your own decisions about what you want to learn, where you want your career to take you, and deciding for yourself when and how you will add to your strengths, increases your sense of autonomy and makes life much more enjoyable. Selecting your own professional development is part of that, as discussed in this brief article from LinkedIn.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-autonomy-empowering-professionals-cpd-andrew-carlsson/   

As stated in the article, " Autonomy in CPD choices allows professionals to personalize their learning experiences, access diverse providers, adapt to their unique career paths, consider cost implications, and explore innovative approaches." 

So, look at some of these professional development options and see if something is here for you!
Stretch yourself and step out of your comfort zone to attend something a little different than your usual topic or your usual learning mode. 

Always available: 

SUNY provides links to amazing resources on the Emergeing Technologies MOOC and WIKI  https://emtech.suny.edu/objectives/lifelong-learning/

Coming up tomorrow:

The second Zoom gathering of theNYSERNet Women in IT Community of Practice 

Thurs. Feb. 22^nd at 12pm ET 
Sign up at and share the resource page at: https://cvent.me/3N9LK9  to get the zoom links and calendar invites for your schedule. 

Coming up Friday: 
Upcoming Webinar!: Constructions of Race: Racism, Whiteness, and Whiteness Studies  
February 23rd, 2024 from 10:00am-11:00am 
The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice (DEISJ) Fellows program will be presenting a webinar led by Krystal Perkins, Carla DuBose, and Timothy Gerkin. This 60-minute webinar will provide an overview of the new SUNY Diversity Equity Inclusion and Social Justice General Education category with a focus on race. We will review the learning outcomes and discuss DEISJ concepts, theories, and pedagogical interventions that can help faculty build a DEISJ designated course or infuse DEISJ content and learning outcomes related to race into their courses. Topics will include defining race, racial constructions, social justice movements for racial equality, and pedagogical tools.
Register Today: Click here for more information and to register.

 

Later this spring, two of the biggest library and IT professional development conferences in SUNY: 

The SUNYLA Annual Conference at SUNY Buffalo State University, June 11–14, 2024. https://sunyla.org/sunyla-conference/
New SUNYLA members, apply for a professional development scholarship that will fund your SUNYLA conference attendance this June!

Financial assistance is available for new SUNYLA members to attend this year’s conference. The Sylvia Chu Memorial Scholarship aims to encourage involvement with SUNYLA and to provide opportunities for professional growth for its members. The award is a voucher that covers the conference registration fee, one pre-conference session, and conference meals. Please submit your application letter by March 25, 2024, via this online form:  https://form.jotform.com/240304265394150 

The SUNY Technology Conference (STC 2024) Join your SUNY colleagues in beautiful Lake Placid. The conference takes place a little earlier this year, from Tuesday June 4^th – Thursday June 6^th.  

Register To register for the conference, please visit the STC website at http://www.stc.suny.edu  Pre-conference activities Monday June 3rd^th, includes traditional golf and curling with some new,

fun additions! Visit the conference website for more details. Keynote Lori Bajorek, President and CEO of the National eSports Association. She and her team will have a booth in the exhibit hall. You’ll have a chance to discuss ways to integrate eSports and education. 

 

Please take a moment to share other conferences or professional development opportunities you know about with everyone on this list!

All the best,

Holly

Lets Love All the Generations

Originally Published: February 14, 2024

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing you all a day of appreciation for the love in your life, the love you give, and the love you receive. 

This week's wisdom is about how we can span the generations and create better working environments for everyone.

I recommend you read this summary article (it's short...less than a 5-minute read!) and consider whether you can envision any ways to better support the generational diversity in your organization. 

I know that many of our families in the U/S. are not living in multigenerational configurations, that many of us gravitate to work cohorts of about the same generations, and our society amplifies generational differences in-jokes and put-downs. 

But...we don't have to! We can recognize differences, appreciate the challenges with humor, and then also find common ground that creates more inclusiveness. 

  

We need to start having smarter intergenerational conversations,” says Dr. Megan Gerhardt, author of Gentelligence: The Revolutionary Approach to Leading an Intergenerational Workforce. “It’s all about stepping away from lazy generational stereotypes and exploring opportunities in our multigenerational workplaces. Sitting right before us are five talented generations with diverse perspectives, experiences, and different kinds of valuable expertise, but rather than leveraging that tremendous human potential, we squander it.” 

All the best,

Holly

Links: 

• From Gen Z to Xand Boomers: How to Effectively lead a multi-generational Workforce (https://chief.com/articles/from-gen-z-to-x-and-boomers-too-how-to-effectively-lead-a-multi-generational-workforce)
• Gentelligence: The Revolutionary Approach to Leading an Intergenerational Workforce. (https://chief.com/articles/from-gen-z-to-x-and-boomers-too-how-to-effectively-lead-a-multi-generational-workforce)

NYSERNet Women in IT CoP - The Imposter Syndrom

Original Post Date: February 7, 2024

Last week saw the first meeting of the NYSERNet Women in IT Community of Practice. Obviously, not everyone on the list could attend, so I am reposting the terrific summary by Jennifer Oxenford. The meeting was an informative and interactive discussion, exactly the kind of discussion that adds to our knowledge base and helps to build community.

I hope you will find these resources useful and will consider joining this group for future meetings.

All the best,

Holly

_________________________

Here are some follow-up statistics and resources on the Imposter Syndrome Learn@Lunch topic we started discussing this week:

• 75% of female executives across industries have experienced imposter syndrome in their careers, which is a feeling of inadequacy and self-doubt that makes them continuously doubt if they are qualified enough for the job. (KPMG)
• 74% of executive women believe that their male counterparts do not experience feelings of self-doubt as much as female leaders do. (KPMG)
• Two-thirds (66%) of women have experienced imposter syndrome at work over a 12 month period. (OnePoll)
• According to the 2018 study by OnePoll, men are 18% less likely to experience imposter syndrome than women, with just over half (56%) saying they experienced it in the past 12 months.
• Just 21% of leaders say they’ve discussed these feelings with their peers or other business leaders (NerdWallet). 4% say they don’t discuss these feelings with anyone else (NerdWallet).
• Imposter Syndrome is most prevalent in those just starting off their careers and those at the other end of the scale at the close of their career journey (NerdWallet)
• Starting a new role triggers Imposter Syndrome in the most people (57%), closely followed by receiving praise in front of colleagues (55%). (NerdWallet)

You're Not Powerless in the Face of Imposter Syndrome

Here are resources on conquering Imposter Syndrome and talking to staff and colleagues to normalize conversations around Imposter Syndrome:

• You're Not Powerless in the Face of Imposter Syndrome
• You're Not an Imposter. Yu're Actually Pretty Amazing.
• 15 Leadership Tips For Helping EmployeesDefeat Imposter Syndrom
• Imposter Syndrome Plagues Most Women - Less than Half of Men

Our next meeting will be on Thurs. Feb. 22nd at 12pm ET (time adjusted from 11am to accommodate SUNY CC CIOs meeting conflict). Zoom link to join the meeting is included below. Please feel free to share the invite with others that you think may have interest and we encourage you to sign up at and share the resource page. And if you are inspired to offer any further resources/suggestions on topics/speakers for future meetings please fill out the form

Jennifer Oxenford

CHIEF MEMBERSHIP OFFICER | DIRECTOR, NYC DARK FIBER PROGRAM

NYSERNet

Culture Snippet - Culture Code

 WIT Updates the Culture Code will provide a snippet of information that you can use to rethink outdated ways of looking at diversity in technology and replace those with beliefs and strategies that are better suited to the diverse world we want to work in.

Snippet #1: What is the 'Culture Code"?

"The Culture Code is based on a simple insight: great groups don’t happen by chance. They are built according to three universal rules." Use this website to find out more...and then use your local SUNY library to get the full book!
Want more regular ideas for increasing gender diversity in technology? Join SUNY Women in Technology (WIT) listserv, send an email to: lyris@ls.suny.edu with the phrase “subscribe suny-wit” as the body of the message. (Subject is optional)

Have an idea for a snippet? Email Holly Heller-Ross at hellerhb@plattsburgh.edu