The Net Result - Book 2: Women's Success Stories

Network

Why You Will Love This Book

The success stories, personally written by members of the Australian Executive Women’s Network, who entered and won State Awards in the Telecom Australian Executive Woman of the Year award (now known as the prestigious Telstra Business Women’s Award) are documented in this wonderful book.

Since 1993 these stories have assisted thousands of young women (and men) to gain the self-confidence they needed to plan their own future careers. The books in The Net Result series have been used by teachers and lecturers extensively in schools, business colleges and universities. Career and Business Planning courses have been developed from the true, practical experiences shared by these women who tell exactly how they achieved their individual success in business and the professions.

You will learn how they overcame difficulties and persevered to make their goals and dreams come true. The further education many undertook to climb corporate ladders and how at times they even changed career paths or worked just for the experience to gain valuable knowledge and the support of Mentors.

All the women gave the same advice – you can get everything you want in your life if you believe in yourself and focus on your future and not let anyone or anything stand in your way.

Dedication

To our fathers, sons, life and business partners

and to the men we have used as mentors, who

have willingly shared their knowledge and

experience to enhance our opportunities as

business and professional women.

We also dedicate this book to Nancy Robinson Flannery who died on 1st September 2011. Nancy will be with us forever in our hearts and minds as she did so much for the Australian Executive Women’s Network and its members.

An anthology by national and state titleholders of the

Australian Executive Woman of the Year, 1992.

Edited by Nancy Robinson Flannery

Foreword: Leonie Still

Produced and Published by Lucille Orr

for the

Australian Executive Women’s Network

107 Carrington Street, Adelaide SA 5000

Telephone: 61 8 8232 1469

Email: Lucille@aware.id.au

Lucille Orr – Mobile 61 413 069 006

Re-designed as an e-Book, by Steve Orr

Email: info@steveorr.com.au

Published in eBook format by Lucille Orr

Converted by http://www.ebookit.com

Copyright 2012 Lucille Orr,

All rights reserved.

ISBN-13: 978-0-9871-5984-7

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the consent of the publisher.

All the stories in this book are true and personally written by the women in the book.

Foreword

by Professor Leonie V. Still

Dean, faculty of commerce

University of Western Sydney, Nepean

The last thirty years in Australia have been a golden age for women in terms of career advancement. No longer forced to resign from organisations on the advent of marriage, women can now forge any career path they choose if they have the drive, enthusiasm and desire to achieve and to make something of themselves. Whether it’s a career in a large organisation, or the thrill of self-employment, women have many opportunities to test their potentiality. To the career oriented woman in the 1990s, the world is indeed her ‘oyster’!

This year’s contributors to The Net Result 2 represent just how women have progressed in terms of their career paths. The women include two engineers and a vet, a publisher, a tourist operator, a funeral director, a number of training, speaking and seminar presenters and a florist.

Not so long ago many of these careers would not have been considered by women, let alone been open to them! When their stories are read, there is a pattern of risk taking, determination, goal setting, hard work, enterprise, high professional standards, the wisdom and drive to change direction when necessary and the lack of aggressive feminism.

However, despite the progress there is still the element of female-pioneering (such as the engineer from North Queensland and the vet in rural Western Australia). Let us hope that such pioneering never dies; that we never become too blasé for there to be no new fields to conquer or new paths to tread.

Many of the stories also concern achievement in small business and entrepreneurial ventures rather than in large corporations. The women who have sought that career direction mirror a world-wide trend: the movement of women into self-employment to gain autonomy, self-direction and career satisfaction through their own efforts rather than at the direction of others. There is no better way to avoid the ‘glass ceiling’ than to become managing director of your own enterprise!

Another theme also emerges: despite their achievements the women have managed to keep their sense of humour, to show warmth and compassion and to develop philosophies which have stood them in good stead despite obstacles and difficulties.

In six years Australia moves into the 21st Century. The women contained in this book thus represent the foundation and future on which other women can build. What exciting adventures lie ahead for women? Only time will tell. In the meantime today’s women are forging ahead and testing the boundaries. Out of such activity will come opportunities for other women as new paths are opened, new skills developed, and new contributions made to the benefit of all.

This book also has a dedication to the men in our lives – those who have both helped us and watched our progress. It seems fitting then to offer this encouragement from the great male adventurer, Don Quixote:

I am I, Don Quixote, the Lord of La Mancha,

My destiny call and I go

And the wild winds of fortune will carry me forward,

Oh! Whither so ever they go,

Whither so ever they go,

Onward to Glory I go!

May all women; including those featured in this book, find even greater destiny and glory in the days ahead.

Preface

by Nancy Robinson Flannery

Consultant Editor

Although the series title The Net Result was – and still is – an appropriate one, we could just as well have used the title Celebration, for that is also intrinsic in the message. We are simply celebrating the varied careers of women: successful executive women who are a force to emulate.

Sight should not be lost, however, of the fact that the achievements here recorded are but a small sample of the tens of thousands of Australian women in executive and small-business roles. We celebrate their success too.

The contributors to The Net Result 2 are to be congratulated, not only for their national and state titles in a prestigious award, but also for their courage to enter the Award, and the courage to tell their stories frankly (their failures, hiccups, frustrations as well as the high spots) in the belief that others may learn from their experiences.

It has been my privilege to have met most of the contributors and to have made faxed, telephoned and mailed contact with them all – spread as they are throughout the nation, indeed the world. My only regret, as a woman who unashamedly celebrated her 64th birthday while working on this book, is that I wasn’t privy to all the combined wisdom of these people when I was younger. For you, the reader, things can be different.

My role as editor included the co-planning of the book with the publisher Lucille Orr, and the welding of the dedicated in-house team. I could wish for no more loyal, patient and good-natured setter of typeface than Carole Weedon, while the baby of the team, Sandra Caretti, has graphic art abilities and an acceptance of hard work well beyond the expectations of her age. The four of us have done a lot of laughing, and some creative brainstorming during our weekly production meetings.

How satisfying it has been to us that our first book in this series (The Net Result I, 1992) has been useful in providing a better understanding of the upwardly mobile business or professional woman. In particular, we’ve been warmed by stories filtering back of women who, stumbling upon the book in stores or on library shelves, have been given a glimpse of a galaxy they’d thought was unattainable, and who were thus inspired to take their own first entrepreneurial steps. How wonderful to know that a translation into Japanese has been made by Nobuko Kobayashi.

Because I believe it’s as relevant to this book as to the last, please bear with me while I take an excerpt from that Preface:

Most of the authors had to overcome hesitancy at writing in the first person instead of the anonymous third person of their corporate reports or the figures of their balance sheets. Their reluctance has been summarised by one of the entrants to the 1992 Award who … said: "I found it surprisingly difficult to compile my ‘life story’. Writing about myself and my small achievements made me feel self-conscious and uncomfortable. When I spoke to other women about this I found that, they too, had difficulty standing up and saying, ‘yes, I am good at this’, or, ‘yes, I did that’.

I think our discomfiture arises from the fact that we are conditioned not to put ourselves forward or talk about ourselves or our achievements. The unhappy result of all of this is that women’s contributions to society go largely un-noticed and young women are denied the positive role models they desperately seek."

Is it because big boys don’t cry and don’t discuss their family backgrounds, that their female counterparts making their way in the corporate world are having to play the same game?

In August 1993, expatriate Australian write, Jill Ker Conway, answered some of these questions in an interview with John Lyons for The Australian Magazine. In expressing concern at an historical fact that women write in the passive, selling themselves short and at what she sees as the lack of emotionalism in Australia. Ker Conway said, Human beings have to live a full emotional life and express their feelings, but Australia is a society that says you don’t – except when you’re drunk. Many Australians are unable to show joy and happiness. If you kill off people’s capacity for pain and sorrow, you cut off their ability to feel joy and happiness.

Well, some of the contributors to this book have dared to express their joy and happiness as well as their pain and sorrow. We are the richer for their sentiments.

Celebrate the achievements of all these women: from the teenage Tammy Horan though the women in their – well, what matters it how old the others are? Enjoy the stories, assimilate them, use them as stepping-stones, write your own scenarios … and do consider feeding back to the writers. In that way, the net result will be that the circle of celebration is complete.

Formula for SUCCESS

by Lucille Orr

Book Publisher, Founder & President

Australian Executive Women’s Network

Last year when Nancy Flannery, Sandra Caretti, Roz Lawson and I were under pressure to complete the first Net Result book, the national Telecom Award and the second national Conference, I remember Nancy saying, Lucille if you could bottle your energy you’d make a fortune.

After successfully completing those tasks all in a matter of eight weeks I decided this year it would be a good idea to share with you how I manage to keep my energy and enthusiasm at a high level all the time, even when I’m physically exhausted. I promise you I’m like every other human being I know: I have my good days and the times when nothing seems to go right. I’m convinced after living and working for so long that the secret of my success is my total belief in myself.

Most of us have great ideas, but few do anything about them. Those who are adventurous enough to decide to put them into practice have to contend with friends and family telling them why their plans won’t work and this discourages most before they’re established and they give up too early.

Use other people as sounding-boards, and weigh their suggestions. If, however, you still believe your initial concept is right, forget any criticisms, and go ahead.

My philosophy in life is, if you’re capable of thinking of an idea you’re also quite capable of seeing it through to fruition.

I wouldn’t say this if I hadn’t proved it to be correct in my own life. Some of the things I’ve wanted to achieve have seemed impossible at the time I dreamt of them, but within days I’d realised the thought had merit and could be achieved.

20 EASY STEPS TO SUCCESS

To help you succeed, here are some easy steps to follow;

1. Record all your thoughts, dreams and aspirations in a log book or on a computer database. No matter how ridiculous they seem to be at the time you think of them, just write them down and go back over them from time to time.

2. When you decide to proceed with an idea, don’t share it with anyone who can’t be of real assistance to you.

3. Act on your idea as soon as possible while it’s exciting you, because your enthusiasm is your greatest asset.

4. Write a plan immediately, listing everything your idea can generate.

Will it create jobs for others?

Do you see yourself starting a business? Or a chain of shops?

How much money do you need to start your venture?

What will you be doing in two years from now when your idea is a success?

5. Take your plan (your document of dreams and aspirations) to a creative accountant or, better still, a general business consultant: someone who has a good knowledge of how to guide you to start your own business.

This person is a positive influence in your life and will be able to help you prepare a business plan and a cash-flow projection as well as assisting you by introducing you to a bank manager or finance consultant who can support your goal.

6. Once you have the advice, and understand the financial commitment and the responsibility you’re undertaking, the next step is to register your business name and start your business.

7. When your family don’t support you (and at times you’ll think they’re right and you’re wrong, because you’re tired and at first it’s all a little overwhelming), remember to hang on tightly to your vision and never, ever give up. Keep believing in yourself.

8. It’s important to remember to set small, achievable goals at first and to reward yourself constantly each time you reach a target. Some of the ways I’ve thanked myself are a trip to the hairdresser, a coffee with a friend, a motivational book, or a night at the movies. However, once I earned more money, I bought jewellery, furs, cars and overseas trips to spoil myself and enjoy my success.

9. If you’re married, share your success with your partner and take him to dinner when you want to tell him your exciting news. Have someone mind the children so you can become a pair of business entrepreneurs for the night, talking and dreaming about the future and the wonderful things you’ll be able to do together as a family once you’re wealthy and influential.

10. Visualise your goals and exaggerate your future wealth. This can be fun, and an important ingredient in your success formula.

11. If you’re determined to climb to the top rung of the corporate ladder, take advantage of ‘perks’ offered to you. These are your rewards for a job well done. When I was Sales Manager at Ansett Airfreight I enjoyed inexpensive national and international holidays several times each year.

12. Join a network of like-minded people. This will give you positive reinforcement and the support framework you need to share your success and to ask for guidance when you need it from time to time.

13. Ask for what you want. No-one can read your mind. If you want to be successful, ask for the additional responsibility if you feel you’re capable of doing a more demanding job.

14. Dare to be a tall poppy. I’ve had my head above the crowd most of my life and believe me the view is much nicer from where I stand.

15. Befriend your mentors in life, don’t forget they’re human too and most will enjoy sharing their secrets with you.

16. When you have to make a decision, listen to your own intuition and follow your instincts, because it’s usually right for you.

17. Admire your competitors for recognising that your talents were worth imitating. Remember any fool can copy. I’ve found over the past 30 years it was best not to waste time or energy on my competitors: concentrate instead on developing more new ideas. I always had a lot