July 5, 2022

We couldn’t be more thrilled with the support we received from our guests at our first member-only in person event on June 16, 2022! It was so great to meet so many of our members in the flesh and we thoroughly enjoyed connecting over some great conversation. We know this event has been a long time coming and we thank you for joining us at The RoofTop YYC!

Women+Power would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for their support and donations. Your contributions made the event possible and allowed us to provide giveaways to our members in attendance:

• Mr. Brett Wilson and The Rooftop YYC for providing us with a venue for the event at the most popular (and fully booked til forever) patio in town! It was many of our attendees first visit since the Rooftop’s expansion, and everyone was impressed. The food and drinks were delicious!
• Anna Marie Chocolates for the generous donation of 10 boxes of beautifully hand-made chocolates . Anna-Marie has been creating chocolate delights for over 10 years. She attended a variety of chocolate courses, including “Bean-To-Bar” and Showpiece Creations. She is an avid culinary traveler and has tasted chocolates all around the world. To place an order or for more information, contact Anna-Marie at chocolateannamarie@gmail.com.
• A big thank you to Divine Creations for donating the exquisite flower arrangement that adorned our Network Event sign-in table until it was raffled off to one of our lucky attendees!

If you missed this event, please consider becoming a member to receive invitations to all of our exclusive offerings. Click here to join as a member today (membership is free!).

A big thank you to our sponsors for their continued support, and shout out to our newest sponsor, Enfinite, for recently joining Women+Power at the Megawatt level. We have some exciting things in the works. Stay tuned!

May 16, 2022

Post Author: Sharleen Gatcha, CEO & Founder, Women+Power

I can’t say enough about this book or the author, Jessica Nordell (aka “JD”)! Goodreads describes The End of Bias: A Beginning as “a transformative, groundbreaking exploration into how we can eradicate unintentional bias and discrimination, the great challenge of our age”.

I had the opportunity to hear Nouman Ashraf (He/Him/His) interview Jessica about her book and it highlighted her findings which are nothing short of monumental! Anyone who wants to understand how unintentional/implicit /unaddressed bias impacts the workplace, everyone in it, the work we do, and the world in general (Hint: That’s ALL OF US!) needs to read this book. Some spoilers:

Implicit bias: persistent, unintentional prejudiced behaviour that clashes with our consciously held beliefs. We know that it exists with a corrosive and even lethal effect. We see it in so many places but are we able to step beyond recognition of our prejudice to actually change it?

With fifteen years’ immersion in the topic, Jessica Nordell digs deep into the cognitive science, social psychology, and developmental research that underpin current efforts to eradicate unintentional bias and discrimination. She examines diversity training, deployed as corrective but with inconsistent results. She explores what works and why: the diagnostic checklist used by doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital that eliminated disparate treatment of men and women in disease prevention; the preschool in Sweden where teachers found ingenious ways to uproot gender stereotyping: the police unit in Oregon where the practice of mindfulness and specialized training has coincided with a startling drop in the use of force.

Thankfully, the book does bring good news. Biased behaviour can change; the approaches outlined in the pages can transform ourselves and our world.  

This May be a First at the Axis Connects Calgary Influential Women in Business Awards!

May 14, 2022

Author: Evan Bhary, Women+Power Board Member

Out of six winners, two of the 2022 Calgary Influential Women in Business Award (CIWB) winners came from the electricity industry, one of which is on the Women+Power Board.

We’re thrilled that Jana Mosley, President of ENMAX Power & Women+Power Board member, was honoured as the winner of the Influential Women award for Large Enterprises. Jana is a passionate leader and an incredible role model. She is currently completing her Executive MBA at Harvard while also being the President of ENMAX Power and a full-time mom to her three daughters.

To get a sense of Jana’s character and impact, the following comes from a congratulatory post that appeared on LinkedIn from one of her ENMAX colleagues, Terri-Lynn Duque:

“We need leaders who walk the talk. Who stand up for equality, no matter the personal discomfort. As someone who’s career has been enhanced by this woman’s mentorship and sponsorship, I can attest to the power that comes from the actions by this amazing leader, not just the words. (Although the words on Wednesday night were pretty amazing!) The biggest re-congratulations to Jana Mosley on this major recognition at the CIWB Awards!”

Terri-Lynn Duque, Director Strategic Innovation, ENMAX Power

In addition to Jana’s award, the CIWB’s Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon Dawn Farrell, former President & CEO of TransAlta and current Chancellor of Mount Royal University.

Dawn retired as CEO & President of TransAlta Corp. in March 2021 after serving in the role for over 9 years. She helmed one of Canada’s largest independent power producers. Dawn led the transformation of the company to competitive power focused on low cost, low-emission and reliable solutions for large commercial and industrial customers.

As a large company CEO with a decade of experience, Dawn has led multiple complex mergers and acquisitions transactions, including floating TransAlta Renewables, completing a company-wide complex cultural transformation, critically evaluating and negotiating a complex off-coal transaction with the government, building a significant business presence in Australia, and executing private and public financial transactions to advance TransAlta’s strategic shift away from coal-fired generation.

As a community leader, Dawn is known for her deep policy work in electricity, the environment and ESG. She is a co-founder of the Alberta Business Council, has worked with the Canadian government on a roadmap for advancing renewable wind technology, and was a member of the Canada-U.S. Council for the Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders. She also has extensive experience in negotiating agreements with First Nations in British Columbia.

Women+Power offers its profound congratulations to both of these remarkable women!

Watch the highlight video here:

April 12, 2022, marked Equal Pay Day in Canada. The day symbolizes how far into the calendar year the average woman needs to work to earn what men, on average, earned in the previous calendar year. In other words, women, on average, need to work almost 15.5 months to earn what men, on average, make in just 12 months. Equal Pay Day represents pay inequity in Canada, also known as the gender pay gap, and is a day to bring attention to this persistent issue.

It is important to note that there isn’t just one pay gap — pay inequity is worse for women who are Indigenous, racialized, living with disabilities, immigrants or migrants, LGBTQI2S+, or elderly. Multiple forms of discrimination, in addition to gender, shape pay inequity. Pay inequity not only represents discrimination but is also a key contributor to economic insecurity.

Women+Power is committed to tackling pay inequity through the power of community and mentorship. We believe we can work together to address the challenges that result in and from the under-representation of women so that we can begin to develop opportunities to promote increased diversity and inclusion.

Learn more about Equal Pay Day here.

April 7, 2022

Post Author: Cherise Nielsen, Women+Power Board Member
Book Author: Michael D. Watkins

Starting a new job is an exciting experience, but the transition to a new role can also be a very challenging time in a leader’s professional career. The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins provides “proven strategies for getting up to speed faster and smarter” for new leaders embarking on what Watkins describes as a “leadership transition”.

The two most common leadership transitions are (1) getting promoted within your current organization and (2) onboarding with a new organization.

Watkins provides essential tasks that will help you accelerate your transition and create momentum for greater success. These include:

1. Prepare yourself. Make a mental break from your old position and prepare for the new role.
2. Accelerate your learning. Climb the learning curve as fast as you can – be systematic and focused on how you learn most efficiently.
3. Match your strategy to the situation. Different situations present different challenges – is it a start-up or a turnaround?
4. Secure early wins. Early wins build credibility – identity ways to create value and improve business results.
5. Negotiate Success. Have critical conversations with your boss about the situation, expectations, resources, working styles, and resources.
6. Achieve alignment. Ensure the organization’s strategic direction is in line with the strategy.
7. Build your team. Be both systematic and strategic in your approach to team building.
8. Create coalitions. Supportive alliances are critical to achieving your goals.
9. Keep your balance. Maintain your equilibrium and perspective.
10. Accelerate everyone. Help everyone around you – direct reports, bosses, and peers accelerate their own transitions.

Watkins also provides helpful exercises and questions to help you set yourself up for success. One of these is a Transitional Risk Assessment. As you prepare for this transition, take note of the challenges and complexities that could pose risks to your success. These might include moving to a new industry, joining a new company, leading former peers, moving geographically, or entering a new organization where major change is already ongoing. Detailing and ranking these sorts of transitions will help you get a sense of the overall magnitude of the challenges you may face and the areas you should focus on.

Another exercise Watkins suggests is mapping out your first 90 days as a planning horizon. Begin by thinking about what you would like to accomplish on your first day, your first week, then the end of the first month, the second month, and finally the end of the third month. These plans can and will change, but the act of simply writing them down will help you focus on your goals and clear your mind.

The Economist has called The First 90 Days an “onboarding bible”, and I hope it helps you navigate transitions and growth opportunities throughout your career.