WiL Newsletter March 2005

The newsletter aims to keep you in touch with the Department's new Women in Leadership Strategy and link you with current events, issues and ideas to promote the profile of women in the Department of Education and Training.

Update

The Department's new Women in Leadership Strategy was announced at a celebratory dinner on International Women's Day, 8th March. One hundred staff, both men and women, attended the function, including the Director General of Education and Training, Paul Albert. Margaret Banks, Deputy Director General, Schools, announced the Strategy explaining that, despite having a highly feminised workforce, there is still significant under-representation of women in leaderhsip positions in the Department.

Guest speakers for the evening, Patti Chong, General Counsel of the Corrpution and Crime Commisssion, and Dr Dawn Casey, CEO of the WA Museum and champion of indigenous policies and programs, congratulated the Department on this important initiative. Both Ms Chong and Dr Casey shared their own stories of achievement, responding to the theme of the evening, What's luck got to do with it? and illustrating the important contribution women can make to organisations and the community.

Congratulations to Barbara Watterston of the Leadership Centre who received the inaugural Women of Achievment Award, presented by Margaret Banks, at the recent Women of Achievement dinner.

In keeping with the theme of What's luck got to do with it? twenty lucky seat prizewinners at the Women of Achievement dinner attended a stimulating evening at the new University Club of Western Australia to listen to Professor Joanne Martin, Stanford University, discuss the topic: Women at the top - how to strive and thrive. The full text of Professor Martin's study, Executive Women at Link.Com.

Thirty-two Central Office Education and Training staff recently attended a provocative presentation by Susan Maushart on the topic What Women Want Next - feminism, happiness and other oxymorons. Susan's address was based on her forthcoming book What Women Want Next due for release in May.

What's On

Put the following dates in your diary for the two remaining Women of Achievement dinners for 2005. These professional learning events are a joint initiative of the Department's Women in Leadership Strategy and the Leadership Centre:

• Tuesday 14th June. Theme: Women as Leaders.
• Wednesday 14th September. Theme: Leading with Integrity.

Further details of these events will be released in School Matters and on the Women in Leadership section of the Leadership Centre website early in Term 2.

Organisation:

SSTUWA

What:

2005 Women's Conference

When:

Friday 17 June 8:15 - 5:00pm

Organisation:

AIM (Australian Institute of Management)

What:

A Sundowner with Australian of the Year, Dr Fiona Wood

When:

5 April 5:30 - 7:30pm

Organisation:

Lunchbox Lunch List, sponsored by The West Australian Business Events Program

What:

Marketing Maestros: Three of Perth's leading marketing mavens and communications specialists will share their stories and tips to success.

When:

Thursday 7 April 12:15 - 2:00pm

Reading Circle

In keeping with the theme of the next two Women of Achievement Dinners, the following publications are ideal to explore individually or in a reading circle:

Recommendation:

Do Women Lack Ambition?

Author:

Anna Fels

Publication:

Harvard Business Review, April 2004. Article adapted from the book Necessary Dreams: Ambition in Women's Changing Lives, Anna Fels, Pantheon, 2004. The article is ideal material for reading circles.

Synopsis:

Ambition is a dirty word for many women. It implies egotism, selfaggrandizement or the manipulation of others for one's own selfish ends. This article is a insightful and infinitely readable exploration of the nature of ambition and its importance in women's lives.

Recommendation:

Leadership - Gender Related, Not Gender Specific

Author:

Dr Larraine R. Matusak

Publication

Synopsis:

This article goes beyond the continuing 'tug-of-war' arguments about leadership based on gender stereotypes and challenges the reader to examine the preferred styles and characterisitcs of leadership required by forward-looking organisations and communities as gender related, not gender specific.

Lookout

Look out for the following news items on the Women in Leadership Strategy:

• March edition of Leading News: Women in Leadership Strategy Announced.
• April edition of School Matters: Women Aim High
• Next edition of The Western Teacher.

In early Term 2, look out for more information and the call for expressions of interest to participate in the Promoting Women professional learning program for female aspirant leaders.

Good news for network groups looking for a way to communicate with each other and be able to access contemporary resources and ideas: Look out for the publication of the virtual learning community web address, currently under construction for the Women in Leadership program. In the meantime, keep up to date with developments in this Strategy by accessing the Leadership Centre's website: http://www.eddept.wa.edu.au/lc/

Until next term...