Action heroines get ready… a wave of change is ahead

How to help women succeed | Cassandra Kelly (CEO, Pottinger)

All about women is a festival held at the Opera House, and contrary to the title it is not all about women, but all about humanity (with a gender lens on). One of my favourite quotes explaining this was by an Egyptian father who said “when you make it better for women, you make it better for all of us”.

This talk by Cassandra Kelly made me feel connected with the other women in the room by an invisible thread of purpose and a precious joint quest to build a wave of change. I left feeling like I was in that critical part of an action film when all the good characters get tired of fighting what seems to be losing battle and decide to work together to make something great happen.

Highlight Notes:

1. Behind every successful woman, is another successful woman. We have to help each other. This is the wave we need to build.

2. Look out for opportunities to support women. It can be as easy as “I’ve noticed the good work you are doing…”, “I’ve got your back…”, “I believe you can do that…”

3. Women are untapped resources. You don't need to spend billions to get us out of the ground, we are here and we are good.

4. Build resilience: seek out, give and receive fair and honest feedback.


Wisely Shared: “Ask yourself, how much time am I giving to other women, if the answer is little or none, quite frankly, that is not good enough - who can you support?”. Thank you Cassandra Kelly for starting this wave.


You can find more juicy bits from Cassandra's talk in another piece I wrote here.
For more great stories, visit my new blog at wiselyshared.com or like it on Facebook.com/wiselyshared. 

@Ideasatthehouse#allaboutwomen 
Watch the video: Here
Location: Sydney Opera House on an inspiring sunny day

Alain de Botton and the Philosopher’s News

The News:  A user's manual | Alain De Botton

I feel that news is hitting relevant notes less and less,  and yet there is more of it.  In his talk at the Sydney Opera House, Alain de Botton takes a philosopher’s view of the news.  

The historical purpose of news was to provide information;  people could read it, use it and the world would improve.  To me this is the fundamental lens by which to explore this topic as I consider ‘does the world improve by the news I read and watch?’.

Highlight Notes:

• The news is not new. De Botton has classified news stories into 43 archetypes (although the book reviews claim there to be 25). Examples include:

Celebrities doing normal things: This helps us feel closer to celebrity status, and for that instant helps our lives seem less mundane.
Improvement in health: This helps us feel hope that we will live forever.

Understanding the archetypes helps us be better consumers of news since there is an abundance.

• News gives us a disproportionate view of the world. It simplifies and magnifies success. It amplifies certain disasters and hides others.

• Can news be reinvented to celebrate the virtuous instead of the sensational? De Botton shared his thoughts on the current debate relating to introducing Knights and Dames. He thought well of as it brought to light more of the better virtues of our society.

Wisely shared: Don’t spend too much time reading online comments, it might lead you to think that the world is mean and angry.



Location: Sydney Opera House

Book: The News: A User’s manual

#alaindebotton

Brite founders share their story

Inside the Mind of the Entrepreneur | Kevin & Julia Hartz (Eventbrite) 

Eventbrite's mission is to bring people together through live experiences.  They have become a household name for me as I have used it over the last year to buy tickets to events.

This event, held at the sexy Sydney Hub in William Street, focussed on Kevin and Julia's experience in founding the company.  Eventbrite started with 3 employees in 2006 and has grown to 300 (and still growing fast,  now with a strategic international expansion).

Highlight Notes

• From the start people and company culture is important.  However it is not all fun and games.  They use a high velocity feedback loop:  people know where the results are at,  and what is expected of them.

• It is important to always seek feedback and listen to it.  When it comes to feedback,  more is more.  This should be sought from customers, mentors and anyone who will provide unfiltered feedback.

• Having a founding team is important,  as it is too hard to do it alone.  In hard times,  this team also keeps you sane.

• Their start up shared their space with other now stars  like Tripit (bought by concur), flixter, Zynga.  During the start up phase, they shared ideas and resources and looked after each other.

Wisely said:  When disrupting an industry,  don't take the Goliaths head on!

Location:  Hub Sydney
#eventbriteau

The best from events around town

The purpose is to share the best of the business and speaker evens around Sydney (and maybe elsewhere).

I always leave events inspired in some way, so wanted to share the top highlights.