Fall 2010 Newsletter

Motivational Tricks and Treats for Fall 2010

WBC October Event - "Presidents' Cocktail Reception"

WBC October Event - "Senior Executive Dinner"

Motivational Tricks and Tips for Fall 2010

Five steps to high performance as a supervisor

You can't become a top manager just by wishing for it. But you can follow these rules for becoming a high-performing manager that employees will want to follow:

• Explain your role and responsibilities. First, be sure you understand everything you're accountable for in the workplace. Then communicate those responsibilities clearly to your employees. They need to understand why you're emphasizing certain goals and practices.
• Set objectives that don't conflict. Take a good look at what you're asking employees to accomplish in the short term and in the long run. If you push employees to meet weekly goals that undercut long-term growth (selling defective products that need to be replaced later, for example), your organization’s revenues will suffer, as will employees’ motivation.
• Share your decision-making process. Think about how you make decisions. Is your process rational? Can others see what criteria you’re using? When employees understand the logic behind your decisions, they’ll be able to make better decisions themselves.
• Plan your actions. Don’t make up your strategy as you go along. Invest time in determining where you and your workforce need to go and how you can get there quickly and efficiently. Plan for set backs and obstacles so an unexpected failure doesn’t cause panic.
• Schedule your priorities. A to-do list is only a start. Rank your objectives and assign clear deadlines for the most important items, and communicate priorities to your entire workforce so your associates can plan their efforts accordingly.

--Adapted from the Leadership Articles website

Managing from a distance: Remember the 3 C's

Managing telecommuters or a virtual work team can feel like weaving while blindfolded. You want to create a tapestry, but you can’t always see if the pattern is forming as you’d like. Follow the three C’s to create more cohesiveness in a far-flung team:

1. Communication. E-mails, conference calls, videoconferencing, and on-site meetings will help distance workers stay in the loop. And so you can know what it’s like to be in their shoes, work away from your own office on occasion. Seeing the world through a telecommuter’s eyes can help you understand how easily home-based employees can become isolated from the rest of the group.

2. Connection. As more employees exit the hallways and join the virtual workplace, team members lose the chance to bond over water cooler chats, coffee breaks, and lunch dates. Bring your virtual workforce together at every reasonable opportunity. Here’s one suggestion: Each time you organize an all-hands in-house meeting, schedule some extra time so employees can socialize afterward.

3. Culture. Include distance workers in company events or after-work gatherings. See that they receive copies of employee or department newsletters and memos. And remember the little things, too. Forward them the latest (work-appropriate) joke making the e-mail rounds. Send them copies of articles that relate to your industry or culture. Recommend books that have benefited others on staff. Strive to make your culture real for those who can’t experience it live.

--Adapted from Inc. magazine

Presidents' Cocktail Reception
Hosted by JP Morgan and Accenture – October 4, 2010

J.P. Morgan and Accenture hosted our Annual Presidents' Cocktail Party on October 4th, 2010 at J.P. Morgan's Headquarters. We were delighted to see the room filled to near capacity as we convened with many old friends, introduced ourselves to new business associates and celebrated our 90th anniversary since Betty Cook formed the Club.

Our Co-President, Elizabeth Byrnes, Goldman Sachs, opened the evening and welcomed new members to learn more about the Women’s Bond Club and our commitment to: Lead. Learn. Return. She expressed how leadership is something we do every day in our lives and at work, and how the Club provides the opportunity for us to expand our leadership skills and knowledge. Liz also spoke about the rewards of being part of the Women’s Bond Club. She noted that fundamentally it comes back to the element of ‘Return’, which enables us to provide value to our companies, our communities and upcoming generations. Liz was then joined by our Co-President, Fran T. Kapner, J. P. Morgan, who introduced our hosts for the evening: Christine Larsen, Joyce Chang and Cathinka Wahlstrom.

Christine Larsen is the Chief Operating Office of J.P. Morgan’s Treasury & Securities Services business. As COO of a business that generates over $8 billion in annual revenue and ranks amongst the world’s largest custodians, Christine has direct responsibility for Technology, Operations and Client Services. Prior to being named COO of Treasury & Securities Services, Christine successfully led the complex and highly visible integrations of Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual. Christine joined J.P. Morgan in 2006 from Citigroup where she headed up their global Operations for Corporate and Investment Banking. She started her career at Accenture in 1984. Christine’s accolades go far beyond her personal career to include her many contributions as a strong supporter of higher education and diversity. She is the Executive Sponsor of J.P. Morgan’s TSS Women’s Interactive Network, served on J.P. Morgan’s Diversity Council, and was also a founding member of Citigroup’s GTS Women’s Council.

Following Christine’s remarks, Joyce Chang spoke on the importance of thinking globally. She also encouraged us to stay focused on fine tuning our skills and knowledge. Joyce is Managing Director and Global Head of Emerging Markets Strategy & Credit Research for J.P. Morgan. In this role, Joyce manages a global team of 150 research analysts and economists based in 12 different countries. She is responsible for the coverage of developed and emerging markets, countries and corporates, covering macroeconomic, FX rates and sovereign and company forecasts. Prior to J.P. Morgan, Joyce was a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch and Salomon Brothers. She also worked for the US Agency for International Development in the Philippines, Jordan and India. Joyce has been ranked #1 emerging markets sovereign strategist by Institutional Investor for 12 consecutive years. Like her colleague, Christine, Joyce’s leadership extends beyond her personal career. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Trickle Up, Girls Inc. and the New York Theatre Ballet.

Cathinka Wahlstrom completed our host’s welcoming remarks by encouraging us to give back to our community as that’s where we have the most to gain. Cathinka is the Managing Director of Accenture’s New York Office. She also manages some of the firm’s largest global financial services relationships. Her work focuses on supporting mergers and acquisitions, business change and transformational programs and technology initiatives. Cathinka has built deep client relationships among capital markets, stock exchanges and banking firms and has worked extensively throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Cathinka is a member of Accenture’s CEO Advisory Council and also leads various mentoring, diversity and citizenship initiatives. She is also a board member of NPower, and provides executive coaching to Robin Hood-supported organizations such as Go Projects.

All five of these inspirational women joined us during the core part of the evening, which encouraged targeted networking amongst our peers by establishing six “Networking Stations”: a) Operations & Technology, b) Finance & Business Management, c) Asset Management & Investment Banking, d) Sales, Marketing & Client Management, e) Risk & Compliance and f) Brokerage & Research. From a personal perspective, the most amazing thing was seeing the vast breadth of expertise among the participants. As I scanned the room, I was amazed that every one of these stations were filled with energetic women sharing their stories, engaging in conversations and looking to be part of our Women’s Bond Club community.

This event was indeed a successful means of introducing new joiners to the Women’s Bond Club and its members. Not only did they receive a thorough orientation on the Club and its theme of “Lead. Learn. Return.”, they also witnessed the networking opportunities the club provides and the impressive caliber of its membership. “The cocktail reception was a wonderful introduction to the organization,” according to Sharyn Bilenker, Vice-President of Corporate Affairs at Broadridge. “I appreciated the opportunity to network with so many successful women from various areas of the financial services industry, and I look forward to attending more events in the future.”

Senior Executive Dinner
An invitation-only event moderated by Roy Cohen, Executive Coach and Author of "The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide".

Held on October 5th, the Senior Women’s Dinner proved to be a special night for the Women’s Bond Club. This dinner provided an opportunity to RETURN to our senior LEADers by hosting an evening where these present and former club officers and their corporate firms could LEARN from each other.

The theme of the night was: Corporate Success: A Function of Leadership, Productivity and Laughter. As we all know the markets have been difficult over the last years, and that is an understatement. So these questions were posed to the attendees: Can work be fun? Can it at least be enjoyable?

Morale can reflect the quality of a leader. So, these leaders considered this theme with the help of Roy Cohen, who has worked in the industry as a banker, and has been a career coach for the last 20 years. He recently published the book, “The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide: Success of a Career Coach”.

The evening started with cocktails in the private dining room of Michael’s restaurant in midtown followed by dinner. During dinner, Roy posed various questions to the sixty- four women who attended including: How do we "re-recruit" our employee’s every day? How can we be a manager people want to work for? What characteristics of a manager are most respected? How do companies, and you as a manager, balance revenue generation and production with the softer side? How do you define the softer side?

Over courses of grilled vegetable tart, Chilean Sea bass, and filet of beef, the discussion remained lively and laughter filled. During desert, Roy facilitated feedback from each of the eight tables of women that enabled us to realize many important things. The age of employees affects their perception of fun, and while work cannot always be fun, management can create an atmosphere of enjoyment. Yet fun and enjoyment cannot be mandated primarily because they are so personal. What one person enjoys – such as a Saturday with co-workers at a football game -- can feel like torture to another person.

The attendees agreed a staff that enjoyed their work environment was more productive. Our leaders also identified elements that can create that environment for each employee. These include recognizing the person as someone with a life outside the office and respecting that life. Respect can be as simple as asking questions such as: How did your child’s game go? How was your spouse’s surprise party? What did you do this weekend?

In a sense, success as a leader means ensuring that all stakeholders are committed, challenged, and collaborative. The feedback from the attendees proved without a doubt that the senior women of the Women’s Bond Club are collaborative, and that fun can be had while working on managerial challenges.

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