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WICT ROCKY MOUNTAIN IN TOUCH
Spring 2008

The WICT Mentoring Program: What It Is, Why You Should Be Involved

WICT’s Stars Come Out at Annual Gala

On May 13, hundreds of WICT-RM members and supporters gathered to honor eight
women and one man at WICT-RM’s biggest event of the year: the Walk of Fame Gala.
You’ve seen the list of honorees and their achievements—here are some visual memories
of this joyful evening.

Emcees Cathy Kilstrom and Debbie Egner hold the program to a lively pace	Woman of the Year Tracy Baumgartner with Brad Dusto
Women in Technology Sherisse Hawkins and Grace Egan share a laugh with Dick Green	Larry Satkowiak toasts Partner of the Industry Jana Henthorn
Ellen Filipiak leads a toast to Mentor of the Year Marwan Fawaz	Gala co-chair Regina Hutchinson Not pictured: co-chair Robin Feller

Read more about the 2008 Walk of Fame award winners at www.wictrm.org !

Get All You Can Get!
Salary Negotiation Tips from Ann Carlsen, President of Carlsen Resources

The average woman sacrifices more than half a million dollars over the course of her
career — simply by accepting what she’s offered rather than negotiating for more. Whether
you’re asking for a raise or interviewing for a new job, you can negotiate, and not just for
salary. Consider asking for:
• More vacation time
• A signing bonus
• Educational and career development opportunities (for instance, tuition reimbursement)
• Vehicles
• Parking and mileage allowance
• Upgraded air travel
• Membership dues to sports clubs and industry organizations
• Stock options
• Flextime
• Job sharing
• A reduction in the waiting period for insurance benefits, or the company assumes COBRA payments during the waiting period • A reduction in the waiting period for the 401(k) plan (or for the company to pay the amount it would have matched had you been able to participate in the plan)
• Upgraded medical benefits
• An early review (with the possibility of an early merit increase).

Your mother taught you that it’s not polite to talk about money. So pretend that you’re
helping a third party negotiate. And prepare, prepare, prepare. Before beginning the discussion, be certain of:
• Your worth on the open market. What does your segment of the market pay for
people with your level of experience and status? Ask around; talk to your personal
network and to executive recruiters. Look at ads and industry salary surveys.
• What you must have versus what’s “nice to have.” (And whatever else you ask for,
try not to leave base compensation dollars on the negotiating table. With most
bonuses and merit increases based on a percentage of the
base, a lower base may mean dollars lost forever.)
• What you’re leaving behind—which counts not only your current salary, but also the value of your current benefits, bonuses, and stock options.
• Your own accomplishments. Create a tickler file to hold letters from customers and co-workers and records of projects you’ve completed and goals you have
achieved. Get into the habit of thinking about the benefits you offer!
• What you can do to make the business more profitable. Make a list of specific initiatives and programs that could help to increase revenue or pump up market share.

Remember that asking for more doesn’t automatically disqualify you, and it doesn’t
mean that you’re greedy. Instead, you’ll gain respect from the prospect employer as a
person who values her own skills. Think of the negotiation process as a “win-win” rather
than an adversarial process. Exude confidence, and knock out the competition!

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Perception is reality,” and it’s never been truer than it is
today, when people make judgments at lightning speed. And this demands that we understand
and live our personal brand.

Personal branding was one of the topics addressed at the WICT national leadership
conference earlier this year. Time Warner Cable’s Brenda Price attended the event, and
brought back this advice:

A personal brand is what you immediately think of when
you see someone. Oprah, Madonna, Laura Bush—these
women’s names conjure up a clear impression of what the
women themselves stand for. By building their own brands,
they’ve controlled what people think of them rather than
leaving people’s opinions to chance.

You can do the same. In fact, you need to do it, because it
will set you apart from all the “noise” in our complex, competitive
environment. Everyone wants to “do it all”—the challenge
is to focus.

Begin by asking yourself: “Who am I? What do I stand for? What do I want? What are my goals?” Your personal brand must be consistent with your values, beliefs, and goals, or it
won’t ring true.
Determine what you want to be known for, and keep it simple. As Broadway impresario David Merrick once said, “If you can’t write your idea on the back of a business card, you don’t have a clear idea.”
One final tip: to increase your impact within your company, build your brand with your
company’s brand in mind. See where there’s synergy and focus on that.

The Conversations That Make Us Cringe

A peer sends an insulting email to one of your team members. A co-worker’s talking
about you behind your back. Someone you counted on missed an important deadline. Now
you have to deal with the conflict. But how?

We all deal with these painful moments. Small wonder, then, that not a seat was empty
for June’s Learn at Lunch, “Handling Difficult Conversations.”

Women’s Vision Foundation founder Steffie Allen pointed out that conflict in the workplace
is not necessarily a bad thing; if handled correctly it can lead to change for the better.
Her focus, then, was to teach us how to be “conflict competent”—knowing how to make
conflict work for you, for others, and for the organization.

First, she said, you must choose your battles wisely. Conflict carries risk, so assess the
situation carefully before you act.

Second, know the type of person you’re communicating with and tailor your approach
accordingly. Some are aggressive types who cite rules and logic; others are conflict avoiders
who either agree with you (then just do what they want) or simply refuse to deal with the
situation (by not returning phone calls, or not accepting meeting requests). Understand too
that men and women deal with conflict differently—men usually direct blame away from
themselves, while women tend to turn blame inward and become apologetic.

Once you’ve thought about these issues, it’s time to schedule that meeting. Prepare for
it with one goal in mind: to remain in control of the conversation. During the meeting, don’t
let emotions take over. Calmly describe the specific behaviors you object to; explain the
effect those behaviors have on you, and why they have that effect. If the other person
becomes angry and out of control, remain calm and simply walk away. (Then, reschedule
the meeting for another time.) If the other person ignores you or tries to change the subject,
repeat what you said before until he/she is forced to acknowledge the issue and you can
have a productive discussion.

This approach, Steffie says, will help you to be both consistent and persistent—two
qualities that will increase your personal power.

Upcoming Events…

Thursday, September 11, 11:30 AM–1:30 PM:
WICT, CTAM, and NAMIC join forces to present a provocative panel on Denver’s
business economy. Local business and government leaders will discuss why companies
choose to locate to Denver, what Colorado is doing to retain companies, how consolidation
in communications and entertainment is affecting Colorado, and more. The Cable Center
2000 Buchtel Blvd. WICT/CTAM/NAMIC members $35, non-members $45.

Stay tuned for details on more WICT events:
In October
• Don’t miss a rare opportunity to attend WICT’s national Cable Boot Camp without leaving Denver!
• “Building High-Peformance Teams,” a Learn At Lunch focusing on organizational skills.

In November
• Susan Marshall, author of Changing Lanes: Road Maps to Midlife Renewal, will share advice on reinventing your career and your life.

In December
• The annual holiday gala is being planned for December 3,
so save that date!

To register for these and other upcoming events, go to the Calendar of Events or email admin@wict.org.

Coming Soon:

WICT Rocky Mountain is about to welcome its 600th member, but who will it be? Watch for a special bulletin on this record-setting event.

WICT In Touch is for you—and we welcome your feedback and ideas!
Please send your news and comments to suzanne.sell@starz.com.