The visibility of Women - So important to change the world

Last friday I had my first license to arrange TEDxWomen. I was very excited about getting this opportunity and onboarded Accenture and Polyteknisk Forening as my local partners to host and share the event-invitation with their members.  The event was a co-location event kicking of in NY and then handed over to LA and done in duality with sessions moving back and forth.

I am a big supporter of TED. The format and the messages from the speakers are important thoughts and change-making messages we need to enable change-makers and followers. As a true technology-feminist, I eagerly grabbed the opportunity to apply for a license to host the TEDxWomen Event, and was very happy when I got accepted, and actually just trusting the brand that they also were able to move into this important matter.

TED did not let me down. When I was preparing thursday night to check if all my links for video was working, I found myself watching the one more stunning sharing than the other, and the time was just rushing by.

Friday morning came, early and bright. We managed to gather 10 women to sit and reflect for one hour. We watched the session on resilliance. How do you in a hasty world manage? More important how do women around the world stand up to the unfairness and create their own space in what they believe is important? Tears did hit our eyes as we where watching Lamis Zein, mother of 2 daughters living in Libanon. Divorcing her husband and having to leave her kids with her husband. Getting an education as a cluster demolatiour and now leading a squade of only mothers and beeing in high demand. Cleaning important land in Libanon enabling kids to play and farmes to grow their food. Or how about Sisiwe Mkhubmuzi from South Africa who organized busses of girls to take back the streets for girls in SouthAfrica to walk in. Probably a name we will see appearing as the prime-minister of South Africa one day.

Sitting in comfertable Norway, one gets overwellmed and think so why complain and wean. And yes, we shall not, but we also have our challenges. We need to work in a global manner to support each other, but we also need to adress the local challenges. Because we still have an important role to set the path. My great grandmother had to divorce her husband (he was a mean alcholic but very rich) her price was to make her 3 kids not applicable to inherit him. Moving with her kids to a small city (Drammen) outside of Oslo and make her living as a sewer and a cleaning lady, putting her 3 kids through secondary education. My grandmother was one of the first women in the local parlament. My mother started up women-birth hospitals in our local neighborhood and I worked with getting quotas for women to boardroom and empowering women to step up and take ownership and leadership.

So, all of us are connected and we must remember that each matter matters. Yesterday afternoon I attended a workshop at the Norwegian School of Management and I watched the students preparing for their exames. Girls where sitting with girls and boys where sitting with boys. What kind of responsibility do our public funded educations system have to mix to enable us to work as equal partners from day 1 ?  What is the responsibility of media to put women on the stage to give us role-models? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2UZZV3xU6Q&list=PLEE9AC26982836D59&index=2&feature=plpp_video
 What is the responsibility of each of us to stand out in the lime-light with our story to share ? 

All these questions are important and unanswered as a common rule, but answered by each one of us as individuals. Only we have the power to move beyon the limitations other people are putting on us.

For more stunning videos and thougths:
http://tedxwomen.org/
Photo of the great group sharing the moment on friday:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/71232595@N02/6440794919/
Link to my foundation working on establishing a virtual platform to connect women around the world:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=1777723&trk=anet_ug_hm&goback=%2Enas_*1_*1_*1%2Enas_account_nsettings*5customize*5stream_*1

Why Quatas work to get diversity

Looking into history it suprises my how little history many of my sisters know. This reminds med of something somebody once told be: history is His Story, all the history of women are more or less delibaraty written out. Well, anyway in the celebration of Norways first and so far only prime minister the results of a long batle is depressingly small, with exceptions of those areanes where quations has been imposed. Look into the norwegian politics. Since 1983 our main parties have been discussing how to get women into top position. When Arbeiderpartiet and SV posted a rule in the party quating at least 40% women to the parlament, the representation of women in the norwegian parlament rose from 13.5% to 37.5% during two election periods. Does this mean that the women in the paralament are less qualified than their male counterparts? I doubt it and can defintly not see the sign of it in todays politics. Today 5 out of 7 parties are presidented by women in Norway, and the fresh municipality election gave a significant increase in women majors.


So why are so many women against quations to the board room? What are they afraid of? Do they not belive in their own resources knowing that once they are on the inside they will performe brilliant? Or are they just bigger fighters and wanting to go the longest and hardest way?

For those of us who has been quoated we find it hard enough to enter the room and to perform there. Please do not give us any more obstacles and causes to be aware of. If you want to join this possibility and contribute to the qulaity of the boardroom work, say yes to quation.

Why you should spend time with other women in high quality meetingplaces

As a technology-feminist and with an extensive experience in board-work, even I sometimes tend to underestimate the need of meeting someone like me.  I talk about it, I know about it, but I do to unfrequent take the time to recharge my batteries and go on.
In my mail I do get a number of invitations with a hugh variation in content, and I have found lately that what now more and more appeals to me are events where we are merging the women with the story with the updated research on the numerous topics. It might have something to do with experiencing how important bringing facts back to my everyday is, or that these events tend to peel off the particepants just listening in on others stories, but not trying to live their own.
Because in the end, this is what matters. If you only observe but continue not to share, not to try to change, not to challenge and not reach out, you might end up with a good career for yourself, but not contributing to making a change.  I do believe life is so short, and I really want the business life to get more balanced and more diverse. I do believe that everyone of us out their can make a change if we try.  I do believe everyone of us have this comitment to the early feminist fighting the laws and regulation to continue to strive for a better and more diversified worklife where women and men are treated equal.  (sorry to say but the numbers are sad facts showing we are not their yet).

So if you want to contribute, my tip of today is to join meetingplaces with high quality and research discussing and contributing to this topic.  On the 21st of october, such an event is taking place in Oxford. I can not be there myself, but if you can take the time and ask for the cost-coverage from your employee. It is a good deal for both of you.  Here is the link:

http://www.womensphere-europesummit.com

The Challanges and opportunities of beeing a women entrepreneur

I do not want to take the hopes out of all of you thinking you want to start up something, continue with your dream but try to be realistic. You need to consider the following actions to get you pass the roadblocks that will try to hinder your dream.

1.Sell, sell and sell. First of all get clients/customers to your idea. Never forget to sell and learn from the best. Who do you admire, observe them. Take an online course in selling or read books and go out and try it. Remember that a no is the second best thing to yes. Remember good sellers have 2 ears and one mouth.
2. Get an office, do not think that beeing an entrepreneur from home is a great idea. Office space is available from excisting networks, also funded by government funding or investment fund. An Office enhances yourself impression that you are a business women and fills your calender with a mandatory task.  Then consider carefully what kind of office-space you are looking for. Should it offer access to money, market, advisors? How about commuting distance? And finally do also have an office-space at home offering you the flexibility.
3.Build a brand. In todays business climate, a brand is everything. Abrand is a name with a visual expression (colors and fonts), and you must protect your brand both by legal ways but also by using it in your signature, presentations and through this leaving traces.
4.Get mentors and advisors from the start. You should always register your company as a real company, and this gives you tools to put together a formal network of advisors to your company. You need people to the board, and ask the best, most will accept sharing your sucess through small owner stakes as their fee. Also requesting mentorship from people you admire is often returned postive if you ask for an advice over lunch.
5. Get a role in networks. All industries have their networks and they are looking for women. Do not wait to be asked, offer yourself as an available resource with capabilities.
6. Keep your household in your company tidy, and buy help for this. Your accountant is also your best advisor.

Att välja Väg, or why make a choice that matters

I have the opportunity to in a frequent manner attend conferences focusing on the opportunity or challenges for women. When the domain of researchers are present, it is ok to focus on the challenges and be honest but not discuss so much actions and solutions. Researchers leave that to the politicans or us in the industry. When the conference domain is women in industries or students, the guiding is to focus on the opportunity and the benefit of choosing different. However right now (12th and 13th of august) I am attending a conference  Att Välje Väg http://www.fanny.ax/, with a mixed domain, and hence and interesting conversation is building up.
1. You do make choices, even if you don't.
2. Genus matter, and in entrpreneurship the male genus is dominant, even if women have been entrpreneurs always.
3. If your mother has  been a positive strong role model, making her choices, you will tend to do the same.
4. If your environment is expecting of you as a women to choose, you will make a choice.

Reflecting on my present homebase beeing Accenture, I can see the same pattern. The few women making it to the top I tend to observe have often strong mothers and environments from their families expecting.  Then we in Accenture still have a road to travel to set straigth our expectations, not only the outspoken one but the once communicated in our environment through the informal channels.

And I do believe expectations are everything. So request expectations from your environment to move upwards and building business. Then make your choices that matters for you and the one you care for.

2 girls out of 3 award winners in the European Open Data Challenge

Listening to the award winners in the European Contest, competing in 3 categories; best app, best visualization and best use of data.  Very good winners and also runners up, and really showing what we can do once you get access to data that the tax-payers already has paid for.

For more insight:

The Open Data Challenge was Europe's biggest open data competition to date. There were 20,000 euros in prizes to win, and a total of 430 entries from 24 EU Member States. It was open for 60 days - from early April to early June 2011.

The winners were selected by an all star cast of open data gurus, and announced by Vice President of the European Commission Neelie Kroes at the Digital Agenda Assembly in Brussels.

Fra instant return til nå gjelder det til eksamen

Jeg er en ekte teknologi entusiast og faller vel neppe inn i kategorien mamma'er som teknisk ukeblad hevdet hindret iallefall jenter til å bli teknologi interessert ved å holde tilbake.  Hos oss har det nok vært motsatt, det er min kjære mann som synes jeg er alt for liberal med spill av ulike typer, spill konsoller (ja vi har alle 3 typene) og ikke orker å holde avtalt tidsforbruk.  Og, ja min kloke mann har rett.  Ikke fordi jeg synes det er så fantastisk morsomt å spille selv, med unntak av enkle spill som angry birds, eller nå Nidar siste Laban Rockere (sjekk selv: http://salterockere.laban.no/), hvor jeg alltid endre opp med tenners gnissel og elendige resultater, men lærer noe nytt hver gang.  Men, med to gutter under 18 blir det mye spill tid her i huset og mye mas fra oss om de har holdt avtalene. Leste i helgen at jeg var en typisk tiger-mamma. Vår avtale er maks. 2timer på hverdager og 3 timer pr.dag i helgen og ikke noen mulighet for akkumelering av tid. Forusetning at de skal skrive ned i en tidsbok, dersom ikke så blir det spill fritt en dag.  Og akk ja, hvor mange ganger har ikke boken vært fylt ut, når vi kommer hjem fra jobb.  Har det blitt spill fritt dagen etter, vel tja. Hvorfor ? Søte smil, og Mamma jeg skal skjerpe meg altså eller Mamma jeg dekker bordet jeg osv.  Så, alt i alt, har jeg oversett og tenkt at så lenge de spiller fotball, får karakterer nærmere 5 og 6 enn 4 så bekymrer jeg meg kanskje unødvendig.  Og, ja på mange måter tror jeg dette er rett, men i forrige uke møtte jeg veggen med min logikk.  Eldste mann har avsluttende mattematikk i neste uke, og han fortsatte å spille. Forsiktig spurte jeg om lese planer, og litt difuse svar kom tilbake.  Resultat som det alltid blir; jeg eksploderte og sa jeg var trist over han ikke nå i noen få dager kunne prioritere å lese og ikke minst legge en plan. Sint slo jeg av Playstation 4 minutter før den omgangen var slutt. Min herlige eldste sønn forstod ikke at 4 minutter kunne spille noe rolle. Sint og varm forklaret jeg at det ikke var de 4 minuttene men prinsippene.  Ja, slik holdt vi det gående ganske lenge, og kom frem til en enighet om at nå var det ekstrajobb, fotball og matematikk som gjaldt.  Nå er vi halveis i planen, og til tross for at spillet må stoppes hver dag, har han faktisk tatt seg sammen og leser ganske strukturert og etter plan.  Så kommer refleksjonen til slutt; for en 17 åring forstår jeg at det er tøft å velge vekk løpende tilbakemeldling om hvor god du er, sosial omgang med venner i en verden du behersker til fordel for å lese i ensomhet, skrive oppgaver fra gamle eksamener og spørre om hjelp.  Hadde det vært rett av meg som mamma og etterspurt mer av dette fra skolen, eller skulle skolen utviklet seg mer i denne retning eller er det godt at det er så store forskjeller ?  Jeg har ikke svarene, bare akkurat nå noen observasjoner som jeg skal fundere over.  Ha en fin eksamens forberedelse uke enten du går i skolen eller har barn i skolen som må lese.

Digital Agenda and a Gender Action Plan, EU is taken action

With a passion for women and technology, I have learned to respect our politicans and their sense of urgency to change established patterns.  Right now I am preparing a workshop for the digital agenda in Brusselex on the 16th to the 17th of june, all put to the agenda by Nelly Kroes. She is pin poiting the fact that without women in the discussions, it is hard to get the right influence on what we need to get more women into the field.  We also have the same situation here in Norway with our present ICT-minster with extensive experience from the ICT-industry.

Then closing today's work I loose my optimistic perspective again. I have spent the late afternoon planning for an innovation workshop and seminar under the Oslo Innovation Week in October, and even I could hardly come up with more than one women to put on the agenda.  Drifting into my fingers is a conversation I had with one of my female collegueas the other day, pointing out to her her great sucess and urging her to go for a promotion. Her reply made me loose my faith in the industry; if they do not see me I do not want to take the trouble of telling them.

 And she is right but also wrong, and then I understand her very well. How long do we have to be double as good ? And I will support Mrs. Kroes and other politicans in their gender perspective on the politics in ICT, because they are representing a soft but forceful way to open the eyes and reducing the double so good demand on all you brilliant girls out there.