On April 7, I will have five minutes to make a good first impression over and over again. (It’s a good thing that I’m in public relations.)
On that particular day, I will be one of 40 women charged with mentoring other women in a “speed-dating”-like atmosphere for the first BizWomen Mentoring Monday Event, organized and hosted by the South Florida Business Journal.
Here’s how it will work: In 40 business markets nationwide, groups of 40 established, professional female leaders will meet the next generation of female leaders, all as part of this event. The attendees will stand in line and wait for a particular mentor, or move to the next mentor available for one-on-one coaching sessions of 5-minute conversations. When it’s all said and done, at least 200+ women will be coached in every market, or 8,000+ women across America, from New York to Hawaii.
In South Florida, I will be surrounded by female executives from a wide range of industries – cruise lines, banking, non-profit, real estate, sports entertainment, consulting, accounting, arts & culture and more – and we will be there to encourage young women to “lean in” by going after that job they really want, earning their degrees, volunteering in their communities and leading by example.
I anticipate the level of enthusiasm and encouragement in that room will be more than enough to energize us for days afterwards.
I’m honored to be selected by the South Florida Business Journal as a mentor to possibly inspire the next agency owner, marketing executive, communicator and public relations consultant. Numerous people were there to inspire me (Jodi Nabel Ziskin, Dindy Yokel, Ian Abrams and Richard Murry come to mind the fastest), so I’m happy to return the favor … five minutes at a time.