Professional women lead busy lives, so it’s no surprise that their focus on developing leadership skills often takes a back seat to the day-to-day workload.
With that in mind, the Women of Womble Bond Dickinson (WOW) offered a half-day personal leadership development seminar, followed by an evening of internal networking and mentoring aimed at honing executive presence, enhancing leadership skills and shedding habits that may be holding professional women back.
Internationally recognized leadership author/speaker and Harvard Business Review Contributing Editor, Becky Shambaugh, led the training session, which took place Sept. 25 at the firm’s Northern Virginia office. Shambaugh is the Founder of Women in Leadership and Learning (WILL), one of the first executive leadership development programs in the country dedicated to the research, advancement and retention of women leaders and executives. She also is the author of the best-selling books “It’s Not a Glass Ceiling, It’s a Sticky Floor” and “Make Room for Her: Why Companies Need an Integrated Leadership to Achieve Extraordinary Results.”
Shambaugh’s workshop was followed by an equity partner reflection panel, featuring Elizabeth Lee and Rachel Keen. Alison Bost, the firm’s Deputy General Counsel, also presented on the Mansfield Project, educating our women about this exciting initiative aimed at enhancing the firm’s commitment to diversity.
Womble Bond Dickinson attorney Cathy Hinger leads the WOW initiative and organized the professional development seminar with the assistance of DC WOW liaison Rebecca Jacobs, and professional staff Lori Patton, Cindy Pruitt, Tatiana Garcia and Angela Long.