One of my personal "top tips" for what women should do to succeed in their careers is to "enjoy the climb and take time to celebrate successes".  The reasons are obvious. Work is hard and it's important to make sure that you are finding ways to rise above the daily grind and enjoy yourself along the way. 
 
And one of the best ways is to celebrate - not just personal successes, but also the achievements of other women.  These celebrations increase the visibility of successful women in our community, give powerful role models to other women and provide enjoyable networking opportunities.
 
Cincinnati has a long tradition of high profile celebrations honoring women.  On April 22, The Enquirer's Women of the Year event attracted a sold out crowd of 1000 people to honor the volunteer work of ten exceptional women.  This is the 40th year that The Enquirer has hosted the event and Margaret Buchanan, Enquirer president and publisher, noted that "this time honored tradition has recognized a total of 401 phenomenal women for their work in our communities." This year's winners were Holly Collinsworth, Amelia Crutcher, Yvonne Gray, Beth Guttman, Carrie Hayden, Suzanne Kathman, Ruthann Sammarco, Marcella Trice, DeeDee West and Judith Wimberg. Their volunteer contributions are varied and far reaching and include chairing the board of the United Way, working for the arts, raising money for The Alzheimer's Association and for renovating Highlands High School, and helping homeless, low-income and elderly citizens. 
 
On April 29, the YWCA of Cincinnati holds its 28th annual Career Women of Achievement Awards celebration luncheon.  The event was established in 1980 to increase community awareness and appreciation for the diverse contributions of women in the workforce and the community.  Eight women who have positively influenced the community and their particular industries will be honored at another sold out event of 1500 people that has become one of the most illustrious events in Greater Cincinnati. This year's honorees are Laura Brunner, Managing Principal, Colliers Turley Martin Tucker, Virginia Drosos, President, Global Personal Beauty, Procter & Gamble, Crystal Faulkner, Partner, Cooney Faulkner and Stevens, Dr. Uma Kotagal, Senior Vice President, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Sandra Meyer, President of Duke Energy in Ohio and Kentucky, Celine Piri, President and CEO, TariCel Management Staffing, Monica Posey, Vice President of Academics, Cincinnati State, and Maribeth Rahe, President and CEO, Fort Washington Investments.
 
An interesting dynamic with these two events is the number of women who have been recognized by both organizations.  Several women were first honored by the YWCA for their career achievements, and were subsequently recognized by The Enquirer for their community leadership, including Charlotte Otto, Cynthia Booth and this year's Yvonne Gray.  Other women were first honored by The Enquirer, and then channeled their community work into successful careers, like Dianne Dunkelman, founder and CEO of National Speaking of Women's Health. These awards illustrate the truth in the adage that if you want something done and done well, give it to a busy person. Another very positive dynamic resulting from these events is the connection established among the winners. Both events have produced hundreds of alumni who are proud to be part of such esteemed groups and now support each other in their career and community endeavors.
 
There are other wonderful events in Cincinnati that celebrate women's' successes.  The Leading Women award started in 1995 with a mission to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution that gave women the right to vote. Each year,  approximately 20 women are recognized as leaders in many different categories, including science, arts, volunteer service, entrepreneur, law, media and ministry, among others. A newcomer to Cincinnati is the Athena Award program that held its first events in Cincinnati in 2006 and 2007.  The Athena Award is part of an international organization that is devoted to supporting, developing and honoring women leaders. Both of these programs recognize their honorees at luncheons that are open to the public and are upbeat, fun to attend and excellent networking opportunities.
 
One of my favorite celebration venues is the YWCA Women's Art Gallery, located in the YWCA's downtown headquarters at 898 Walnut Street.   Founded in 1993, the purpose of the Gallery is to promote local women artists and is the only Cincinnati area art gallery exclusively for women's art.   The Gallery hosts lively, well-attended opening receptions to celebrate the launch of each new show. The Gallery is also open to the public Monday through Friday.
 
These are just a few of the events that are dedicated to honoring and celebrating women in our community.  Tell us about others.  And in your busy life, take time to join the celebration!

I think one of the most valuable things that women can do to advance their careers is to take advantage of networking and mentoring opportunities. I put networking and mentoring in the same category - because I think that they go hand in hand as a lot of informal mentoring (the best kind!)  comes from the social interactions and deep relationships we develop through networking.
 
I have read many articles about the failure of business women to network and use our network connections to advance our careers.  The articles say that we should learn from our male counterparts on this important technique. There are many different kinds of networking events. For example, I have heard for years about the important business deals that are negotiated on the golf course by businessmen. Spectator sports like baseball and football are also popular with our male peers - and are certainly available to women.  But I think Cincinnati career women are finding new and perhaps more female friendly ways to interact with other working women.
 
As I mentioned in my first blog, many law firms and accounting firms host events that focus on connecting their professionals with women clients and prospective clients. My law firm, Thompson Hine, has developed the Spotlight on Women initiative that offers a mix of educational events and purely social gatherings throughout the year.  In the past we have sponsored seminars on sharpening negotiation skills for women (in the courtroom, at the closing table and in the workplace) that provide CLE (continuing legal education) credit to our guests, followed by wine tasting and mini spa treatments. We get educated, relaxed and manicured - a perfect mix!  Who needs golf?
 
A very popular networking event in Cincinnati is the quarterly bizwomen breakfast series presented by the Business Courier and sponsored by National City, U.C. Surgeons, Health Alliance and Thompson Hine.  Over 300 women gather at 7:30 a.m. to participate in roundtable discussions and hear a keynote speaker talk about her career challenges and successes.  The next bizwomen event is on May 2 at the Cincinnati Museum Center and the speaker is Sister Marie Thrailkill, President of the College of Mount St. Joseph. Check the Business Courier for details on upcoming events.
 
Excellent networking opportunities are available through various leadership development programs.  The Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce sponsors the Women Excel WE Lead Program, as well as the co-ed Leadership Cincinnati and C-Change programs. The YWCA offers the Rising Stars program for women between the ages of 25 and 40 who are rising in their careers and want to connect with Career Women of Achievement winners and other rising career women. The Urban League, the West Chester Chamber and the Northern Kentucky Chamber also offer leadership programs. Selection to these programs is competitive and participation requires an extended commitment of time over several months.  But the rewards are great in terms of learning about the community and interacting with the next generation of leaders in our region.
 
Career women can also network through their participation on nonprofit boards and related fundraising events.  Cincinnati's nonprofit organizations, especially the arts, have strong support from the business community and provide a worthwhile venue to interact with the area's power brokers. The key to reaping the most benefit of course is to undertake a significant project and produce outstanding results in order to build your credibility with this important audience.
 
One of my most valuable and enjoyable networking experiences has been through my membership in the Women's Capital Club, an investment club launched over 10 years ago by a group of 40 women. A requirement of membership is either notable career success or significant community volunteer activities (or both!).  The membership roster includes many high profile women leaders. The main goal of the Women's Capital Club is to learn about investment strategies and grow our portfolio. But a significant by-product has been the opportunity to interact with the other members in a relaxed and fun setting - and to establish connections that we can count on to support each other's business and community interests.
 
These are just a few examples of networking opportunities that I know about.  I am sure that there are many more worthwhile events and programs - in fact, tell us about them!  The main message is that career women should make every effort to take advantage of the events and programs in order to get connected with other working women.  Follow an example that has worked in the past for men and create the Old Girls' Club!  And use those connections to enhance your career and to support other women who are rising in the Cincinnati business community. 

Recently, I was one of several women interviewed by Stepfanie Romine of the Enquirer for an article she was writing about some past and current winners of the YWCA Career Women of Achievement award and how women are doing in Cincinnati. She quoted me as saying: "This is a really good time for women in Cincinnati. We have some terrific women in very visible leadership roles."  If you missed Stepfanie's article, search for 'A Good Time for Women' in the Business Section of the Sunday, March 16, 2008 edition of the Enquirer.