Be Fearless.
Take Risks. Be confident in your convictions. Bring others along.  Great leaders look fear in the eye and use it to their advantage. As the force driving them into uncharted territory. And the adrenaline that keeps them climbing the corporate ladder. They are smart, strategic, and always ready to take action. They don't surrender or retreat. They're committed to their vision and believe in it above everything else. Because of this, others are willing to follow. Without fear.  Be fearless.  Take a risk and jump into the opportunities being offered to you.

Wow! When we selected the WICT Touchstone of Leadership* “Be Fearless” as WICT Atlanta’s guiding theme for 2008, we had no idea that so many of you in the Chapter would embrace it so enthusiastically. Whether it is intentional or not, we have seen fearlessness exhibited continually this year.

In April, WICT Atlanta produced an outstanding program on “The Power of a Woman’s Voice.” It was a skill-building program designed to increase your presence and power as a speaker, in both public speaking and in personal encounters. We learned some very practical ways to make our voices heard and to make what we say more impactful. It was attended by over 75 women and 1 man. Now, that is a great example of being fearless!

We saw more fearlessness in May. Our WICT Chapter went on the road for the first time and presented a program in Knoxville, Tennessee. We did a Speed Mentoring event. Over 20 mentors and over 60 attendees participated. These are smart, strategic women and men, and they certainly took action. When the idea was first broached, our friends at Scripps Networks in Knoxville jumped into action. With guidance from WICT Board member Sandy Sigmund and Scripps liaison Jerilyn Bliss, over 20 volunteers from Scripps handled every aspect of this event. Leaders from Scripps, Comcast and businesses around Knoxville eagerly volunteered to be mentors. The adrenaline at the event was amazing. It took one little spark, and our Knoxville members fearlessly took off with this event.

Likewise, in June, WICT Atlanta members experienced the treat of hearing 4 fearless leaders in our industry talk about programming trends across platforms. Among other things, they talked about the difficulties in managing rights for emerging platforms, handling talent, and creating business models that work, particularly on the new platforms. The inspiring message was that none of these leaders presented any of these challenges as insurmountable. Each of these issues is just one more hurdle that we plow through. Yes, cable is a risky business, but that is what fearlessness is all about.

The “Be Fearless” theme continued in July. At our “Tech it Out” event, we saw live demonstrations of the latest platforms where content can be distributed and heard an expert’s view of how new technology platforms are changing the media business. Do these new platforms scare you? Are you afraid they will cause your company to lose market share? GOOD. As the Touchstone says “Great leaders look fear in the eye and use it to their advantage.”

Remember that fearless leaders “bring others along.” Our 2008-09 mentoring program is now accepting applications. Use this opportunity to mentor others or gain a new mentor. You can participate in our Peer-to-Peer program and be paired with someone within the industry, or you can mentor a young woman at Agnes Scott College, or our new mentoring partner, Spelman College.

This is YOUR chapter and I am very proud to serve as the President. I welcome any comments, questions or suggestions you may have. Please contact me at smcgaughy@weather.com.

Be Fearless!

Sheri McGaughy
WICT Atlanta President

* The Touchstones are an inspirational guide to effective leadership attributes.  WICT compiled the Touchstones to define the characteristics of a good leader and serve as our compass along the path of leadership development.  For more about the Touchstones see, www.wict.org/WICT/WhoIsWICT/Touchstones/default.htm.