Lead with femininity and grace!

*** DISCLAIMER :This is truely my personal opinion..Iam not here to pinpoint anyone in particular.***

How about being the only woman in your organisation....??!! Have you ever been in this situation ??
I would like to discuss pros and cons of being in this situation..

Lets discuss pros first...be positive buddy :)
1. You will get noticed right from CEO to housekeeping person.
2 .In meetings , amidst all the strong male voices , you get to speak with the sweet feminine voice and bring a calming effect as well as different perspective on your male counterparts :P

Here comes the tough part...
1.How to network with these fellows when social networking happens in the smoking zone (incase if you are not a smoker...)
2.What to do in team dinner party. ..so called team building activity when your male counterparts are busy smoking and boozing..Should you get drunk with them ?? What I usually do is to have a cocktail and try to converse in the first 1 hour when they are sane, have dinner and run away from that place at that earliest...
3.How to draw fine line when professional relationship try to become more personal ?

Being in the technology industry for the past 3 years and many a times being the only woman in the team ,I had lot of challenges in building a rapport within the team. Corporate world had taught me a lot about human behaviour. I have made very good friends on the way.

Every organisation should have focus on gender diversity and bridge this gap in the technology world.
Hope to see equal number of women in the boardroom ..
If so, no such arguments or posts are necessary in the near future !!

I highly value these words by Padmasree Warrior ,Motorola

What lessons have you learned that would be valuable to women beginning their careers in technology?

Be an expert in your field, know your stuff! Develop a clear, concise and distinctive communication style. Surround yourself with giants - don't be intimidated by brilliance from others, leverage it. Lead with femininity and grace - you don't have to be "one of the boys" to be recognized as a strong leader. Be professional and always treat people with respect. Be well organized in how you deliver and be thorough in what you do. Take charge of your career. Don't wait for the perfect opportunity to land in your lap--search for it with passion and daring. A lesson I learned from Bob Galvin is "Leadership is the ability to take people elsewhere. Lead with humility. Humility does not mean that one thinks less of oneself, it means that one thinks of oneself less". This is a nugget I will always carry with me.

Source : http://www.witi.com/wire/witiwomen/pwarrior/index.shtml