Arlene Quinones Perez, Esq. Talks to a Participant
Women’s Empowerment Day was held as part of Women’s History Month at Saint Peter’s University, which celebrates and encourages the study and observance of the vital role of women in American history.
Women with prolific careers came together for this event to share their knowledge and career advice. Attendees were able to gain effective resources for success based on presentations from Arlene Quinones Perez, Esq., partner at DeCotiis, Fitzpatrick, Cole & Giblin, LLP; Susan Sangillo Bellifemine, Esq., partner at Susan Sangillo Bellifemine, LLC; and Esther Suarez, Esq., Hudson County prosecutor. Joann S. Lublin, retired management news editor at The Wall Street Journal and author of Earning It: Hard-Won Lessons from Trailblazing Women at the Top of the Business World, gave the keynote address. Lori Ann Buza, Esq., chair of the accountancy and business law department, moderated the event. The day-long event concluded with a self-defense workshop taught by Buza and a yoga and meditation workshop led by Buza and Rachel Wifall, Ph.D., associate professor of English. The accountancy and business law department and the Saint Peter’s Business Law Association hosted the event.
To summarize Lublin’s career path, she was one of the first female interns and then employees at The Wall Street Journal. She recently retired as the management news editor. She was a member of a journalism team that was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 2003. To watch an animated video about Lublin’s life, click here.
Susan Sasngillo Bellifemine, Esq.
Her new book, Earning it: Hard-Won Lessons from Trailblazing Women at the Top of the Business World is about leadership. Lublin interviewed 52 high-level female corporate executives; she retells their stories and how they overcame obstacles. She also discusses three ways in which a person can “earn it” and succeed, earning power, earning respect and earning success.
Her first anecdote about Cathie Black, former New York City Public Schools chancellor, described how a person could earn power. Early in her career, Black knew her worth and when a management level position opened up at Hearst Magazines, she marched into the boss’ office and told him that she would work harder than anyone else would. She knew her worth and she knew what the person who held her position before her had made so she negotiated a better pay. She saw the negotiation as a game and thought to herself: what’s the worst that could happen?
“You may wonder how firmly you should negotiate pay,” said Lublin. “It depends on how good you are. If they are talking about how good you are then you have leverage. Make sure you are well-liked and that you have achievements you can point to.”
In conclusion, Black emphasized the fact that systematically women are paid less than men. Women need to recognize their value and negotiate better paying positions.
Joann Lublin Signs Copies of her Book
To the point of earning credibility, Lublin used Kathleen Ligocki as an example. Ligocki waged a war in her workplace about a requirement for the men to wear ties. She earned credibility by dealing with her issue in a humorous way. Using humor rather than anger allowed her to deflect the situation; she earned credit and was accepted as an equal among her colleagues, who were mostly men. She is now the CEO of Agility Fuel Systems.
“What’s the moral?” Lublin asked, “If you use humor instead of anger in the workplace you will be able to deflect situations that are focused on you and you will be able to gain respect among your peers and relate to others as one human being to another.”
Lastly, Lublin made a point about earning power through the story of Gracia Martore. Martore accepted a risky role early in her career by working double duty for nearly a decade. She took calculated career risks that were outside her comfort zone. She eventually became the CEO of the Gannett Company. She had a fearless attitude.
“Get out of your comfort zone and develop your leadership muscles,” Lublin stressed. “Build your image as a valued change agent.”
Lublin left the audience with valuable career advice and important statistics. She concluded by stating, “There is no one formula that is going to guarantee your success in business. In order to earn it you must prove that you have got the right stuff and prove it again.”