As the WOLF Team was thinking about Women’s History Month and what different events we were going to plan we thought it would be great to highlight female leaders in our own company that we admire and ask them to write a Blog; Shari Ballard was one of those female leaders! I asked her the following questions;   1. Which historic woman do you most relate to and why? Or, which historic woman do you think was most influential and why? 2. Who is the woman in your life that has been most influential to you personally or professionally? 3. Have you ever had a female mentor? What was the most important thing you learned from her? 4. What is the number one issue, you think we as female leaders in corporate America, need to tackle For all working women?

Shari recommended doing it interview style so I was very excited to meet with her in person and hear her tell me firsthand about her experiences and thoughts. I should introduce myself as you will hear a few interjections from me … My name is Nicole Johnson, and I am the Communications and Event’s Manager on the WOLF Team.

This is part 3 of 3 of the interview!

*Please note there is also a voice recording of this same message below if you would like to listen to it vs. reading it. Click on the link below

Attachments:

Number One Issue Female Leaders In Corp America Need to Tackle.mp3 2935 KB

As the WOLF Team was thinking about Women’s History Month and what different events we were going to plan we thought it would be great to highlight female leaders in our own company that we admire and ask them to write a Blog; Shari Ballard was one of those female leaders! I asked her the following questions;   1. Which historic woman do you most relate to and why? Or, which historic woman do you think was most influential and why? 2. Who is the woman in your life that has been most influential to you personally or professionally? 3. Have you ever had a female mentor? What was the most important thing you learned from her?  

Shari recommended doing it interview style so I was very excited to meet with her in person and hear her tell me firsthand about her experiences and thoughts. I should introduce myself as you will hear a few interjections from me … My name is Nicole Johnson, and I am the Communications and Event’s Manager on the WOLF Team.

This is part 2 of 3 of the interview; please check back next week for part 3!

*Please note there is also a voice recording of this same message below if you would like to listen to it vs. reading it. Click on the link below

Attachments:

Modern Day Woman.mp3 2014 KB

As the WOLF Team was thinking about Women’s History Month and what different events we were going to plan we thought it would be great to highlight female leaders in our own company that we admire and ask them to write a Blog; Shari Ballard was one of those female leaders! I asked her the following questions;

1. Which historic woman do you most relate to and why? Or, which historic woman do you think was most influential and why?

2. Who is the woman in your life that has been most influential to you personally or professionally?

3. Have you ever had a female mentor? What was the most important thing you learned from her?

Shari recommended doing it interview style so I was very excited to meet with her in person and hear her tell me firsthand about her experiences and thoughts. I should introduce myself as you will hear a few interjections from me … My name is Nicole Johnson, and I am the Communications and Event’s Manager on the WOLF Team. This is just part 1 of the interview; please check back next week and the week after for part 2 and 3!

*Please note there is also a voice recording of this same message below if you would like to listen to it vs. reading it. Click on the link below J

Attachments:

A Budding Up-Start .mp3 1914 KB

The Power of A Coach.mp3 1091 KB

Family Matters.mp3 2766 KB

WOLF Co-Leaders; Liz Haesler and Mary Stoddart, answer questions about influential women in their life, mentors, women they admire, advice and much more in honor of Women's History Month!

In honor of Black History Month Paula writes about who has been an inspirational to her!

Bethany Kinsella recently attended the St. Catherine's Leadership Challenge and writes about  - How do you demonstrate your leadership to yourself, to others, at work?  In other words, how do you show up?  

Seth Owusu is on his second trip to Ghana in 2011 - This trip involves among other things, 3 computer lab setup and donation, one follow-up visit for computer workshop and one photography workshop (Photos and Fun) at a primary school. 

"Perhaps the most fascinating part is our "Sowing a Seed of Patriotism (SSoP)" program. There are 3 planned speeches to about 2,000 students and 2 Ghana TV appearances to speak about various activities of EVCO. For the past couple of days, I have connected with 53 people on Facebook. About half are BBY employees. Sometimes I 'friend' an entire store. The idea is that I will document daily activities during the trip (technology allowing) on my facebook page and invite some of my friends in Ghana and Europe to tune in to our interviews on Ghana TV for our SSoP crusade. We may also be joined by a correspondent for CNN based in South Africa to document the trip for a segment on CNN International called 'African Voices.'  

Attachments:

Workshop.JPG 4170 KB

DSC00937.JPG 2262 KB

DSC00194.JPG 2967 KB

Tips for a smooth transition from maternity leave back to the office.

By Angela Chambliss

One year ago my husband and I received the most exciting news of our lives, that we were expecting a baby, our first child. After feelings of excitement, anxiety and an entire pool of emotions of comprehending what this would mean for our lives, I was soon after overwhelmed of the thought of; “oh my, what about my job!?”

You might be thinking, how in the world did work come up for her?  A new parent should be enjoying the amazing news she just received. After some reflection, it was easier for me to understand my mixed emotions. Work at Best Buy is all I have known for 8 years and such a huge part of my life; it’s where I spend my days, often what comes up in small talk with friends and family, the place I started working in college as an intern, what I’m passionate about.  It really shouldn’t have been a surprise that I was working through the thoughts of how expecting to start a family could impact everything I have worked so hard for.

I had taken the usual vacation here and there, but the longest time I took off was two weeks after I got married and went on my honeymoon.  I remember thinking “how will I be able to “unplug” from work? Maybe I should bring my laptop to Maui incase I need to log on? What if someone needs me? What if there is an urgent issue that needs to be resolved? Yes, all things that went through my head before leaving the office for a little break were the same thoughts racing through my mind when I found out I was pregnant only they compounded and I realized, I am not just taking a vacation, I am going to ask my employer to let me take 12 weeks off then I am going to return to work with a new life at home – new needs and challenges I had never faced before.

So, before I tell you what I did, let me cut to the chase and say that everything is going great! Makenna, our daughter, is now six months old and she is the absolute joy of our life. I made it through labor & delivery, nursing, the first eight weeks of colic, adjustment to and from maternity leave, putting her into daycare, coming back to work, we all made it…but it wasn’t super easy! It took some good self talk, a circle of support, a strong and supportive work team and boss and a great husband, mother and sister to help with things. Here are my tricks and how I survived it all and in my opinion, had a pretty seamless transition back into my career:

By Anne Loughrey, Director, Best Buy

I work at Best Buy and I am busy at work.

I am the mother of 3 and that means I am busy at home.

I am also a wife, daughter, sister and friend and that means I am busy for all the time in between work and home.

The biggest variable we have to manage in this world of being busy and overbooked is TIME.   Here are my five tips to better manage your time so you can be that incredible mom and manager and everything else in between.

By Mary Minton

When I left home at 17 to go to college 2,500 miles away, I didn’t have a real clue as to what I wanted to become in life. What career path I envisioned for myself. Who I wanted to be.  But one thing I knew for sure was that I only wanted to go to this college – I knew where I wanted to be for this important life transition.

That first year as a freshman was eye opening. Living 2,500 miles from my parents. Completely self-sufficient. Paying my bills, working my way through college, learning who I was. The doors of employment opportunity opened and closed as I worked my way through the maze of possibilities. Two years came and went rather quickly.

By Mary Minton, WOLF Program Manager

A few months ago, I put myself in an awkward situation – I ‘butted in’ to an event that I really had no place being. Of course, I was trying to be helpful and provide a service that I was sure would be welcome and appreciated. Let me explain.

My lovely niece called me to let me know that she and her long-time fiancée decided to finally tie the knot in a few weeks time. No elaborate plan. They wanted to keep it simple. It was going to be a small, private affair in their home, inviting family and a few close friends. I was thrilled and excited for them both, asking a few questions and listening with enthusiasm about their approaching nuptials.

By Mary Minton

Over the past several years, I’ve found a new hobby. Hiking. When my husband and I go on vacation, we invariably find ourselves on some kind of exploration that just seems to happen.  The most recent accidental hike was in Yosemite. We were going on a 30 minute hike to a waterfall and back, before exploring other areas of the Park. When we got to the waterfall, we looked up and saw another waterfall that looked interesting. So we just decided to keep going. When we got to the next one, we heard about another interesting view up ahead, so we went on yet again, climbing. And I’m so glad we did. We saw amazing things during the next 3 hours. Stopping occasionally along the way to take pictures, enjoy the view and catch our breath. Quite by accident we experienced the thrills and challenges of “going to the top”.

Michael Trebony shares his thoughts on why the work is important to him both as a father of a young daughter and as a Best Buy shareholder.

Michael started at Best Buy in 1995 as a seasonal employee at store 154, Cincinnati, OH. After ten years of service in the stores, he transferred to the corporate support center and joined the Women's Leadership Forum in 2005. This month, he begins a new chapter with a transition to the New Business Solutions Customer Solutions Group. With a passionate point of view for our employees, he continues his mission to provide support to those closest to our customers.

The WOLF Core team thanks Michael for his many years of service to WOLF and wishes him luck and success in his new role. We know he will continue to use his voice to support the work!

Busy Jobs. Busy Moms. Jenny Lang and Tracy Zeimet talk about how job share is fitting into their lives - both at work and at home!

Mary Minton, Program Manager of WOLF's Talent Readiness Program, reflects on the importance of meaningful leadership development and what's new for the TRP this year!

Attachments:

Mary Minton.jpg 4 KB

Best Buy's Women's Leadership Forum (WOLF) celebrates all of the women in history who have changed the world and have made life better for women today. From science and technology to politics and business, we honor these women and acknowledge their great contributions. We hope to continue their great work of creating a better world for women and girls.

In honor of Women’s History Month, Liz Haesler writes about the women in both history, and in her own life who she most admires and why.