Women's Leadership Symposium 2022:

Barnard-Bahn’s brunch keynote address will explore the intersection of self, career, mentorship, and personal branding. The talk will be followed by breakout sessions and workshops focused on how to best define and develop your strengths to achieve success and personal satisfaction in today’s fast-changing job market. 

To give you a sneak peak of what to expect at the event, we sat down with Barnard-Bahn for a brief Q&A.

Share a bit about your professional background and how it informs your work?

I have a law degree from Georgetown University and have been working among and with C-suite executives in Fortune Global 50 companies for more than 20 years. That experience has taught me what it takes to run an effective, high-performance team, and to succeed in a high-stakes, exciting career.I learned early on that the key to career and team success is to develop a proactive and strategic approach to cultivating trust and achieving goals. In fact, I recently wrote a book that demystifies how to get promoted to the C-suite and beyond, and what’s needed to achieve career goals and personal satisfaction. I have since been featured as an expert and thought leader by a variety of noteworthy magazines, television networks, and news outlets, including the BBC, NPR, CNBC, Forbes, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Can you offer us some insight into your approach to career coaching?

In my coaching practice, I focus on two particular areas to foster leadership effectiveness with less effort: Individual Executive Coaching and Team Alignment Transformation.

My experience has shown me that the essence of good coaching and leadership consulting is clearly understanding my client’s goals and potential obstacles, knowing the organizational expectations of my client and how they’re currently perceived, creating an action plan, and then supporting my client and holding them accountable to make the changes required to achieve the outcomes they’ve committed to. 

I help these leaders achieve accelerated results and overcome obstacles through a wide variety of approaches, tools, and disciplines. Most are C-Suite executives and seasoned professionals who have been working for well over a decade, and are experts in their field. They typically have a passion for achievement, but face challenging systemic barriers, or suboptimal relationships with colleagues that get in the way. 

The primary service I offer to solve such issues is an intensive executive team coaching and team-building program called Team Alignment Transformation. 

The program doesn’t just measure how a client’s current team is performing, but gets them into action, providing a shared language and opportunities to identify gaps and goals, establish accountability, and create follow-up measurements—all aimed at helping individuals and the company grow more profitably together. Meanwhile, we’re looking at ways to reduce stress, and boost fun and personal investiture throughout the enterprise.

You joined Mary Baldwin as a Trustee in 2021. What was it about the university and its mission that attracted you to the position?  

Universities are at a critical pivot point. Mary Baldwin’s legacy as an historical women’s college dedicated to education access is a perfect fit for my values and the leadership work I do. Having worked in healthcare for many years, I appreciate firsthand the public need that Murphy Deming fulfills. And as a lover of the arts, I treasure the Shakespeare and Performance program. I also grew up in the eastern U.S. and have Southern roots — and a cousin who was in MBU’s class of 1970! So, I’m delighted to call Mary Baldwin my home-away-from-home.

Looking back at your own collegiate experience and career, what do you think is the value for students in attending/participating in events like the Women’s Leadership Symposium?

Being able to see around corners. An exceptional career requires advance planning and gaining wisdom from others. If you cultivate a growth mindset, you will always be looking for opportunities like the Leadership Symposium to gain insights and grow your network.

What is the biggest thing you hope students and attendees will take away from your WLS keynote and masterclass workshops? 

Everyone will come away with a leadership framework that they can apply to their own career, and to support the growth of their current or future teams. It’s not about leveling the playing field, it’s about leveraging the playing field. Promotability can be broken down into five key elements, and learned and applied by anyone who is willing to put in the work. Organizations and teams can use the Promotability Index® to create a common language around who gets promoted and why, and foster meaningful and actionable career development discussions. Individuals will discover how they are currently perceived in terms of promotability, and create an action plan to advance their careers.

The Women’s Leadership Symposium is made possible by the generous support of Donna Dearman Smith ’70. It is sponsored by MBU’s College for Women. 

Admission for students, faculty, and staff is FREE. Barnard-Bahn’s Promotability Index Guidebook and app is free for students, and $10 for faculty and staff. In-person admission for alumni, friends & community members is $40, and includes the book + app. Free virtual options are also available.