The Downtown Women's Club womensDISH blog

Why do women miss out on the best networking opportunity around?

Last night I had the great pleasure of watching a candidate I support win a primary for a US Senate seat.  The only damper on the evening?  The lack of 30 and 40-something businesswomen in attendance both last night, during the campaign, and at the voting booths.  Now, this is a bipartisan post, but I will be using a Democratic example, and you'll see why. 

The candidate I’ve been working for (as a member of their online rapid response team) is Martha Coakley, who is running for Ted Kennedy’s vacant Senate seat.  If she wins the special election on Jan. 19th, 2010, she will be the first female Senator from Massachusetts.  She would also be the 18th female Senator in Congress.  Coakley has opposed the Stupak amendment and will likely continue to be an advocate for women and has been recognized by the White House for her work as an AG taking on the financial industry. 

Now, before my Republican friends jump down my throat, I only included those details to show that if ever there was a candidate likely to attract the female demographic, she ranks up there.  Yet, where were the women?  There were Boomer women there (although in remarkably lower numbers than I would have thought), along with their young 20-something daughters.  In contrast, I think our male colleagues were out in equal or more numbers in all age groups.   From what I could see of the other candidates' events (on the large TV broadcast they had playing), they seemed to have similar demographics.  

So, here’s my question, why the heck are women missing out on the great networking opportunities provided by political campaigns?

I'm really not sure why my peers are all sitting home and not participating, but here are some thoughts I had on why women need to step it up (and I don’t care which party, or which candidate).

• Politics is serious business.  No one will ever take women seriously in business if they don’t have a presence in this business arena. Just look at a list of campaign donors:

• Here’s a link to the Massachusetts donations for the current Special Election:  http://www.opensecrets.org/races/contrib.php?cycle=2010&id=MAS1.  See any of the companies that are in your target market?

• And for national elections, there is Fundrace (http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com/), where you can look up what the higher ups in your company, potential clients, or your competitors are doing.

• There are no barriers to entry.   Political campaigns require money.  Politicians don’t care who gives them money.  A $250, $500 or $1,000 check pretty much gets you VIP status and access to any event(s) you want, which means access to others who have similar resources.  Women often complain that they are still not invited to “VIP events”.  Well, VIP events cost money, and if you can write that check, every door will be open to you.  How can you afford it?  Refrain from writing lots of little checks to various non-profits/campaigns and instead write one single check to a single organization/campaign.

• Campaign events make networking easy.  Everyone involved in a campaign has a common goal/interest.  You can read up on the issues beforehand. And the nice part is that you already know it’s perfectly acceptable to talk about politics.  In just a few minutes last night I met a number of attorneys, many of whom were partners in their law firms, the owners of a telecommunications company, the president of the National Women's Political Caucus, the director of the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus, one of our Downtown Women's Club members, and I could go on.

• It’s easy to play a role.  Here’s the different things you can do:

• Write a check.  Find out what you need to donate to get invited to an event.  Campaigns run events where the ticket price can vary from $50-$1,000, I’m sure you can find one in your budget.
• Fundraise. You probably do this for non-profits, why not try it for a political candidate in a race that you feel strongly about.  If you bring in $500, $1,000 or $5,000, you personally don’t have to write as big a check to get VIP status.
• Volunteer your time or skills.  Whether it’s making calls from a phone bank, holding a sign for a morning or joining a campaign’s online tweeting/blogging team, you get to meet the other volunteers.  And, these are all free networking opportunities.

• Vote.  It’s not just running for office, making donations, or volunteering time to the campaign.  It’s also about voting.  Wouldn’t it be nice if a campaign cared about what businesswomen think as opposed to “soccer moms” and “security moms”?  I certainly don’t fit in either of the two latter categories.  But, what would have happened if businesswomen had stormed the polls in this single Massachusetts primary election (for either or both parties)?   I guarantee you in the next presidential election, the politicians and pundits would be caring about what businesswomen think.

The bottom line for businesswomen is:  if we don’t show up on the ballots, in the campaigns, or at the polls, then no one is ever going to care about what we think or take us seriously.

Face to Face: How To Work Any Holiday Party by Susan RoAne

This month's featured guest post is by best-selling networking book author, Susan RoAne who shares with us her five top tips for holiday networking

1. SAY YES and go.  The possibilities and opportunities are only apparent if you attend. Why? You never know… if you’ll meet a lead to a client, a job, comped tix to the ballet or comedy club, someone to carpool or a new best friend.

2. Be prepared.  READ the paper, the website of any organization/company that’s sponsoring the party. Identify 3-5 items to talk about and have some good stories ready to share.

3. Dress for the occasion. It’s the holidays and it’s festive but wear a gown only if it’s black tie.  Lose the jeans unless the invitation calls for denim.  One woman friend showed up in jeans for my 21st party and then felt uncomfortable.  We went to the city last spring and saw Burn the Floor—which we loved—with a group from our dance aerobics class. She did and said the same thing. Somehow I learned she either has no sense of “dress up” or doesn’t care and likes the Stick Out Like a Sore Thumb mode.

4. Eat a little something before you attend parties. You can’t be sure of what or what time the food will be served. In a recession, where companies and people are cutting back, you don’t want to be seen as the hog at the table. Having some food inside will absorb the alcohol. BONUS Tip:  Do not overindulge in the allegedly free booze. You will pay a price!

5. Lose the techie toys. We don’t want to see your iPhone or your Blackberry.  It gives a message:  “I’d rather talk to anyone who isn’t here than someone who is.”

It's simple:  GO to have fun, be nice to people, talk to those standing alone and circulate.

Based on Face To Face: How To Reclaim The Personal Touch in A Digital World and How To Work A Room®.

Why your picture is worth a thousand words on social networks

Most of us put off having our picture taken because we never really like the results.  Yet, not having a professional photo is a bigger mistake now than it was several years ago  Why?  Because when it comes to Facebook, Twitter & other social networks, you photo is your  logo, company brand, and for the most part the one shot you have to attract your readers attention.

No matter what you think of our appearance, your best bet is to have a close-up picture of yourself smiling and here are a few reasons why:

1. On Facebook, that long-lost friend may only have your name and picture to go on when they search, so make sure they can tell it's you.
2. In the Facebook news feed or Twitter time line, where people get a constant stream of information, your friends and colleagues will start to recognize your posts by your picture.  These pictures are small, so you want them to be able to see you.  I would also recommend against frequently changing your picture often as people may not recognize your status updates and may miss your posts.
3. You should also consider using the same photo across different social networks.  As your networks grow, people may recognize you on one platform, like Twitter or LinkedIn, and look for you on the other.  It helps to make the connection if you use the same photo.
4. I’m really wary about putting photos of children on Facebook.  I put a few in my photo albums which are for only a limited group of friends to see.  However, I recommend against including them in your main profile photo.  Unless every single one of your Facebook friends has used their Privacy Settings to hide their friends in public searches, that photo is effectively in the public domain. Besides, we’re friends and business colleagues with you (not your children), and we want to see your smiling face in our news feed!
5. For more ideas about your photo, scan through your news feed on Facebook, or the Twitter timeline and see which photos catch your eye. 
   
6. As for why you should be smiling, well, let's just say no one wants to hang out with Mr. or Ms. Grumpypants in person ... or online.

Is your picture really worth 1,000 words?  I would say so, because if you can't capture anyone's attention with your photo, then it doesn't matter if you write 10,000 or more words. 

Looking for a photographer?  Click here to see a few of the photographers in our DWC+ Member Directory.

Diane K. Danielson is the founder and chief social media strategist of the Downtown Women's Club.  This post was based on an excerpt from The Downtown Women's Club Beginner's Guide to Facebook (eBook).  Free with a Downtown Women's Club DWC+ Premium membership.

DWC founder Diane Danielson on women networking their way to the boardroom

Downtown Women's Club founder and CEO Diane K. Danielson was featured in an article by The Glass Hammer on how women can network their way onto corporate boards. 

As Danielson notes, "When it comes to board positions, just like promotions in the office, it’s very rare that someone will just notice your exemplary work and pluck you out and put you on a board.  You need to not only be your own advocate, but also build a network of advocates on your behalf. I would suggest that if you were looking to get on a board, make that a networking goal.  Look at organizations that can help you do this and let people know, one, that you are interested in getting a board position; two, what type of board you would like to sit on; and three, why you are qualified to do so.”

Read the complete article at http://www.theglasshammer.com/news/2009/10/13/networking-your-way-to-the-boardroom/

Virtual glass floor? Gender & social networks

This week a fascinating set of data was released that shows women dominating social media.  Apparently, women outnumber men on Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed, Flickr, Classmates, MySpace, Hi5 and del.icio.us.  Women tie men on LinkedIn, YouTube and Bebo.  The boys, however, do rule on Digg.

Here's a link to the full demographic breakdown of social networks: http://www.briansolis.com/2009/10/revealing-the-people-defining-social-networks/

And, here's a great visual: http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2009/who-rules-the-social-web/

While this data is based on sheer numbers of people using the systems (not who is in charge, making money or has power and influence), it shouldn't be surprising.  After all, social media is all about facilitating communication and women are known communicators.

As I wrote the title to this post, I realized that a virtual glass floor is not the best visual.  First of all, some of the men I know probably wouldn't mind the view from down there (joking!!!). However, as pointed out above, it's not really a floor. We're just talking numbers, not power or influence.  Yet ... shouldn't numbers eventually equal power and influence????  It will be interesting to see how this unfolds. 

This is why it's not enough for women to just post a profile on LinkedIn.  We need women to use social networking platforms to voice their opinion and build their businesses.

To be honest, I was a bit hesitant about this post because I don't believe there should be glass floors or ceilings - it shouldn't be about gender at all - but talent, skill and capability.  Yet, we're not at equality yet in the places that count (the C-Suite) - despite more college graduates, more grad school graduates and now more social media participation.  But, perhaps demographics + social media will help us get there!

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Need help on social media and other communication skills?  Check out our upcoming Downtown Women's Club DWC+ Teleclasses.  DWC+ members can download over $1500 worth of previously recorded teleclasses on many social media topics!

DWC+ Teleclasses Free for DWC+ Premium members.  Non-DWC+ Members can purchase individual classes for $29/each. 10/8 at 12:00 noon EST - Marketing in the Facebook Era 10/15 at 12:00 noon EST - Throw Away Your Resume 10/22 at 12:00 noon EST - Perfect Your 15-Second Pitch 10/29 at 12:00 noon EST - 10 Tips to Starting a Business in this Economy 11/5 at 12:00 noon EST - Inside the Mind of the Gen Y Worker 11/12 at 12:00 noon EST - 8 Ways to Avoid Overeating During the Holidays Click here to RSVP or download previous teleclasses (DWC+ Premium members only). Need to upgrade to DWC+? Visit the DWC member center.

Book Review: Keith Ferrazzi has your back

Book Review reprinted with permission from Entrepreneur.com's Top Shelf Reviews.

When Keith Ferrazzi's book Never Eat Alone came out in 2005, I read it and chose not to review it. To me, it was nothing more than a lot of name-dropping by someone (a major extrovert) who wanted to run his life as a nonstop BNI meeting. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But for 99 percent of the rest of the world, even if we wanted to, we couldn't follow his recommendations due to introverted personalities, family obligations, and the fact that many of us startup entrepreneurs needed to focus on the day-to-day operations and sleep more than three or four hours per night.

However, I have a very different take on Ferrazzi's new book, Who's Got Your Back: The Breakthrough Program to Build Deep, Trusting Relationships That Create Success --and Won't Let You Fail. This is the book I wish he had written back then. The difference between the two? In the first book, Ferrazzi taught people "how to mingle," not "how to network." In his new book, amid many mea culpas for the first book (an honorable approach that completely changed my view of Mr. Ferrazzi), he focuses on building relationships rather than building a Rolodex.

Some of my favorite sections from the book include the following:

He notes that the secret to getting into the "club" (e.g., any group of top executives who all do business with one another) is "[caring] about other people's success rather than just your own. It was a skill that business schools and too many people overlooked."

I liked the model he used for this book of Jean Nidetch, the founder of Weight Watchers, building support systems to accomplish goals. "Exceptional achievement in work and life is a peer-to-peer collaborative process." Much of the beginning is very personal and talks about how, to the outside world, Ferrazzi seemed to be living the high life always surrounded by adoring fans and colleagues, yet he felt isolated and alone, and his company wasn't making the progress it should have been making.

At their essence, my problems weren’t just business problems. For so many of the daily and strategic issues that a company faces, I relied on the world-class network I had put together, using the insights and guidelines I described in Never Eat Alone. I could turn to any number of clients, lawyers, bankers, vendors, or board members in my network for specific advice. But the help they could give me was relegated to a call here or a coffee there – dribs and drabs. I didn’t have anyone in my life whom I could turn to at any time for a completely candid, no-holds-barred discussion of what was really going on in my life and my business.

My favorite line in the whole book was shortly thereafter where Peter Guber tells him that he needs to be more "elegant," and then explains that he wasn’t talking about Ferrazzi’s appearance but rather "elegance of purpose and activity."

". . . elegance is the art of exerting the minimum amount of effort for the maximum effect, the maximum amount of power and achievement in our life. . . . [Keith] you're one of the smartest people I know, but you're working so frenetically."

Click here to continue reading this review.

DWC Guest Post: From Fired to Hired

DWC Guest Post by Tory Johnson, author of Fired to Hired: Bouncing Back from Job Loss to Get to Work Right Now.

1) When you tried to go from fired to hired after losing your job at NBC News, what obstacles did you face?

When I was fired from NBC News from a job I loved and a place I considered heaven on earth, I was stunned. I thought my world had come to an end. I was embarrassed. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I stayed in my apartment for weeks and weeks. Ultimately I had to accept that the job was over, but my life and career could continue just fine. I had come out of hiding, pick up the phone and reach out to all of my contacts. I had to hold my head and realize that the skills and successes were still mine—and nobody could take those away.

2) If I get laid off today, what’s the first thing I should do?

Two things simultaneously: Indulge in a pity party--give yourself a moment to let your emotions run wild. You'll no doubt feel scared, frustrated, angry, and maybe a tinge of relief. Acknowledge those concerns, but don't allow them to consume you. After all, you've got a lot of work to do. Focus on your finances. If you've lived paycheck to paycheck, it's time for a reality check. What are your monthly obligations and which ones can you lower? How much money do you have in reserve? File promptly for unemployment, with an emphasis on accuracy and honesty so your claim isn’t delayed or denied.

3) What are 3 mistakes you see jobseekers making most often?

• Trotting out the “nobody’s hiring” excuse. By assuming “there are no jobs out there,” you’re looking for an easy excuse—a crutch—to throw in the towel and give up on your search. When I appeared on Larry King Live earlier this year, a caller phoned in to ask how he could possibly find a job when 90 percent of the local employers in his area weren’t hiring. My answer is always the same: Focus on the other 10 percent. You don’t need 100 percent of the employers to be in hiring mode. You only need one to say yes.
• Talking mainly about your needs. It's not about what you want, dummy. It's about what they want. No employer will hire you because of what you want—such as an “opportunity for growth in a progressive company.” Forget that nonsense and recognize that you’ll only be hired based on what the company wants. Figure out what they want and position yourself as an ideal match. (Ultimately you have to want the same things for yourself, but as a jobseeker, sell yourself based on their needs first, not your own.)
• Spraying and praying. Only a fraction of online time should be spent on the giant job boards because they lead to a false sense of accomplishment. You submit hundreds of resumes and you feel pretty good about yourself. You assume someone out there will respond to at least one, if not more, of your submissions. All logical assumptions—and all wrong. Job searching in a recession is more about quality than quantity. If you’re not following up and proactively reaching out directly to decision makers, your chances of being discovered in that big black hole are slim.

4) Where do jobseekers say they’re spending most of their time online?

Sadly, the sites they turn to most often are the giant job boards. That’s fine for finding job leads and getting a sense of who’s hiring and what’s out there. But it’s hardly enough. I steer them to social networking sites. Anyone looking for a job should be on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. It’s not good enough to simply have an account and amass a slew of contacts, friends and followers: you’ve got to work those connections to make them work for you. Embrace the 60/40 rule: 60% of your jobsearch time should be spent offline, with just 40% spent online using job boards, social networking sites, blogs and industry sites.

5) Give us a few quick tips that are easy to apply:

• Enhance your digital identity. When we want to find out about someone or something, we google it. If nothing comes up, it must not exist. Don’t be absent in cyberspace. When a prospective employer or contact googles you, make sure something comes up—ideally information that enhances your professionalism and touts your credentials. Online social networks—Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn—can help you do just that. Create a free digital resume at VisualCV.com. Start a blog. Post comments on influential industry blogs to tout your knowledge.
• No typos, duh. Three out of four (76%) executives surveyed by staffing firm Accountemps said just one or two typos in a resume would remove applicants from consideration for a job. Ask 3 people to proof a hard copy—don’t rely on spell check. Read it backwards too.
• Don’t blame your age. Resist the urge to blame the one thing you can’t control—age. Even though workers age 45+ are disproportionately represented in the long-term unemployed, it’s not impossible to get hired. You’ll no doubt encounter “over-qualified,” which is often code for “too old,” but keep plugging away.
• Spend 3 to 4 hours a day devoted to your search. If you’re not working on it daily, it’ll take longer to get hired. If you’ve been struggling for months without success, wipe the slate clean and start over.
• Mind your credit. Poor credit, which is more and more likely for some people in a recession with prolonged unemployment, can prevent you from getting hired. Don’t bury your head to mounting debt and unpaid bills. Be proactive about addressing this if it’s an issue for you.
• Ask for feedback. If you’re going on interviews but never hearing back, ask for candid comments on why you weren’t selected. Don’t get confrontational; just make it clear that you’d greatly appreciate the benefit of feedback to help you going forward.

About the Book

At just 22, Tory Johnson was fired from her dream job as a publicist at NBC News. What followed is an all too familiar story—days of denial, Häagen-Dazs, and daytime TV. Tory’s pity party turned into a misery marathon until she decided to own up to her new reality and move forward. After writing a cathartic “Dear Andy” letter to the boss who arrogantly sent her packing, Tory made a cognitive shift—vowing to get going on the next chapter of her life, learning valuable lessons along the way. After a few intermediate jobs, Tory founded Women For Hire, a leading provider of comprehensive career services for women, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this fall.

Facebook and Friendship

A lot of people have sent me this Wall Street Journal article about how Facebook is ruining friendships.  One even cautioned after he sent it: "not that there's anything wrong with our friendship." This prompted me to think further about this.  I'm generally a very black and white type of person, and just accepted that people either got Facebook or they didn't, and if they fell into the latter, they either weren't interested in anything to do with technology, or were part of the more vocal "it's the end of the world" group. 

If people fell in the latter category, I just assumed that a couple of decades ago, they would've said the same thing about tape cassettes (vs. LPs) and answering machines.  They are part of the "change is scary" crowd and when it involves computers, it's even scarier.  Can't do much about those folks so I never try.  But, for those more in the "grey area" here is a bit of my experience with Facebook and friendship.

To be honest, I did not join Facebook to make friends.  I joined Facebook solely for business reasons, and for the most part I'm only on there a couple of times a day updating/monitoring our Downtown Women's Club Facebook page.  While on there, I may click on the notifications alert button and respond to anything that requires responding.  I leave most random trolling for late night "work breaks."  My updates during the day are feeds from this blog and posts from twitter, most of which are Downtown Women's Club-related. 

Why didn't I view Facebook as a place to make friends? Because most of my closest friends IRL (in real life) are not even on Facebook.  Or if they are, we rarely interact there.  This is why I was surprised to find that I have developed a couple of very close new friendships out of Facebook. And, I'm not talking "Facebook friendships," I'm talking real, actual, "these people know much more about my life than anything I would post on Facebook" type of friends.

Most of these are with people I knew from other walks of life, and while they may have had nothing to do with my work, now that I think of it, they all have helped me in some way with business.  A couple of these new "friendships" are also the result of me getting closer to people I met through business, and who have now moved from my "business" friend list to "friends and family."

Would I have gotten close to these folks without Facebook? Probably not.  Did I sacrifice other friendships to do so?  Not at all. Is my world better for knowing them? Absolutely.

How to build friendships on Facebook.

I agree that Facebook is not for everyone, and that the people I've developed real friendships with all have very similar qualities:

1.  They like to write.  The WSJ article points out that people can't express themselves well via the written word and that's why friendships can be ruined.  That may be the case for some people.  But, there's another group of us who express ourselves much better in writing than we do in person.  This may be why certain friendships develop on Facebook and others whither and die.

2.  They embrace technology and social media.  You will never make friends on Facebook if you do it half-heartedly.  That's like going to a dance and opting to be a wallflower.  Or joining a book club even though you hate to read.  Facebook is about engaging with others.  If that's not your thing, than there's really no need to be on Facebook. 

3.  They are interesting people who do interesting things.  The WSJ article complained about people who posted boring details about what they were doing every single minute of the day.  Well, sure there are people who do that (and after a while I start hiding their status updates), and no they are not people I've developed close friendships with.  But, my close friends?  Yes, I want to know that S is sitting in her hammock and I want to know what she's reading.  I want to see M's travel pics.  I want to hear what music G is listening to.  And I want to know what new gadget J just got because I might want one; or if D came up with another great cost-saving idea so I could afford J's gadget.  Because these are all things we'd talk about if we could ever put ourselves geographically in the same room to have coffee or a cocktail.

4. They all have terrific senses of humor.  My friends are funny and being able to check in for a laugh has never been easier. 

I agree that Facebook is not for everyone, but for some of us it does make our world a much better place. I also really liked the end of the WSJ article, which might be helpful in using Facebook to make friends.

... To improve our interactions, we need to change our conduct, not just cover it up. First, watch your own behavior, asking yourself before you post anything: "Is this something I'd want someone to tell me?" "Run it by that focus group of one," says Johns Hopkins's Dr. Wallace.

And positively reward others, responding only when they write something interesting, ignoring them when they are boring or obnoxious. (Commenting negatively will only start a very public war.)

If all that fails, you can always start a new group: "Get Facebook to Create an Eye-Roll Button Now!"

Click here to read the full WSJ article.

Diane K. Danielson is the ceo of the Downtown Women's Club and the author of the new ebook, The Downtown Women's Club Beginner's Guide to Facebook.  

Making it real

I have found the secret to successful networking.  Well, it's not really a secret, but a lot of people overlook this.  It's all about being yourself and being authentic.

I recently had coffee with an old friend, someone who I haven't seen in a couple of years.  I decided to approach this meeting as a conversation between two friends, an exchange of ideas rather than a meeting with a goal.  Of course, I had a goal for the meeting, I wanted his advice.

This new relaxed attitude helped make this meeting one of my most productive.  We really talked and exchanged ideas.  Ideas came up that probably wouldn't have surfaced if I had been so focused on the end result.

Sometimes, the slightest attitude shift can work wonders.

Nancy Loderick

Exhilaration and exhaustion

My MBA-refresher/career guidance course is now over and my mind is still spinning.  We went from 7:00 am until 8:30 pm every day for 6 days straight.  I went from exhilaration to exhaustion and back again.

My lessons learned from this life-changing program:

1.  Push yourself.

You'll be surprised how much you can accomplish.  I never thought I could work so intensely and still have so much energy and ideas flowing.

2.  Think differently and use your mind in new ways.

You'll be amazed at the new ideas that are generated.  I'll never have to calculate an internal rate of return, one of the case work assignments, but I had fun figuring out the steps needed to do it.

3.  Visualize the future.

We were asked to close our eyes and picture ourselves in our "perfect job."  We were to capture the details and the feelings, even if we couldn't quite figure out what our job was.  We discussed our thoughts in small groups and solicited their feedback.  It's fun to see how others' perceive you; they can find strengths you didn't know you had.

4.  Be comfortable with uncertainty.

It's okay to not know what you want to do next.  Just thinking about it and noting what images come to mind can help you clarify things.

5.  Be very open to the process.

I had originally hoped by the end of this program, I would know exactly what I wanted to do next in my career and would have perfectly mapped out plan for getting there.  As the program unfolded, I realized that knowing myself and carefully thinking through what's next are critical before jumping in with both feet.  I also discovered that working in a company culture that is in line with my values is a top priority with me.

6.  Use your gifts.

Being in transition can be a big blow to your ego.  Most of us define ourselves by the job we do and we no longer have that job, we feel lost.  You are more than your job.  And even if you don't have a job, you still have the skills and talents.  Find ways to use these by volunteering.  Volunteering can be as simple as helping others with their job searches.  I've found it so much easier to help someone else with their resume or pitch than it is to do my own.

The program I attended was called "A New Path: Setting New Professional Direction" and it was offered through Harvard Business School Executive Education.  I would highly recommend this program to anyone contemplating their next career move.

Nancy Loderick