Women Can! Conference Draws 500 To North Little Rock

“Never eliminate yourself,” and “Let your word be your bond.” This was the advice of two of the keynote speakers at the inaugural Women CAN! conference. Both pieces of wisdom came from their fathers, underscoring the day’s theme that men are not adversaries, merely the competition.

However, since 1982 women have earned 10 million more college degrees than men, but 80 percent of leadership roles in business and politics still belong to men. The conference to empower women emphasized there is too much female talent and brainpower in the U.S. to overlook them any longer.

Five hundred professional women from around the state attended the day-long networking and professional development conference. Leadership Arkansas and the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce presented today’s conference at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock.

Anne Doyle, leadership and communications strategist, media commentator and author of “POWERING UP! How America’s Women Achievers Become Leaders,” kicked off the morning, admonishing the crowd that “Every woman for herself” is a losing strategy.

“You are never going to be one of the guys,” Doyle said. “So stop apologizing. You’re a woman. That’s not a handicap, it’s a different perspective on a complex world. We need every idea possible to solve the problems we’re facing as a human race.”

She charged women to discover their purpose, raise their voices, break the rules, claim their power, take chances and get back in the saddle when they fail.

“The trick is not to avoid failure,” she explained. “Until you’ve failed spectacularly, you don’t know your own limits.”

She said her father told all his children that the world would eliminate them from jobs or positions if they weren’t good enough. But they should never eliminate themselves.

Echoing that sentiment, Sonja Hubbard, CPA, Chief Executive Officer for E-Z Mart Stores Inc., which is headquartered in Arkansas, told the audience, “Fail faster, so you can succeed sooner. You can’t be afraid of making a mistake, or you’ll never do anything.”

Hubbard took over the family business when her father died suddenly in 1998. She said initially, she continued to the run the company the way her dad had planned. In fact, she followed through with an acquisition of 125 convenience stores, a plan he had put in motion right before his death.

“We did the right thing,” Hubbard said. “But it was the tough thing. Dad told me that my word was my bond. We committed to that deal, and we saw it through.”

Over time, she said she began to the run the company her way, and make decisions she didn’t think her father would have. Eventually, she even had to close the first E-Z Mart store in Nashville, Ark.

“Times change, the industry changes, traffic patterns change, and we finally had to come to terms with the idea that stores have a life cycle,” she said. “Our commitment is to make the company profitable.”

To keep up with changes in the market and economy, Hubbard said she makes diversity a priority. “Diversity is our strength,” she explained. “We don’t trade diversity for competency. We make sure everyone in leadership is top notch. Sometimes the woman who runs IT has insight into a problem production is having. She can speak for a certain customer who might not get considered if we don’t have as many ideas as possible in the room.”

The day concluded with a special keynote presentation entitled “Women in the Public Eye.” This moderated discussion featured Executive Director of the Clinton Foundation, Stephanie Streett, and also fashion designer and reality television star Korto Mormolu.

Throughout the day, participants attended breakout sessions on topics including small business development, politics, personal branding, mentors and sponsors, career transitions, negotiating skills, management tips/skills and the unanticipated consequences of success for women.

“There are leadership opportunities for every woman in this room,” Doyle reminded the group. “You are high achieving, successful professionals. Now you have to take a deep breath, open the door and lead.”