2007 eNews 3rd Qtr.

Greetings Friends,

As you may have noticed I failed to send out the summer IWL eNews letter so have decided to jump on the Fall schedule and catch you up on things!

First and foremost let me invite you to participate in the Bestseller Business Book project. As you know my new book will be hitting the stores in just 30 days and there is a way you can help me in my quest for "Bestseller" status.

In the literary world it is very important that book distributors see there is a demand for a book to secure its placement in the chain bookstores. The objective of this project is to get a concentrated number of purchases in a single day so that Trade Up: 5 Steps for Redesigning Your Leadership and Life from the Inside Out shows up on the distributorŐs daily reports. By pre-ordering your book you will be among the first to receive this exciting manuscript that opens the door to limitless possibilities in both your personal and professional life.

The day we have chosen is Wednesday Sept. 26th. You can easily purchase Trade Up: 5 Steps for Redesigning Your Leadership and Life from the Inside Out at a discounted rate at either Barnes and Noble (http://www.barnesandnoble.com) or Amazon (http://www.amazon.com) websites. Please forward this invitation as far and widely as possible.

We just completed our 1 day WLC Intensive in Honolulu and were so inspired by the deeper cut that participants took in revealing their self-limiting conclusions and applying Contextual Leadership skills to some tough organizational challenges. Our partnership with the Oahu YWCA in building a world-class leadership curriculum continues to soar. Our most recent breakthrough came in recognizing the profound impact that the Hawaiian culture has had in the history (and now the future) of Hawaii. Stay tuned for more specifics as we codify the curriculum. In the mean time we have decided to offer 1 more Women Leading Change in Hawaii before we roll out the expanded curriculum. The dates for WLC in Honolulu are Feb. 26,27,28 2008 with a special early bird discount for any friends or family members of IWL alums. If Hawaii is too far away then please join us in Redwood City for the WLC on Nov. 27,28,29. Just send folks to our web site to register: http://www.womensleadership.com

Our new executive coach and faculty member, Christie Hardwick, has been busy traveling to the Northeast to participate in the planning and design for the Leading Change and Leadership from the Inside Out programs for the Girl Scouts of America. Christie is providing extraordinary leadership as we create a long term strategic alliance with GSUSA. I'm still in awe of the opportunity that WLC alum and Chief Learning Officer Angela Airall is providing IWL to make a huge impact on the future leadership of girls and women. I will be giving keynote speeches to the Regional Conference for the Girl Scouts Executive Staff Association in Des Moines, Iowa and Anaheim, California on Oct. 25th and Nov. 11th respectively.

Another fantastic opportunity for partnership is with Leadership California. I am an alumni of LC 2003 and have been working with their organization to enhance the curriculum of moving from issues to action. We will be co-leading several segments next year and I will keep you abreast of things as they unfold. http://www.leadershipca.org/

Right around the corner is the national Women In Technology International conference where i will be the keynote speaker on Friday Sept. 28th. We are forging a new alliance with WITI in order to make the work of IWL more widely available to individuals and corporations who are affiliated with WITI. One of the benefits of this partnership is a reduced tuition for IWL alums if you wish to participate in the conference. Just go to their website and register with the promotional code of: IWL2007. If you are outside the Bay Area then you can register for any of their other conferences and receive that discount: http://www.witi.com/center/conferences/2007/siliconvalley/

In just one week I will be joining ELSC Master Sempai, Mary Bennett as she brings our 2 day Leading Change program to her colleagues at Crowe Chizek. Mary has been a staunch supporter of IWL and is committed to the full empowerment and growth of her fellow leaders at CC. I have to say that leading in-house programs in partnership with our alumni is one of my favorite things to do. Mary has done an heroic job of breaking new ground for women in her company and I'm so honored to be invited there.

We officially launch the Trade Up book at the Women's Leadership Board meeting on October 10th in Cambridge. Immediately following the launch we will all be attending the inauguration of Harvard's first woman president in 375 years. Having met Dr. Faust briefly I can tell you that things will never be the same at Harvard. I am coninuing to Chair the Mentoring and Leadership Development Committee which affords me a chance to leverage the contribution of IWL globally.

As you have heard previously, Oct. 29th marks the official book signing and IWL Reunion event in the Bay Area. We would LOVE for you to bring as many friends and colleagues as you can to meet the amazing women of the IWL Community. We will have books for sale, free refreshments and of course I'll be glad to sign as many books as I can before bed time :-) Time is set for 5:30-7:30pm but location is yet to be determined.

On a more personal note I'd like to solicit your prayers and white light on Oct. 17th when I go in for surgery to remove a small nodule from my lower lip. While the original diagnosis was "pre-cancerous" skin cells, we cannot be sure until we remove the nodule, give it a biopsy and declare it benign. I will keep you posted on that one. Just 2 days after my 56th birthday and one week after my book launch I will be rendered "speechless." Doesn't hardly seem fair but then maybe I just need to be quiet and let the love flow in :-)

OK that's all for now except to say that not a day goes by that I don't thank my lucky stars for the privilege of our relationship. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the partnership we share in changing the world!

Love and blessings, Rayona

Rayona Sharpnack
Founder/CEO
Institute for Women's Leadership
650.556.8800
rayona@womensleadership.com
http://www.womensleadership.com