S.E.E.K. & SHINE: The Fabulous Five!!!!!

Hello, Ladies.

How strong is the corporate sisterhood bond where you work?

You know, some people believe wholeheartedly that a workplace which employs mostly women is a workplace filled with jealousy, shallowness and backstabbing. Some people don't believe that women can work well together and cheer one another on all the way up the corporate ladder toward the glass ceiling without a semblance of envy or negative hate-filled commentaries.

Let's face it, some women don't believe that women have the capacity to work well together and build meaningful professional relationships based on trust, honesty and integrity.  Are we really our own worst enemies? Say it isn't so.

The myth of a dysfunctional sisterhood among working women must now be cremated and buried out to sea-from-shining-sea since many smart, intelligent and powerful women know the value of offering genuine sisterly love and support for another sister in their midst. Celebrating sisterhood opens our hearts and minds to recognize the value of women in an environment which has for too long been championed as a man's world. The earth-shattering truth is that there is no area in any global environment where women cannot prevail when we stand together joined together at our phenomenal and strong curvaceous hips.

One of my pet peeves is the negative television portrayal of women cat-fighting one another over absolutely nothing. In my mind, we must showcase the goodness within our hearts. And what better place to do that than in the workplace - career woman to career woman.  Help lift up your sisters with love, respect and honor.

This month's 21st Century Woman Spotlight features five fabulous women from Central Florida who have this corportate sisterhood thing down to an impressive embraceable science. I love that they embrace sisterly love. So will you!!

Enjoy!!
                      -demetrice

21st Century Woman Spotlight

Beautiful smiles on beautiful faces...

Five fabulous women, who are never at a loss for words, take a break after finishing a candid and upbeat interview to strike a pose in front of the their home away from home. Standing in front of the Westgate Resorts' Lake Ellenor call center building in Orlando are (l-r):
Wendy Vargas
Jennifer Rakoczy
Carolina Mejia
Jasmin Pabon
Lisa Duzant-Rhoden

"I am shocked every day that I walk into a meeting with our VP, and it's all women around the table. You don't see that much. I have to admire my boss because there are not a lot of men who would be comfortable having five women directors sitting at his table making decisions for this center. It takes a lot of confidence on his end, and I like to think that we've earned his confidence. I give him kudos because there are not a lot of men who are strong enough to do that."
-Jennifer Rakoczy

The beautiful smiles on their beautiful faces
are as different as their college studies in theology, pre-law, business management, pre-med and computer science. They smartly wield the power of their commonality as mothers, sisters, daughters and wives to their advantage in an environment with a predominately female workforce. Yet their powerful force rests impressively not only in their gender, but also in their overall professional character as smart, intelligent and results-driven leaders and decision-makers who get the job done just as effectively as male counterparts who hold similar positions.

They have a strong affinity for women in power because their accomplishments send an important message that other women can walk down the same pathway to corporate success with confidence. These five career-minded women whimsically admit their passion for a good pair of stylish shoes; however, what Wendy Vargas, Jennifer Rakoczy, Carolina Mejia, Jasmin Pabon and Lisa Duzant-Rhoden love more is walking the walk as professional women supporting other professional women in achieving glass ceiling-shattering success. These ladies happily share their knowledge with and gain knowledge from other women who walk down similar paths of life inside and outside Westgate Resorts' Lake Ellenor call center in Orlando, Florida.

Outsiders may suspect gossip-mongering, catty fashionistas at competitive odds rather than emotionally intact business-savvy directors, managers and team members working cohesively together making high-level business decisions that affect the company's bottom line. For directors Jennifer and Lisa, managers Jasmin and Wendy and team member Carolina, business is business and life is life. It's as simple as that. On a consistent basis, The Fabulous Five value integrity, excellence and tender loving sisterhood in an environment where finding balance is the key to effectiveness.

Jasmin Pabon

Jasmin, 31, jokes regularly to her female director, "You're the longest relationship I've ever been in," however, she never takes their endearing relationship for granted. She shows respect and unconditional love for the woman who is not only her leader, but also her confidante, mentor, voice of reason and best friend for ten years. Jasmin, who hails from Orlando, also holds a special sisterly place in her heart for Lisa, Wendy, Carolina and the other women in the call center.

"There is no strife between us. This is not a place where we don't want to see the other woman be successful. We want to see the other woman succeed. And even though we like a good pair of shoes, we're more concerned about the quality of our work, our integrity and what we're doing for our team members. That's what I like about working with these women."

Jasmin, a divorcee with no children, says the working woman who is a mother, wife, church leader and girl scout leader must have balance in order to be a productive employee. Direct and to the point, she drives home the point that despite the "many hats we wear," women must focus on the job at hand instead of what's happening in their private lives if they want to achieve excellence. The fun-loving aspiring pianist practices what she preaches to team members: 'Leave your troubles on the trouble tree.'

Carolina Mejia

Powerful women exuding par excellence brightens Carolina's pretty face with a sparkling, ocean-wide smile. The diminutive 25-year-old closing officer and recent college graduate has been with the company for six years. The advancement of women in high-level positions at Westgate Resorts gives her hope for the future.

"I actually like seeing women in power. I think it's a great thing because culturally we have come so far... to think that not so many years ago we couldn't vote in an election. Now I am seeing that most of our directors and managers are women. I like to see women in power just because I like the success."

Self-motivation and moral support drive Carolina at high speed toward her career goals. The St. Cloud resident values time spent with the female director who doubles as Carolina's career advisor behind closed doors. Because of the benefits she's gaining from the one-on-one advisory sessions, she plans to provide similar support to help other women grow, as she has, in their careers. Carolina knows in her heart that women can crash through the proverbial glass ceiling and do a better job than men.

Lisa Duzant-Rhoden

Women must overcome their fear of success, according to the 36-year-old Clermont resident, wife, mother of three young boys, friend, leader and analytical enthusiast. Lisa believes too many women abandon thoughts of crashing the proverbial glass ceiling because they associate corporate success with cutthroat misbehavior. Motivating women to abandon their comfort zones and seek new territories challenges this fearless leader.

"The one area I'm trying to encourage women to do better in happens to be their greatest fear. If a woman I'm coaching tells me about an obstacle, I tell her she can do it. She has to know she can do it because it's not just about knowledge. It's a matter of desiring or wanting to do it, and getting over the fear of doing it."

Lisa has worked at the call center since 1999. She says women chosen for a manager or director position do not necessarily apply for the positions. She explains that women are given opportunities at the call center because of their sterling reputations for excellence, trustworthiness, action and capability. If a 'successophobic' team member should one day approach this tall, slender and articulate woman for motivational career guidance, Lisa would carefully and methodically analyze the situation, then offer the following words of encouragement: "Strive to do the best job that you can do, and do it with integrity. You can do it!"

Wendy Vargas

According to this leader who has been with the company for seven years, women can help one another by identifying each other's strengths and grooming each other for success in the workplace. Wendy believes in this relationship building formula because it builds women's confidence and empowers them to take charge and advance their careers to the next level. The photogenic, tech-savvy 27-year-old also states that women leaders must walk the walk and talk the talk each and every time in order to build a strong manager - team member relationship based on trust.

"Being leaders, we must have the right attitude because sometimes we don't make the most popular decisions. My team members must trust my decisions because there is a reason behind it. I have to instill in my team members that I am doing the right thing. I have to show them that they can trust that the decision I make is the right decision. It's important to know they can trust you, and you can trust them."

Wendy, who lives with her fiance and their one-year-old son in Orlando, hammers the point that building trust takes time. In the meantime, she suggests that women maintain balance and focus, allocate the right amount of time and effort to every task and use constructive criticism as a learning tool to achieve excellence. And, if a woman wishes to exceed self-expectations, Wendy would strongly advise her to be "willing to change."

Jennifer Rakoczy

Under no circumstances is Jennifer willing to change from being a polite leader who commands respect to an iron-clad fist leader who demoralizes team members. However, she is willing to do her job "better today than yesterday." The Altamonte Springs denizen is also willing to be the 'nutty' one or the 'voice of reason' during brain-storming sessions when some days seem more challenging than others for either her or other women, and they need a woman's perspective (no disrespect to the men) when making business decisions.

"We all get together and have that feedback off each other where two can get nutty and two can be the voice of reason. With women, the conversation becomes more free-flow where the stream of consciousness is a little more beneficial. I think it helps in the end with the brain-storming. It may take a little longer to get there, but in the end we have a much better project."

The well-spoken, ebullient 46-year-old wife and mother of a teenage son says building relationships based on mutual respect and unconditional love makes it easy for women to speak freely and honestly about one another's strengths and weaknesses. Jennifer states that she, Jasmin, Wendy, Lisa and Carolina have no problems expressing their honest opinions because they are helping each other to grow.

The beauty of Fabulous Five's relationship is
that each woman knows the truth comes from the hearts of sister-friends who want to see the other stride confidently down the pathway of success in a good pair of comfortable stylish shoes.

Jasmin Pabon jokingly tells her director, mentor and best friend Jennifer Rakoczy, "You are the longest relationship I have ever been in." -demetrice

What's Coming Up in September