Today, I’m speaking at the Government of Alberta’s Women in Leadership conference. The first ever.

I’ll give you a minute to ponder that “first ever,” in the context of the Year of Our Lord 2014… OK, moving on:

I’m speaking as part of the Systemic Barriers to Leadership Panel, and one of the questions that I’ll be tackling is this:

Why do women have limited access to the right development opportunities that provide leaders with the experience and visibility to advance?

The answer is so very, very simple. And it’s not that our bosses are sexist assholes. I’ll give you the long version in a couple of weeks; now, I’ve got to pack and run. The interim, short-form answer is this:

As I’m prepping to leave my house for the three-hour drive to the conference, this is going on in the background:

And also, this:

My time at this conference–which is helping develop my career and providing me with the experience and visibility to advance–is time away from them.

And it’s also time away from both my paid work and my dream work:

…for which there isn’t always enough time as it is.

So. What do I do?

Today, I’m going to speak at this conference.

(Spoiler alert if you want to save revelation for the long version) I would not have been able to take advantage of this opportunity ten years ago. Or even five years ago.

OK. I’m gonna be late. Gotta go. I leave you with this:

• The CEO has a uterus–no, wait, he doesn’t. Challenging the status quo in the Canadian workplace
• How my four-year-old receptionist defies the uterus-less CEO… and how that’s going to change the world

And, a pointer to these:

• The naked truth about working from home, the teaser
• The naked truth about working from home, the real post
• Meditation for writers, “Mom, I need you!” and struggling to stay on that tightrope

xoxo

“Jane”

P.S. For a peek at why I’m really stoked to be part of this conference, check out Women in Leadership: Opportunities lost. And not because our bosses are misogynist prices on CalgaryBusinessWriter.com.