About Us
Women in Standards is an enthusiastic network of individuals supporting the development of standards.
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Members and friends,
The months of January and February flew by and we were so grateful to see members at the coffee corner and other events throughout the past few months.
Some exciting news - The Women in Standards is proud to announce the publication of our Competency Framework for standards participants this week. Scroll down to the member updates for more information and link to the press release.
Remember this week is the Women in Standards workshop on Engaging Stakeholders, Lessons Learned from Member Onboarding and Retention. Register as a Pro or SDO member to gain complimentary access to all upcoming events or register a la cart.
And if you haven’t yet added your name to the board, the 2021 Member Challenge registration page is up and accepting submissions. Accumulate points by attending events, participating in committees, and contributing to the organization, and many more options to fit every busy schedule.
Reach out to share your thoughts and ideas with the organization and thank you for being a valued member.
Warm wishes,
Karin Athanas
Executive Officer
Women in Standards
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Setting Your Eye on the Future
Strategies for Vision Boarding
Businesses are using company wide vision boards to visualize for staff the goals and objectives of the organization. Visuals promote a big picture mindset and help the organization see the endpoint that the organization is pursuing. Similarly, vision boarding can support the standards process by creating a tangible visual of the end goal including the reason for developing the standard and the solution the standard will provide.
The Whys of Vision Boarding
Vision boarding is an exercise that your consensus body carries out to visualize the end point. It helps to gain alignment of the group and can be referred to throughout the standards process to recalibrate and reaffirm the reasons for participation.
When on a long journey to the final publication of a standard, it is easy to lose sight of the end goal and therefore motivation. By keeping the vision board available and in full view of the group, it helps to reinforce and encourage members to keep going.
Getting Started
Encourage all participants to contribute their views on the long-term goals of the project and the solution the standard will provide. Invite participants to contribute images that they feel reflects and visualizes the goals and have them jot down phrases that capture the story behind the image. List out the Whys of the project – why has each individual participant joined this projects, what are they hoping to learn or achieve through participation, and how the publication will benefit the larger community or industry.
Creating the Board
After your group has assembled the building blocks of the vision board, work together to arrange the images, text, and other visuals onto the board. Using a shared workspace such as a white board (or virtual white board if remote) is an easy way to facilitate this.
Once you’ve placed all information, allow participants a few weeks to review and consider the information before revisiting the board to make final changes.
Finalize and share the board in a public space where participants will see it often. If needed, display it before each meeting while participants are getting settled. This will serve to remind them of why they are there and the goals of the project.
Revisit and Adjust
Visions change overtime and so will your group. New members will join and may wish to contribute their visions to the board. Regularly invite the group to review and update the board as needed.
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Helpful Tools to support Digital Vision Boarding
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Identifying and Cultivating Champions
Building a Robust Network of Supporters
A champion is a change agent, a person uniquely skilled at influencing and rallying others to support a shared cause. Champions are critical for projects. They act to inspire, encourage, and support your efforts. Champions are often seen as high-level corporate leaders but can also be individuals with a passion for the topic, the end goal, or for you or your organization. Their enthusiasm cultivates a community willing to commit the time and resources to help you reach your goals.
Finding a champion can be as easy as looking at your staffing structure, your committee members, or your personal network. When identifying champions ask the following questions:
- Who appears to care deeply about the issues?
- Who seems most capable at influencing others? Look for someone that others look to for direction and whose advice you value.
- Who appears to speak passionately and attract an audience?
- Who has a large network of contacts who speak highly of them?
Keep reading, visit the Women in Standards website today.
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Announcing! The WiS Competency Framework
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The Women in Standards is proud to announce the publication of the Standards Participant Competency Framework. Read the full press release here. The framework which was developed by the Women in Standards Education committee, outlines the skills, knowledge, and abilities that have been found to be valuable for a volunteer supporting the development of standards and for those serving as Chairs and Officers. Written similarly to a job description the framework has been published as a public facing document and standards developers are encouraged to use the framework as well as accompanying media files in their outreach and education efforts.
The Women in Standards Education committee has also released two recordings for those new to standards to better understand the role that participants play in the development of standards. The framework and recordings can be downloaded here.
“Finding new recruits for standards development is challenging and a goal for all developers. With Women in Standards' new competency framework, subject matter experts can review an overview of the skills, experience, and attributes that are helpful toward joining a standards committee. The orientation videos for joining a consensus body and for becoming a chair or leader on a committee, provide a walk through of the roles and responsibilities while increasing comfort for those new to these processes" said Vicki Worden, CEO of Green Building Initiative, and Chair of the Women in Standards Education Committee.
Future work of the Education committee includes the development of an education process map which outlines a standards participant’s journey from day one learning, through intermediate, to advanced level professional growth. The education process map will be used to develop custom educational programs for members to support their continued growth in the community.
To participate, Women in Standards members are invited to submit their committee application here: https://womeninstandards.org/standing-committees/
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Annual Dinner 2022
The Women in Standards has begun planning for the 2022 dinner and is seeking members to assist in planning. We are considering several options for virtual and in person events to reach our diverse membership and offer more options for those in different time zones. If you’d like to help the organization plan for 2022, visit the committee page, to apply for membership.
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Out and About with Women in Standards
This month, Women in Standards Executive Officer Karin Athanas joined other standardization experts at February meeting of the UNECE Gender Responsive Standards Initiative. The theme of the February meeting was Standards as tools for women's economic empowerment and featured speakers from UN Women, the WOCAN W+ Standard, Timewise and the United Kingdom's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Women in Standards Executive Officer Karin Athanas will co-present an introduction to standards course entitled “Role and Importance of Standards,” for industry professionals in early March and later in the month will speak at a forum for women in industry. Are you seeking a speaker and think Women in Standards would be a good fit? Reach out to admin@womeninstandards.org with your event concept and to request a speaker.
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Participate in an educational presentation and voice your thoughts on standards development.
Submit an article for publication in the WiS E-news.
Follow the Women in Standards on LinkedIn and get up-to-date information on new standards activities - events, committees, and federal programs.
Participate in online chats on issues of standards and raising the voice and participation of women in standards.
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Emotional Intelligence
An Introductory Primer
Knowing when someone is feeling sad, angry, or happy, and also being aware of your own feelings are both signs of emotional intelligence. It is an awareness of oneself and of others and can be used to manage your interactions with the people around you. Emotional intelligence is lauded as a key management skill as it can help you better evaluate and respond to events.
Leaders with a strong emotional intelligence can inspire others to action, tapping into a powerful tool to persuade and motivate.
Looking inwards
To identify your own emotional intelligence, first examine the effect that your emotions have on your decision making. Do certain emotions lead you to make poor decisions or to rush to decide too quickly? How do the ways you express your emotions effect those around you? Do they avoid you when angry or become inspired when you are passionate?
Taking small steps
Map the positive and negative effects of your emotions and what activities trigger them. As an example, do you hate being late to meetings? Are you always happier after a long workout? Identify the situations, questions, or people that trigger different feelings and record them throughout your day. At the end of each day, consider the motivations behind why certain triggers result in each emotion. As you do this, you’ll gain better insight into what drives your decision making.
Developing work strategies
As you gain a better understanding of your responses to triggers around you, you’ll find yourself able to better identify a triggering event and respond.
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 You may choose to take a walk to clear your held or ask for additional time to consider an issue. Resulting in a more successful decision-making process.
Tapping in
Others also express themselves in response to triggers. How well you can decern the emotions of those around you, the better you can respond. As an example, being motivational when around a person who is feeling uninspired, sharing the happiness that another is feeling, or showing sympathy for someone that is sad.
Emotional intelligence can help you network more effectively, to inspire and motivate others, and to embrace challenges. To get started, try keeping a tracking journal or app on your phone. Overtime you’ll become more attuned to yourself and begin to see the same responses in those around you.
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Developing Your Mentorship Skills
Mentorship for New Mentors
To be a mentor is to be a support system, a sounding board, a champion, and a realist. As a mentor, you will support someone just starting out in their career as they gain experience and learn and grow. Your advice and suggestions will help them make well-reasoned decisions and your motivation will help keep them going. Are you considering becoming a mentor? Consider these tips for success.
Time Commitments
Ensure you are prepared to commit a certain amount of time each month to your mentee and be honest with them about your availability. A call once a week, a few emails, maybe a coffee once a month. Be realistic and establish expectations with your mentee so that they have a clear idea of how much of your time they can expect to have. Consider booking a regular day and time each week or month to engage with your mentee.
Keep reading, visit the Women in Standards website today.
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The Women in Standards supports the professional development of its members. Here are a few positions currently available at standards developing organizations:
- Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) is hiring a Technical Coordinator (Click here, to download the job posting)
- SCC is hiring a Senior Project Manager, New Programs – English posting – French posting
- Phoenix Contact is seeking a Standards Engineer, Click here, to view the listing
Standards developing organizations are also seeking member volunteers to support upcoming standards projects.
- ASC X9 has launched a new work group - X9B5 Confirmations and Verifications – to support the development of X9.147 Audit Confirmation and Account Verification Exchange and is seeking participants to support their work. Click here to learn more
Visit the Women in Standards Participant and Employment Opportunities page today, click here.
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