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Megan Casados, IHS Director of Training

October 29, 2019 DISH Women's Network

What’s been your career progression at DISH? And what do you currently do as IHS Dir. Of Training?

I’ve been with DISH for 10 years as of July. I started at DISH full time right out of college through the University Relations program – I started as a Marketing Specialist within the sales team focused on retail services, working with our third-party retailers. I pretty quickly transitioned over to be an instructional designer creating training content for those retailers. Then I was promoted to be a manager of that group, and we started to work with a larger audience, including direct sales, sales partners, alliance management, and retention.

Most recently I moved over to IHS in September last year to be the Director of the Training group. 

What are your teams’ main responsibilities?

My teams support and train all of our technicians both for DISH satellite installs and on-site sales for DISH customers, and we also handle training for all our fulfillment work such as appliance repair. Now we’re also supporting OnTech and Wireless tower technicians as well.

The training team is structured as two primary groups. One team is located at Meridian, scoping out and working with project managers … Read more and comment

Women in the Workplace 2019 – Fix the “Broken Rung”

October 29, 2019 DISH Women's Network

McKinsey & Co. and LeanIn.Org recently published the 5th annual Women in the Workplace report which is the largest study of the state of women in Corporate America aiming to help companies foster diversity. Since inception, almost 600 companies and over a quarter of a million people have participated in the study. 

In the last 5 years, Women in the Workplace has seen increased women in senior leadership roles, the C-Suite in particular growing from 17% to 21%. However, women are still significantly underrepresented at every level, and this rings true even more so for women of color. While the numbers are trending in a positive direction, our rate of progress is still decades or more away from gender parity.

This year’s study highlights that to reach equality, companies must fix the “broken rung” and invest in creating a strong culture. 

The biggest obstacle for women in reaching senior leadership is the “broken rung,” as shown below. This refers to the first step into management which has the biggest gap between men and women. For every 100 men promoted and hired to manager, only 72 women are promoted and hired. Addressing this first level is integral to fueling the pipeline … Read more and comment

Listening, the Missing Leadership Skill

October 22, 2019 DISH Women's Network

In May, Shana Cordon of The Moxy Lab spoke to Dish Women’s Network about what it takes to advance and succeed in leadership. While technical skills are important, even in tech the top-five skills for promotion to leadership depend upon the core skills of listening, speaking, and presence.

 

While many training programs develop skills for executive presence, including nuances of expression and outward-going communication, we give little attention to the foundational skill of listening. Yet research shows the effects of a healthy listening culture are profound. These include:

 

  • Greater trust in leadership.
  • Better team engagement.
  • More effective (and shorter) meetings and one-on-ones.
  • Fewer costly communication errors.

 

To develop your listening skills, below are five principles you can adopt immediately:

 

1)  BE PRESENT & ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS—Prepare yourself to be completely in the moment. When with others, try to set aside your to-do lists, your phone and technology, and your other concerns. Your undivided attention is the greatest way to show respect and appreciation to others, which creates trust and engagement.

2)  BEFORE RESPONDING, BE PATIENT AND LISTEN COMPLETELY—Resist the Rebuttal Tendency, in which we interject our thoughts before we hear everything a speaker has to … Read more and comment

How to Reduce Evaluation Bias in Business

April 29, 2019 Tags: , Marianie Arroyo

Unconscious biases influence people’s everyday actions. These biases are shaped by people’s experiences and by cultural norms and allow them to filter information and make quick decisions.

In the workplace, women often encounter gender stereotypes and biases that reinforce the existing gender hierarchy, may hinder women’s career aspirations and retention, and may limit their ability to be promoted— especially in traditionally male organizations.

Some evidence-based suggestions for organizations to minimize bias in performance evaluations are:

  1. Provide unconscious bias education as part of leader development training.
  2. Be specific and clear about evaluation criteria.
  3. Hold evaluators accountable.
  4. Avoid lone-wolf evaluators, include several people during the process.
  5. Be transparent in who, what, how and why everything is being evaluated.
  6. Consistent and frequent evaluation is better.

 

Organizations are more aware of the high costs associated with turnover and of the benefits of gender-diverse leadership teams such as increased productivity and creativity. Commitment and action from enterprises are vital for this endeavor. Let’s keep raising awareness of biases that hinder women’s development in the workplace and strive toward making the unconscious conscious.

 

To access DISH Collective Resource Groups’ training on unconscious bias, visit:

https://dishwomensnetwork.com/past-event-videos/ 

 

For details regarding Dr. Smith, Dr. Rosenstein … Read more and comment

Today is Equal Pay Day: What you should know and do.

April 2, 2019 Tags: , , Marianie Arroyo

Equal Pay Day was originated by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996 as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men’s and women’s wages. Today, April 2nd, 2019 represents the day in the year that women on average must work through to make the same wages as men do on average the previous year.

The 2018 Women in the Workplace Report, published by McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.org, shows that while many US companies express commitment to gender diversity, statistics show it has not translated into meaningful progress. The study shows even though women have earned more bachelor’s degrees than men for the past decade and, are seeking promotions, negotiating salaries and staying in the workplace at the same rate as men, the pay gap still exists.

Since 2015, the DISH Women’s Network has provided an environment to foster relationships and professional growth through networking, education and career development. Our goal is to empower women to become leaders and create an inclusive work environment.

Some steps you can take today to be an agent of change:

  • Join the DWN: Be part of the conversation and spread the word
  • Educate yourself: Attend our speaker
… Read more and comment

DISH Celebrates International Women’s Day

March 8, 2019 Tags: , , , Marianie Arroyo

Contributor: Maddie Yerant, DISH Corporate Communications

March 8 marks an exciting day for women and allies across the world—International Women’s Day (IWD). Adopted in 1975 by the United Nations, this annual celebration recognizes women around the globe, their successes and accomplishments, and the bright future lying ahead.

Established in America in 1909, IWD now symbolizes a broad, encompassing movement as it’s celebrated by women and allies on every point on the political spectrum.

This year, as more women took office this January than ever before, you might have already seen celebrations taking place. Female lawmakers on both sides of the aisle wore white to the 2019 State of the Union to symbolize their record-breaking numbers and to promote a message of solidarity.

Founded in 2015, the DISH Women’s Network (DWN) was created to provide women at DISH an environment to foster relationships and professional growth through networking, education and career development. Our goal is to empower women to become leaders and create an inclusive work environment.

If you’re interested in joining the DWN, or simply want to learn more, today is a great day to do so—please feel free to visit us online at dishwomensnetwork.com, find us on Instagram … Read more and comment

Pioneering African American Women in Tech

February 12, 2019 Tags: , , , , Marianie Arroyo

As part of Black History Month, we want to highlight some of the pioneering women in tech who made history with their achievements.

Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Christine Darden were four pioneering black women who achieved the seemingly impossible through their vision, actions and hard work. They worked in the segregated town of Hampton, Virginia to help offload the massive amounts of aeronautical research needed to win the war. As Americans fought for victory in World War II, and the Space Race, these brilliant mathematicians worked quietly behind the scenes as “human computers.” Recruited by NASA and featured in the award-winning film; Hidden Figures, they also helped put a man on the moon.

In 2017 we had the honor of hosting one of these brave women, Christine Mann Darden D. Sc., as a speaker on our DWN Leader Series. She shared her wisdom and insights with us, including some practical tips for success.

Christine Darden’s 5 P’s for success:

  1. Perceive yourself in your dream job.
  2. Plan: What courses and background do you need to achieve it?
  3. Prepare: Work your plan.
  4. Persist through all the detours.
  5. Project: Is it a job that is growing or dying? Is this
… Read more and comment

What Serena Williams’ seed in Wimbledon shows us

January 21, 2019 Tags: , Marianie Arroyo

One of many worries during a woman’s life is finding the right time to start a family. Recently, I was discussing this topic with friends from previous athletic teams, and we found that most of our teammates who decided to resume their careers after having a baby were at the peak performance of their careers with more than five years still to play the sport on a high level. Most of the athletes who continued their careers after delivering a child, were playing on elite leagues that provided an income that they could comfortably live with.

Serena Williams’ case is an example of the obstacles women face once they decide to start a family. Who would have thought that the highest paid tennis athlete was not going to be forgiven by the system? In 2018, the seven-time champion was “given” the 25th seed at Wimbledon after a 13- month maternity leave. While out on maternity, her ranking plunged from #1 to outside of the top 400, despite winning the Australian open in 2017 while being two months pregnant.

While each of the Grand Slam events has the prerogative to award its 32 seeds regardless of ranking to ensure a … Read more and comment

7 Tips for an improved new year outlook

January 3, 2019 Tags: Marianie Arroyo

As each year ends, we reflect and make inventory of our experiences and learnings during the year. This time is a great opportunity to adjust courses and commit to improve different areas of our lives. The following tips can be useful on that endeavor.

1. Take time to reflect and know yourself 
Reflect and revisit how you act and learn about your predispositions.

2. Set aside time for relaxation 
Separate time to rest and contemplate nature.

3. Perform activities that you enjoy 
Spend time with your family, exercise, go to art festivals or sports events.

4. Seek for opportunities to learn in your areas of interest 
Read an interesting book, go to trainings or workshops, take a class, pursue a certification.

5. Take advantage of networking events 
Listen to others and share your experiences. Stay connected.

6. Contribute in your community and workplace 
Volunteer in your community, be part of corporate initiatives, join a collective group and collaborate.

7. Be present 
Take in as much as you can from every experience.

Here at the DISH Women’s Network, we strive to provide opportunities to inspire and help people connect through our networking events such as the First Friday Coffee. We also … Read more and comment

I “just” want to let you know…

December 10, 2018 Tags: Marianie Arroyo

By: Kathryn Rainville

“Just.” A small, but powerful word. One that we use far more frequently than we probably realize. ~Just~ today, I noticed myself typing it several times; I used it in an almost apologetic way regarding small favors or follow-ups. Each time I typed it, I thought about what it really meant for my reputation. I thought about how it lowered the power of what I wanted to convey and showed a meekness that I don’t normally display in advocating for myself. It wasn’t until this article resurfaced that I realized all of this.

A few years ago, I stumbled across an article that an Apple and Google alum wrote. She brought up this phenomenon of the word “just.” In her observations, women use the word more frequently than men, and describes it as a “permission word,” something that grants the person you’re addressing “more authority and control” (Leanse). In her own “research,” she observed that women’s “J-count,” as she refers to it, was substantially higher than men’s. She recounts a story of a man and a woman giving speeches, and the woman used “just” six times to the man’s one time. Ultimately, this got me thinking about … Read more and comment