Corina Maritescu

I ran across this article online, I knew I had to share it with others, as it encapsulates everything we are trying to do at Get Smart Women. I have to admit that I have not read Cathleen Black's book but after reading her advice at the end of this article I know that I will. If you need a mantra Black's last statement is a great one to add to your daily internal dialogue.

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE | Stern women turn out to talk board rooms

Corina Maritescu

When the organizers said "Business in High Heels," they meant it. Stilettos, pumps, boots and sandals clicked and clacked across the floor at Bridgewaters restaurant at the South Street Seaport last Friday as their fashionable owners celebrated the 16th Annual Stern Women in Business Conference.

Open to graduate students in the Stern School of Business and alumnae and professionals within the New York City business community, the conference featured two keynote speakers: Cathleen Black, president of Hearst Magazines and author of the book "Basic Black: The Essential Guide For Getting Ahead At Work (and in Life)" addressed the audience in the morning, while Suzy Welch, author and former editor of the Harvard Business Review spoke in the afternoon.

"It makes me feel a little nervous to be in a room with all these powerful women but also intensely proud of where we are as a school," Stern dean Thomas Cooley said. The MBA program is currently 42 percent female, a record for the school.

Women's increased interest in Stern seems to reflect the rest of the business world. Looking over a roomful of beaming faces, Black said she was reminded of "some of the earlier days of my career, when an event like this could literally have been held in a phone booth."

While celebrating the positive change in the business industry, Black asked young women to remember that, as she once opened doors for women in business, it is now up to them to reshape the industry.

"Your challenge and your job is to help us as senior management change and keep pushing the envelope," Black said. Her advice to young women starting off in the industry was to live a "360 degree life," to love their jobs and feed their lives at home, and to engage in every challenge with fortitude and determination. She reminded them that the most important thing is to know what they want and to go for it.

"I wish you a clear sense of learning who you are. Live the big dream, go for the brass ring," Black said.

Corina Maritescu, E-mail etcetera@nyunews.com.