Emerson Exchange 365

Virtual Book Club Starting Now!

Hi Everyone! My name is Jocelyn Sexton, and I am the chair of the Women in STEM Book Club in Austin. This is our first attempt at a Virtual Book Club meeting... so we'll see how this goes! :-)

We have plans to discuss two books:

• “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race” by Margot Lee Shetterly
• "Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One" by Jenny Blake

I'm happy to start the discussion about Hidden Figures (the book I read), and then Rachelle McWright will chime in on Pivot.

jocelyn sexton

• 1 Mar 2017 5:02 PM
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26 Replies

• Rachelle McWright

  

  • 1 Mar 2017 5:05 PM

  Hi Jocelyn~ Thanks for piloting the "VBC". I'm the Community Manager for Emerson Exchange 365; for others joining us, please reply to this thread to introduce yourself and to discuss the books above. ...

  Best Regards,

  Rachelle McWright: Business Development Manager, Dynamic Simulation: U.S. Gulf Coast

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• jocelyn sexton

  

  • 1 Mar 2017 5:10 PM

  In reply to Rachelle McWright:

  Thanks, Rachelle! Also, to those that don't know me, my role at Emerson is as the Marketing Communications Strategy Manager for PSS Lifecycle Services. So I manage marketing campaigns for Lifecycle Services for DeltaV systems (and others).
  
  I have a long commute to and from work, so I listened to "Hidden Figures" via the Audible app I have on my phone. I have not seen the movie, though I would very much like to!

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• Deanna K Johnson

  

  • 1 Mar 2017 5:12 PM

  In reply to jocelyn sexton:

  I'm a little over halfway through the book "Hidden Figures" but have not been able to whip through it as much as anticipated. But the move was great.

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• Katie Smith

  

  • 1 Mar 2017 5:19 PM

  Hi everyone! How do we participate? Just by responding to this message? Are there facilitated questions to ponder?

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• Rachelle McWright

  

  • 1 Mar 2017 5:19 PM

  In reply to Deanna K Johnson:

  My understanding is that the book is more of a historical account, "dry" seems to be a prevalent adjective, and the book whips the info a story.

  Best Regards,

  Rachelle McWright: Business Development Manager, Dynamic Simulation: U.S. Gulf Coast

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• jocelyn sexton

  

  • 1 Mar 2017 5:20 PM

  In reply to Deanna K Johnson:

  Thanks, Deanna... I agree. I had high hopes for the book since the movie trailer looked so awesome and the book had a 4.5 star rating on Amazon. But I found it to be very dense and kind of boring. Also, I didn't feel like it was organized well. I kept getting confused between Mary Jackson and Katherine Johnson (but perhaps it was because I was listening, rather than reading with my eyes?). And although the book gave a TON of facts, I would have preferred more of a "story" with conversations and insight into their feelings.

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• jocelyn sexton

  

  • 1 Mar 2017 5:21 PM

  In reply to Katie Smith:

  Hi Katie! Yes, you can just reply to this thread. Did you read Hidden Figures or Pivot? If so, what were your thoughts on the book you read?

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• Katie Smith

  

  • 1 Mar 2017 5:26 PM

  In reply to jocelyn sexton:

  I haven't finished either but tend to do a lot of research outside of the actual book. I watched this talk by Jenny Blake from her Talks at Google: www.youtube.com/watch

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• Katie Smith

  

  • 1 Mar 2017 5:27 PM

  In reply to Katie Smith:

  Any chance we could open a Lync/Skype chat about this to make it more user responsive?

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• Rachelle McWright

  

  • 1 Mar 2017 5:31 PM

  In reply to Katie Smith:

  Great thought, Katie Smith. We're piloting a series of Live events in the community (this morning I hosted one on Measurement & Analysis applications). Our community platform doesnt innately support video chat, but we're looking into ways we might imbed something like Skype or Google Hangouts to integrate Live video....So, stay tuned?

  Best Regards,

  Rachelle McWright: Business Development Manager, Dynamic Simulation: U.S. Gulf Coast

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• jocelyn sexton

  

  • 1 Mar 2017 5:32 PM

  In reply to Katie Smith:

  Thanks for the link! I will definitely watch it. I saw her speak at the Texas Conference for Women, and I really enjoyed her presentation. Have you also listened to her Pivot podcast? I listened to two episodes (of whatever you call podcasts...), but it was a bit too meditative or aspirational for me. I have not read the book yet, but it was described as more action-oriented in our live, in-person Book Club discussion yesterday in Austin, with some activities for you to do along the way.

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• Rachelle McWright

  

  • 1 Mar 2017 5:35 PM

  In reply to Katie Smith:

  Admittedly, I'm only 2/3 into Pivot myself. I read it from the viewpoint of a discussion leader, but am eager to go back and apply some of the exercises in my own life.  Here are the 4 "Steps" of a Pivot, Im curious if anyone has engaged in the exercises she recommends and would share feedback?

  4  Key steps of the Pivot Method:

  Plant: Understand what skills and experiences you can leverage from your past to anchor your next career move.

  Scan: Explore a wide range of opportunities and options available to you, and the skills you’ll need in order to pursue them.

  Pilot: Experiment in one or a few ways to test whether you’re ready to take advantage of a new opportunity or move in a new direction (whether within your current role, or outside of it).

  Launch: Start moving into what’s next for you and your career.

  Best Regards,

  Rachelle McWright: Business Development Manager, Dynamic Simulation: U.S. Gulf Coast

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• jocelyn sexton

  

  • 1 Mar 2017 5:39 PM

  In reply to Katie Smith:

  Also , I'm sometimes the same way about doing research outside the book... especially when it comes to books like Hidden Figures or especially historical ficture books. I've been reading a lot of books set in Europe in WWII, and I always like to go back and see more about what really happened. Similarly, I read "The Swans of Fifth Avenue" (Truman Capote), "The Aviator's Wife" (about Charles Lindbergh), "Loving Frank" (Frank Lloyd Wright) and "The Paris Wife" (Ernest Hemingway)... and it's been intereting to read more about these people in history.

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• Rachelle McWright

  

  • 1 Mar 2017 5:42 PM

  In reply to Katie Smith:

  On page 16, I marked this sentence which I love AND fear. jocelyn sexton nailed it, it's scary from beginning to end, "Release the illusion of security within a fixed future and allow life to suprise you instead. The only move that matters is your next one."

  Best Regards,

  Rachelle McWright: Business Development Manager, Dynamic Simulation: U.S. Gulf Coast

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• jocelyn sexton

  

  • 1 Mar 2017 5:46 PM

  In reply to Rachelle McWright:

  I'd be intersting to hear thoughts on how to Pivot within Emerson. I feel like I understand what skills and experiences I can leverage... but I have trouble seeing a "wide range of opportunities and options available" (at least right now) in our company. And how do you start to move in a new direction if no open job exists? Does the book give tips on the Scan and Pilot steps that can be applied to an internal pivot?

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