A few months ago, I was having a heated feminist discussion with a lesbian lawyer who specializes in LGBT legal issues. (As of last week's Supreme Court decision, her business must be booming! Hooray!) We were both on fire with the issues and loving the debate. The question was whether women are...
By: Deborah Sweeney Women, despite all of the advances that our society has made, are still forced to grapple with the glass ceiling. While some women have made a name for themselves as directors and board members of major corporations, only 17% of the over 5,000 board seats for S&P 500...
We've all been there. Having a great day. Checking things off the to do list. Then boom! You hit a wall worse than a marathoner bonking at mile 20. You want to crawl under the desk. It takes an hour to get back to the same level of productivity. That's an hour you’ve either lost or you have to...
by: Inge Geerdens Being a female entrepreneur has its upsides, but also its disadvantages. Like having to find an answer to the question I - contrary to my male colleagues ? - get asked a lot. “As a mother of three children, how do you balance your work and your private life?” This time the...
Authenticity at work: is that an oxymoron? A pipedream? Most of us long to be more authentic at work, yet in most organizations, authenticity is in short supply. Here’s a quick exercise that illustrates why that might be so. Identify a current work situation that you think is being badly handled...
This weekend I took my daughter and her friend to see the new movie “Oz The Great and Powerful” based on the classic book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”. The occupational hazard of having a mom who is a leadership coach is that you don’t get to actually just eat the popcorn and enjoy the movie. You...
Beyond the Golden and Platinum Rules, in our crazy busy world the one rule everyone should follow daily above all is, “Don’t be a jerk.” When I am frustrated, under pressure or running late, I masterfully rationalize my “jerky” behavior. I act as if my needs are more important than anyone else and...
by: Laura Calandrella Ten years ago, social entrepreneurship was a pretty lonely field. There weren’t degree programs or associations; impact investing and microfinance were barely even recognized terms. Even organizations like Ashoka – which has a 25-year history of investing in entrepreneurs...
Women’s history month celebrates the accomplishment of women in history, many of them unsung and many still unknown. But it is also a time to consider how women can continue to make history. One way to do that is to redefine leadership by cultivating a feminine presence in the workplace and in...
By: Angela Maiers I speak often to groups of aspiring young leaders. Typically, the question on their minds when I begin is "what do I need to DO to become a leader?" I quickly aim to change their orientation from what they must DO to what they must BE. Success in leadership is attributed not only...
