In our InPower Women Mastermind community the subjects of discrimination, bias, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) come up pretty often in conversation. These discussions are stimulated by personal experience and requests for advice as well as a shared commitment the women in our group have for...
Gender Equality
Owning My Place on the Ladder of Privilege, Social Justice and Inequity
One coach’s approach to becoming a better human being I am profoundly uncomfortable. I recently wrote an article for Smartbrief about how to lead in response to the protests roiling our cities. While I stand by what I said, here is what I did not say in that article: I’m really not feeling like...
3 Ways a Male Executive Can Help Create a Less Biased Corporate Culture
Dear Dana, I’ve recently been promoted to an executive position in my company and I read your article about how senior women can help change corporate culture regarding gender and sexual discrimination and harassment. In my new position, I now see things that are walking the line of sexism and...
Confessions of a Reluctant Feminist: My Role In Perpetuating Workplace Discrimination
The lack of workforce diversity affects virtually every business. We need to figure out how to fight the kind of workplace discrimination that creates cultural uniformity in our businesses for two reasons. First, it’s the right thing to do; when more of our workplaces become safe havens for...
Women’s Empowerment Update: Progress in International Development
When Dana first announced The Woman Effect, which recognizes that gender balanced groups produce better results than gender-dominant groups, we noted that this philosophy was informing efforts to improve conditions for even the poorest countries. That was 5 years ago! We asked Jeff to give us an...
Trump and Women: Should We Be?
There’s a lot of confusion and anxiety running around the Internet these days, and it feels relentless, like we’re drowning in the next big thing every time a text alert comes in. When I started writing this, I was thinking of the Women’s March on Washington (and every other city center) that...
The Myth of Hard Work: Maybe You’re Really Not Enough
I’m a positive person and the recent election in the U.S. has dealt my positivity a serious blow. But I will do my best to turn it into a lesson we can all learn from. A week ago the world watched as a highly qualified Wellesley and Yale educated public servant, with decades of experience for...
Women’s Equality: Blame Won’t Get Us There
Have you ever heard of Women’s Equality Day? It's August 26th. I’m glad that this day exists. It commemorates the game-changing moment, 95 years ago today, when women gained the constitutional right to vote in the US. It’s important to celebrate that and to remember that there are still many...
The 3% Leadership Revolution: A (Missed) Opportunity For Women?
There is a quiet leadership revolution going on, a shift in the definition of success from “what” to “how.” In times of major change, the underdog has a strategic opportunity to end up on top. In this revolution, the women-in-leadership underdogs have a unique opportunity to capitalize on it and...
Gender Matters: Aussies Set Bar for Women in Film
Creative Commons "Supergirl” by Ali Zaidan is licensed under CC BY 2.0 The Oscar nominations are all the buzz after last week’s announcements. Even though 2015 saw some very strong roles for women in film (did you see Suffragettes?), as a whole the entertainment industry is still lacking in...