Patricia Koopersmith is the very definition of a doer and a go-getter, and a glass ceiling breaker, but to her surprise this career strength turned out to be one of her biggest hurdles as she transitioned into the executive ranks as Chief Operating Officer at The Clearing, Inc., a strategic...
Women in Leadership
I’m Not Jaded: Don’t Discourage Our Future Female Leaders
Sometimes it's so easy to fall into negativity that we forget how much energy it saps from us. That's why we started InPower Women, to help restart the dialog about women, leadership and power. That's also why we love this post for female leaders by Kelsey, who reminds us that when we use...
The Art of Influence: Lesson 4 – Dress For Success?
InPower Women has begun a discussion on women, fashion and power, which is a great reason to repost this article Mary wrote a while ago. We love how Mary covers the issue of "dress for success", tying the power of being attractive to our own sense of confidence. Read the whole series! - InPower...
Forget the “Virtuous Woman” Myth, Enter the “Virtuous Leader”
Have you noticed how harshly we can view women leaders, especially in politics? Is it because of sexism? Or is there something more subconscious and deeply cultural happening? We have had women leaders in the past, but the ones that many of us know best from childhood are the virtuous women...
Update: Newest Research on Women in Leadership (March ’23)
We like to keep up with the newest data on women in leadership, updating our primary catalog, Guide to Women’s Leadership, about twice a year. Thanks for my colleague, Jennifer V. Miller we keep this extensive documentation pretty current. The guide now includes 109 citations in four categories...
What Meryl Streep Can Teach Us About Mean Girl Bosses
Between Maggie Thatcher in The Iron Lady and Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, Meryl Streep has played some pretty tough bosses in her movies. So when I got the umpteenth request from professional women - readers, clients and friends - to explain the phenomenon of lady bully bosses (i.e.,...
Reframing the Quest to “Have it All” – The Case for Worklife Equity
How did we get here? Who’s silly idea was it to “have it all?” in the first place? My mother’s generation didn’t “have it all” – or even half. Married women in my mother’s and grandmother’s generation were locked in the domestic ivory tower as queens of their homefronts, but powerless in...
What You & An Air Force General Have in Common – The Path To Leadership
When I first met Lieutenant General Judith Fedder, I was immediately struck by her poise and presence. Then I noticed the three stars on her shoulder and wanted to know about her experience with power and leadership as one of the most senior ranking women in the military. She was very open and...
Replacing Tropes for Mentoring Women with the Truths They Deserve
Mentoring Women Key Takeaways: Mentorship Must Evolve: Traditional mentoring advice often perpetuates outdated gender tropes that hinder women's leadership potential. Mentors need to update their guidance to reflect current workplace realities. Unconscious Bias is Pervasive: Mentors can...
5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Company – Leadership Right Now
In recognition of the fact that a company with women in roughly 30% of its leadership tend to produce healthier and stronger performing companies, there are lots of good programs out there trying to help women. But should we really wait for HR to come up with a great program?
Seriously – it’s not about the special programs. It’s about you and me and what we do every day to create the culture we live in – and to create a culture that welcomes the gifts women bring into the leadership ranks. Culture is created by the behaviors we tolerate and those we don’t. This doesn’t just apply to women.
Men and women both bear responsibility for helping lead their companies and create a strong culture – no matter what their title is.
Personally what can we do?