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...
I recently saw Iron Man III with my family and it was a good time. Bad guys. Good guys. Destruction. Even a humble pie big enough to go around. As I enjoyed the pyrotechnics and good-guy triumph, however, I was reminded of how completely our comic books reinforce the most unhelpful of bad boy...
Mentoring Women Key Takeaways: Mentorship Must Evolve: Traditional mentoring advice often perpetuates outdated gender tropes that hinder women's leadership potential.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...
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?
I’ve been tracking research on women in leadership for over a decade now. It started when I first began coaching and wanted to get smart on leadership in general. I kept coming across intriguing articles on the good impacts women had on organizations when they were in leadership positions. The...
Much is written about how few women make it into the top leadership positions. The reasons are complex and multilayered, so there is much to write. But I consistently find several mentoring tips for women both maximally effective and minimally understood when I talk to women pursuing leadership...
I’m posting this in celebration of Women’s History Month, 2022, but I’ve been thinking about it for decades. History months always make me ponder what it takes to “make history” and it seems that historical figures need to check two boxes to make it into this rarefied, if sometimes stuffy, air: Do...
Mary finally received her promotion! After years of positioning herself and working on her personal brand she finally achieved her goal and had been put in charge of a product division for a major manufacturer. Predictably, our first executive coaching call in her new role centered on one subject,...
Discussions about how women can rise to the top have traditionally focused on discriminatory dynamics. And there are many of those dynamics to discuss, but that’s not all there is to it. In addition to navigating unconscious bias, harassment and discrimination, women often succeed by cultivating...
Does everything really happen for a reason? I’m not so sure. 2020 has been a year like no other in my memory. The earth is giving us so many challenges and then there’s the political and cultural shifts afoot that can truly challenge your beliefs about everything. COVID19 has brought tragedy to...
