Earlier this year when my youngest son graduated high school I celebrated with a blog post about motherhood and what I’ve learned about leadership by being a parent. Readers had a lively discussion on the post (when I posted it on Smartblog on Leadership) and several asked me to address some other...
Mentoring
Setting Priorities and Saying No
We all know we should set priorities and say no more easily and more often, but why don't we DO it more often? We love how Emily let's us peek into her head for some important insights on this important work-life-boundaries issue. ~InPower Editors I’m writing this because I’m procrastinating. I...
A Mentor Is Not Enough
By: Dr. Tanvi Gautam What you need is a mentor! We have all heard that piece of advice at some point or the other in our careers. Organizations believe in this idea too and many make it a policy to assign employees to mentors. While this concept is well-intentioned there is an inherent flaw in the...
4 Pieces of Advice for Female Social Entrepreneurs
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...
A Glass Ceiling Still Exists, and That Hurts Corporate America
It's sad that the glass ceiling still exists. Even though there has been progress, we still have a long way to go regarding women enjoying equality in important leadership positions and compensation. Far too few capable women are offered positions with the responsibilities and influence they have...
Do Women Need a Mentor to Succeed?
Every young professional hears it: “Get a mentor!” Many companies invest in mentoring programs, especially for women aspiring to advance. But do mentor programs pay off –– for the mentors and the mentees? My clients and I have had positive experiences, but, who knows? Maybe we’re not typical?...
Q-and-A with Mary Davis Holt: The state of women in leadership
By: James daSilva I recently asked Mary Davis Holt about the book she co-authored, “Break Your Own Rules: How to Change the Patterns of Thinking That Block Women’s Paths to Power,” and some of the general themes regarding women and workplace advancement. Holt is a partner at Flynn Heath Holt...
We Need Women in Business Leadership NOW
Anne-Marie Slaughter’s article in the Atlantic, Why Women Can’t Have it All, has reignited crucial issues of advancement and balance that women continue to face in the workplace. As a male executive in business for over forty years, I have worked with many women who have consistently performed at...
We Need Many More Women in Leadership Roles
Recently, I have written several articles about our need for more women in key leadership roles. I assert that our companies and organizational cultures could benefit from women’s great strengths, e.g., their willingness to ask questions, to listen to understand and learn, to be inclusive in...
Don’t Get Angry, Negotiate!
Many business leaders are good at contracting and negotiating. Negotiating is how we close customers, manage vendors and hire/release employees; it’s how we establish and maintain our relationships with third parties; it’s how we conduct business. But as a species, business leaders could be a lot...