Posted by Shradha Balakrishnan on Thu, Jul 29, 2010
Guest post by Jen Dalitz:
New research from the Tuck School of Business has shown that 90% of female MBA students prefer a male boss. A 2009 survey of 2,000 British working women revealed 63% would prefer a male over a female boss. And a 2008 survey from the University of Toronto highlighted that women working under a sole female supervisor reported more distress and physical stress symptoms than women working under a lone male supervisor.
So what is going on here? Are all female bosses dragon ladies? And if everyone prefers working for a male boss, what does this mean for the sphinxx vision of seeing women equally represented in leadership roles?
While it’s one thing for movies like The Devil Wears Prada and The Proposal to portray women bosses as dragon ladies, do the movies actually mirror your experience? Is it history that sets the stereotypical gender of a boss as male, or all other things being equal, do women and men actually prefer men as bosses?
When I received an article from one of the sphinxx leadership program members, with links to the ForbesWomen views on Male Vs. Female Bosses I have to say I was stunned by some of the comments: “Women have been evil bosses to me in the past”; “A man any day of the week”; “Female bosses are either b*tches or bimbos”. Wow.
For my part, I’ve had some spectacularly bad bosses who were men. I’ve had great bosses that are men too, and a couple of wonderful women bosses who remain mentors to me today. I haven’t had any dragon lady bosses, thank goodness, but I acknowledge that some people have. I wonder what your experience is - whether you’re male or female - and if there’s anything women who aspire to leadership roles could learn from it.
I’ve been trying to think back to the men and women bosses I’ve had over the years, and whether there where any discernable differences in their management styles. One thing that strikes me is that most of the women were more efficient and effective - they were really certainly caring, but also very focused on the business outcomes and had a track record in delivery. Some of the men on the other hand were more, well, “fun”. You know, they were lighthearted, they were the first to round up the team and take us to the pub to celebrate our wins, and apart from the odd crisis at work, they appeared otherwise to have not a care in the world, which may have made them seem more approachable. And one big difference is that all of my male bosses had wives who managed their life away from work. Many of these wives made a full time job of looking after their home and family and, in turn, my boss... so I wonder if that played a part in how these boss blokes were perceived. And whether the fact that my female bosses didn't have a "wife" made them - out of necessity - that bit more task oriented.
It’s just a sneaking suspicion... and I could be wrong... but I know in my case it’s the stuff away from work that very much drives how my colleagues and staff perceive me. When the pressure is on away from work, it crosses over to my work life as well. But maybe that's just me...
If you’re a woman reading this blog, I’d love you to not only to discuss this topic with your peers, and share your views, but also to forward it on to your male colleagues and bosses for their opinion. And blokes: truly, we’re up for it. Tell us what you think it will take to improve perceptions of women at the top and get involved in the discussion. I'd love to hear from you all on this very important issue.
Jen Dalitz is obsessed with getting more women into leadership roles, in our workplaces and communities. As the sheEO and founder of sphinxx, the network for female senior managers, she runs the wildly successful Ascend development days, publishes a weekly newsletter of tips, resources and articles for working women, and mentors, advocates for and consults on topics relating to working women.
Posted by Shradha Balakrishnan on Sat, May 15, 2010
Guest post by Anna MillerNot all of us know what we want to become early in life; in fact, there are stages we go through where we move from one ambition to another before we finally decide before or in college what we really wish to do with the rest of our lives.
And even after we make this decision, there are other choices to make – do you need to continue with your education or are you ready to jump into a job? When you’re a woman, this decision becomes even more crucial considering that you have to weight your personal life against your professional one and try to balance the two equally.
Some women are happy being wives and full-time moms; they’re fulfilled by taking care of the home and looking after their families. Others need to achieve some level of professional success even before they can think of settling down. They usually take a break from work during their pregnancies and come back in a few months or when they feel their children are old enough to cope without them. And yet others prefer to immerse themselves in their profession without thinking too much about their personal lives; for these women, career success is an important life goal.
Grad school is a choice for those who are career oriented – if you want to become a doctor or a lawyer, you must apply for graduate studies and dedicate a good portion of your life to academia. But some aspiring professionals prefer to test the career waters before they go back to school to earn a graduate degree. For example, if you want to do an MBA or any other advanced business degree, it’s best to have some work experience under your belt.
Another deciding factor is money – it’s not cheap to earn an education these days. So if you’re struggling under a mountain of debt because of outstanding student loans, you’re likely to work for some time, pay off your loans, and earn enough to put yourself through grad school.
Also, women find that online education works well for them when they’re trying to juggle their personal and professional lives. Most of them don’t want to put their personal lives on hold just to pursue an education or a career – they prefer to do both simultaneously either because they’ve met the right man or because they feel their biological clocks ticking and want to start a family before it’s too late.
The choice of grad school or a job depends on:
- Your choice of career – some require you to apply for grad school immediately after your undergraduate degree while others allow you the freedom to work for a while before you decide to earn a master’s degree to further your career in terms of a promotion, raise, or both.
- Your personal preference – you may decide to stay in academia for a few more years rather than find a job.
- Your finances – you may be averse to taking out another loan to finance your graduate degree, so unless you’re able to find a scholarship, it’s best to start working so you can pay off your debt and start saving up for grad school.
This guest post is contributed by Anna Miller, who writes on the topic of online degree. She welcomes your comments at her email id: anna.miller009@gmail.com
Posted by Shradha Balakrishnan on Wed, May 12, 2010
A guest post by Melissa Tamura
As an aspiring lawyer, there are many women I look to for inspiration in being successful in handling business. No matter what profession you are in, businesswomen can teach you how to be determined, confident, and authoritative in the way you handle your profession and life. These are just 8 women, in addition to many more, that are inspirational for women everwhere for the lessons they teach us.
1. Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is a highly powerful woman in today's society. She has taught women everywhere how to overcome barriers like sexual abuse and racial stereotypes in order to achieve immense success. Her story is a story of resilience, strength, and fun confidence. Winfrey was born into poverty with a single mother, but used her hardships as a way to become an intuitive and effective communicator with women everywhere. In 1988, Oprah Winfrey assumed ownership and production responsibilities for her show, "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Winfrey created her magazine, O, in 2000 and now owns Harpo Productions.
2. Hilary Clinton
In 2008, Hilary Clinton served as a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. She attended Wellesley College and later went on to attend law school at Yale. She is a great example of a woman who takes on huge challenges and yields results. Even though she did not win the presidential election, Clinton now serves as the Secretary of State for President Barack Obama.
3. Carleton Fiorina
Carleton Fiorina served as President and Chief Executive Officer for Hewlett-Packard, the information technology corporation based in Palo Alto, California. Her achievements are remarkable, because she is emblematic of diversity in a technological field that can be lacking driven women. In 2005, Fiorina stepped down from her role at Hewlett-Packard. However, her story shows how someone who once was a secretary can work to achieve the ranks of one of the most respected and powerful women worldwide.
4. Abigail Johnson
Johnson runs Fidelity Investments along with her father Edward Johnson. Abigail Johnson is a powerful example of a woman able to break into the financial industry and manage over $1.1 trillion dollars.
5. Indra Nooyi
Indra Nooyi is CEO and Chairman of PepsiCo and delivered strong profits for sales of $43 billion in 2009. Nooyi sticks to her guns and helped PepsiCo develop a company mission centering on sustainability and healthiness.
6. Bonnie Hammer
At 61, Bonnie Hammer serves as President for NBCU Cable Entertainment and Universal Cable Productions. She shows that age knows no limits and that women can achieve success beyond age limitations.
7. Andrea Jung
Jung is phenomenal for her work in helping women to support themselves as CEO of Avon, which enables women to go door to door and sell makeup products.
8. Irene Rosenfeld
As CEO of Kraft Foods, Rosenfeld has broken barriers in industries where men typically fill CEO roles. Her leadership helped Kraft Foods to outperform the S&P in the last couple years. These women are powerful examples of influential businesswomen with guts, determination, and an ability to get results. They are confidant and unwilling to allow anyone else to take the business roles they deserve.
Written by Melissa Tamura, who writes about online schools for Zen College Life.
Posted by Kate Stence on Mon, Apr 26, 2010
Overcoming Your Fears: The Entrepreneur's Journey
So you want to be an entrepreneur, right? That was my life dream. It was my solution for "having it all": a successful professional, personal and family life. These were my motivations. What are yours?
Like many entrepreneurs, I had major fears before taking the plunge. Having the entrepreneur’s dream, and making it a reality are two different beasts. There are many mental roadblocks that can inhibit you from taking the plunge:
I’m not sure about my idea. What if I fail?
Failure is what happens when you stop trying. No idea is perfect. Ideas evolve much like people. They grow, change, and need to be nurtured to blossom. Too many people think the idea is the key to entrepreneurial success. In reality, the idea is just the starting point. The challenges come with the journey that follows.
When I started Marry Me Live, I was a true idea romantic. I quickly realized that business success could not rely on the idea alone. Execution and evolution is the key to business prosperity. Although we are still true to the original mission (enabling everyone to attend the wedding regardless of geography), everything else about the business has evolved and changed in one way or another.
It is such a big risk. Is it worth giving up job security?
We all say we want to be an entrepreneur when times are bad. The question you need to ask yourself is “Would I still be willing to give up my job when times are good?”
Entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone. There is risk. There are ups and downs. It takes a certain mindset to stay positive when things look bleak. If the entrepreneurial drive is stronger than the benefits you receive at the best of times, it is time to re-evaluate your situation.
Look yourself in the mirror and determine if your current position is getting you closer to your entrepreneurial dream. If the answer is “no”, staying in your current situation is the “bigger” risk.
I'm scared. How do I get over my fear of “taking the leap”?
You are likely reading this article because you want to take the leap. You are halfway there. You’ve done your research. If you have not done your research, start by talking to entrepreneurs. You will realize that they are not super humans, but everyday people like you and me. Those individuals took the leap because their passion for their business overtook their fear of failure.
Still not convinced? Do something that scares you just a little bit everyday. Talk to that handsome stranger in the elevator, go skydiving, sing karaoke in a very crowded bar, whatever it is that gets you out of your comfort zone.
When you realize you are still alive and breathing, you may be closer to taking that leap after all.
I cannot afford to be an entrepreneur! How will I finance the business?
If you are passionate about being an entrepreneur, you will find creative ways to make it work. It could be a part-time job, friends and family investment, small business loan, or being a full-time employee/nights and weekend entrepreneur.
Keep in mind that you may not be able to afford your current lifestyle. Being an entrepreneur takes sacrifice. But, when you have the vision, the sacrifice is worth it.
These are a just a few of the many thoughts that I’m sure are swirling around in your head. After reading this, if you still think you want to be an entrepreneur, the best advice I can give you is to not over-think the process!
The biggest hurdle of all is keeping your fear of the unknown in check. The entrepreneur’s journey is risky, but it is that same risk that can make your dream a reality. You will never feel completely prepared, but that is what makes the journey so thrilling. Once you realize this, taking the plunge is much easier than you think. So step back, relax and jump!
About the Author:
Stacy Yamaoka is the co-founder of Marry Me Live, a live wedding streaming and wedding webcasting service enabling wedding couples to share their wedding LIVE with family and friends around the world. Stacy Yamaoka is also the Director of College Mentorship for Future Women Leaders.
Posted by Shradha Balakrishnan on Sun, Apr 25, 2010
Most of us spend a *lot* of our time in front of a computer. And it is therefore no surprise that we often complain of persistent neck and back pains. The soreness in my neck became a little worse over the last month, which prompted me to look into easy, discreet exercises that I could do in my office to ease the stress and pain in my neck/shoulders/back.
I have been finding these little tricks so helpful that I thought I would share them with you. Afterall a healty body=a healthy mind!
Stretching exercises for the office
5 minute Yoga stretches
Simple Stretches You Can Do at Your Desk for Increased Energy
How to burn calories at work
You could also do an image search to find nice little charts that you can print out and put on your desk.
I would love to learn about what you do to release the stress off your neck, so please leave your comments below.
Posted by Shradha Balakrishnan on Wed, Mar 17, 2010
A guest post by Pat Obuchowski:
"Networking puts eyes and ears in places where you yourself can't look and can't listen."
~Max Messmer
A client of mine was laid off after 15 years with the same company. One of her first realizations was that she wished she had networked more during that time to stay in contact with people she met in her industry and to make new contacts. This would have proved invaluable to her when she started to look for new work.
What is it about networking that's not working for you? I'm talking about the old fashioned face to face contact, not social networking, which is a whole other topic.
We continue to hear that networking is the number one way to find the job we're looking for, earn the business we want, find the resources we need, and to make the connections we need as human beings. Well, why aren't we all stars at networking?
I always thought networking had the meaning of working hard to grab as many people as you can in your net. Kind of like fishing for tuna. The more the better. I thought it was an odd word to use.
Dictionary.com defines networking as: a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest.
Isn't that a much more effortless way of looking at it? Oh, it's supportive. That means that I can also help other people. And by the way, that is the best approach to take. Magic words asking someone "How can I help you?"
Oh, it's a system. There is an order, a schema. Now, that I can work with. I need a plan to work in a system. I can do that.
Oh, it's sharing information and services. It's not about going in and being desperate to make the one right connection (although it is about making connections). I have lots of information and great services to share. And, oh, it's about sharing. I just have to find that common point and we're off!
Oh, we have a common interest. Of course. That is what would draw a group of people to any networking event. All I have to do is find the common interest.
They are there for the same reason as I am. To find a supportive system of sharing information and services among individual and groups having a common interest. Knowing we're there for the same reason sure does make it a lot easier.
Now having a different perspective on networking, here are a few things that I have found to work for networking at events.
1. Just do it. I was really fearful of networking when I started my business eight years ago, but now I consider myself a pretty good networker. I still feel the GULP and I still do it anyway. I remind myself that most of these people are here for the same reason I am.
2. Be specific. Have your 15-30 second elevator speech ready. Use a networking event as a playground for testing out your elevator speech. Use it and see how it lands. Try it several times and if necessary revise it.
3. Future contact. I remember that in all likelihood if this isn't an industry event or a regular networking event, I will never see most of these people again...unless I want to. This idea frees me up to do things such as test my elevator speech, or a new marketing phrase I want to set up, or to do a survey of something.
4. Ask the other person, "How can I help you?" These are the magic words and I have found that most often, people don't know what to ask, but they do love being asked. You just must be prepared to help them if they do ask you for something specific.
5. Keep your promises. If you say you're going to do something, e.g., make a connection, give a referral, send an article, be sure you do it. There is nothing worse than breaking a promise to start off a relationship.
"The successful networkers I know, the ones receiving tons of referrals and feeling truly happy about themselves, continually put the other person's needs ahead of their own." ~Bob Burg
Expect a call from me soon. I'm networking.
About Pat Obuchowski:
Pat Obuchowski is CEO (Chief Empowerment Officer) of inVisionaria, a Leadership and Team coaching organization. She currently serves as a Global Board Director for the International Coach Federation, the largest professional coaching association in the World.Web: www.inVisionaria.com
Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/patobuchowski
*Image: Spectrum by Lumax Art
Posted by Shradha Balakrishnan on Wed, Feb 17, 2010
Guest post by Susan Liddy:
Are you a woman who leads? Whether it's managing a team at work, coaching the cheerleading squad, or running your own business... strong leaders have one thing in common. They know how to motivate other people to action!
When you think of women who lead, who comes to mind? Maybe Oprah Winfrey, Indira Ghandi, Margaret Thatcher... fearless females who stand out as championing a cause or motivating others for lasting change. What about people from your everyday life? We all know at least one woman who stands out as being an exceptional leader among her peers.
How about you... have you always wanted to lead a group? Maybe you already act as a leader in your own life and just need some reassurance that you're in the right role.
Here are some common traits of women who know how to take charge and empower others for success!
1. Women leaders are goal-oriented. The sole point of organizing a group of people is for a common purpose- a goal! To be a woman who knows how to move people to action means that you must be purpose-driven. Natural born leaders have both a long- and short-term vision for the future. What does the group intend to do? What steps need to be taken to get there? Put a strong leader in charge and you will quickly see change take place - starting with a goal.
2. Women leaders know how to communicate effectively. Great bosses, influential presidents, and even strong scout leaders know how to effectively motivate people through words and gestures. Not only are they good at saying what they mean, but strong leaders excel at speaking in front of a group. They know how to use both verbal and nonverbal skills to convey powerful, rousing emotions. And in the arena of interpersonal communication... strong leaders remain fair, impartial, positive and empowering when interacting with others.
3. Women leaders display high emotional intelligence. We spoke a bit about effective communication; strong leaders become this way because they have learned to rise above petty thoughts and steer clear of self defeating inner dialogue (coaches call this self talk). Maintaining high emotional intelligence means these women are more apt to remain cool and in control in a crisis; not let negative influences bring them down and not find themselves spinning in those self defeating cycles that so many of us find ourselves in. Instead, they empower their thoughts to achieve more in less time, to guide others to do the same and to get more accomplished using the people and resources available!
4. Women leaders know how to delegate. Weak leaders tend to micro-manage; that's when you assign a task to someone else but then, instead of trusting them to get the job done, focus all of your energy nitpicking and criticizing. A good leader puts her trusted team members to work so she can free up her time to make long-range plans for the future. The strong female in charge knows how important it is to have key people in her corner who are well suited to the jobs that she needs them to complete. This keeps her at the helm of the plan, focused on long range goals and ensuring that the group can continue to maximize productivity, stay motivated for the future and attain everything they set out to!
Finally, all great leaders understand how important life balance and self care is to achieving their goals, staying healthy and leading others effectively. Above all else, engaging in a healthy lifestyle and drawing a line between your work and personal life, is critical to becoming, and being, the best leader possible.
About the Author:
Life Coach Susan Liddy, MA, PCC, CPCC is the founder and CEO of AspireLifeCoaching.org, a life coaching company on a mission to empower women globally. Susan is the author of the "Secrets to Ultimate Living; What you wish you knew when you were 20!" and an active contributor to many blogs, including her own blog, SecretsToUltimateLiving.com.
Click here to get FREE access to Susan's Passages to Empowerment video series.
Posted by Shradha Balakrishnan on Tue, Jan 12, 2010
A guest post by Lynn Harris:
Every month or so new research appears about women in senior leadership – either there aren’t enough of them, or they’re not being treated on a par with men when they do make it to the top.
Two of the most recent examples are the World Economic Forum’s 2009 Gender Gap Report, and a new survey from The Corporate Library on the relative earnings of female CEOs.
The Gender Gap report gives a league table of how well countries use their resource of female talent (predictably, not very well for most countries). The Corporate Library survey reveals that female CEOs (those rare creatures) earn just 58 percent of what males earn; they also get lower bonuses.
One might surmise (as some women do when they read these kind of statistics), that there’s some kind of male conspiracy to keep women out of boardrooms and corner offices.
I don’t believe that’s so.
Men don’t get up in the morning and think, “How can I keep women down today?” At least not any men I know. Most of them just aren’t very interested in the issue. They’re focused on climbing the corporate ladder, and don’t really think gender gaps at the top are that important.
So, if it’s not a male conspiracy, why ARE there relatively few women in the upper echelons?
It’s tempting to look for single causes: women have lower self-esteem, or women are not genetically programmed to lead, or men are more committed and ambitious for power – the list goes on and on.
In fact, media articles that quote new research almost always focus on a single cause for the lack of women at the top. After all, if there were a single reason why more women don’t influence government policy, run academic institutions or lead corporations, it would be relatively easy to assign blame and fix the problem.
Unfortunately, for complex issues such as this one, there is never a single point of causality.
Simplistic analyses that say women need to be more assertive, more confident or more ambitious, are well intentioned, but misleading. They result in confusing advice for women who want to lead.
Women are told, for example, that they need to be more assertive, but not so assertive that they are disliked; they need to be collaborative, but not so friendly that they lack credibility; they need to be more competent than their male colleagues, but in a way that does not threaten them; and they need to be role models for other women, but need to behave more like men to succeed. Women obviously also need a good sense of humor!
Instead of looking for a single cause, we need to look at the different forces that interact to create leadership and organizational norms that favor men and disadvantage women. I call these forces the “unwritten rules.”
These rules aren’t explicitly acknowledged in organizations, but we all know they exist. They create a culture or environment in which it is more difficult for women to get to the top, and even to stay there once they have succeeded.
The unwritten rules are not part of some dastardly male conspiracy to keep women down. Rather, they are leadership norms that have evolved and become more extreme over time. Unfortunately, they are so firmly entrenched in organizations that they show little signs of changing.
What can be done to change this unbalanced status quo?
There seems to be a growing movement that recognizes women as a vastly underutilized leadership resource that could lead us back to economic stability, and clean up some of the dubious business practices that have led to the current worldwide economic recession.
Saadia Zahidi, co-author of the 2009 Global Gender Gap Report, says “Women and girls make up one half of the human resources available to the world and it will be imperative that they are educated, empowered and integrated for rapid economic recovery.”
The Corporate Library survey of Female CEO Pay demonstrates the need for parity at the top, even after women have made it to the corner office.
This is unlikely to happen, however, unless we move away from conspiracy theories and singular causes. Instead, we need to confront the reality of the unwritten rules, and recognize how they produce leadership behavior that maintains a status quo that significantly disadvantages women who want to lead. Women then have a clear choice. Learn the skills to succeed within the rules; or expose the rules and try to change the game.
About Lynn Harris:
Lynn Harris brings over 20 years of managerial, leadership and consulting experience in large organizations. She runs her own executive development practice based in Montreal, Canada where she specializes in executive coaching, team development and meeting facilitation. She also works internationally with colleagues from Europe delivering organizational change projects and leadership development workshops.
Author: Unwritten Rules What Women Need To Know About Leading In Today's Organizations
www.unwrittenrulesthebook.com
Posted by Sonya Banerjee on Fri, Dec 11, 2009
Great Business Week blog posting regarding a study that found that hedge funds run by women delivered nearly double the investment performance of those managed by men (time frame: January 2000 to May 31, 2009). Additionally, the article notes that women may be better at manging risk when it comes to other areas of finance as well. To read more: click here.
Posted by Sonya Banerjee on Mon, Nov 16, 2009
Saw a great posting on Doostang's blog that outlines some important considerations for someone looking to break into the world of finance.
1. Do your homework - there are many different career paths within the realm of financial services - which one fits you best? why?
2. Understand the lifestyle - Toto, we aren't in Kansas anymore...
3. Networking is key - The US Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that 70% of all jobs are found through networking.
4. Think about the message your resume conveys; be yourself! Your personality does matter.
5. If at first you don't succeed - don't give up!
Keep an eye out for an FWL panel early in 2010 regarding Women in Finance. You will be able to learn about different careers in financial services and hear directly from women who have been able to successfully navigate the male-dominated, obstacle-ridden waters.