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 Shradha Balakrishnan on Fri, Mar 05, 2010
This new study examines the growing impact, influence and importance of women in senior, decision-making roles in the public sector.
Paths to Power: Advancing Women in Government, published by Forbes Insights and Deloitte, looks at the gains women have been making in gaining power, and how their voices are influencing economies and societies worldwide.
Summary:
When it comes to women's advancement, few achievements can compare with the rising role of women in government. The move to achieving full gender parity may be slow and uneven, but women are increasingly being elected and appointed to positions of power. This governmental evolution has the potential to pave the way for women to make further gains in the public and private sectors, helping to bring their voice and talent to the issues that shape national economies and societies.
Paths to Power, developed by Deloitte and Forbes Insights, explores the growing impact-and importance-of women in senior, decision-making roles in the public sector. It looks at women as a critical resource for economic growth, as well as the critical need to harness the wealth of global female talent in both the public and private sectors. In addition, Paths to Power shows how women's progress in the public sector is setting the stage for advancement in the private sector.
You can download the study at: http://www.forbes.com/forbesinsights/pathstopower/index.html
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 Sonya Banerjee on Thu, Jan 14, 2010
Carla Cooper is a seasoned finance professional who was kind .jpg)
enough to take time out of her busy schedule to share her insight with Future Women Leaders.
Question #1: Tell me a bit about your background.
I have an undergraduate degree from Princeton. I joined Prudential Securities after college and spent three years there. Because I had a liberal arts major, and no finance background, my first four months at Prudential were really a tough challenge - a brutal four month financial education. Many of my peers had finance backgrounds and seemed to be so far ahead, but I knew that I would be able to overcome those challenges. In college, I wrote a 140 page thesis on a complex political topic - I knew I could do anything.
Early on, I really wanted to prove myself - prove that I could handle the challenges of the job. As a result, I ended up pursuing the CFA because I felt it would provide me with the skills I would need to do well at Prudential. And this is key - a lot of people advised me not to pursue the CFA, noting that my time would be better spent doing something else. Ultimately I made my decision based on what I believed would be the right step for me. One lesson I took away from my experience at Prudential is that it is important to look at what the organization values and take steps that will lead you to succeed in that environment.
Question #2: Why did you decide to get an MBA?
I wanted a flexible degree that would provide me with options in business. I decided to attend Kellogg because I felt it was a well-rounded school, which was an important aspect for me since I was considering getting out of finance. I spent my first summer in business school working in marketing - in some ways it was a horrible experience, but in other ways it was fantastic. I'd like to note here that difficult experiences really sharpen your thought process - there is usually something to be learned. I wouldn't seek out difficult experiences, but I wouldn't avoid them either. After that summer, and after spending time hearing about what friends in finance were doing, I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in finance.
Something to consider when evaluating a job prospect - you can accept a job for the person you will be working for, if not for the job itself. After business school, I went to work for the co-director of Equity Research at Robert W. Baird & Co. and I became his right-hand woman. At Baird, I worked my way up from an Associate position to a Senior Analyst role. I spent about 10 years in sell-side research with Baird before I decided to transition to Baird Investment Management (where I have been for 4 years).
Question #3: What are the biggest work-related challenges you have faced? How did you overcome them?
- My Prudential experience (described in Question 1) - when I chose to pursue the CFA
- I had a challenging boss early in my career, and in terms of lessons I took away from that experience: have a thick skin - don't take things personally. If someone is being difficult, understand that there is another story underlying their behavior - might not be you
- Also - I had two kids while working as a Senior sell-side Research Analyst - no easy feat (I am blessed to have a supportive spouse). Something to consider - don't let others dictate to you what makes a good mom; it is important for your kids to see you as a happy person - so do what makes you happy
Question #4: Tell me about the mentors you have had in your life (male/female).
- My first boss at Baird - I really learned how to think things through and improved my interpersonal skills
- I had a great mentor at Prudential - someone who rescued me from the challenging boss I described earlier. She was smart, had a great presence - was strong and definitive and a great role model partly because she was a woman
Question #5: Anything you wish you had known when you were in earlier stages of your career?
Rules of the corporate or business world are sometimes unspoken - i.e. not as crystal clear as "these are the things you need to do to get an A." Sometimes you need to take risks or seek out guidance
Always weigh the costs and benefits of your actions. Don't be risk averse, but people can sometimes forget that the downside is higher than the incremental upside that they are focused on
Just have to figure things out as you go.
Question #6: What are leadership qualities you value most in others?
- Directness
- Good blocking and tackling
- Someone who is consistent versus someone who is on once a year
- Engage with the people/work/process/everything and has some commitment to periodically stepping back and reviewing the strategy/goal
Question #7: What is your greatest achievement?
- I was really proud that I was a top ranked Senior Research Analyst at a firm I really respect.
- I was proud to have stayed on track professionally at the same time as I was raising a family
- You have to love what you do because there will come a day when being with your kids will become really attractive
Question #8: Who inspires you?
My husband inspires me because he is so level headed and is always thinking about how to solve problems. I am also frequently inspired by what I read and by people I meet.
Question #9: Do you have a mission statement or a tenet that you try to live by?
- You aren't learning anything if you are talking; make sure to listen!
- What goes around comes around
- Golden rule - treat others as you would like to be treated
Question #10: Do you have work/life balance?
- I have work/life balance - but I am always on the go; I don't get to sleep much, but that is ok with me
- I have three regular volunteer commitments - which I enjoy
- Exercise is definitely my stress release