It is from this fabulous content that I have created my first ebook,  Advancing Women’s Leadership. The book features my interviews with Marie Wilson, President and Founder of The White House Project, Alice Eagly, co-author of Through The Labyrinth: The Truth About How Women Become Leaders, and Alison Maitland, co-author of Why Women Mean Business.

This ebook is available to you FREE!

Here is an excerpt from the introduction of the book:

“The subject of women’s leadership in America and around the globe has been the focus on many new conversations, news articles, and books. What is becoming very clear from recent research is that having more women in leadership positions is no longer a gender issue. It is now a business issue. Diversity on corporate boards and in executive suites contributes to profitability. Although there may still be some debate as to why this is so, the fact remains: research shows that when leadership positions are inclusive of both men and women, businesses thrive.

Women are certainly up to the task. Women are now the more educated sex and now have the credentials to assume leadership positions. Although the glass ceiling metaphor has become outdated, some barriers to women assuming leadership positions, some subtle and some perhaps not so subtle, still exist in American businesses today.”

Click here to get your free ebook and send along your ideas for topics and guests for the ongoing show.

• Desperately trying to keep your job or business from swallowing you up?
• Totally focused on completing all your daily tasks but never getting through your to do list?
• Working nights and weekends to catch up?
• Stressed? Exhausted?
• Do you find the more you struggle to keep on top of things, the more you sink into the abyss?

I call this career quicksand. Why? Because when you are in this situation with your business or career, you are stuck and I mean really stuck!  The consequences of this are that you are not in the position or frame of mind to move your business or career forward. When you are in career quicksand, you cannot think clearly or objectively. As long as you are totally focused on daily tasks, you do not have the time or energy to be creative. All your energy is expended on daily survival.

What would it take for you to extricate yourself from this trap and begin to think more strategically?

Here are some tips to pull yourself out of the quicksand:

1. At least once a day, take some time to do something totally different from work; anything that will clear you mind. Ideally, scheduling even a few short breaks (10 minutes) during the day helps to keep up your energy and stimulate your creativity.
2. Work with a coach or mentor. This partnership can give you a new perspective on your business and career. The potential to see things more objectively offers a great opportunity to get “unstuck”.
3. Start an Affinity Group at work. Gather a group of like-minded women together on a regular basis to discuss and brainstorm on work place challenges and opportunities.
4. Schedule regular networking meetings (lunch, dinner, coffee) with peers outside of your own company. It’s amazing what wisdom is available from other business owners or women in similar corporate positions.
5. Keep your mind open to new approaches through a variety of resources. There are many insightful and valuable books on business management and leadership. (Let me know if you would like some suggestions). There are also many worthwhile online resources.

The first step to getting “unstuck” is to realize that you ARE stuck and that the consequences of this are detrimental to the growth of your business and career. You simply can’t move forward if all of your energy is focused on daily tasks and survival.

Look for ways to pull yourself out of the quicksand and think strategically about where you want to go and how best to get there.

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Also, check out my new January teleclasses:

Promote Yourself to Success (3 one hour sessions). $99. Class limited to 6

Learn how to create an effective and memorable message and practice with your peers!

for more information and registration:

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Since then, there has been considerable progress in the number of women in managerial roles, but little progress in executive leadership. Catalysts’ research in 2005 found that women occupy 16 percent of executive positions in Fortune 500 companies, up from 9 percent ten years earlier.

The reasons for the lack of more significant progress are varied and this remains a complicated issue that has been and continues to be the subject of much discussion. The term Glass Ceiling is no longer an accurate descriptor as many women have successfully risen to the top; have shattered the barrier and attained executive and board level positions in organizations.

I believe there is much to learn from the women who have achieved executive status. Their stories need to be evaluated not only on their unique skill sets, but also the cultural environment of their company at the time of their promotion or appointment. Every success story has a special lesson.

Now and again, there is a prominent success story that grabs our attention and this week it was the appointment of Diane Sawyer as the second woman solo-anchor of a network evening news broadcast. There will now be two women solo-anchors (Katie Couric being the first) on the networks’ flagship programs.

Connie Chung is quoted as saying:

This signifies that the age of dinosaur behavior in the news industry is over. The network-news flagship program has been the last vestige of the dark ages. The anchor has always been traditionally a male – a white male.

So yes. There is progress. Women are reaching top positions. When we see the progress, we need to not only celebrate each success, but we should also seek to learn what we can about each woman’s journey to help us in our own quest to climb the ladder.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Who am I? What really matters to me? What am I passionate about?
2. What are my strengths? How can I build on these strengths to reach my goal?
3. What is my career goal? What is my time frame for achieving this goal? Is it realistic?
4. What skills do I need to achieve this goal? Do I have these skills? Do I need to improve my skills? What resources are available for me?
5. What methodology or action plan do I need to adopt to move forward consistently toward my goal?

Armed with a thorough understanding of yourself and a clear vision of where you want to go, set your intentions and lead yourself to success.

Corporate headquarters was on Madison Avenue in New York City. We had just completed another three day meeting when I was summoned into the office of our SVP of Marketing. “I need to speak with you,”  she said. You need to change the way you dress. It is not appropriate.”

“What?” I replied. I had a closet full of Calvin Klein and Armani suits. “What do you mean inappropriate? I asked.

“You show too much cleavage and it’s not appropriate as an executive of this company.”

Well, others might have responded sheepishly that they would certainly address the issue.I just looked at her in disbelief. What was she saying? My attire was certainly not offensive. (Maybe in retrospect , it was to HER.) My suits were all attractive and professional. I had enough self-confidence to dismiss this conversation as “her issue”. Was she jealous? Was she insinuating that I was successful because I was using my sexuality? Not MY issue. I never changed one item of clothing to please her. I continued to dress to please myself and had a terrific few years at that company.

Fast forward a few years and I am at the pinnacle of my career. I am in Chicago at the corporate headquarters of a Fortune 500 company interviewing for CEO of one of their heathcare companies. I am wearing my power red suit. This was my final interview in a long drawn out interview process and I wanted to “close the deal”. A woman approached me as I was waiting for my interview and whispered, “Women don’t wear red here. It’s not appropriate.” What? Are we back with Nathaniel Hawthorne feeling the shame of the Scarlett Letter? Apparently so.

Well, I got the job despite the red suit but it has never ceased to amaze me how as women we are always walking a fine line when it comes to professional image and attire.

If we wear pants, we are choosing a more masculine appearance. Is this what is takes in some corporate cultures to succeed?

If we wear attractive feminine clothing, we are often called on the carpet for using our sexuality to advance our careers.

Should we wear high heels or not? Pants or skirts? Should our hemline be above or below the knee?

As women, have we made any progress in this area? Can’t we just be our authentic selves and wear what feels professional and comfortable?  After all, wasn’t Hilary Clinton chastised for wearing pant suits during the campaign? Was she judged on her attire more than her talent? And what does all the criticism of Michelle Obama’s wardrobe have to do with all her accomplishments?

Thank goodness for dress down days! Then we all get to wear jeans, no questions asked.

The New York Times this week ran an article, “Backlash: Women Bullying Women at Work”, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/business/10women.html that presented statistics to support the fact that 40% of all workplace bullies are women and that women bully other women 70% of the time!

Bullying is categorized as behavior that can include spreading rumors to derail someone’s career, withholding important promotional information, pushing and shoving (yes, do you believe this one?), bad mouthing others, passive aggressive behavior and more.

So why does this type of sabotaging behavior occur in the workplace?

There are several theories:

• Women need to adopt aggressive behavior to get ahead and once they are in a leadership position they still maintain this behavior.
• Women see other women as potential threats and competitors.
• There is not much opportunity for advancement and so women are more competitive.
• Women are being stereotyped as “bullies” but this is not necessarily the case.
• Women are insecure in their leadership positions and feel the necessity to sabotage other women to maintain their position of power.

Here is a wonderful quote from the article,

As we get into the corporate world, we’re taught or we’re led to believe that we don’t get ahead because of men. But, we really don’t get ahead because of ourselves. Instead of building each other up and showcasing each other, we’re constantly tearing each other down.

Do you see evidence of women bullying other women in your workplace?

Have you experienced another woman sabotaging your efforts at work?

I would love to hear from you. Please send your comments!

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/05/03/the_female_advantage/

The premise of the article is that companies with more female leadership in place at the Board and executive level are more profitable. From the article,

Measured as a percent of revenues, profits at Fortune 500 firms that most aggressively promoted women were 34 percent higher by industry means, a 2001 Pepperdine University study showed.

The call for women’s advancement in business has been primarily focused thus far on gender diversity and fairness. Equal representation. Equal pay. Now there is a new perspective to consider. There is a sound business reason to promote women. It is a proven advantage that companies with more female leadership have greater profits.

Why does the correlation exist between higher profits and female leadership representation? There are several theories presented in the article.

• women have a better understanding of the consumer market
• gender diversity leads to more vigorous discussions
• women have a different leadership style
• women are more risk adverse

Though I believe that all of the above factors contribute to the success of high performing companies, I also think that organizations that are sensitive to gender issues and actively support female managers in the pipeline are more  likely to be high performing companies (true meritocracies) to begin with.

As the author states about these companies,

They’re picking the best and the brightest and letting them bloom.

What are your thoughts on this topic?

Why do you think that companies with more female leadership are more profitable?

Please send me your comments.

Be aware that everything you do and everything you don’t do or choose not to do is all part of your personal brand. It all communicates your value and character. The way you answer your phone is part of your brand message. Your voice message, the way you respond to emails are all part of your brand so it’s important to be conscious of the way you are communicating to people.

Here are some tips on how to create visibility for yourself to enhance your profile at work:

• Sign up for a special project or committee that has visibility within your company which will introduce you to new colleagues and showcase your skills or teach you new skills.

• Become a SME (subject matter expert). Teach at a community college or an adult education course.

• Start a blog on the subject. Create buzz about you and your brand.

• Write a contributing article/column for your local newspaper or alumni magazine. You will have a track record of your work.

• Sign up to speak at a conference. Volunteer for a panel discussion.

• Be strategic about social media networking sites. Choose the sites that best suit your needs to promote your brand and carefully craft your promotional message and profile online.

• Nurture your network. The best way to market your brand is word of mouth marketing. Find conscious ways to communicate your message to your contacts. What they say about your contributes to the value of your brand.

Marketing your brand requires you to act selfishly to promote yourself and to grow yourself. This is a win-win situation for you and your company. Everything you do to promote your personal brand and grow professionally is gravy for them. When you are learning, growing, building relationships,and delivering great results, it’s good for you and good for the company where you work.

Early Morning

1. Housekeeper
2. Caterer/short order cook
3. Drill Sargent
4. Chauffeur
5. Event Planner
6. Commuter
7. Athlete (did you get your gym time in?)

Work

1. Correspondent
2. Visionary
3. Leader
4. Manager
5. Customer Service Representative
6. Computer whiz
7. Team Player
8. Mentor/coach
9. Task Master
10. Negotiator
11. Marketing Director
12. Salesperson
13. Bookkeeper
14. HR Director
15. Peacekeeper
16. Researcher
17. Worker Bee
18. Cheerleader
19. Speaker/Presenter
20. Humorist
21. Nurse
22. Therapist

Evening

1. All of early morning activities again
2. Disciplinarian
3. Personal Shopper
4. Laundress
5. Librarian
6. Sports Fan
7. Teacher
8. Activist/Community member
9. Story teller
10. Babysitter
11. Entertainer
12. Companion, lover, partner, mother, sister, daughter, friend

WHEW! It really is quite remarkable how many different hats we can wear during the course of one day and how we can switch those hats so effortlessly. We are FABULOUS!

I know this isn’t everything. What did I miss? I would love to hear your feedback and be able to add to the list!

Join the Friday Breakfast Brag Club (TGIF)

Share and Celebrate your weekly successes by calling in each Friday 8-8:30 am EDT and practice your positive self-talk. This is a FUN way to end your work week.

Just $29.99 per month for all the self-esteem boosting you can take!

http://womenssuccesscoaching.com/services/group-coaching

Why do we feel the need to deflect the praise, apologize for our success, and even offer self-deprecating remarks about ourselves in response to a compliment? Obviously, the recognition makes us very uncomfortable. Why is that? Do we feel we are not worth it?

When someone notices our good work we need to stand up and take the credit. How often do we slip into the habit of giving the credit to others and not wholeheartedly accepting a compliment?

Why should it be embarrassing or uncomfortable to be recognized for our hard work and effort? Our upbringing taught us to be humble and to wait to be noticed, yet taking the back seat has never gotten anyone to the C-suite. Taking the back seat has rarely helped anyone get promoted.

Women are definitely more troubled with accepting praise. We need to get better at stepping into the spotlight at work and increase both our visibility and credibility in order to advance our careers.

It sounds so simple. Just look someone in the eye and say, “Thank you. I appreciate the fact that you noticed how hard I worked on that project. It was a challenge and it ended up being very successful.”

Step up to the plate and welcome the applause. Step into the spotlight graciously and it will have a very positive effect on your career. Know that you are worthy of all the recognition that is bestowed on you for your accomplishments.

Sign up now for the March Teleclass  “Grow Your Business. No Cold Calls Necessary”.

Learn how to dramatically build your business through your network contacts in this interactive group teleclass.  Create your own sales plan. Workbooks included.

This class is perfect  for new entrepreneurs and business owners to get a jump start on building their business!

Four one hour sessions Tuesday nights from 7-8 pm EST beginning March 3rd.

Participants call into toll-free bridge line for each session.

Fee $199. Register by February 28 for a 25% discount.

Register @ www.womenssuccesscoaching.com/services/group-coaching