Post by Jane K. Stimmler, contributing Women on Business writer There's been a great deal of buzz lately about Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz, who was recently fired. Her apparent fondness for "salty language," as it has been described, has been a big part of the conversation. The premise put forward is that her profane language is being called out because she's a woman and her … [Read more...]
Women Entrepreneurs: Tory Johnson; Fired Up Rather than Fired From
Were you ever fired from a job? Just the thought is chill-inducing. Fired, it means failure, finished, foolish, and a lot of words that are meant to be esteem-downers. That’s how it was for Tory Johnson when she was a twenty something and on the rise in corporate America. Within one hour she had fallen from grace and was out on the street. Fast forward to today. Tory is a … [Read more...]
A Woman’s Perspective
Consider these selected quotes from a well known novel: " A startling thought this, that a woman could handle business matters as well or better then a man. Never before had she put this remarkable idea into words. She sat quite still with the heavy book on her lap, thinking how in these past lean months she had done a man's work and done it well. She had been brought up … [Read more...]
The USPS Lesson
The post office is nearly bankrupt, the cost cutting is not working. We are in danger of losing a service that is vital to many small businesses. So while other business blogs are looking at this situation and wondering what went wrong, I’m asking “what can we learn?” The postal situation is not unique and what it highlights is how the wrong type of organizational culture can … [Read more...]
Apple Needs Women and Workplaces Need Diversity
An amazing group of seven women, The Chipsters, who are also IP Lawyers, tell us why companies with women in top positions are run better and why without Steve Jobs, Apple is doomed unless they get some women in their executive team. Click here to read the original article on Forbes. I know this probably seems like an obvious fact to most of us, but how many of us actually … [Read more...]
The Cost of Business
In our current situation many companies are cackling about how much money they have saving on services and are doing their fair share to keep pushing prices down. On the surface this savings looks good to many companies, but as soon as the economy turns around these services are going to go back to the increased costs they deserve and then what? Well in my years I have observed … [Read more...]
You Are What You Say You Are….
Leadership is an elusive quality and few people ever really get it, but as the figurehead of a company you are supposed to know what it means to be a leader and a motivator even if it wasn’t taught to you. In my industry I see a lot of individuals who were really good at their chosen profession and that skill got them thrust into the management arena. Leadership is an elusive … [Read more...]
The Leper in the Room: Workplace Violence
As a business owner I have noticed that entrepreneurs talk about a range of topics and we share some pretty personal details; what doesn’t happen is the talk about violence. We speak about managing teams and dealing with problem performers, but we very rarely speak about what happens when those situations go horribly wrong. To get to the bottom of this I got some advice from … [Read more...]
Leadership Lessons: It’s Really All the Same
When we talk about the programs from our company, we state that we are interested in developing leaders at every level. That does not just mean from senior executive to admin. It means from boardroom to dining room. Leadership, at its core is about helping others reach full potential. Isn’t that the deep yearning in all of us? Here is a good article and my response is an … [Read more...]
Pink or Blue: Who ARE You?
From the day you were born, actually even before conception, there are beliefs and stereotypes that are attached to gender. Pink is for girls and blue is for boys, right? The color thing is really fascinating. Here is some of the research from my book “GUTSY: How Women Leaders Make Change”. In the 1800’s babies were all gender neutral, wearing white “dresses” in infancy. … [Read more...]