I was invited to listen to President Obama speak at the Women's Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C. today on behalf of Women on Business. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to watch listen in person, but I do have some excerpts from the President's speech to share. It's an election year, and women's issues are drawing a lot of attention in a variety of ways from both … [Read more...]
What’s Your Worth?
Yesterday I had the good fortune to have lunch with an established mentor and the question floating around the table was 'how do you know your worth as a consultant'? I thought the answer rang true for any business owner and here’s what I got from the conversation. When you’re not sure of what you know, you charge for everything This is true for all industries, when you … [Read more...]
GUTSY GALS and GLUTEN-FREE LIVING
We are now onto our second year of GUTSY WOMEN WEEKENDS (next one June 22-24, 2012) and we are making modifications due to a GUTSY woman in her 60’s, a social worker, mother, grandmother, and a woman who is thumbing her nose at MS and winning in her own way. Her name is Vikki and she drove up to The Country Place in North East Pa., got out of her van equipped for someone who … [Read more...]
GUTSY WOMEN and MEMORIES
Tonight we start a new GUTSY WOMEN WEEKEND. We are doing them every other month and they are making a difference for women who are in leadership positions or are emerging leaders. So, what does that have to do with memories? Nothing….. and everything. You see most programs want to stay with present situations and move forward. We believe that we need to clear the past … [Read more...]
Why Taking a Chance Matters
This week I had the opportunity to attend an event for the Center for Women in Business, sponsored by the US Chamber of Commerce here in the District. There was a wonderful conversation that took place amongst our distinguished panel of female Fortune 500 executives; the topic was “who took a chance on you?” As that topic was discussed it struck me, as entrepreneurs every … [Read more...]
Making Room For Silence
Within each of us there is a silence-a silence as vast as the universe. We are afraid of it and we long for it......Can we recognize that now and then there comes an inner sense, a fleeting thought, a little yearning to live our lives differently? Gunilla Norris, Inviting Silence These two quotes are from one of the most compelling resource books I have ever read. This … [Read more...]
Amplify the Employee Voice
Guest post by Sarah Hedayati (learn more about Sarah at the end of this post) I’ve been fond of the show Undercover Boss since it premiered two years ago. I hadn’t seen the show in a while, so the other night I decided to tune in. Most of the episodes focus on a CEO who goes undercover and takes on some of the grunt jobs to find out what it’s like to work for their … [Read more...]
Strong Women in the Front Row
Telling a group of men to “show up and be accountable” is new territory for most women. We have been in back of or on the side of our men for eons. Not that we have to be loud and bossy to get our way. We just have to be clear. Margaret Thatcher, portrayed by Meryl Streep in the film The Iron Lady, was a woman of depth and conviction. Strong in an arena that few women … [Read more...]
The Awarness to Lead
Many things have been said about leadership some good and some bad, but the one thing that has stuck with me has been the awareness of leadership. Now when I say awareness, I don’t be mean micro-managing your staff or applying dual layers of approval. I mean awareness of the atmosphere you create in your company. Different companies will have different cultures, but at the very … [Read more...]
Leadership Development: Throw the Ball and Catch It Too
Tom Brady’s wife, Gisele, will go down in history with a quote that goes well beyond football. Walking down the corridor to the safety of an elevator, she was taunted by fans about how the Super Bowl game ended and out came the now famous words about not being able to throw a ball and catch it at the same time. Maybe it was the shame of losing (someone had to), maybe it … [Read more...]