A BIG first step for women in business today

Today I have witnessed a BIG first step forward for businesses moving women into leadership positions.  

For the first time in over 30 plus years in business teaching leadership curriculum, five senior managers on separate occassions throughout one week-long leadership session within a male-dominated industry and corporation asked, "Where are the women?" (There were none in the session - not unlike the other sessions previously held at that company and elsewhere.) The last senior executive to speak went further. As the general counsel for the corporation, he said it was time for the organization and its leaders to change. Time for the organization to bring women into leadership positions and change the face of the organization.

I felt as if the earth had moved, that I was witnessing a significant change within the business world and within society itself. For the first time in any leadership session, I had not only five senior executives raise the question to promote awareness of the lack of gender diversity - I had a general counsel say, "Enough," and continue to charge the hiring supervisors with the responsibility and duty to actively seek out, recruit and hire women.

I was at once relieved and so deeply pleased that I had lived long enough to witness something that I had long ago been trying to bring great awareness to and improve the odds for women in business. THIS was the idea behind the Women's Leadership Advisory Board and the reason behind its implementation and great success.

In my book, TODAY is a BIG day for women! I have marked my calendar accordingly. Celebrate with me. Maybe your company will be next!

Let it go...

Assumptions are rooted in the roles we play. As our responsibilities grew out of need and changing times, our roles as viewed by society never changed accordingly. Women took care of the house and children. Men worked. As women work, do they continue to take care of the house and children? Yes. At what cost? Burnout, dropout. If women don't do it all - work, take care of children and house as well as themselves- are they judged? Yes. Do women judge each other? Yes. If women want things to change - women must be a part of that change by stopping the abuse of each other and changing expectations by setting them.

Be courageous. Hold yourself accountable for letting go of guilt in not being able to get everything done. Women can't do it all - getting up another hour earlier or staying up one hour later (or two or three) than everyone else still won't get it all done. Women have to ask for what they want and need and learn to delegate. And the biggest lesson of all to learn: let go when you do. Let go of the guilt and the assumptions that others will frown, be disappointed, or angry. Give yourself permission to appreciate all the good that you do. Eliminate the lesser priorities. Release them to another person or another time. Don't expect others to change their assumptions first or at all. Let them follow your lead. And if they don't, stand strong and let them at least see the path you've made. It's a trailblazer!