As a recent study by Catalyst reports in the Glass Hammer newsletter, efforts to retain women of color in law firms are meeting with mediocre success at best.
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My 40″ keynote on “Get GenderSmart! Gender Communication for Recruiting & Retention” for the 2009 GAMA-LAMP conference in Atlanta – delivered live and finishing with a standing ovation from over 2000 field and home office leaders in the financial services industry.

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Anne Fisher writes on cnnmoney.com – “There’s one sure-fire way to start a heated argument, whether around the water cooler or at a dinner party: Just say something that suggests women manage very differently from their male peers. Then stand back and watch the fireworks.”

This article promotes a new book but also briefly discusses gender differences i ma in complete agreement with.

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An interesting study conducted by Korn/Ferry International, which is an executive search firm, and the Columbia Business School found that mentoring and education were the two most critical components toward helping the most successfully senior-level women and minority executives get to where they are today.

However, male stereotypes still hold women back from the top rungs.

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The blog Life Insurance Policy Provisions posted a great article on the importance of, and techniques for, recruiting and retaining women in financial services. One of my favortie clients, MassMutual, is referenced, and for good reason.

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Click on the play button below to hear a 27-minute interview with Jane on “Gender Communication for Selling Successfully To Women.” The interview was conducted by Bill Cates of Referral Coach International during his Referral Coach Show (www.referralcoach.com). Bill helps financial professionals grow their businesses with more referrals.

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“Corporate America, take the first step toward economic recovery. Open your minds and offices to new ways of working and succeeding. Not because you are nice guys — but because it will help the economy and your bottom line.”

The above closes an article in the Washington Post by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman addressing the female brain drain’s impact on corporate America. The article includes a profound discussion about the positive affects women executives have on bottom line performance. This is a great article!

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This YouTube clip explains one perspective, which I happen to agree with for the most part, about why women leave business…too much testosterone that yields inflexible attitudes. I believe both men and women would benefit by learning about the other and how to work together more effectively, but Patrick Dixon, contrary to some of the comments posted on the blog, makes some worthy points. Some people (like a few of those making comments) have such large chips on their shoulder they can’t see past them.

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