GenderSmart Solutions » Behavorial Differences

Challenges for Women in Leadership

Jsanders — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:23:17 +0000

Tina Vasquez for The Glass Hammer writes about the “Double Bind” for women…they are viewed by male leaders as either not tough enough, or, if they adopt masculine the characteristic of aggressiveness, then they are inappropriate. A study Tina discusses confirms my position in my article of several years ago..The Double-Edged Sword.”

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Assertiveness and Paychecks

Jsanders — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:55:19 +0000

The Glass Hammer has yet another great article, reviewing and commenting on a study comparing men’s and women’s “agreeableness” and how that affects their pay levels. Agreeableness in this context really means negotiating skills. Definitely worth reading!

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Leadership – What Men Can Learn From Women

Jsanders — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:30:26 +0000

The Washington Post discusses studies from several universities that clearly indicate women more naturally foster collaboration, openness, inclusiveness and respect. These qualities have been identified as necessary for leadership success in the 21st century. As Carol Kinsey Goman writes, “Any leader can do that.Female leaders just already do it more naturally.”

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Eye-Opening Study on Women’s Leadership Obstacles

Jsanders — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 19:56:16 +0000

The Glass Hammer reports: A new study by McKinsey has shattered the notion that women aren’t rising to the top in significant numbers because they don’t want to be leaders.

In fact, the report showed, women in middle management very much want to reach senior executive levels – even moreso than women in entry level corporate jobs. The study, “Unlocking the full potential of Women in the US Economy” showed that while 79% of women in entry level roles agreed or strongly agreed that they “desire[d] to move to the next level,” 83% of women in the middle management said the same.

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Smart Financial Guys Focus on Divorced Women

Jsanders — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 13:24:04 +0000

“Financial advisers Jason Llewellyn and David Hajek are financial advisers in Indianapolis who operate one of the more unconventional businesses in wealth management services. They’ve geared their business toward picking sides in a divorce. And they always line up behind the woman.” Marshall Eckblad writes in WSJ.

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Women Advisors Big Part of Future

Jsanders — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 14:24:52 +0000

The good news is that the future of women in the investment advisor industry is strong. Women live longer than men and they handle more of the money. The next step is to ensure all firms hire women and create a pipeline for young women to enter the industry, through internships and mentoring programs.

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Ways to Increase Women’s Power

Jsanders — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 16:42:03 +0000

“Women often try to fulfill what they believe is society’s version of an acceptable type of power for women, which is much nicer, much more accommodating. This leads to what Catalyst calls “The Goldilocks Syndrome.” Women find themselves in situations where they are perceived as either “too hard” or “too soft,” but never just right for that top job.” says Henna Inam for The Glass Hammer.

Why Women Make Good Leaders

Jsanders — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 14:54:22 +0000

Research conducted by McKinsey found that women apply several positive leadership behaviors more often than their male counterparts. Developing people is consistent with helping others achieve their full potential in life. It’s part of nurturing.

Women Need Sponsors and Mentors

Jsanders — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:09:58 +0000

Research by Catalyst discovered that while women have mentors, men more often have the higher-level sponsors who champion them. Mentoring, or having someone who offers career guidance and advice, is not as effective as is sponsorship — when someone at a high level with clout advocates for your advancement.

Women More Trustworthy?

Jsanders — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 14:54:08 +0000

Let’s be honest: everybody lies. The question is whether people believe what you say. And a new study shows that your trustworthiness depends not just on the words you use, but on who you are and how you say them.

In this month’s Journal of Language and Social Psychology, Marilyn Boltz and colleagues delve into the intersection of gender, speech patterns and deception. “We found that people perceive women to lie less than men and that they perceive men and women to tell different kinds of lies,” says Boltz, a professor of psychology at Haverford College. “And we found some effects of response timing.”

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Find Career-Building Mentors

Jsanders — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 20:09:49 +0000

As reported in The GlassHammer, a recent Harvard Business Review article, “Why Men Still Get More Promotions than Women,” reports on some of the challenges emerging women face in mentoring programs. It points out the difference between mentoring and sponsoring and says that men are better at finding career-building mentors than women.

Women in Financial Services – A Must!

Jsanders — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 14:25:56 +0000

“Danica Patrick did it. Hilary Clinton did it. And now droves of females in the financial services industry are doing it – succeeding in what was once a man’s world. As this male-dominated industry continues to change, so do those who represent it.”

A post on Colonial Life’s blog addresses the recruiting and retention of women – reasons and benefits – and quotes my client Heidi Spilotros of Mass Mutual, one of the industry leaders in this area.

Bottom line, to reach the huge and growing women’s market, the most effective strategy is to recruit women as talent. The more women you have, the more you will get. As I teach my clients and audiences, women have different motivators and communication styles than men, and those differences must be addressed effectively in order to be successful attracting female talent and customers. It’s not rocket science! Just awareness and easily learned communication and management skills.

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Career Expectations of Millennial Women

Jsanders — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:14:18 +0000

Great article on Marketing Profs about the career expectation of Gen Y women. Lot s of statistics from a survey conducted by Accenture. Basically, millennial women expect to be able to have balance with work and personal life. They want to meaningful work, work they WANT to do.

An excerpt: ”

Drivers of Success

Asked to identify what is most helpful in driving professional success, just 16% of millennial women cite “women in company leadership” while 18% cite “having female role models at my company.”

More than one-half (59%) cite “a good work atmosphere” and 52% cite “open and honest communications with supervisors.”"

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Women and the Global Economy

Jsanders — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:01:13 +0000

Rick Goings writes a powerful message on Huffington Post, here’s an excerpt:”Studies have shown time and again that opening opportunities for women in the workforce can have a massive impact on a nation’s economy. A report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Countries found that restricting job opportunities for women is costing the region between US $42 and US $46 billion a year. Even in our country, women still only make 77 cents for every dollar a man makes.”

And that’s just the beginning. Goings’ philosophy and position on women in the workplace is so similar to mine and what I teach that it’s as if he read my articles and then wrote the post. No wonder I found this post inspiring!

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Impact! Cleavage on Your Career

Jsanders — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:29:29 +0000

I am SO happy to see this post! It’s an excerpt from “The Male Factor: The Unwritten Rules, Misperceptions, and Secret Beliefs of Men in the Workplace” by Shaunti Feldhahn, and explains in no uncertain terms the negative impact that cleavage and tight clothes have on women’s careers.

I have always said dressing this way at work is a mistake. Do you want men thinking about business or boobs? To maximize credibility, respect, and upward mobility, dress professionally without calling attention to your body parts! Save that for social situations, not business.

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