A Focus on Pleasing Your Boss Can Backfire
Linda secured a new position with a consulting company in Texas. From New York, she was an outsider from the onset, but she made it her intention to build a great relationship with her boss who had a reputation as being very difficult to get along with. No one else...
Revisiting the Nice Girl Syndrome
When Lois Frankel wrote Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office in 2004, she had hopes that her message would help generations of women position themselves for career advancement. She recognized then that women’s tendency to be nice and their desire to be liked by...
Are Assumptions About You Sabotaging Your Career?
I am currently writing a book, Anatomy of a Blindside: The Ambitious Woman's Essential Toolkit to Navigate Office Politics. As part of the research on the topic of women and office politics, I have conducted many interviews and these interviews offer valuable insights...
Lessons Learned from Shoveling Snow
I originally wrote this post last February and here we are again with three big snowstorms in one week. It seemed appropriate to repost this! Last week we got 24 inches of snow in Connecticut. My car was safe and out of harm’s way in the garage, but as I witnessed the...
Interview with Bob Moritz, US Chairman of PwC, On Bringing More Men to the Table
Bob Moritz, U.S. Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), says that “The white man can actually help drive the success of a diversity program”, and he’s one white man who has stepped up and made a real difference for women in the workplace at PwC and other...
MAKERS: Using Stories To Fight For Gender Equality In The Workplace
When documentary filmmaker, Dyllan McGee, asked Gloria Steinem 9 years ago if she could do a film on her life, little did she know that she was starting a journey that would change the agenda for women in the workplace. Gloria turned down her request citing that “You...
Our Fear of Potential Backlash: The Double Bind
Women face a unique conundrum in the workplace. In our culture, a great leader is thought of as someone who is decisive, assertive, and independent. These qualities are most often associated with men. Women, on the other hand, are expected to be nice, nurturing and...
Political Savvy: Your Free Pass to Career Success
Have you ever wondered why some people seem to get a free pass? Their mistakes are minimized and their achievements maximized? Doors open for them and they enjoy the spotlight without a tremendous amount of fanfare. They may or may not be as competent and talented as...
Advice From Top Women Leaders About Finding a Mentor
I’m often surprised when young ambitious women ask me how to find a mentor. It’s something that I think most professional women would not find challenging. Yet, this question persists. This was validated by my recent interview with Carolyn Lawrence, President and CEO...