Posts Tagged ‘Gender equality’

20
Apr

A Mindset for Success?

Power struggle

The happiest people and most successful are those with a growth mindset.  They believe things change and can be changed.  They determine their own future by pursuing opportunities to learn and grow.

I believe we are responsible for our own destiny and if you want change and success you have to change your mind.

Change your mind about who you are; who you want to be; what you want to do and what you believe you can do. Until you change your mind about it, you cannot achieve it. You will never be successful until you believe it is possible and make up your mind to do it.

My question however, is there a difference between men and women in their mindset of success?

What do you think?

More on mindset…

Get motivated about improving your mindset by joining next week’s FREE webinar.  “It’s All in the Mind: 7 Strategies to Change Your Thoughts to Reap a Better Life”

7
Feb

Women and the Confidence thing 2: Fearless and Fabulous

Continuing this series on confidence KAMAKA is hosting our first seminar of 2011 – Fearless and Fabulous.

So here’s your invitation:
Dear brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous business woman

Have I got it wrong?  Is this not exactly how you describe yourself all the time? Well  if not you are if you are like many female business owners or aspiring business owner, where the lack of self – confidence is hampering their success or continued success.

How many of the followup statements resonate with you?

  • I can’t do public speaking – what elevator pitch?
  • I’m nervous around new people, particular when I have to enter a networking event
  • I’ll never get that contract
  • I’m not good enough
  • I need more contacts
  • Who is going to buy my service anyway, there are far more experienced people out there?
  • I don’t know what to say at networking events? No point going?
  • What elevator pitch?
  • I can’t pull a presentation out of the hat
  • I’m just faking it
  • I was just lucky getting that referral
  • I don’t want to appear pushy
  • You feel uncomfortable or perhaps slightly shocked when asked for your business card

Any of this thinking sound familiar to you?
Instead do you want build your confidence and be the fearless, fabulous business leader you are?
Join us

‘Fearless and Fabulous’ for Women Business Owners

Thursday 10 February 2011 
9.30 – 12.30

Developing Authentic Presence, Profile and Impact

‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?

Book now.

Limited places. 
http://fearlessandfabulous-linkedin.eventbrite.com/

19
Jan

Will the Women Please Stand Up

coloured pencils

Last week the French Government approved quotas for Boardroom positions for women in response to the low representation of women.  Quotas have raised debate and have been a controversial issue for sometime, but could we see such a policy in the UK. The percentage of women in the Boardroom of the top 100 FTSE companies is less than that in France at a mere 12.3%.  This slow progress of women’s advancement is in despite of the huge number of talented, ambitions and highly qualified women that have flood the workplace.   I suggest the issue of such low number of women in senior roles is not about the talent per se.  Half the best talent in the world is female!  So what are those factors that have become barriers for women advancing in career, business and leadership.  Here are a few.

  • Women still face complex and powerful stereotypes in the business world and male-dominated industries
  • Pay inequalities between genders
  • The challenge of getting and retaining female talent
  • Work-life Balance
  • Women have the lion’s share of childcare responsibilities
  • The lack of ‘quality’ mentors
  • Women are not as well ‘networked’ as men.
  • There is a lack of gender balanced leadership

But one issue not always discussed is how women view leadership and power? How well do we as women embrace leadership roles? In comparison to men women tend to be self-depreciating of their successes and achievements. Women can tend to be ‘nice’ rather than ‘political’ in the work place.  How many times have you heard yourself or women say – “I’m not getting involved in the politics here?’ Women tend to wait to be asked for that promotion or new position and would rather not to highlight their achievements for fear of being too arrogant or labeled.  Is our childhood construct is to blame? Or lack of confidence, fear or acceptance of this is just the way it is. Whatever the reason, can we not choose otherwise?

There is an accelerated shift in understanding of impact and influence women are having and will have in the 21st century- there will be economic, social and political consequences beyond our expectations. This time last last year The Economist reported

‘Women’s Economic empowerment is arguably the biggest social change of our times.‘ (January 2010)

Consider the words of Iyanla Vanzant back in 1996 – do her words resonate as we move into 2011?

“There is something phenomenal going on!
I’m not quite sure what it is, and quite frankly. I don’t care! I simply know, whatever it is, it will be great!
It has to do with change, healing, growth and evolution.
And
It has to do with women.
If I were pressed, I would put it into words like this:
There are changes taking place in the hearts and minds of women
That are going to rock the world!
Women are changing their minds about who they are: and what their role will be in the world order.
Women are learning to be responsible for the healing of their mental, physical, emotional and spiritual selves.
Women are learning to love themselves and each other.
Most of all women are evolving to the point where they are no longer willing to accept ‘nonsense’ from themselves or from anyone else.
I love it!
Will the women please stand up!”


12
May

Do women hold up half the sky?

Do women hold up half the sky?

Around much of the world, inequality between men and women remains, in terms of education, access to healthcare, work, salaries, business leadership and involvement in political institutions. There has however, been an evolution in the views around the role of women over the last forty years and we have moved closer towards the aspiration of equality. But significant gaps remain globally and how far have we come in the UK?

Mao Zedong said women hold up half the sky, but you wouldn’t think so if you looked at the FTSE-100 Boards. Women make up a mere 12% of the FTSE directors in the UK. Sir John Bond, ex-chief at HSBC, now at Vodafone considers it bad business where women are not given equal opportunities…’apart from being unjust, it’s bad for business.’ (‘Fathers and Daughters’ Management Today, Nov. 2009).  Yet according to the Economist 2010,

Women’s economic empowerment is arguably the biggest social change of our times.

The limited representation of women in top positions does not reflect the fact that women make up the majority of Talent in the UK with more and more coming into the workforce, achieving academically and developing professionally. So this issue is not that the talent doesn’t exist – an argument often cited.

Further, in this extraordinary month of election campaigning, TV debates, a hung parliament, political negotiations and finally a coalition government – there has been a significant lack of visibility of women in the political arena.

We did see an increase in the number of women MPs from 128 to 139 (or from 19.1% to 21.3%) (see One World Action) and given all the talk of an era ‘new politics’, is this enough? Further, as I write this blog there has been one woman named in the Con-Lib coalition cabinet – Theresa May – Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equality.   With a mere 55 female Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs, can we expect any more?

As with the case for economics and business the lack of women in top roles and positions in the political arena is bad for government and disillusioning. We still have some way to go. ‘Women holding up half the sky’ remains an aspiration.

16
Sep

Are you one of the 5,600 ‘missing’ women?

You could be! According to the Equality and Human Rights Commission looking at women in top positions…if women were to achieve equal representation among Britain’s 31,000 top positions of power, the Commission estimates over 5,600 ‘missing’ women would rise through the ranks to positions of real influence.  Can you imagine such equality? Can you imagine being in a top position?

Are you one of the 5,600 ‘missing’ women?

I confess, although I am someone known for optimism and believing in miracles when faced with some of the statistics it’s hard to imagine 5,600 more women in significant positions. The same report, Sex and Power, has likened women’s progress to a snail’s pace. A snail could crawl:

  • nine times round the M25 in the 55 years it will take women to achieve equality in the senior judiciary;
  • from Land’s End to John O’Groats and halfway back again in the 73 years it will take for equal numbers of women to become directors of FTSE 100 companies; and
  • the entire length of the Great Wall of China in 212 years, only slightly longer than the 200 years it will take for women to be equally represented in Parliament.

Here are five tips:

  1. Shift your thinking. Another of my favourite quotes is Albert Einstein ‘The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.’ A common analogy of career progression is that of climbing the rungs of a ladder. This thinking is limiting, instead think of it more as scaling in a rock face with the footholds and handholds in small crevices as opportunities and new thinking. Sometimes you will need to shift your weight to the left or to the right to get your balance before you can reach the top. But look out for those less obvious opportunities – that small speaking engagement, that invitation to be on a school board and ‘give back’ and that role that takes you out of your comfort zone. Don’t be afraid to stretch yourself and go out on limb.
  2. Get yourself a mentor. The gender ‘problem’ may be addressed by training and leadership programmes for the advancement for women, but a mentor will support and strengthen confidence in your career. Someone who has gone before you and has progress further up that rock face and can drop that rope down to you.  However, if women look exclusively to other women as mentors, a lack of women at the top means women may not be able to find suitable mentors who can help them develop so having a female mentor isn’t necessary all of the time.
  3. Be authentic and take ownership of your destiny. It is your career, your life, your destiny. Carve out your own career path and in doing so you will be empowered along the way.  Distinguish yourself from the rest of the crowd and don’t be a victim.  If you don’t like something, change it.  If you think something is wrong, if its not aligned to your values, get into a position where you can do something about it.  If you don’t want to be pigeonholed, don’t pigeonhole yourself.  Be true to yourself.
  4. Be brilliant. Get really really good at the role you are in.  Ensure you have your foothold securely in that role and have mastered it before moving n to the next.  Remember wise words of Winston Churchill, “It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.”
  5. Live with passion, live on purpose. Be enthusiastic about what you do and how you do it.  Let your passion shine.   Find the opportunities in areas that ignite your passion and purpose, be it networking events, business referral meetings and one-to-one coffee meetings where your passion is aligned. Be purpose-driven and not just in a business sense follow your heart, connect with people you like