To expand your opportunities, think outside the gender box by considering yourself more broadly as a human being. The entertainment world is leading this charge by casting men and women in an increasing variety of roles, and we’ll all benefit from supporting and reinforcing its initiatives. I first paid attention to this in September, at … Read more
The best women leaders have very high expectations for themselves and constantly raise the bar by seeking constructive criticism. Then, when told where they made mistakes, rather than berating themselves, they treat the feedback as an opportunity for growth and improvement. That constructive narrative enables them to separate criticism from feelings of self-worth. Constructive … Read more
Recently, I had a discussion about the advancement of women with the senior partner of a major law firm. Frustrated with the leaky pipeline of women in his organization, he described hiring equal numbers of men and women but finding the turnover rate for female associates to be three to four times that of the … Read more
There are many lessons aspiring women leaders can learn from sports coaches and managers. First, there’s the importance of connecting with others to build a cohesive team, then there’s using positive self-talk to enhance performance, and finally there is looking forward, rather than backward, when the opposition scores a goal. One critical lesson that is … Read more
Recently, I sat with a woman who described applying for a CEO position in a prestigious trade organization; she was offered the job, and then turning it down. Unsure about why she didn’t grab the ring when it was presented, she mused that maybe on some deep level she didn’t see herself as a leader. … Read more
Recently, the Canadian Women in Mining described me as a risk taker when I was named their 2015 Trailblazer, a title which was both an honour and surprise. Me, a risk taker? Here’s the thing: I declined the opportunity to bungee jump in New Zealand, I always take a huge medicine bag to Mexico (just … Read more
Five years ago I gave a speech to a group of women engineers discussing my theories of ‘gender energy’. Before stepping on stage I felt some trepidation that this group of scientifically trained women would have a different specific notion of energy than what I was proposing. The idea that there are energy patterns which … Read more
Women who tell their stories learn about themselves and learn from one another. They become more confident and feel free to forge their own path, throwing off external expectations. When Reese Witherspoon shared stories about her movie career at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) last month it was obvious that she is one such … Read more
Arianna Huffington, founder of Huffington Post and one of the most powerful women in media, says it is time to redefine the workplace. We need to add a third leg to the stool that measures success by money and power. Our personal well-being as an equally important metric. When we do that we’ll become more … Read more
Twenty years ago this month an American civil rights lawyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, wrote a brief which dramatically improved the rights of women. Thanks to her, the law giving preference to men over women in administering estates was overturned. She then went to the Supreme Court and convinced them that the law which guaranteed the … Read more
