Beyond the Little Black Dress!. Letter to Obama “ We are calling on you to ensure that women are...

Beyond the Little Black

Dress!

Letter to Obama“We are calling on you to ensure that women

are equally represented in everything, from your administration’s infrastructure to its decision-making and solution building. We are calling on you to exercise leadership in dismantling the structures that perpetuate gender inequality, impede women’s full participation in society and thwart real progress for people around the world.”

National Council for Research on Women

How Well Do You Know…Barack Obama?

1. How long did it take to move the Obamas into the White House?

a) 3 hours

b) 6 hours

c) 16 hours

d) 9 hours


1. How long did it take to move the Obamas into the White House?

a) 3 hours

b) 6 hours

c) 16 hours

d) 9 hours


2. Obama did or does do one of the following:

a) Bench press 300 pounds

b) Solves Sudoku

c) Drinks coffee and alcohol

d) Took drugs including marijuana and cocaine


2. Obama did or does do one of the following:

a) Bench press 300 pounds

b) Solves Sudoku

c) Drinks coffee and alcohol

d) Took drugs including marijuana and cocaine


3. What comic book featured Obama in a special issue because of his collection of this comic?

a) Spiderman

b) X-men

c) The Hulk

d) Superman


3. What comic book featured Obama in a special issue because of his collection of this comic?

a) Spiderman

b) X-men

c) The Hulk

d) Superman


4. What was Obama’s nickname while on the basketball team?

a) Bombs Away

b) Bomby

c) O Bomber

d) Ba-Rock


4. What was Obama’s nickname while on the basketball team?

a) Bombs Away

b) Bomby

c) O Bomber

d) Ba-Rock


5. He is known for the following:a) Constantly checking his BlackBerry

b) Having his hair cut once a week in Chicago

c) Working in Baskin-Robbins and now can’t stand ice cream

d) Owning a set of Muhammad Ali’s red boxing gloves

e) Planning on installing a basketball court on White House grounds


5. He is known for the following:a) Constantly checking his BlackBerry

b) Having his hair cut once a week in Chicago

c) Working in Baskin-Robbins and now can’t stand ice cream

d) Owning a set of Muhammad Ali’s red boxing gloves

e) Planning on installing a basketball court on White House grounds

Words from Obama“I stand before you today as the son of a

woman who traveled the astonishing arc of an entire generation…

I also stand before you as a partner in a two-worker marriage…

I stand beside you as well, as a father, fully invested in my daughters.

I share a commitment that their lives will not be limited by an unfinished revolution.”

The Evolving American Dream

• The Private Generation (1926-45): – Did not question authority

• The Woodstockers (1946-1969):– Stopped a war, marched for equality

• The Nike Generation (1969-84):– No institution is permanent, relationships are fleeting

• The First Globals ((1984-00):– Half have passports, exposed to the world

• The “I Can Be Anything” Generation (2000- ): – African American as president; woman as president?

Girls’ Courage Pushes Change Leonard Pitts Jr.

Shamsia was walking with her sister …to school when a

man on a motorcycle pulled abreast of them…


“My parents told me to keep coming to school even if I am

killed. The people who did this to me don’t want women to be educated. They want us to be

stupid things.”


“This story is offered as simple inspiration, a reminder to be

defiant and courageous when others want them to be stupid

things. This is a story for women and girls everywhere.”

Women and Leadership

• Women make up 46% of the US labor force but comprise only– 51% of managerial and specialty positions– 16% of Fortune 500 corporate officers– 8% of Fortune 500 highest titles– 5% of Fortune 500 top earners– 2% of Fortune 500 chief executive officers

Women in Fortune 500

• Women held 15.4 percent of corporate officer positions in 2007, compared to 15.6 percent in 2006.

• Women in top-paying positions stayed the same at 6.7 percent.

• There was a 15.6 percent increase in the number of companies that had no women corporate officers, from 64 companies in 2006 to 74 companies in 2007.

• The percentage of women in line positions which often lead to top leadership jobs fell by 1.8 percentage points, from 29.0 percent to 27.2 percent.

Legislature Needs More Women Philip Brownlee

“Though its population is 50.6 percent female, Kansas is

among the 18 states in which top legislative leadership is 100

percent male…”

• Kansas legislature is 29 percent female

• Vermont’s is 37 percent• South Carolina is 91 percent of

lawmakers • However, Kansas has a woman

governor and a female member of Congress

Legislature Needs More Women Philip Brownlee

2008: What a Year for Women

• For the first time, a woman—Hillary Clinton—became the “establishment candidate.”

• For the first time, the Republicans picked a woman—Sarah Palin—to energize the base.

2008: What a Year for Women

• Obama won the election with a bare majority of men: 49% to 48%

• Obama won with a landslide of votes from women: 56% to 43%

• Eight million more women than men voted for him

Words from Obama

“Senator Clinton…

has indeed shattered myths and broken barriers and changed the America in which my daughters and yours will come of age…

I want to thank the millions of women who voted for me without ever believing they were betraying the dream of full opportunity for women.”

Women’s Journey to the Top

“Women need to help women understand that we were not born with all of the skills, nor was anyone, men or women that are necessary (to be a leader). But with hard work and passion, you can be recognized as a leader. My fears of failure, my fears of not being perfect, kept me thinking that I could run for mayor.”

Shirley Franklin, Mayor of Atlanta

Hillary Clinton Campaign

As her campaign picked up speed,

“an inordinate amount of time was paid to a frivolous observation about the ‘low-cut’ neckline on an outfit worn during a speech she gave on the Senate floor…”

Executive Woman’s Dress Code

“More than nine in ten executives say a person’s style of dress either “somewhat” or significantly” affects that individual’s chances of being promoted…only 7% of the 150 senior executives questioned say work apparel has no influence on chances of promotion.”

Wall Street Journal, March 22 2007

Looking Good…

• 1926: Coco Chanel designed the little black dress; it broke all the rules as it was black—the color for mourning—and made of jersey—used exclusively for men’s underwear

• 1928: Vogue invented the “Ford Dress” as the Model T was functional, fashionable, only available in black, and a “must-have”

• 1930: Elsa Schiaparelli added a wrap version• 1934: Betty Boop’s shockingly short little black dress

became the model• 1940’s: Most fabric went to the war effort and the

little black dress used minimal fabric

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Late_model_Ford_Model_T.jpg

Looking Good…

• 1950’s: It became Marilyn Monroe’s costume in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Audrey Hepburn’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s

• 1960’s: Simplicity was in and the short skirted, sleeveless sheath was in

• 1970’s: Punk rock, Goth, Glam rock, ripped, cut and safety-pinned made out of PVC, leather and garbage bags took over

• 1980’s: Plunging necklines, rising hemlines, and strategically placed cutouts were the norm

Looking Good…

• 1990’s and into the 2000’s:

“The little black dress will continue to be a statement of rebellion, freedom, timelessness, elegance and poise…what more could we ask for…”

Your Wardrobe Speaks For You

• While males may sport “business casual” khakis, women feel obliged to dress up to command authority– Casual events call for chinos and an Izod

for men, but women who arrive in golf clothes are likely to strike the wrong note

• Women don’t talk about fashion openly for fear of appearing frivolous

Your Wardrobe Speaks For You

The fashion industry failed women leaders for decades

• 1970’s: Ladies ties• 1980’s: Women’s brief cases

Lately, they have moved beyond that• 1990’s: Power red; authority black;

leadership navy blue; credible design • 2000’s: Women’s pant suits• 2010’s: Little Black Dress


“…We are still working at trying to overcome the fear that power and womanliness are mutually

exclusive.”

Arianna Huffington

“Women constitute half of the world’s population, perform nearly two thirds of its work hours, receive one-tenth of the world’s income and own less than one-hundredth of the world’s property.”

United Nations Report on

the Advancement of Women, 1995

Changing the Game Board

“Where are the women? Not in the corner office. Even after all of these years. Not Now. Maybe Not Ever.”

Article in Fast Company

Women and Leadership: The Delicate Balancing Act

Hilary M. Lips

“Responses to women and men in leadership roles are conditioned by

a social structure traditionally dominated by men.”

Women and Leadership: The Delicate Balancing Act

Hilary M. Lips

• High profile women leaders are relentlessly held to a higher standard than male leaders

• Power operates as a social structure that includes shared understandings around a set of values, norms, expectations and roles

• A woman leader stimulates a different reaction than a male leader

Different Responses to Women and Men in Leadership Roles

Hilary M. Lips

• Women are expected to combine leadership with compassion—and are disliked when they don’t

• People do not listen to or take direction from women as comfortably as from men


Hilary M. Lips

• Women who promote themselves and their abilities reap disapproval

• Women require more external validation than men do to be accepted as leaders in some contexts


Hilary M. Lips

France• Spoke of

difficulties, conflicts, loneliness and marginality

Norway• Spoke of joy and

a sense of efficacy

France• Leadership is new and

rare, sense of legitimacy is absent and women have to prove themselves

Norway• Deeply rooted history in

political leadership, strong sense of legitimacy

Rules of the GameTheory 1:

• Corporations are an arena of competition made of, by, and for men

• Business culture is modeled on war, fashioned by machismo

• Leaders are charismatic figures, standing alone, above the fray, with nerves of steel and raw courage

• They command respect, inspire, shape, and direct their followers

Rules of the Game

Theory 2:• Women are simply not as competitive as men• They are not prepared to make the sacrifices• Women conclude that the game isn’t worth

the trophy• They drop out of the race • They make the “little black dress” decision—

cocktail parties in support of their husband’s career

Rules of the Game

Theory 3:

• Women have seen the corner office up close and it’s not pretty

• It’s not about talent, dedication, experience, or the ability to take the heat

• Women just say “I just don’t like that kitchen.”

Changing the Rules of the Game

• You can ignore the data, jump on the fast track and assume you’ll beat the odds– 16% of you have already succeeded

• Refuse to play the odds and pioneer your own venture alone– Oprah and Mrs. Fields are examples

• Join the game but change the board on which it’s played

Changing the Rules of the Game

• Stop questioning ourselves and accept the challenges of changing the game board by creating a corporate culture based on:– Servant leadership: cooperation over

competition– Moral purpose: choice of relationships over

individual conquests– Collaboration: the willingness to be team

players over claiming sole credit for success

Women’s Competitive Advantage

• Capacity for building relationships and fostering collaboration

• Providing service to society and the lives around you

• Picturing the glass as half-full

• Building on what’s there

• Being optimistic, hopeful and seeing possibilities


• Assuming that leaders don’t need to be heroic; they don’t need to have all the answers

• Assuming that information can be stored in databases but knowledge can only reside in people

• Assuming that the most valuable knowledge is not explicit or codified, but tacit and discovered in a context of complexities


• Assuming the best about human motives and expecting the same from colleagues

• Assuming an asset-based mindset over a deficit-based mindset

Marybeth Tahar

Interaction Associates, Inc.


“Most employers don’t realize they’re pushing some women out of their jobs…the prevalent notion of a committed employee—one who can work long hours, travel and be accessible 24/7—doesn’t match women’s lives.”

Harvard Business Review

March 2005


“…Pull” factors such as the demands of young children and aging parents, often combine with “push” factors, such as lack of opportunity at work, to make women head for the door.”


March 2005


“The trick is to help them maintain connections that will allow them to come back…without being marginalized for the rest of their careers.”


March 2005


“If you want to change the world, who do you begin with, yourself or others?”

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

“I believe if we begin with ourselves and do the things that we need to do and become the best person we can be, we have a much better chance of changing the world for the better.”

Arianna Huffington


“I think that women as a group are so powerful. We think we live in a man’s world and we have to follow their rules, and yet, we’re so different, and our rules are so different. I wish that we could come together more as a political force. If women ran the world, I don’t believe that there would be war.”

Kyra Sedgwick, Actress


• Get a mentor to help you learn the ropes• Speak up at work• Get out there, exude power and purpose• Blow your own horn, project your

achievements• Level the playing field• Communicate effectively• Combat the alpha male, pick your strongest

allies

Get a Mentor

• Use your father– Governor Kathleen Sebelius, the first daughter of a

Governor in U.S. history to be elected to the same office, learned her lessons at her father’s knee.

• Look to your mom or a teacher• Get an incredibly successful woman to be your

mentor• Turn to your supervisor• Tap into powerful networks• Hire a coach


“I think it’s really important to be a mentor to people who you think are promising. People did it for me, and it helped me grow and be a better leader. Women and minorities need that help more than anyone because there are less people like them who are successful in the higher ranks of companies.”

Andrea Wong, CEO of Lifetime Network

Speak Up at Work• Know when to get tough

– “Look, you can deal with me or 60 Minutes.”

• When you are given control, enforce your authority, even if it takes an iron fist

• Take credit for your ideas• Be direct• Ask for the authority to do a job right• Press for appropriate rewards and advancement• Don’t let your company intimidate you or deprive

you of what you are due

Exude Power and Purpose• Document your successes and pass them along

to see that they get noticed and recognized• Develop what deal makers call your “elevator

pitch”• Address big problems and formulate bold

solutions• Learn to weave your successes into a pithy

story• Focus on becoming a leader, developing a

vision, and inspiring and motivating people to follow it

“My interest is in the future, because I am

going to spend the rest of my

life there.”

Charles Kettering

Elevator Pitch

• Something you say that summarizes your value and achievements in 30-60 seconds

• The difference between success and failure has more to do with effective self promotion than with technical competence

Wendy Kinney, founder of PowerCore

(an organization that teaches others how to network more effectively)

Blow Your Own Horn

• Shape and control your image• Develop your own signature style, hone your

image, and gather support• Leverage high-profile events• Keep in mind that a sense of humor helps

deflect criticism• Don’t let others trivialize you

Level the Playing Field

• Get involved in politics to change the rules• Change perceptions• Serve• Help women develop career strategies• Raise money• Develop and put forward policy to support

women• Get a woman in the pipeline to the

presidency (again)

Level the Playing Field

• Become WILD

Women’s Institute for Leadership

Development

Communicate Effectively

• Organize thoughts in your mind before sharing them with others

• Be candid and self-disclosing• Learn to say no• Speak up or exit the situation• Listen with your third ear

“I’m not perfect, but parts of me are excellent.”


“So often, we as women stop ourselves from trying because we don’t want to risk failing. We put such a premium on being approved of, we become reluctant to take risks.”

Arianna Huffington

Combat the Alpha Dog

• Pick your strongest allies • Let the pretender alpha dog be the aggressor• You be the clean-up hitter• Let him be the nuts and bolts guy• You bring the people together– “Leaders inspire and point the direction. You

don’t have to be a mechanic or a carpenter. You can be an architect and a leader. And let the Alpha Dog take what’s left.”

“We are women, hear us roar!”

According to Erma Bombeck…

• A hero is a term that should be awarded to those who, given a set of circumstances, react with– Courage– Dignity– Decency– Compassion

• Heroes are people who make us feel better for having seen or touched them

• You touch people’s lives everyday

• People feel better as a result of you

• You have courage, dignity, decency and compassion

• You are my heroes

“My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who work and those who take the

credit. He told me to try to be in the first

group; there was less competition there.”

Indira Gandhi

Final Thought

“How interesting it is to see how much has changed…

and how much has not…”

Bea Arthur, an actress who changed TV and died at age 86 Saturday

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Beyond the Little Black Dress!. Letter to Obama “ We are calling on you to ensure that women are...

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