Leadership Strategies For Women

How do women leaders make it to the top of an organization? How can women stay at the top when most of their colleagues are men? What should women do to exercise leadership well? This book tells the stories of four powerful women who knew the answers to these three questions. Therefore, this book also explicitly identifies the key factors in these leaders’ career success, and it elucidates the competencies that enabled the women to exercise leadership effectively. The four success stories offer women who already serve in leadership roles and those who aspire to become great leaders both inspiration and practical lessons that can be applied to real-world challenges. “A wonderful selection of much-needed role models of powerful women who shaped their time with distinctively authentic styles, all their own. An inspiration for both men and women of what more gender balance in global political and economic roles has to offer the world.” Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, CEO 20-first and best-selling author of Why Women Mean Business and How Women Mean Business. “We all know we can learn a lot from history. Leadership Strategies for Women does this in the unexpected context of gender diversity. Nicely written and original, the book is a powerful example of how looking back can help us moving forward.” Frank Uit de Weerd, Vice-President HR Innovation, Research & Development, Royal Dutch/Shell “An inspiring narrative that creatively leverages lessons from four women from the past, each of whom had to play the cards she was dealt, and each a force of nature who prevailed against the odds and shaped her world. Today’s crop of aspiring women leaders, who often start from scratch and face a bewildering array of options and tough performance expectations, would do well to absorb this book’s tightly drawn lessons.” Ingo Walter, Seymour Milstein Professor of Finance, Corporate Governance and Ethics, NYU Stern School of Business

Chapters include, among others, “9 Non-threatening Leadership Strategies for Women,” "How to Ace Your Job Interview Without Over-acing It," and “Choose Your Own Adventure: Do You Want to Be Likable or Successful?” It even includes several pages to doodle on while men finish what they're saying. Each chapter also features an exercise with a set of "inaction items" designed to challenge women to be less challenging. And, when all else fails, a set of wearable mustaches is included to allow women to seem more man-like. This will cancel out any need to change their leadership style. In fact, it may even lead to a quick promotion!

"Women and Leadership explores the causes and consequences of the underrepresentation of women in America's leadership roles. Drawing on comprehensive research and a survey of prominent women leaders, the book describes the reasons for gender inequity in leadership and identifies compelling solutions. It is essential reading for anyone interested in leveling the playing field for women"--

LEAD LIKE A WOMAN “Rich with proven, practical knowledge and insights from highly successful women that you can put into action immediately to create your executive presence, be viewed as ‘leadership material,’ and maximize your opportunities.” —Nina McLemore, Founder and CEO, Nina McLemore, Inc.; founder and former President, Liz Claiborne Accessories; former member Executive Committee, Liz Claiborne, Inc. “A fabulously insightful and powerful book for women who aspire to business leadership. Relying on decades of experience and research, the authors reveal key insights and successful strategies, including practical how-to advice, to en¬able women to hone and enhance their inherent leadership strengths. The book provides women with a compelling and straightforward blueprint for accelerated business success! This is a must-read for women and for all mentors and coaches of women!” —Richard Falcone, Chairman, Xperior-Consulting, Inc; former Chairman/CEO of Securus Technologies, Inc; and former AT&T Senior Vice President “Sharon Hadary and Laura Henderson have written a book that will be a blueprint for success that will inspire women in business for years to come—and not a moment too soon, given women’s steadily expanding influence in business. The authors have combined personal insight, research-based knowledge, and real-life lessons in a thought-provoking guide that will benefit women just beginning their leadership journey and women at the pinnacle of their professions. How Women Lead is a celebration of the perspective and power of successful women. This book belongs in every leader’s personal library.” —Maria Coyne, Executive Vice President, Consumer and Small Business Segment Head, KeyBank; member Executive Council, KeyCorp IT’S A NEW WORLD FOR WOMEN IN BUSINESS LEADERSHIP. Did you know that: . . . companies with more women in high-level positions report better financial performance than those with fewer women at these levels? . . . 40% of all privately held businesses are owned by women? . . . more than half of all professional and managerial positions are held by women? . . . the number of women earning $100,000 or more has grown at a faster pace than it has for men in the United States? . . . 6.3% of the top earners in the For¬tune 500 companies are women? Women are moving into leadership roles in business, government, and the military, and they’re gaining positions of increasing stature and higher salaries. BUT . . . women’s upward movement is not matching the rate of their movement into professional and managerial positions. It is time to own your destiny. Gain the confidence and know-how you need to navigate it all. Your roadmap to achieving your aspirations, How Women Lead provides hard-won wisdom from women who have reached truly impressive heights in their careers. Written by two women’s leadership experts who are themselves successful leaders, How Women Lead gives women the information they need to become high-potential leaders but don’t get in business school: how to build a career on their own terms, gain the critical business management skills needed to advance, and advocate successfully for themselves. Whether you’re already in the leadership pipeline, contemplating your next career move, or are working to empower women in business, the lessons of How Women Lead will show you the sky’s the limit when you combine women’s leadership strengths with sound business acumen.

On June 23, 2008, President George W. Bush nominated Ann Dunwoody as a four-star general in the US Army-the first time a woman had ever achieved that rank. The news generated excitement around the world. Now retired after nearly four decades in the Army, Dunwoody shares what she learned along the way, from her first command leading 100 soldiers to her final assignment, in which she led a 60 billion enterprise of over 69,000 employees, including the Army's global supply chain in support of Iraq and Afghanistan. What was the driving force behind Dunwoody's success? While her talent as a logistician and her empathy in dealing with fellow soldiers helped her rise through the ranks, Dunwoody also realized that true leaders never stop learning, refining, growing, and adapting. In A Higher Standard, Dunwoody details her evolution as a soldier and reveals the core leadership principles that helped her achieve her historic appointment. Dunwoody's strategies are applicable to any leader, no matter the size or scope of the organization. They include lessons such as "Never Walk by a Mistake," a mandate to recognize when something is wrong, big or small, and to hold people accountable. Not only can this save billions for industry, it can sometimes save the lives of soldiers and citizens. She also advises that "Leaders Aren't Invincible-Don't Try to Be": to be our best, we have to acknowledge our worst. And she encourages readers to "Leverage the Power of Diversity" by creating teams of people from different backgrounds to provide a broad range of ideas and devise the best-informed decisions. With these and other guiding principles, A Higher Standard offers practical, tactical advice that everyone can use to lead and achieve with maximum success.

According to recent data on women leaders across all major sectors in the United States, women are outperforming men but earning less and still hitting the glass ceiling. This book uncovers the best practices to remedy these inequities, optimize performance, and benefit both genders. In compiling and analyzing 2011–2012 data on women leaders across all major sectors in the United States, author Tiffani Lennon, JD, uncovered proof that women are outperforming men—yet salaries and positional leadership roles are disproportionate to the performance and accomplishments of women in nearly all sectors. Recognizing Women's Leadership: Strategies and Best Practices for Employing Excellence presents a comprehensive look at agencies and organizations with the smallest pay gap and the largest percentage of female positional leaders to reveal best practices and strategies that ensure gender parity and optimal business performance, including impact, revenue, and efficacy. The study examined in this book included approximately 1,500 for-profit companies, not-for-profit businesses, and other organizations and associations throughout the country to establish the number of women leaders among the top echelon in each industry. Researchers also calculated leadership performance by identifying the frequency with which women received industry distinctions and awards, were top revenue generators, and achieved best-sellers list status, among other sector-specific criteria. The ramifications of the study's findings portend the future of the United States as a global competitor and as such need to be part of the public discourse surrounding the state of the American economy.

Skirt Strategies Second Edition (2012) offers a refreshing approach to leadership ideas, techniques, and reminders for women in positions of influence. Inspiring, interesting, and filled with ideas and reminders for keeping you on top of your leadership style. Use Skirt Strategies for conducting mentoring sessions, leading discussions in women's network groups or mastermind meetings, starting a book club at work, or journaling your personal leadership trek. Skirt Strategies is filled with over 200 pages of leadership techniques that address your style, situations with male-dominated workplaces, effective approaches to difficult situations, and how to avoid the pitfalls of a typical female leader. Some tips remind you of the critical fundamentals for anyone needing to maintain their influence, while others take you to a more challenging level. Occasionally you'll see a light-hearted no-brainer that we enjoy sharing. This is a terrific resource for initializing a women's network discussion, as well as a rich resource for scheduling mentoring sessions around. You'll never be at a loss again for a topic to spark a lively interaction.

Colleges and universities benefit from diversity in their leadership roles and profess to value diversity--of thought, of experience, of person. Yet why do women remain under-represented in top academic leadership positions and in key positions along the academic career ladder?Why don’t they advance at a rate proportional to that of their male peers? How do internal and external environmental contexts still influence who enters academic leadership and who survives and thrives in those roles? Women in Academic Leadership complements its companion volumes in the Women in Academe series, provoking readers to think critically about the gendered nature of academic leadership across the spectrum of institutional types. It argues that leadership, the academy, and the nexus of academic leadership, remain gendered structures steeped in male-oriented norms and mores. Blending research and reflection, it explores the barriers and dilemmas that these structures present and the professional strategies and the personal choices women make in order to successfully surmount them. The authors pose questions about how women leaders negotiate between their public and private selves. They consider how women develop a vital sense of self-efficacy along with the essential skills and knowledge they need in order to lead effectively; how they cultivate opportunity; and how they gain legitimacy and maintain authenticity in a male-gendered arena. For those who seek to create an institutional environment conducive to equity and opportunity, this book offers insight into the pervasive barriers facing women of all colors and evidence of the need for a more complex, multi-dimensional view of leadership. For women in academe who seek to reach their professional potential and maintain authenticity, it offers encouragement and a myriad of strategies for their growth and development.

So many women leading in higher education have stories to tell and advice to give - but don't yet have a platform. This book is our first foray into providing that platform. Throughout this collection of 34 essays, you will hear voices from every level of leadership and across every sector of higher education. You will read stories of strength, advocacy, and support as well as be privy to the pain, anger, and resilience that is part of being a woman in higher education. Most importantly, you will hear their advice for moving forward - whether it's during those pivotal moments in meetings ... to making career-impacting decisions ... to launching campus-wide initiatives. The contributors, ranging from faculty and mid-level directors in offices across the institution to past and current university presidents, offer strategies for: Risk taking and authentic leadership Confronting the imposter syndrome Conflict management Influencing without authority Leading and thriving as women of color Relationship building and opening the door for others Making the case for yourself and your initiatives Advocating for equity in hiring and allocation of work Negotiation Defining your success We hope our contributors' stories and advice will be useful to you and yourcolleagues! "No matter where you are in your leadership journey, there is something here for you. I especially appreciate the intentionality behind each chapter, making sure all voices are heard and the varying experiences of women are being shared... I highly recommend this book." - Kyra Lobbins, Deputy Chief of Staff, Clemson University