“Danica Patrick did it. Hilary Clinton did it. And now droves of females in the financial services industry are doing it – succeeding in what was once a man’s world. As this male-dominated industry continues to change, so do those who represent it.”

A post on Colonial Life’s blog addresses the recruiting and retention of women – reasons and benefits – and quotes my client Heidi Spilotros of Mass Mutual, one of the industry leaders in this area.

Bottom line, to reach the huge and growing women’s market, the most effective strategy is to recruit women as talent. The more women you have, the more you will get. As I teach my clients and audiences, women have different motivators and communication styles than men, and those differences must be addressed effectively in order to be successful attracting female talent and customers. It’s not rocket science! Just awareness and easily learned communication and management skills.

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A post on Fresh Ideas begins, “The “Trophy Generation” also known as Millennials (born between 1980 and 2000) have possibly figured it out…the majority of young professional women, like myself, believe they will have gratifying careers balanced with fulfilling personal lives, according to research released by Accenture’s Millennial Women Workplace Success Index.”

The post continues to list workplace motivators for millennial women, which are very similar to all women, by the way, according to original research I conducted using nearly 200 phone interviews with working women all over the U.S.

It’s a good article, read it here.

Great article on Marketing Profs about the career expectation of Gen Y women. Lot s of statistics from a survey conducted by Accenture. Basically, millennial women expect to be able to have balance with work and personal life. They want to meaningful work, work they WANT to do.

An excerpt: ”

Drivers of Success

Asked to identify what is most helpful in driving professional success, just 16% of millennial women cite “women in company leadership” while 18% cite “having female role models at my company.”

More than one-half (59%) cite “a good work atmosphere” and 52% cite “open and honest communications with supervisors.”"

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Rick Goings writes a powerful message on Huffington Post, here’s an excerpt:”Studies have shown time and again that opening opportunities for women in the workforce can have a massive impact on a nation’s economy. A report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Countries found that restricting job opportunities for women is costing the region between US $42 and US $46 billion a year. Even in our country, women still only make 77 cents for every dollar a man makes.”

And that’s just the beginning. Goings’ philosophy and position on women in the workplace is so similar to mine and what I teach that it’s as if he read my articles and then wrote the post. No wonder I found this post inspiring!

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I am SO happy to see this post! It’s an excerpt from “The Male Factor: The Unwritten Rules, Misperceptions, and Secret Beliefs of Men in the Workplace” by Shaunti Feldhahn, and explains in no uncertain terms the negative impact that cleavage and tight clothes have on women’s careers.

I have always said dressing this way at work is a mistake. Do you want men thinking about business or boobs? To maximize credibility, respect, and upward mobility, dress professionally without calling attention to your body parts! Save that for social situations, not business.

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This post is directed to women but actually will help anyone trying to re-entry the workplace after an absence. And it gives some great tips for finding a job doing something that interests you, not just pays the bills. On Careers and Worklife blog, it outlines 11 steps to help you identify, prepare for, and find your next career.

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The Glass Hammer reviews a new book, “The Go-Getter Girls’ Guide”. Sounds like an important and interesting read for any woman interested in advancement and success at work. “Although the book is primarily geared toward women just starting out, Shigley’s advice holds true for women at any stage in their career – especially women who want to be more polished, more professional, and move ahead. Go-Getter Girl (GGG) is code for Type A personality, and The Go-Getter Girl’s Guide (GGGG) is filled with stories of highly-educated, highly-motivated, and high-achieving women.”

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“For something intangible, a glance can be a powerful thing. It can carry the weight of culture and history, it can cause psychological harm, and it can act as a muzzle. Consider the relatively simple act of a man staring at a woman’s body. This is such a common part of modern society that most of us rarely stop to think of its consequences, much less investigate it with a scientific lens.”
Continue reading the Not Exactly Rocket Science post

Excellent post on The Glass Hammer today, well-researched and thorough article about how, despite some reports, women are far from achieving equality. I like this article for many reasons, one being it reinforces my work and perspective, and what I teach my corporate and association audiences: We have a long way to go; it’s not men’s fault; we need to fix the system, not men; until women can be women (vs. pretend-men) and still be successful, they cannot enjoy equality; and more.

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