I am hoping to start a new series for this blog that highlights women in the workplace and also marketing trends that are relevant to the work that I aspire to do in the future. Below is my first entry, I hope you like it!
Link: http://www.ted.com/talks/susan_colantuono_the_career_advice_you_probably_didn_t_get
Susan Colantuono, CEO of Leading Women, is a powerful leader and her primary goal is to close the gender gap at the top. Her TED talk entitled, "The career advice you probably didn't get" is an interesting look at the reason why many women are not being considered for high-level positions. As a young women, I am constantly looking for successful women to emulate all while supporting the closing of the gender gap.
The "Missing 33%" concept that Colantuono talked about represents the amount of women in upper management positions. Although at first I want to jump to conclusions and feel upset that the percentage is not more balanced between the genders, I remember how far we have come as women. Clearly there is room for improvement; however, the leaps and bounds that have been made recently in favor of women is amazing.
The main idea in this TED talk is that, "Leadership is using the greatness in you to achieve and sustain extraordinary outcomes by engaging the greatness in others." I think this is a great way of explaining how to gain success in your chosen career field. Many people associate success with their own personal gains, but it is more then that. When you include your coworkers and collaborate with them, you are engaging their greatness and it will in turn increase your future success.
It is so easy to get discouraged as a women in the business world, but there is so much potential if we just remember to engage our greatness and also the greatness of those around us.
Next, something else that stuck out to me from this video was a quote from a male business leader. He explained that he had two successful entrepreneurs, one was a man and one was a women, and he found that he had been treating them differently. He attempted to build the women's confidence and helped the man learn the business. This was a very interesting story because it showed that many women are being seen as sensitive and fragile by their employers. This concept is not something that should still be happening in this day and age and I believe it contributes to why there is still a gender gap. When men leaders assume women need a confidence boost in order to succeed, they are wrong. This automatically puts them a step behind men when it comes to applying for career advancement.
In general, what I took away from this talk was that women are on the right track to closing the gender gap, but many are not given important career advice before they proceed into the business world. The Missing 33% is made up of the women who do not understand that you must engage your greatness and the greatness of others in order to gain career success. Relating to those around you and also sustaining your business, strategic, financial, and acumen qualities can be the difference between being middle management and being the leader of a thriving company. Women have the intellect and know-how so we just need to put all of our knowledge into practice in order to close the gender gap for good.
