5 Women’s Leadership Blogs

In no particular order, here are five of my favorite women's leadership blogs.

TheGlassHammer.com
TheGlassHammer provides commentary on news, social and political trends that affect women executives in financial services, law and business, as well as reporting on women’s conferences and events. Regular ‘Voice of Experience’ posts profile notable women leaders such as Colette Taylor, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Americas Institutional at Russell Investments and Lynn Tilton, CEO, Patriarch Partners.

NinaSimosko.com
Nina Simosko is a member of SAP’s Senior Executive team, heading up SAP’s system integrator partnerships globally as well as sharing management of SAP’s global Go To Market relationships. With all that responsibility and frequent travel, it’s incredible how prolific she is as a blogger. Her topic is leadership, often with a pop-culture twist as in posts about what leaders can learn from Conan and Leno, or Britney Spears, and a smattering of core leadership skills such as strategy, empathy and managing in a matrix.

Caroline Simard and Telle Whitney’s blog at Fast Company
Dr. Caroline Simard is Director of Research and Dr. Telle Whitney is President and CEO of the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology. They co-author this blog, rich with examples of what it really takes to recruit, retain and advance women within the unique culture of Silicon Valley hi-tech companies. Recent posts feature what women technology executives say about the ‘hero culture’ in hi-tech companies, and from-the-trenches examples of how to retain top technical talent.

Future Women Leaders
A not-for-profit professional women's organization in the San Francisco Bay Area, FWL is led by a young, energetic leadership team. Their blog is frequently updated with their events and profiles of women leaders and up-and-comers.

The Center For Women’s Leadership, Babson College
Blog posts by the Center’s staff support their mission to ‘disseminate best practice for women's entrepreneurial leadership’, with take-aways from their executive education programs for women. They also profile authors and thought leaders on topics regarding women’s impact on the economy and participation in the workforce.

Enjoy! And please post a comment if there's a women in leadership blog you recommend.

Emerging Women Leaders Webinar Series: Only a handful of registrations remaining

Corporate registrations for the Emerging Women Leaders Webinar series sold out this morning.

There are a handful of individual registrations left, so if you're planning to sign up you'd better hustle!

More information and registration >>

Helping Professional Women Band Together and Build Strengths

From TheGlassHammer.com:

There has been a noticeable change in the way women help other women in the workforce.

“In the past 10 years, I have seen a huge push among senior level women who are passionate about mentoring,” said Jo Miller, Founder of Women’s Leadership Coaching “to help emerging women leaders gain access to networks, role models and opportunities.”

Read the article >>

Have you ever wondered what it really takes to be successful as an executive?

Find out by joining this year-long series of six webinars featuring senior executive women guest speakers, hosted by Women’s Leadership Coaching Inc:

Executive Women Leaders Webinar Series
Learn proven strategies for transitioning from manager to leader, leading high-performance teams, taking purposeful risks, and becoming a results-oriented visionary. This program is for ideal women who are corporate executives at Director-level or above.

Topics include:

• Being A Visionary
• Executive Presence
• Purposeful Risk-Taking
• Leading High Performance Organizations
• Transitioning from Manager to Executive
• Executive Work/Life Balance

Guest speakers include Liz Iversen, SVP, Mission Assurance, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Kelli Crane, SVP/CIO, Thomson Reuters, Sheila Carnicelli, Managing Director, UBS and other outstanding executive women.

Starts February 2, 2010. Learn more or register now for $399 >>

(Not an executive yet? Check out the Emerging Women Leaders webinar series)

Corporate Packages
Would you like to offer the webinars to a wider audience within your company? To learn more about discounted corporate partner packages, visit http://www.womensleadershipcoaching.com/execwebinar.htm

Why have womens' networks been growing in popularity recently?

After giving the same soundbyte to two media outlets in 2 days, I figured it was worth a blog post.

In the past, we heard too often about the senior executive woman who climbed the ladder in high heels, then kicked the ladder away, letting it fall on someone else! Their philosophy was "I got here without any special help, I never had any issue being a woman, so where would be the benefit of singling out women out for special treatment". This was demotivating for up-and-coming women who saw role models of a type of female leader they didn’t want to become.

This has changed slowly but surely in the last 10 years. I am seeing a big push among senior women leaders who are passionate about mentoring to help emerging women leaders gain access to networks, role models and leadership opportunities.

In practice, this looks like senior-level women founding or sponsoring their company’s women's network, and showing up to participate as sponsors, mentors and guest speakers. They are gaining the attention of leaders at all levels as they talk up a compelling business case: that companies with more women leaders do better, and that women now make up the majority of college graduates and the early-career pipeline of leadership candidates. As a result of their influence, more companies funding their women's initiatives.

If you're not a senior exec and you want to launch a women's network at your company, don't let that stop you. There are women's networks that have been founded and funded through the efforts of volunteers at all levels. What they have in common is energy and passion to drive the initiatives, and to influence their leadership to gain legitimacy and funding.

Ask Jo: How to build a leadership brand that your company values

Every month I write about a career or leadership topic for the Anita Borg Institute's web site.

For this month's article, I interviewed Titina Ott, Vice President of Organizational Effectiveness with a leading global software corporation, about how to build a leadership brand that demonstrates how you are adding value to your company.

Ott believes it is so important that every employee is able to create a direct “line of sight” between what they do each day to their organization’s bottom line, that she leads webinars for employees on how to do this.

Read about her 5-step approach to creating a brand that your company values >>

2010 Gender Equality is Here, and Other Media Myths

From Nicki Gilmour, CEO and Founder of our partner blog The Glass Hammer:

The Economist kicked off the year with Rosie the Riveter on the cover, proclaiming “We did it.” What exactly did we do?

Well, we became 50% of the workforce, generally, across all industries. We can interpret that in two ways, either as a positive advancement for women as they are able to have economic freedom by earning their own wage or that that women have to work to support themselves and their families; it does not necessary mean that we are actually getting somewhere as leaders and managers in equal numbers to men.

I have to be honest. I had to check that I wasn’t reading an old copy of the Economist from January 1980...

Read the post at TheGlassHammer.com

Partner event: San Francisco Women in the Boardroom

Women in the Boardroom, formerly known as Women on Boards, is an executive leadership event designed to assist in the preparation of board service – better qualifying you and connecting you with the right people and resources. Our panelists are executives with for-profit board experience and a desire to share their knowledge and necessary tools for serving as a director. Although the focus is for-profit boards, much of the knowledge gained can be applied to non-profit service.

Having originated in 2002 in a single city, Women in the Boardroom has now become an annual event, scheduled to be in 15 cities in 2010. Don’t let the name fool you. All current presidents, directors and professionals in leadership roles – men and women – are encouraged to attend as an opportunity to mentor, learn from each other or find their next great executive or board member.

The event begins with a two-hour panel presentation and Q&A. Topics of discussion include:

• Role of being a director
• Differences of a non-profit, private and public board
• Board selection process
• Being an effective board member
• Positioning yourself for board service/taking the next step

The role of women on boards continues to evolve, as have all other leadership roles for women in business. In today's corporate climate of increased scrutiny of board governance, boards of directors are being held more accountable than ever. Composition is being closely watched and CEOs and directors are frequently broadening their search for new board members to include women and minorities.

Currently, women represent only 15.2% of Fortune 500 company board membership and Women in the Boardroom is out to change that!

Panel Includes: Nora Denzel – Senior Vice President & General Manager, Intuit’s Employee Management Solutions; Barb Allen – Retired President, Proactive Partners; Maria Sainz – CEO & President, Concentric Medical; Erika Williams – Board Member, VPEP Technologies, Inc.; Panel Facilitator: Wendy Beecham – CEO, Forum for Women Entrepreneurs

Monday January 25, 2010 – 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Hotel Sofitel San Francisco Bay at Redwood Shores – 223 Twin Dolphin Dr, Redwood City, CA 94065

Cost: $125 individual tickets. To register online: www.SanFranciscoWOB2010.eventbrite.com

Panel: Expanding Your Circle of Influence, January 13

When She Speaks, Women in Leadership Series
Friday, January 15 from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. NetApp, Building One, 495 East Java Drive, Sunnyvale

Women who make an impact in business know that you do not need to hold an impressive job title to be a leader who makes a difference. Being an influencer requires:

- Knowledge of effective influencing techniques

- Finding your personal unique influencing style

- The determination to make great things happen.

Hear first-hand how our panelists establish credibility, gain buy-in for ideas, engage co-workers and lead business results regardless of whether you have direct authority.

Facilitator Jo Miller, CEO, Womens Leadership Coaching Inc.
Panelist Julie Cullivan, SVP of Sales Operations, McAfee
Panelist Kristine Gallegos-Haehl, Trade Professional Manager, PG&E
Panelist Gwen McDonald, SVP, Human Resources, NetApp
Panelist Titina Ott, Vice President, Organizational Effectiveness, Oracle

To register >>

New Year, New Habits, New Goals

Over at the Engineering Gal's Insights blog, Allison Goodman is making her career and leadership resolutions. They include working less, delegating without micromanaging, and improving her self-promotion skills.

Read her post here >>

What are yours?

I prefer to set goals, keeping the list as short as possible. Here are mine for 2010, in no particular order:

1. Double WLC's business revenue
   
2. Get fit (for me, that means being able to run easily for 2+ hours)
3. Get well (shaking off a bout of illness from last year)

Hopefully I do so well I'll only need 2 goals for 2011.

Are We a Woman’s Nation?

Nina Simosko, SAP executive and a regular guest speaker in our women's leadership webinars, writes a dynamic blog on leadership issues.

Her latest blog post has the provocative title 'Are We a Woman’s Nation?':

"For sure, we have made progress, but better jobs, more pay and greater opportunity is one thing. Respect is another. Our challenge as leaders is to shift the conversation around the topic of women. After all, if you want profits, you have to smash the glass ceiling."

Read the blog post here >>

10 Resolutions Every Woman Should Make for 2010

1. Become more influential
Build your ability to influence, persuade, and motivate others, regardless of whether you have a management job title. Influencing Without Authority >>

2. Seek management’s buy-in for a new idea
Take a great technical idea, and sell it to your senior management by partnering with others to build credibility. Selling your technical idea to management >>

3. Don’t let others steal your ideas
Pitch persuasive proposals, and pitch yourself too, to get credit for your work. Getting Credit for Your Ideas >>

4. Learn to delegate effectively
Manage the work performance of others, without hovering about like a micro-manager. How Do I Delegate without Micromanaging >>

5. Build an influential network
You don’t need to be a “shmoozer” to be a good networker, when you include these five key types of people. Five Key People You Need in Your Network >>

6. Ask your role models for mentoring
Approach role models you admire, and engage them as mentors. Mentoring >>

7. Get training without spending money
Find creative ways to learn and get professional development when your company does not have funds available. Funds are not available for training >>

8. Make your accomplishments visible
Promote your accomplishments in ways that don’t leave you feeling sleazy. Learning the Fine Art of Self Promotion >>

9. Figure out what you want to be “when you grow up”
Identify an ideal career niche by understanding three essential elements to a successful and satisfying career. How Do I Find My Niche >>

10. Throw your hat in the ring for a promotion
Reinvent yourself as a candidate for promotion, by working smarter, not harder. Four Ways to Ensure You’re Promoted >>

Work-Life Balance: What is on your ‘Not-To-Do’ list?

Our December 8 Women’s Leadership Webinar featured guest speaker Nina Bhatti, who as Principle Scientist for HP Labs is one of their most senior-ranked technical women leaders.

One of the work-life balance tips discussed was the Not-To-Do list. Create a list of things you give yourself permission not to have to do, for the sake of your sanity and work-life balance. This is a great way to deal with the guilt of having to be a superwoman.

We asked webinar attendees to share with us some items that were going on their not-to-do lists. Not surprisingly, there was a deluge of responses! Here they are:

• Washing my car!
• Susan isn't cleaning her house anymore
• Not to cook a dinner few times per week
• Not to go back to school yet
• Always saying yes
• Limit laundry
• Passing the chore off to the kids for feeding the dogs!!
• Not planting new flowers every spring
• No working out on weekends
• Laundry
• Shopping
• Keeping Saturday mornings to myself - no soccer
• I'm going to stop feeling guilty for not doing morning workouts... I'm not a morning person and that's OK!
• Don't answer the phone in the evening
• Doing my 18 & 20 year olds’ laundry
• I am not going to edit anymore of my daughters papers.

There were lots of timely holiday-related Not-To-Do list items:

• Not decorating the house for every holiday
• Not working during the vacation
• Send Christmas cards
• Giving up grocery shopping
• I no longer decorate so extensively during the holidays
• Accept all the friend holiday invites

Nice work ladies. Lose the cape!

Register now for the 2010 Women's Leadership Webinar series >>

Conference Addresses Women’s Under-Representation In ‘IT’

International keynote address ‘Becoming person of influence’, presented by Women’s Leadership Coaching Inc CEO Jo Miller, discussed the important and influential role of IT professionals.

Read the press release from Multimedia Victoria >>

2010 Women's Leadership Webinars: Now open for registration

In 2010, we will offer new webinar topics and guest speakers in two year-long tracks for executive leaders and emerging leaders.

EXECUTIVE WOMEN LEADERS WEBINAR SERIES
Learn proven strategies for transitioning from manager to leader, leading high-performance teams, taking purposeful risks, and becoming a results-oriented visionary. This program is designed for women who are corporate executives, at Director-level or above. Join us to discover what it really takes to succeed as a dynamic, inspiring leader.

Guest speakers include:

• Romea Smith, Senior Vice President, Customer Support, CA
• Laurie Oare, Senior Vice President/General Manager, Next Day Gourmet
• Rose Marie E. Glazer, General Counsel and Secretary, Siemens PLM Software

Starts February 2, 2010. Learn more, or register now >>

EMERGING WOMEN LEADERS WEBINAR SERIES
Discover ways to gain credibility and expand your influence. Add to your leadership toolkit with techniques to lead and make a greater impact in business, regardless of your current job title. The program is designed for early-career to mid-level women in corporations. Join us to hear first-hand what it means to be a leader, and what it really takes to break into leadership.

Guest speakers include:

• Betty Chan-Bauza, VP, Strategy and Product, Lifelock
• Carla D. Brockman, Vice President Administration & Corporate Secretary, OGE Energy Corp.
• Kim Brown Strickland, Vice President - Finance, Wal-Mart Home Office

Starts February 23, 2010. Learn more, or register now >>

December 7 Poised for Leadership workshop is sold out

As of Tuesday November 10, the December Poised for Leadership workshop is sold out. You may indicate your interest in joining a waitlist or a future program by visiting the workshop web site.

Top 8 things you'll learn at the Poised for Leadership workshop, December 7, 2009

Registration is now open for Poised for Leadership, a seminar for women who want to create a roadmap into positions of responsibility, influence and leadership.

At this high-impact day in Mountain View, CA, discover what it really takes for you to break through into leadership.

You will learn how to:
1. Project a seasoned, credible leadership presence
2. Gain visibility and reward for your accomplishments
3. Build a reputation as a leader, expert or go-to person
4. Understand the dynamics of power in your organization
5. Navigate office politics with savvy
6. Leverage your network to gain access to hidden resources, information and opportunities
7. Cultivate influence and get buy-in for ideas and initiatives
8. Create, envision and lead high-profile projects.

Poised for Leadership has been receiving rave reviews from women across the US and Canada in DC, Dallas, Ottawa, RTP, San Jose, Seattle, and most recently Toronto.

Past participants have said:

"This was the best, most beneficial training I've attended in years."

"This seminar is one of the best I've ever attended. You'll walk away with a new inspiration and determination."

"Every point Jo made was relevant. We walked out with strategies for being a leader-not just in our workplace but in our daily lives."

LOCATION: Sponsored by Symantec Corporation, 350 Ellis St, Mountain View, CA 94043

Register now for $259 >>
~ or~
Download brochure with course description & schedule >>

Poised for Leadership, Toronto, September 2009

Women, men and office politics

After my Office Politics workshop at the Network of Executive Women Leadership Summit, a woman stood up to ask:

"Do men and women handle office politics differently?"

One of the two men at the session, Tom, proceeded to unleash a big belly laugh, so I invited him to speak up.

Tom described his observation that men get more emotional at work: they yell more and overtly show their frustration, while women seem much more calm in the face of conflict.

Count me among the 150 women in the room who were surprised to hear it.

Becoming a Person of Influence, at Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing

I presented How to Become a Person of Influence on Wednesday 9/30 at Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, followed by a panel of senior-level women in industry who are role model influencers. The ballroom filled early with 600 women, setting a new high bar for me professionally!

Valerie Bubb Fenwick, Staff Engineer with Sun Microsystems summarized the session her blog post, remarking "if you want to be a leader, you have to be a leader!" I recapped a couple key parts of the presentation with video bloggers Erin "Ed" Donahue Ed and Ashley Myers.

Why You Need to Become a Person of Influence



Your 6 Sources of Influence

Panel - A Person of Influence - In Real Life

After my workshop at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, we brought together a panel of senior-level technical women in industry to build on the influencing principles discussed on my workshop, bringing the theory to life with their stories of influencing in the real world.

From left to right:

Jo Miller, CEO, Women's Leadership Coaching Inc
Rebecca Norlander, Partner Engineering Manager, Microsoft
Wei Lin, Sr. Director of Engineering, Symantec
Romea Smith, Sr. Vice President - Customer Support, CA
Dr. Ann Quiroz Gates, Associate Vice President of Research, University of Texas at El Paso
Nina Bhatti, Principal Scientist, HP Labs (Watch Nina's post-panel interview. )

Highlights from the discussion included:

• Hearing about panelists' personal influencing style, and influencing skills they use.

• Why it is important for technical women to learn how to influence

• Advice for women on how to become stronger influencers

• Times when they have tried to influence a person or situation, and failed--how did they recover?