Tag Archives: girl power

Business Women Who Broke The Mold

2023 marks 103 years since women were legally allowed to vote in the United States and 107 years since women were provided suffrage in the Western provinces of Canada.

It’s been about 3 weeks since many women celebrated Women’s Equality Day.

This day marks  a significant turning point in the history of the struggle for equal treatment of women and women’s rights. In acknowledgment, we decided to look at some of the most successful women in business and how they made their millions (or in some cases, billions!).

The barriers to progress for women in the workforce are troubling.

How organizations deal with these barriers in the future will determine how our societies progress. After all, why would you want to ignore nearly half of the world’s workforce?

It’s time to celebrate the achievements of those who are paving the way for our future female leaders, CEO’s, scientists, bankers, journalists and media moguls.

In this info-graphic, we’ll show you some interesting facts about the current state of women in the workplace, gender equality and the pay gap. We’ll also give you some lesser known facts about the inspirational women we’ve chosen to profile, with information on their most prolific achievements.

If you’re in need of some girl power or motivation, then look no further than these business women who broke the mold. For the Silo, Angus Kirk.

Business Women Who Broke The Mould Infographic
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Why High Heels Are Still One Of Business World’s Most Powerful Symbols

4 Reasons Why Women Will Lead The Business World In The 21st Century

When you let women be women in the business world, they do better. That’s according to a recent report from the Harvard Business Review, which makes the case that traditional thinking – that women should be treated no differently than men in corporate settings – is simply flawed and regressive.

A major point the post makes is that only about 20 percent of businesswomen make partner. By expecting from women what you would expect from men, the corporate world is consciously and unconsciously excluding female leadership. That’s a very bad thing, according to many. For example, Kevin O’Leary of “Shark Tank” fame says that of his 27 companies, only the ones with female CEOS make him money.

“Women are good for business, so it follows that what’s good for your best women will be good for your bottom line,” says Debora McLaughlin, CEO of The Renegade Leader Coaching and Consulting Group (www.TheRenegadeLeader.com), and author of “Running in High Heels: How to Lead with Influence, Impact & Ingenuity.” 

“I’ve long advocated this position, and that symbols of female business identity, like high heels, are signs of a businesswoman’s ability to elevate business results, consistently providing a better return for stakeholders.”

McLaughlin discusses why women will be essential for leading businesses into a new paradigm this century.

• The old way doesn’t work. Since 1955, more than 90 percent of the companies on the Fortune 500 list have gone bankrupt, shrunk in size, become inconsequential, been mopped up by their rivals or closed their doors. Sixty percent of CEOs think their current business model is only sustainable for another three years. Sticking too closely to your old guns, including discouraging a woman’s nature in the corporate world, will likely involve your company in that 90-plus percent failure rate.

• The business world has already changed. While technology continues to revolutionize how we do business, it has also changed the workforce. Today’s employees are smarter, more innovative, more creative and full of potential – and it’s not only due to technology. As Generations X and Y emerge as tomorrow’s leaders, Millennials are proving to be very resourceful workers. Old models like “command-and-control” don’t fit with a company’s most precious resource, its people.

• Women are more social and excel in collaboration. We shouldn’t generalize to strictly regarding gender norms. However, it’s probably fair to say that women are more nurturing for in-group members. Much of the traditional management method centralized authority; a woman’s leadership is more prone to sharing influence and, perhaps, fostering a creative culture of collaboration.

“Of course, this is not a strict gender rule,” McLaughlin says. “But I think it’s the experience of many that women are, in the aggregate, more nurturing.

• Momentum will continue to build for women leadership. Momentum tends to build upon itself, and that includes social change. While that change has been slower in the corporate world, we’re already seeing signs and opinions of change, as exemplified by Kevin O’Leary.

“More importantly, if the Harvard Business Review’s post is an indicator, women in business will feel more comfortable being themselves in a professional environment,” she says. “Unlocking those invisible shackles from a woman’s high heels will be a game-changer.”

About Debora McLaughlin

Debora McLaughlin is the best-selling author of “The Renegade Leader: 9 Success Strategies Driven Leaders Use to Ignite People, Performance and Profits.” Her new book, “Running in High Heels: How to Lead with Influence, Impact & Ingenuity,” is a how-to leadership companion for women in business. She is CEO of The Renegade Leader Coaching and Consulting Group (www.TheRenegadeLeader.com). As a certified executive coach, McLaughlin helps business owners, executives and managers nationwide ignite their inner renegade leader to unleash their full potential, drive their visions and yield positive results, both in business and in life. 

Supplemental-  Top 10 Female CEOs & Influential Business Women of North American Companies

Charity Provides Free Dresses To Underprivileged Girls For School Dances

A new charity called the “Believe in Yourself Project” is helping to replace the poor body image that afflicts many girls and women. This image is heightened by what the traditional fashion industry deems as beautiful:  Women are expected to appear a certain way and live up to a manufactured and unrealistic notion of what beauty is. At the same time, strained finances can prevent many girls from keeping up with what’s trending or cool, making them feel isolated among their friends for not being able to afford clothing that is deemed as “in” socially.

In an attempt to promote a positive body image, online fashion site www.ustrendy.com has created the ” Believe in Yourself Project.” The aim is to help women feel better about themselves and their physical attributes and to promote healthy self esteem among young girls at an early age, empowering these young women to take on active social roles within their school communities.

virgin suicides prom

Over the past year, UsTrendy has given formal dresses to underprivileged high school girls and college students across the USA (with talks about expanding into Canada), for them to wear at their school dances. Donations began last winter, and UsTrendy reports that many of the girls in the program have had the self confidence to attend their first school dance.

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The Believe in Yourself Project is part of a broader initiative.  UsTrendy is currently in talks with various influential women who at one time or currently have struggled with body image, encouraging them to serve as speakers and mentors to the various girls within the program.

“We hope to dispel the notion that you need to be a size 0 in order to be beautiful,” says UsTrendy Founder Sam Sisakhti.

Ultimately, the Believe in Yourself Project seeks to make people feel comfortable in their own skin and not let physical or financial insecurities or limitations affect their confidence.

silo writer sam sisakhiFor the Silo, Sam Sisakhti.