Recognizing Women

Last week was a nice one for women in business.  Xerox named Ursula Burns the successor to Anne Mulcahy, effective keeping the magic number of women CEOs of Fortune 500 companies on an even keel.  This is no small thing for my generation, the ones who gathered in ‘consciousness raising’ groups and thought about how our sons and daughters lives should give them the same freedoms and responsibilities.  We were not as happy when eBay’s Meg Whitman was replaced by a man.  Back then in the early seventies we’d hoped by the new millennium  it wouldn’t matter.  We thought things would even out more than they have.

But enough of this whining, Dr. Janice.  You got recognized this week too.  Jayson Saba, a top analyst in the human capital industry, cited your company’s product in a LinkedIn discussion of assessments and integrity.

When I read this, my first thought was, score one for women CEOs!  Then I came to my senses.  No one does any of this themselves.  It’s the team that was recognized and the team has no gender.

Ursula, I hope your team, too, has no gender, no race, no age, no singular culture.  And I hope you get to feel like it’s great to be a CEO when you have a great team that celebrates with you every moment of recognition.

ABC’s for First-Time Entrepreneurs

I’m thinking about tomorrow’s event at Fox School of Business (Temple University) – Where are the Women Entrepreneurs?  I’ll be on the first panel and will doubtless be expected to come up with some sage advice for the young women there.

Since this is an academic environment, I’m thinking ABC, so here’s a sneak peek:

A – Admit you’re a beginner.

This one has always served me well since there are so few things I really know how to do.  At least I’m always willing to try.  This should explain why my lifetime highest bowling score is way lower than President Obama’s lowest one.

B – Be willing to learn from anyone who is willing to teach you.

This goes double if you are conventionally smart.  Other people are just as smart but in their own way and you will be amazed at what they know that you never even thought of.

C – Communicate to everyone who you think can help you.

Even if they can’t, they may know someone who can.  And if they don’t, you’ve put your needs out to the Universe.

Maybe in a few more years I’ll learn enough to go from D to Z…

Mind the Gap

I just got back from London, where the hotel I stay at provides The Independent for breakfast reading.  It’s always interesting to read about the same issues from both sides of the big pond, especially social/economic ones.  Saturday’s issue was no disappointment though the results of a string of reports on Britain’s gender pay gap certainly was.

A few highlights:

• The salary split begins at the graduate level – three times as many male as female grads earn top level salaries within three years of graduation.  On average, the women are earning 1000 pounds sterling less than their male counterparts in that time.
• Women accept that they will have to take a lower level job and work their way up while men wait for the job they really want.
• Pay for women at the executive level was 22% lower than male counterparts – an increase over the 19% gap last year – with some sectors having a gap as large as 26%.In a third study, the gap on hourly pay is down to 17.2% from 17.5%, not much to celebrate.

What are they going to do about it?  Baroness Prosser, the deputy chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission declared that it’s time to “drag the Equal Pay Act into the 21st century.”  I doubt the gap will respond much to the stick and I wonder why no one’s ever tried a carrot.  Certainly supporting the development of women entrepreneurs might be a better way than threatening to bring the long arm of the law into the fray.