- NOW Leadership – It’s Both/And Both Hands
The wave has hit shore. What wave? The one we’ve been waiting for; the one we’ve been telling you about. We hope you listened and are NOW in the ready.
This month we are thrilled to share the announcement that Christine Lagarde has been chosen to head of the International Monetary Fund. She is
- The first woman in this role
- Elected by consensus rather than by a vote
- Succeeding (and she will succeed) a predecessor whose fall from grace occurred after he was accused of sexual assault
We are thinking 1,2, and 3 are related: a woman, consensus, and a clear statement that sexual misconduct in simply unacceptable.
While this is not the only sign it is a clear sign that the wave has hit shore.
NOW let’s ride it together, men and women, both hands, all hands, because all are needed. We have much work to do.
From Aljazeera
Christine Lagarde, the French finance minister, has been named as the first-ever female chief of the International Monetary Fund.
The IMF said she was elected by consensus, rather than a vote.
Did you know she represented France as a synchronized swimmer?
Follow Christine Lagarde on Twitter
WHY WOMEN?
Last month’s edition featured men who are champions for women leaders answering the question “Why Women?” We committed to bringing you their answers as long as they keep sending them in.
From Wally Bock
Here’s what Wally Bock has to say on the subject.
I want to help us get “every brain in the game” in business and the world, in leadership, but everywhere else as well. My awareness and effort are driven by two personal issues. My mother faced huge barriers to business success that weren’t there for the men she worked alongside. And I have daughters, who face fewer, lower barriers than my mother, but still barriers that aren’t there for the men they work alongside.
Thanks Wally
From Curt Rice
I started thinking about gender equality in the context of universities as work places, which are pretty rough place to spend one’s time. As a young female researcher once said in a talk I heard, “I always wanted to discover things, I just didn’t realize I had to be a prize-fighter to be able to do it.”
Thinking about work places led me to think more about leadership. What is good leadership? What kind of leadership is possible at a university? What would it mean to make a university into a good workplace? What kind of implications would this have for women?
As VP of Research I’m now in a position to influence thinking on leadership and the work environment. I’m pushing for new kinds of arguments. Social justice is important, role models are important, genuine equal opportunity is important. But there’s more. What happens to research teams when they show gender balance? Do they function better? Perform better? Do they get better results? Is there “waste” in science that doesn’t take account of gender questions? Could it be reduced? How? I want to connect social (gender) equality with scientific quality. That’s the angle that really drives me. And I’m convinced that there are good arguments. So I make them!
Thanks Curt for adding your touch of brilliance to NOW for NOW.
WOMEN IN ACADEMIA
More from Curt
The Promotion Project
Curt Rice is Vice President for Research & Development at the University of Tromsø, Norway, the world’s northern most university. He shares his views about the why and how of more women in academia. (You will also find an article on this topic from Lauren McLanahan, a recently tenured university professor, in 3Plus International e-gazine, July edition. It hits the press July 15, 2011.)
From Mary Churchill
I Need a Wife
So do I Mary.
Mary, a woman in Academia, suggests perhaps it is not The End of Men as that horrid Atlantic Monthly sensationalist headline read, but the end of the hero as individualistic star and onto collaborative shared heroism of many minds immersed in deep thinking together.
WOMEN in LEADERSHIP and ONE MORE THING ABOUT LEADING
From Allard de Jong – 10 Ways for Women to Be Strategic
10 Ways for Women to Be Strategic
Jane Perdue and I so-met Allard when he asked to publish our research – Women and Power – on his web-site. After so-meeting him, we answered his question with a resounding “YES.” In this guest post at Get Your Leadership Big On, Allard, a coach to senior women in Fortune 500 companies, identifies three types of women leaders and offers “A guide to survival in the wacky new world of work.”
From Gwyn Teatro
Leaders Go…
Gwyn has a way about her and in her unique way she reminds us that for all the highfalutin talk about leadership we often forget one of the most important and straightforward actions, Leaders Go….
TWO BIG SHIFTS
From Ellen Weber at Brain Leaders and Learners
Ellen is also a woman in Academia who teaches in an MBA program. In this post she challenges traditional and typically unsuccessful approaches to diversity training. Ellen uses her knowledge of neuroscience to describe an approach that works better.
For proof, you might want to click below read a post I wrote some time ago that illustrates Ellen’s point. It describes a time and a series of events in which my own prejudice smacked me in the face. It is a smack for which I am truly and forever grateful.
From Anne Perschel – Paradigm Shift and the Paradox of Power
While Ellen describes a shift in how we think about diversity, I’m talking about a shift in how we define business success. UNBRIDLED GROWTH and the endless pursuit of BIGGER has to and will end, whether it is done voluntarily or by force is the only open question. Women have a major role to play in shifting the BIGGER is BETTER paradigm and in determining what comes next.
MID-LIFE AND OTHER CRISES
From Marion Chapsal – Silly Things that Help During a Crisis
In a post that will touch your heart and guide you towards a more evolved version of you own humanity, Marion, my dear friend and colleague, shares wisdom about how she is coping with a series of challenging events in her family. Her suggestions are anything but silly, and I dare say they work for both men and women. Each of us has been there… it is part of life, and we all can benefit from Marion’s courage in sharing what’s happening and how she is coping. She is my friend and I love her.
From Marcia Reynolds – What a Female Mid-life Crisis Looks Like
In Psychology Today Marcia Reynolds demonstrates Mid-Life Crisis woman style. It’s not a sports car or an affair with someone younger. It’s a….
From Cherry Woodburn – Warning Bathing Suits Are Hazardous to Your Health
Cherry is also writing about women at mid-life. She’s talking about body image and showing us her knees. They are not your average knees. Of course not, because Cherry is not your average woman. She is so much more.