Pitch Perfect: Take The Lead’s Entrepreneur Winners Share Success

All they had was 90 seconds. The 11 women leaders who pitched their new ventures at the recent 50 Women Can Change The World in Entrepreneurship graduation event to a panel of judges kept it short and sweet.

Lisa Gates, CEO and founder of Concierge 4 B2B, won first place in the pitch competition.

“The pitch experience was a fantastic experience,” says Gates, who won the $2,500 prize for her company, Concierge 4 B2B, that she describes as a human resources, payroll strategy, executive support and recruiting business. With 160 full-time employees, Gates says she has a $1.5 million monthly payroll.

Women Career Success, EntrepreneurMichele WeldonJanuary 26, 202450 Women Can, EntrepreneurComment

Social Justice and Fairness: Author, Journalist on Journey to Tell Buried Truths

“You are your sibling’s keeper.”

Antonia Hylton says that growing up outside of Boston in Lincoln, Mass. (a half mile from where Paul Revere was arrested) as one of only a few Black families in a white town, her law school professor parents instilled in her and her six siblings a sense of responsibility, accountability and social justice.

Now an award-winning journalist, author, documentarian, podcaster and advocate, Hylton says, “I didn’t want to be a lawyer, but I was interested in justice and fairness. I feel I am responsible to those who come after me.”

In This Together: The Power of a Movement

Issue 250— January 15, 2024

Re-print: Originally Published January 21, 2019

“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

The two movements that have shaped my life converged this long weekend.

The SumGloria FeldtJanuary 15, 2024Martin Luther King, Civil Rights, gender equality, Racial EquityComment

Where Are The Best Jobs? 5 Strategies for New Grads Landing Tech Careers

It’s job application season for those who are graduating this winter and spring.

The good news is newly minted students graduating now with undergraduate and graduate degrees are finding high paying jobs in engineering, computer and IT, plus transportation, according to new data from QRFY.

But for many women and those identifying as women, the work cultures of engineering and tech jobs are steeped in gender and racial bias.

But where there is disruption, there is opportunity to change the culture.

Career success, Career choices, Changing the WorkplaceMichele WeldonJanuary 12, 2024Women In Tech, careers, diversityComment

Transformation Time: 4 Ways To End Centuries of Gender, Race Bias in Leadership

Change the work culture, change the system, change the path forward for all female leaders and it is possible to change not only the workplace, but the world.

A new study in Nature outlines distinct patterns of attitudes and behaviors in organizations that prevent and stymie a fair and inclusive workplace for women of color, particularly Black women.

“Our findings suggest that the compound influence of racial and gender biases hinders the advancement of minority female leadership by perpetuating stereotypical behavioral schemas, leading to persistent discriminatory outcomes. We argue for the necessity of organizations to initiate a cultural transformation that fosters positive experiences for future generations of female leaders, recommending a shift in focus from improving outcomes for specific groups to creating an inclusive leadership culture,” the report shows.

Career success, Ambition / Intention, Career choicesMichele WeldonJanuary 5, 2024women of color, career pathComment

🚀 Fuel the Future: Champion Women’s Leadership in 2024

Issue 249— January 1, 2024

I loved this question posed on social media by Sophia Yen, a longtime friend and the founder of Pandia Health. She asked us to “Brag to me about one thing you did in 2023.”

Take a minute and think about your answer.

The SumGloria FeldtJanuary 1, 2024New Year, 2024, LeadershipComment

Pivot To 2024: 6 Tips for Leaders to Succeed in New Year

It’s time to strategize.

Looking to pivot to a successful 2024, here is the latest research on trends in social media, ecommerce, AI, workplace culture, and customer concerns that can help you shape your plans this year.

Put effort into social media content. A new study from StoryChief.io evaluating 44 U.S. firms, all are in the top 10 companies for sales in their industries, shows a mix of high engagement and poor engagement rates on social media platforms. Accenture seems to do it right with more than 913,000 Facebook likes per post.

Changing the Workplace, Leadership tools and tipsMichele WeldonDecember 29, 2023New Year, Tools and TipsComment

Just Listen: The Secret Power of Conflict and Controversy

Issue 248 — December 18, 2023

Oftentimes well-meaning men ask me how they can help women to advance in their careers.

I answer, “Listen. Just listen.”

Now comes a breathtaking example of what can happen when men don’t listen to women:

The SumGloria FeldtDecember 18, 2023Peacekeeping, controversy, ParityComment

Take A Stand: 8 Strategies To Navigate Transparency In Global Workplace Statements

Colleagues, teams, clients, customers and mentees are looking to leaders now for direction in difficult global times. The words and phrasing all leaders and managers use in every discussion at work and in public statements are of crucial importance. Reactions can lead to firings, resignations—or support.

Care and fairness is critical. This is where leadership can shine or dissolve.

When Leadership Requires Keeping Your Hand On the Plow

Issue 247 — December 11, 2023

“I never doubted that equal rights was the right direction. Most reforms, most problems are complicated. But to me there is nothing complicated about ordinary equality.” — Alice Paul, suffragist leader and author of the Equal Rights Amendment, which a century later still is not published into the U.S. Constitution.

The SumGloria FeldtDecember 11, 2023Equal Rights Amendment, The Sum, gender equalityComment

Sizeism at Work: What You Need To Know To Make Workplaces Safe, Inclusive

It’s holiday party time at work.

If you are spending your days in an office, or you are going in from your remote office for the special in-person occasion of a year’s end celebration, there will be an abundance of buffets, holiday treats and goodies.

That can be wonderful and it can also be dreadful, particularly if you are labelled as overweight, a person in a larger body and fatshaming, fatphobia and sizeism are prevalent in your workplace culture. Subtle or overt comments such as, “Thats a full plate!” or “Why not try the fruit instead of the cookies?” may make anyone want to opt out of any celebration.

Sizeism is defined as bias or discrimination against an individual based on their weight or size. Women and weight is a toxic workplace stew with millions affected.

Changing the Workplace, Career success, MediaMichele WeldonDecember 8, 2023Sizeism, Workplace Culture, InclusivityComment

Yay Or Nay: 5 Questions To Help You Decide To Take Promotion Or Pass

Z friend was recently agonizing to a handful of us at a party about her great job offer in the company where she has worked for seven years. The offer included a title promotion, raise, cost of living expenses, global travel and high visibility.

What was the problem?

She would have to move almost immediately to New York from Chicago, a city where she enjoyed her personal and professional life with a great apartment, positive workplace culture plus family and friends close by.

Changing the Workplace, Career success, Career choices, Ambition / IntentionMichele WeldonDecember 1, 2023career path, career goalsComment

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