The M Factor: How Motherhood & Work Is Changing—Or Not
The M Factor: How Motherhood & Work Is Changing—Or Not

Just ahead of Mother’s Day, it’s prime time to examine the changing M Factor influencing the role motherhood plays in the workplace. Some say it is changing for the better. Some say it is the same.

Others say mothering in this culture—often referred to as the Motherhood Penalty-- is worse, thanks to COVID and economic factors forcing women to take on traditional roles.

And those who voluntarily embrace the “trad wife” role newly popularized on TikTok, say that full time parenting when not working remotely or out of the house is a welcome return to the 1950s era of stay at home moms. Still some trad wives find themselves without options if they face divorce.

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Women Career Success, Career successMichele WeldonMother's Day, motherhood, women in the workplaceComment
Enough Gender Pay Gap: 5 Ways To Get Paid Your Worth & Why It Matters
Enough Gender Pay Gap: 5 Ways To Get Paid Your Worth & Why It Matters

As if shaking up the world of sports coverage is not enough, new WNBA draft Caitlin Clark is embodying the gross discrepancy in pay for women for the same work as men.

According to CBS News, the former University of Iowa basketball superstar will make $76,000 in her first year with the Indiana Fever. That compares to “rookie Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 NBA draft pick last year, whose 2023-24 season salary was more than $12 million,” according to ABC News.

No worries for Clark, though, as she recently signed a $28 million deal with Nike.

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Career success, Gender ParityMichele WeldonGender Parity, Pay Gap, Gender discriminationComment
Credit Due: Taylor Swift’s Advice About Power and Female Friendship
Credit Due: Taylor Swift’s Advice About Power and Female Friendship

Issue 257 — April 22, 2024

I’m listening to Taylor Swift’s new album, The Tortured Poets Department, looking for inspiration for my more-or-less weekly column, “The Sum.” As in the sum of the week, what it means or what I learned about my favorite topics — women, power, and leadership — from whatever happened during the past week.

The last couple of weeks for me were all Beyonce all the time with the release and immediate race to the top of the C&W charts of her album Cowboy Carter. (How many versions of dancing to “Texas Hold ‘Em” have you seen on social media so far? I’m obsessed.)

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The SumGloria FeldtTaylor Swift, Beyonce, Female Leadership, PowerToComment
A Little Lie? Why Fibs In Hiring And Workplace Happen and What You Need To Do
A Little Lie? Why Fibs In Hiring And Workplace Happen and What You Need To Do

 The  truth is on both sides of the hiring process at many career levels, the recruiter often offers misleading information about the job and perhaps the company. Potential employees often pad their resumes.

Does the employer’s white lie and candidate’s CV padding cancel each other out? Maybe each party deserves what they get because they were less than 100% honest and transparent.

In the Australian TV series, “Fisk,” that debuted in 2021,  the main character, Helen Tudor-Fisk, tells some big fibs about her experience as a trial lawyer after a divorce and career upheaval in order to get hired at a low-budget law firm. The show, many report, is very funny.

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Changing the Workplace, Career successMichele WeldonWorkplace Culture, Workplace Advice, LyingComment
OK To Cry? Expressing Emotions and Vulnerability Is A New Wave At Work
OK To Cry? Expressing Emotions and Vulnerability Is A New Wave At Work

Raise your hand if you have cried at work.

My hand is up. Once early in my career when a boss was cruel in her comments to me in front of the newsroom and later in my career when a boss viciously chastised me for calling attention to a problem in the organization. Both outbursts were confined to me standing alone at the sink in the ladies’ room.

While this has been a definitively banned reaction for what seems like forever especially for women, new research shows being emotionally vulnerable in the workplace is optimal not just for employees, but for leaders and management.

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Ambition / Intention, Career success, Changing the WorkplaceMichele Weldonemotional intelligence, Workplace CultureComment
Intentioning Democracy: 5 Power Moves Only You Can Make
Intentioning Democracy: 5 Power Moves Only You Can Make

Issue 256 — April 8, 2024

Women who fear they are losing hard won rights and leadership opportunities often ask me what to do about a world in which they see their daughters having fewer voting rights, equal rights, and reproductive rights than they have had.

So when I spoke on April 3, 2024 to the San Antonio 100, I tackled that question by starting with lessons from our history, inspiration that comes from knowing their power, and challenged them to make five power moves to shape the future they want.

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The SumGloria FeldtPower Up Conference, Gloria Feldt, Civil RightsComment
Shirley Chisholm Lessons: 7 Inspirations For Each Level of Your Career
Shirley Chisholm Lessons: 7 Inspirations For Each Level of Your Career

The new film, Shirley, with Regina King as U.S. Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm in her 1972 run for the presidency as the Democratic Party nomination, is a vibrant reminder of the value of male allies and mentorship for younger women.

 In the months leading up to the 2024 presidential election, these are key lessons women can take to heart in every field and into practice at every step of the ladder from college to early career to mid-career and even the highest office in the country.

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Changing the Workplace, Change Leadership, Career successMichele Weldoncareer path, Leadership Power ToolsComment
Social Media Savvy? How and Why To Make Your Digital Presence A Career Booster
Social Media Savvy? How and Why To Make Your Digital Presence A Career Booster

In light of the recent overwhelming vote in the U.S. House of Representatives to ban TikTok in the U.S. due to its Chinese ownership and use of data from its 170 million users, it is prime time to take a look at your own social media use. And what it can and cannot do for you professionally.

Some posts can get you fired. But a positive social media presence and a willingness to expand your digital skills can enhance your career and your standing in the organization.

Just remember, every post lives forever, even when you delete.

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Career successMichele WeldonSocial Media, digital presenceComment