The Latest Insights from Leading NOW

In general, it is a mentor’s job to help her protégé position herself to achieve career success and the protégé’s job to work with her mentor to achieve career goals. When it comes to career success, our research indicates that men and women speak differently about mentors and their roles. Understanding this difference will help engage managers and executives as better mentors (and women as stronger protégés).

Michael Simonds, CEO* of UNUM wrote recently about women's advancement and closing the leadership gender gap. The whole article is worth a read and especially his awareness of the impact of gender dynamics (gender bias, stereotypes, assumptions) on women's advancement.

Too often mentors coach women on confidence and personality rather than business and financial ability. Diversity Executive magazine recently interviewed Susan L. Colantuono, CEO of Leading Women. Below are excerpts from the interview. (Please share this important info liberally with colleagues in and outside your company and other women in your organization.)

Here's a fact about closing the leadership gender gap that might surprise you. Back in the 1970s, progressive companies addressed the challenge of women's advancement issues with many tools including multi-day workshops that directly surfaced and addressed gender-based stereotypes. This is surprising because until just recently, companies have tended to avoid this topic like the plague. This in spite of the fact that studies continue to point to barriers created by gender-based expectations and assumptions.

"Acquaintances...represent a source of social power, and the more acquaintances you have, the more powerful you are." Malcolm Gladwell in The Tipping Point "Leaders who are good networkers...are the connectors...They master what sociologist Mark Granovetter calls the 'weak tie', a friendly yet casual social connection." Robin Gerber in Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way

One of 2013's top stories for women in leadership was to see Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors become the first woman CEO of any auto company! Mary's route to the top is similar in many ways to other Fortune 500 women. Like most F500 women CEOs, Mary:

When it comes to closing the gender gap at the top, we have over 13 years of research, so you can imagine how I struggled to create a 10 minute talk (I failed - it's about 14). But it's the most succinct summary of what we know and you're sure to hear something to help close the gender gap at the top and/or achieve your career goals!

Resilience - the ability to overcome challenges and turn them into opportunities - may be the new criterion for professional advancement, according to Accenture. A global research study entitled Women Leaders and Resilience: Perspectives from the C-Suite, reports that more than two-thirds (71%) of surveyed senior level executives report that resilience is critical in determining employee retainability during an economic downturn. Moreover, these leaders view women as slightly more resilient than men and are providing their female professionals with programs to develop resilience.

Lipstick, diamonds and Gucci won't advance women in their careers. Nor will useful, but insufficient, advice on work/life balance, resilience or authenticity. Women are given abundant advice on how to look and how to be, but it only gets them so far. There's a not-so-little hidden secret that women aren't being told about career success.