The Latest Insights from Leading NOW

This blog was written by Michelle Redfern, Strategic Partner and Senior Consultant based in Melbourne, Australia, and was originally published on her blog. --- Who is an ally to Women of Colour at work? Me. You. What is an ally to Women of Colour in the workplace? Put simply, it is someone who actively supports and promotes a culture of including people, such as Women of Colour, First Nations women, culturally and linguistically diverse and migrant women, who are more often than not under-represented in leadership in organisations. An ally uses their political and social capital to advocate for those women so both the woman and the organisation can reach their full potential.

When I originally thought about why I wanted to write this post, my intent was to share stories from Leading Women’s “diverse” team about a micro-aggression they experienced in their career that they, as women of color, found impactful. Here I was thinking that my team would jump at the chance to “talk” about how their experiences and situations could have been handled differently. Instead, I received a well-deserved come-uppance of my own.

100 years ago today, August 18th, Tennessee became the final state needed to ratify the 19th Amendment, and a week from now, August 26th, it was officially signed into law. August 26th is now known as Women’s Equality Day here in the United States. While we are celebrating this watershed moment in US history, we should ask ourselves how far the 19th Amendment went towards granting women’s equality?

Time for a reality check about “Closing the Leadership Gender Gap”—something every CEO should strive for in their organization, but few actually get right (or get it done!). And while you’ve probably been talking about becoming a more inclusive and diverse company for a while now, have you ever really asked yourself why you’re no closer to closing that gap than you were ten years ago?

How to Mix & Serve the Perfect Corporate Cocktail Many a career-impacting conversation has happened over a great drink. Not with any intent of impropriety – simply away from the confines of cubicles and conference calls. So, as a Black professional woman with years of earned and discerned corporate experience, I’d like to share some tips on how to build a better “corporate cocktail” for Black women like myself* who want a career they can sip and savor without the anguish of a 30-year hangover.

Equal Pay Day in the United States is 10 April this year, but what does this actual mean? On the surface it means that the average woman in the United States needs to work 15 months to earn the same amount that their male peers earn in 12. But this does not paint the full picture.

Equal Pay Day in the United States is 4 April this year, but what does this actual mean? On the surface it means that on average woman in the United States need to work 15 months to earn the same amount that their male peers earn in 12. But this is not the full story.

6 TED Talks for Leadership Development and Career Success for Women We searched TED for the most viewed, most fascinating, most informative talks on women in business and on leadership and created a list of TED Talks that everyone should watch. Here's our list. Continue reading to see why! Why we have too few women leaders Dare to disagree The career advise you probably didn't get What it takes to be a great leader So we leaned in... now what? Color blind or color brave?

February is Black History Month in the United States and what's historic this year is that while all around us change is endemic, when it comes to the advancement of Black women in major corporations, little is new. With a few exceptions - most notably: Ursula Burns, former CEO of Xerox, Rosalind Brewer of Walgreens, and Thasunda Brown Duckett of TIAA - the percentages of African American women at the top of and in director positions at Fortune 500 companies is appallingly small. The reasons are many, and we're grateful to share this insight gleaned from our work with multicultural women. For more African American women to make history in major corporations, women's leadership programs must address the fact that conventional advice to women can create problems for women of color.