Businessmen know the secret to success: the old boy network has put more than one man in the executive suite. It works because people tend to pass out opportunities, do business, and associate with other professionals based on similarity and comfort level. Breaking into the old boy network, however, hasn’t been—and still isn’t—a viable option for many women.
As the nation’s 75-million strong Baby Boomers are called on to care for their elderly parents they confront tough challenges. There is a host of specialists to vet, legal and estate planning, housing and financial red tape to maneuver, medical issues to decipher, and a raft of legal documents to complete. And it is often overwhelming and emotionally charged.
After winning a promotion and moving into a new department, Lisa A. Bing could be found in her office on most nights well past midnight. She was a new manager faced with new demands and a new staff. “I thought I had to figure it all out on my own and had the belief that if I asked for help, it would be seen as a sign of weakness,” Bing recalls. “I was suffering in silence.”
Before long, the demands of doing it all alone caught up with her. Her boss reprimanded her for canceling meetings. She describes it as ‘a turning point conversation.’ “I realized that working that way didn’t serve me, or anyone else, well,” Bing says. “And it was starting to have a negative effect on my performance.”
Multicultural women represent only about 1.6 percent of corporate officers and top earners at the nation’s 500 leading industrial companies, according to Catalyst, a top women-oriented research and advisory firm. Although these leaders reached the top in a variety of ways, they do share one trait: they know that to become an effective leader, you must know yourself and how to play to your strengths and manage your weaknesses.
A Look Inside Diversity Woman
