To Get Ahead, Advocate For Yourself

Interesting twist here:  The article below shares a few tips gleaned from a panel of five executive women -- yes, you read that right ... executive women, not entrepreneurs -- who have accomplished a great deal during their careers in corporate America but the conversation takes place during the Women Empowerment Through Entrepreneurship event last week at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center.

Take a look at what the women executives had to say about life in Corporate America:

• "The glass ceiling still exists in the corporate world for women and even though they have cracked the surface, it has not yet been shattered."
• "The glass ceiling is alive and well," said Christann M. Vasquez, president of Dell Seton Medical Center.
• “It’s hard to know even within your own corporation whether you are getting fair and equitable pay,” she said. But some online sites like Glassdoor can provide insight into industry salaries.

And here's to a great ending of the article:

“I learned to have a sense of confidence in myself and not to be pushed around,” she said. “That was to discourage me. That’s what I call dream thieves and I wasn’t going to let anyone steal my dreams.”

Definitely read the entire piece to get your day's dose of inspiration:  How to Empower Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders

Is Now the Best Time to Have a Baby in Corporate America or When You Work at a Small Business?

Whether you work in Corporate America or a small business, is now the best time to have a baby?

“Employees want work to be more flexible, and companies are realizing we have to be better. It’s not just an economic issue; it is a moral imperative. As I’ve [Stewart Friedman, Wharton practice professor of management and founding director of the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project] been saying for decades, we need a new national policy.”

Read more:  Is Now the Best Time to Have a Baby in Corporate America?

Note:  According to the article, when it comes to parental leave, sadly, the U.S. is at the bottom of the list of developed countries.

Oh Quit Your Day Job and Get Going!

Yes, it is a big risk to quit your day job and launch a business.  But, on the other hand, you could spend the rest of your life working in corporate America and forever thinking about starting a business yet never do it.

On your death bed do you want to mumble, "I hated my job in Corporate America and wish I would have quit in my twenties to start a business."

Or, would you rather say, "I lived a life that was meant for me and yes, - starting a business was a big risk in my twenties but it made me who I am today:  happy, creative, content, fulfilled and so satisfied that I risked it all to make something great happen!"

Read:  Can You Afford to Quit Your Day Job?

You tell me:  Can you afford not to quit your day job to become your creative best self in life?

Photo courtesy:  05.com

Oh Let's Move On: Start a Business!

How many times are we going to write about this and never get a solution?

14 percent: Why are women under represented in the C-suites of corporate America?

Four decades after the feminist revolution, why are there so few women at the top of big companies across America ...

And yet, this is why we started this blog:

More women have started their own businesses. Data this year from U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners shows that, over the past 15 years, the number of women-owned companies nationwide has grown 54 percent compared with 37 percent growth in the number of businesses overall.

Read the entire article:

14 Percent:  Why Are Women Under Represented in the C-Suites of Corporate America?

Illustration credit:  Catalyst

Something You Already Know: In Corporate America, Women Have a Tough Path to the Top

I can't believe I've been sitting on this since January -- goes to show you how buried I am in work (productive work)!

A study shows a large gap in perceptions among the sexes in who has more opportunities for advancement -- men or women?

Do we care?

I mean ... isn't that part of why we started a business in the first place -- to escape from these ridiculous perceptions (realities!) in the workplace?

Gosh ... I bet this is something that bores you to tears (or -- if you are living and breathing it in Corporate America -- frustrates the daylights out of you):

In reality, women represent a much smaller portion of leadership roles in business.

When you run your own show, you are the leader in business. Am I missing something?

Read the entire article: "Study Asks: Who Has an Easier Way to the Top?"

Posted by: The official Escape From Corporate America blog

Corporate Women Make Fairly Big Bucks

Curious as to who are the highest paid women in Corporate America? As an entrepreneur, when it comes to pay, do you think you hold a candle to any of them? There's only one way to find out. Visit here. If you leave men out of the picture, they make fairly big bucks. We'll come back to that in a moment.

To accompany the above referenced report published by ForbesLife, Executive Woman, one of my favorite authors, Judith Dobrzynski, wrote an essay entitled, The Highest-Paid Women In Corporate America. You absolutely don't want to miss it. Here's a clip:

If, as so many men have often said, money is just a way to keep score, the list is yet another indicator that women aren't achieving equality at work. U.S. Department of Labor statistics peg the salary gap between women and men at just over 21 cents on the dollar--but at the top, matters seem to be worse. Yes, at least 100 women pulled down $3 million last year, but the 100 best-paid men in corporate America--all chief executives--each pocketed at least $18 million. You don't need a calculator to figure out that pay divide.

Read the entire piece here.

Note: To my knowledge, Bonnie Raitt (pictured) is not one of the highest paid women in Corporate America but she produced the song, "Let's Give Them Something To Talk About" which is totally in line with Ms. Dobrzynski's fabulous piece.

More to come.

Are Women Underrepresented in Corporate America?

Why don't women have more power in Corporate America?

Nobody wants to talk about it except Jezebel and its counter-part Jezenomics which I just love for its oh-so-over-the-top reporting.

J has something to say about how Corporate America is a laughingstock and how Portfolio wrings its manicured hands over it.

Read more here.