Looking back at the 2013 calendar year, we’ve seen some very encouraging trends in business both in our home country and abroad, especially regarding women in the boardroom. It’s no secret that the corporate culture has been largely dominated by men through the history of the business world. A few important strides in the opposite direction, however, has many hopeful for times of openness and opportunities for new voices in the American corporate sector.
As this article published by The Huffington Post discusses, 2013 was a banner year for corporate career women in a few respects. For starters, this year saw the first appointment of a female CEO to lead one the leading corporations in the American automotive industry. Mary Barra took over the reins of General Motors, which is a corporation that has arrived at much stabler times since the global financial crisis hit in 2008.
Ms. Barra took a path to the boardroom that prepared her well to assume a leadership position as part of a culture where women are the minority. Early in her career, she focused on succeeding in an engineering career, an area where female professionals were exceptionally rare. GM also benefits by being able to position itself as an incredibly progressive corporation sporting a female CEO and a board of directors that includes five women.
Twitter is another company that has responded favorably to public calls for women in the corporate workplace. When the company went for its initial public offering on the stock market, there was some outcry that the social media giant had no women serving roles high up within the organization. By appointing Marjorie Scardino, a formerly successful CEO of Pearson, Plc, Twitter managed to greatly improve its public image by choosing not just a female board member, but one with a proven track record in business.
Now that 2014 is here, let’s find even more reasons to be optimistic about the place of women in positions of leadership. Authentic Leadership International is here to help you achieve important professional goals and help you get ahead in your career with our leadership development services. Contact us to find out how you might enjoy a more successful career in 2014.
Colleen Slaughter, Proud Executive Coach to the UN World Food Program, the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Winner
As an Executive Coach for Women in Leadership and Transformational Facilitator, my intention is to help leaders in positions of high influence to understand their worth at a profound level.
Supporting women leaders to truly thrive and step into their greatness, while succeeding in male-dominated industries and spaces is my native genius.
My technique and approach show you how to achieve incredible career success without compromising any part of who you are and what makes you magnificent.