WOMEN ARE BETTER LEADERS!!!

The study by Zenger and Folkman seems to demonstrate pretty strongly that women are seen as better leaders than men by those around them.  And there are other studies indicating that companies that have a higher representation of women in management ranks are more profitable and have higher employee productivity. And yet – I’ve noted this statistic before, but I’ll say it again in this context: only 33 of the Fortune 1,000 are headed by women.
So, what’s the deal?  Why are women still so woefully under-represented, especially at the most senior levels?
               I’d love to hear your sense of why this is still happening.  Here are two elements I think have a big impact:

Women don’t self-promote. Of the 16 leadership competencies Zenger and Folkman assessed, the only one where men outranked women was “develops a strategic perspective.”  One of the areas in which I observe women not developing a strategic view is the advancement of their own careers. I notice that many more men than women focus on where they want to take their careers, and regularly use some part of their time to develop the relationships that will support their success, and offer themselves for outside-their-day-job opportunities that will show their superiors they have the bandwidth and the capability to do more.  Women, on the other hand, tend to put all their energy into simply doing the best possible job in their current position.  We seem much more inclined to believe that work is a meritocracy, and that if you simply work hard and get great results, you’ll get noticed and promoted. Admirable, but not very accurate.

Senior men still mostly hire other men. My husband and I have been watching the first four seasons of Mad Men lately, and it’s shocking to remember that only 50 years ago, women in business were almost exclusively secretaries and telephone operators – and generally stayed in those jobs only until they got married. In the mid 1960s, only about 35% of women worked, and only 1 in 50 working women held managerial or professional jobs. The grandmothers and grandfathers of the young women coming into the work force today expected that women, if they worked at all, would be secretaries, nurses, teachers, librarians, or possibly factory workers, and that they would only work if they “had” to – that is, if they didn’t have husbands who could be the family breadwinner.  The older white males who run most companies are only one generation away from those beliefs – and I suspect their parents’ expectations still color their hiring and promotion decisions more than they would acknowledge.
There may be a light at the end of the tunnel, though. Perhaps I’m being overly hopeful, but I’m seeing both of these phenomena much less often in men and women in their 20s and 30s: the young women I deal with in organizations tend to be as confident and ambitious as the men, and the young men seem to be much more gender-neutral in their hiring and promotion decisions.
But till these younger people come fully into power in business, what can we do to change the statistics, and give women a more equitable – and, according to Zenger and Folkman, well-deserved – shot at the corner office?

source:forbes

Eight Leadership Lessons From The World's Most Powerful Women

Stay Determined
The world’s most successful women really want it–and remain determined even in the face of obstacles. They have the skills, and they put the time in. But more importantly, they have the desire to do something great. Beth Brooke, global vice chair of Ernst & Young , was diagnosed with a degenerative hip disease at age 13 and was told by doctors she may never walk again. Before going into surgery she promised herself she would walk—no, she would run—and aspired to become one of the best young athletes the world had seen. Not only did she walk, she went on to play several varsity sports at her high school, earned multiple MVP awards, and later played Division I basketball in college. She made up her mind, and she didn’t quit. She brought that same determination to her career and today ranks among the 100 most powerful women in the world.

Be Courageous
Women at the top aren’t fearless. They move toward their fear to continually challenge themselves. That takes courage. In 2011, Beth Mooney, CEO of KeyCorp KEY -0.09%, became the first woman ever to lead a top-20 bank in the U.S. Mooney began her career as a secretary at a local Texas bank, making just $10,000 a year, but soon realized she wanted something more. In 1979, she knocked on the door of every big bank in Dallas and asked for a spot in their management training programs. At the Republic Bank of Dallas, she refused to leave the manager’s office until he offered her a job. After waiting for three hours, he finally agreed to give her a chance if she earned an MBA by night.
That was a turning point in her career, one of many, powered by a courageous call to action—to champion herself and what she knew she was capable of. Later, she had the courage to move into roles she’d never done before, to pick up and move across the country, and to stick with it for three decades. If you’re not a little bit scared every day, you’re not learning. And when you’re not learning, you’re done.

Think Bigger
In order to achieve big success, you have to have big impact. When Michelle Gass, who is now leading 33 countries for Starbucks, started at the coffee chain, she was asked to architect a growth strategy for a just-launched drink called the Frappuccino. Her mantra: “Let’s think of how big this can be.” After countless hours testing ideas, she decided to position it as an escapist treat and added ice cream parlor fixings and new flavors. What began as a two-flavor side item is now a $2 billion platform with tens of thousands of possible combinations. Gass repeated her go-big-or-go-home strategy when she took over Seattle’s Best Coffee. She decided to take the sleepy little-sister brand to new heights by partnering with Burger King, Delta, Subway, convenience stores and supermarkets. In one year, the brand exploded from 3,000 distribution points to over 50,000.

Take Calculated Risks
As CEO of Kraft Foods and now Mondelez International, Irene Rosenfeld is very familiar with this one. A couple years ago she completed a hostile takeover of British candy company Cadbury. Not long after, she surprised the business community again with a plan to split Kraft into two separate companies, a North American foods company and a global snacks company. To move the needle, you have to make a big bets—but never rash—always based on a careful study of the outcomes. You have to know what you have to gain, and if you can afford to take the hit if it doesn’t go your way.

Remain Disciplined
It takes discipline to achieve and maintain success. You simply can’t do everything, and the world’s most powerful women stay focused on the areas that will have the biggest impact—from both a leadership perspective and a career management perspective. Sheri McCoy, the new CEO of struggling Avon Products, is currently implementing a huge turnaround at the century-old beauty company. Interestingly, when I asked what the biggest challenge would be, she said: “Making sure people stay focused on what’s important and what matters most.” It is very easy to get distracted by new trends, new markets, new projects—but when you extend yourself too far, the quality of your work suffers across the board.

Hire Smart
Over and over again women at the top say their best strategy for success is to hire people who are diverse, passionate and smarter than themselves–and then listen closely to their perspectives. Hala Moddelmog, president of Arby’s Restaurant Group, believes surrounding yourself with people of different backgrounds—including gender, race, geography, socio-economic and personality types—will help round out your conclusions. “You really don’t need another you,” she says. Similarly, staying open to different viewpoints keeps you ahead of the curve. Claire Watts, the CEO of retail and media company QVC, schedules open door times every Tuesday, so that anyone in the company who wants to come talk to her, ask her a question or share something they’ve noticed can do it then.
  
Manage Your Career
Denise Morrison, the CEO of Campbell’s Soup, knew from a very young age she wanted to eventually run a company, so she asked herself what are the kinds of things I need to do to prepare for that? That might mean management experience, global exposure or revenue responsibility. She always looked at her career as: Where have I been? Where am I now? Where am I going, and what are the right assignments to get there? If her current company would work with her to deliver those assignments, she was all-in. But if it didn’t, she knew she needed to move on. “We apply these skills in business, and yet when it comes to ourselves we rarely apply them,” she said.

Delegate At Work And At Home
The most successful women have learned that they have to have help, and they have to have faith in the people around them—at work and at home. It’s not easy, but it’s critical over the long-term. Katie Taylor, the CEO of hotel brand Four Seasons, admitted to me that she is a bit of control freak, but for the good of her and everyone around her, she tries to delegate. “Sit on your hands, if you have to,” she said. “Get yourself to that place.”

source:forbes

7 African Women Who Founded Amazing Companies

VENTURES AFRICA – Leadership, passion and vision no longer wear a purely masculine face and scores of African women are now counted among the founders of the amazing companies that are contributing to Africa’s development. Their countenance and demeanour, confidence and wisdom; there’s always something about a strong, influential woman. African women that wield the power to make important decisions are becoming with increasing frequency, the norm rather than the exception in everyday business and society across the continent. In no respective order, Ventures Africa lists 7 African women, who founded remarkable companies, chosen for their innovativeness, courage, and contribution to economic development and commitment to integrity despite incredible odds:

Divine Ndhlukula, Securico Services, Zimbabwe
One of Africa’s most successful female entrepreneurs, Divine Ndhlukula is the Director of Security Operations (Pvt) Limited, one of Zimbabwe’s largest security groups. Always a businesswoman, Divine did everything from selling clothes to renting out high-capacity vehicles to farming. After a few small successes and one near-fatal failure, she began Securico Services, now a subsidiary of the group, in her small cottage with four employees. By taking advantage of a huge quality gap in the securities industry, she began providing customised quality security services to businesses and steadily, the business grew. Over the next 12 years, she grew the company from 4 to over 3,500 employees. The firm has since become the largest employer of women – having close to 1000 women on the work force – many of them single mothers. Although Divine’s ‘no bribe’ policy cut her off from many government opportunities, her business has grown consistently as has her reputation. She is a recipient of numerous national and international awards including the prestigious Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship in 2011.
Njeri Rionge, CEO Wananchi Online, Insite Limited, Ignite Consulting, Business Lounge, Kenya
Njeri Rionge began her working life as a hairdresser but she always had bigger entrepreneurial dreams. At 19 years old, she began her first business as a yoghurt retailer and soon began trading luxury goods as the opportunity arose. In 2000, she co-founded Wananchi Online, an affordable internet service provider for anyone who wanted to access the internet. Wananchi became East Africa’s first internet service provider oriented towards the mass market. She has since turned Wananchi Online into Wananchi Group, the region’s leading provider of cable television, broadband internet and internet-based phone services. She is also the founder of Ignite Consulting, a business consultancy; Ignite Lifestyle, a health care consultancy; Insite, one of Kenya’s most successful digital marketing companies; and Business Lounge, Kenya’s leading start-up incubator. Njeri Rionge is the quintessential serial entrepreneur, passionate about start-ups. She is widely acclaimed as a speaker and writer, sharing her entrepreneurial experiences with young aspiring entrepreneurs.

Jalila Mezni, Société D’Articles Hygiéniques (SAH), Tunisia
Jalila Mezni is the co-Founder and CEO of Société D’Articles Hygiéniques (SAH), Tunisia’s leading manufacturer of diapers, tissues and feminine hygiene products. Together with her ex-footballer husband, Mounir el Jaiez, Mezni began the business in 1995. Jalila left her job as the Vice President of a Tunisian bank to start SAH, leaving behind the bank’s bureaucracy and limited impact. Despite a difficult first few months, SAH soon began to gain a share in the feminine products market and by 2012, her company laid claim to over 45 percent of the market for feminine products and diapers. The company has since grown from 24 employees to over 1,000 and from one starting factory in Tunisia, to others in Algeria and Libya. Jalila Mezni envisions a future where SAH continues to expand and create jobs in a world region ravaged by unemployment and political instability, and she is working towards it. She was a finalist for the 2012 Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship

Tabitha Karanja, Keroche Breweries, Kenya
Tabitha Karanja broke an 87-year old spell when she announced that her successful alcohol production company, Keroche Breweries, would be producing the first ‘truly Kenyan’ beer, Summit Lager. A daring businesswoman, Tabitha went into the fortified wine industry with her husband in early 1997 and for over a decade battled with large multinationals and fierce competitors that used both intimidation and brute force to push her out of business. Against all odds, Keroche Breweries not only reinvented itself but became the first Kenyan manufacturer of beer. Her enterprise has grown from a small factory with three rooms to a multi-million dollar facility that employs hundreds of Kenyans. Keroche beers now claim 20% of the east African beer market, a market once considered impenetrable. In 2010 she was awarded the Moran of Burning Spear (MBS) award by his Excellency President Mwai Kibaki for her efforts to liberalize the Kenyan liquor industry.

Ola Orekurin, The Flying Doctors, Nigeria
Doctor Ola Orekunrin is the founder of West Africa’s first emergency air ambulance service, The Flying Doctors. Raised in the United Kingdom by foster parents, Dr Orekunrin became widely known for becoming England’s youngest doctor at age 21. In a tragic loss, one of her younger sisters died from a sickle cell anaemia crisis. Ola knew that her sister’s death could have been prevented if there had been adequate emergency care and an air ambulance, so setting out to reduce the numbers that die in the same manner, she started The Flying Doctors. Despite the enormous challenge of gathering both government and private support, overcoming rejections and raising funds, Ola has established a business of great social impact. She is the recipient of several awards and honours.

Ndidi Nwuneli, LEAP Africa, AACE Foods, Nigeria
Ndidi Nwuneli is a household name in Nigeria and Africa. She is the founder of LEAP Africa, an organisation committed to developing “an army of committed change agents”, young men and women, business owners and social entrepreneurs that are focused on making a difference in their countries and communities. With a focus on Leadership, Effectiveness, Accountability and Professionalism, LEAP has transformed thousands of young people and led to the initiation of thousands of change-projects across the country. LEAP is also a known publisher of leadership literature. After handing over the reins of the organisation to the new Executive Director, Ndidi went on to found AACE Foods, an agribusiness and agro-processing company. By sourcing, processing and distributing fruits and vegetables within West Africa, the company improves nutrition levels, aids farmers and creates jobs. Ndidi’s commitment to social and economic transformation through leadership and entrepreneurship sets a high standard for African women.

Susan Mashibe, TanJet, Tanzania
Born in Kigoma, Tanzania, Susan Mashibe decided early in life she would fly. She dreamt of life as a Delta Airline 777 Captain, traveling the world. Yet circumstances surrounding the September 11 terrorist attacks brought her back to her homeland, jobless and with only prospects for being underemployed. At the suggestion of a South Africa client, Susan turned her skills and experience as Tanzania’s only aircraft engineer and FAA-certified commercial pilot into TanJet, a private jet logistics firm. TanJet provides services for companies and individuals that own and operate private jets and her clients include Fortune 500 company executives, military flights, monarchs, Heads of States and celebrities. In 2011, she was selected to participate in the Fortune/US State Department Mentorship programme for promising women global leaders. She continues to expand TanJet’s operations and inspire young women to pursue careers in aviation.

source:venture africa

Tanzania: 55,000 Tanzanian Schoolgirls Pinched, Prodded and Expelled for Pregnancy

More than 55,000 Tanzanian schoolgirls have been expelled from school over the last decade for being pregnant, perpetuating their vulnerability and poverty, the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) said on Thursday.
From the age of 11, schoolgirls are forced to undergo humiliating and painful pregnancy tests as often as once a month, the U.S.-based advocacy organisation said in its report, “Forced out: Mandatory pregnancy testing and the expulsion of pregnant students in Tanzanian schools”. If pregnant, they are expelled immediately.
“Girls are expelled from school regardless of how they get pregnant,” Evelyne Opondo, CRR’s Nairobi-based Africa director, told Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“A lot of the girls who get pregnant at that age are actually girls who are vulnerable. They are girls from poor families. They are girls who have been exposed to sexual violence,” she said.
One of the girls interviewed for the report was raped at the age of 13. Others were sleeping with older men in exchange for school fees, food or shelter.
“When you expel them from school, you deny them that chance of education. You confine them to that circle of poverty,” said Opondo. “They will remain poor and their children will be poor most likely.”
Expelled teenagers face widespread stigma, the possibility of being forced into marriage and the challenge of providing for themselves and their babies. Some wealthier families are able to send their daughters to private schools but the majority end up looking for casual work….http://allafrica.com/stories/201309270069.html

African Women Leaders: Why Don't We Hear Their Voices?

African women are blazing a feminist trail – why don't we hear their voices?

Rwanda's parliament is now almost two-thirds female, while Malawi, Liberia and Senegal have women at the helm. Western feminists, take note

theguardian.com, Monday 23 September 2013 11.05 EDT

What would have once sounded like a far-fetched feminist fantasy – namely women forming the majority of a parliament – is a reality in one country in the world, Rwanda.

Early reports from the parliamentary elections last Monday indicate that women now hold nearly 64% of the seats. Prior to the genocidal conflict in 1994, the figure was just 18%.

In fact, women have made significant gains all around Africa: indeed, the most successful social movement in Africa in recent decades has been the women's movement, particularly in policy and legislation. Malawi and Liberia have female heads of state, and earlier this month Senegal elected its first female prime minister, Aminata Touré.

Also, the African Union chair is female for the first time in its history. Africa's strong legacy of female leaders is a hugely positive statement about the continent's direction.

So why does the western feminist movement hardly look at African feminism for clues?

Why does it only pay such little attention to the realisation of a once utopian fantasy of female majority leadership in Rwanda – where, since 2008, women have held over half the parliamentary seats?

Feminists everywhere have spent decades campaigning for equality in political leadership, yet its achievement in Rwanda has been met with a loud silence.

NGOs and international bodies have addressed the changes – not a bad thing per se – but as a result, without feminist debate, gender equality in Rwanda is mostly discussed in terms of the 1994 genocide, which killed an estimated one-tenth of the population (800,000 people), most of them men. Or gender parity is attributed to the country's quota system, which is indeed meaningful, though only responsible for allocating 24 of the 45 seats women hold.

Even worse, the debate has, in Eurocentric fashion, all too often implied that women's progress in Rwanda is a result of the adoption of western values and that westerners are "helping" local women achieve them.

But the main reason Rwandan women MPs find themselves in the majority is the country's organised women's movement.

Women such as the late feminist champion, Judith Kanakuze, and the organisation she spearheaded, Twese Hamne (Pro-Femmes), ensured through active mobilisation that equality became a top priority in the post-conflict constitution.

Female activists made a conscious effort to include women in the rebuilding of the country after the genocide. In other words, what we see is not simply a consequence of the conflict or big-hearted male leaders handing out seats to women. It is a conscious and co-ordinated effort, by women for women.

These are stories that have lessons for women the world over. Yet the western feminist movement has barely understood the significance of Africa's achievements – in comparison to, say, Iceland or Australia, where triumphs of the women's movement are frequent topics of discussion. Not many feminists can readily name an African, let alone a Rwandan counterpart. Where is the strength of the "sisterhood", I wonder?

Western, as well as African, feminism is diverse, naturally. But the western feminist movement is still mostly disengaged from the struggles being fought – and won – by women in other parts of the world.

In an increasingly inter-connected world, it should start listening to voices of these women and most importantly, to reject the indifference that cripples the progress of women everywhere.

source:pan africa