New “women in the workplace” research zeroes in on early-career obstacles

McKinsey and LeanIn have released results of their fifth annual Women in the Workplace study. The major conclusion is that the major obstacle facing women in their rise to top leadership is the “first rung” — moving into a management position. Continue reading

Seven Smart Moves to Make Bigger Waves for Women’s Leadership

The latest “collective wisdom” of senior supply chain leaders on the topic of moving women’s leadership forward has been compiled in a new AWESOME Action Agenda. Seven Smart Moves for Making Bigger Waves for Women’s Leadership will be released at CSCMP EDGE on September 15-18 in Anaheim. Continue reading

Organization seeks volunteer mentors for military spouses

American Corporate Partners (ACP) has invited AWESOME leaders to volunteer for the Active Duty Spouse Mentoring Program. The goal of the program is professional development – either supporting spouse efforts finding a job or helping them prepare for the next level in their career goals. This gives leaders the opportunity to reach back to help other women — one dimension of AWESOME’s 2019 Symposium challenge to Reach Beyond and Achieve More. Continue reading

Article suggests women who support women are more successful

Recent research has been focused on understanding what kind of network is most beneficial to women in their careers – and how that differs from a network that benefits men. An article in Forbes, written by Shelley Zalis, CEO of The Female Quotient, reinforces the idea that while men and women both benefit from having a network of well-connected peers across different groups, women especially need an inner circle of close contacts. Continue reading

Catalyst news item repeats advice about developing male allies

A blog published by Catalyst in early 2019, focuses on 12 Actions You Can Take to Advance Women at Work. Number 4 on the list – Engage Men as Champions — repeats advice previously given by Catalyst on “Actions Women Can Take to Support Men’s Engagement.” Continue reading

Women’s history month sets stage for taking stock of women’s progress

Although International Women’s Day has passed (March 8), the focus on women continues through March, which is Women’s History Month. NBC News marked the occasion with an article evaluating the strides women are actually making. Continue reading

AWESOME Advisors hear inspiring words from Sally Helgesen

AWESOME Advisors concluded their meeting in on March 6 by joining founder Ann Drake at the International Women’s Forum annual event in Chicago. Ann, who in 2014 was honored by IWF with the global Women Who Make a Difference Award, introduced the speaker, author Sally Helgesen. Continue reading

Will the next generation of CEOs rise through the supply chain?

According to a commentary on fortune.com, “supply chain professionals are poised to become the most powerful executives in the world.” The author — Nader Mikhail, CEO of Elementum, a supply chain orchestration software company – predicts that companies will increasingly turn to “leaders who have made careers out of translating the big picture and thousands of moving parts into executional reality.” Continue reading

Qualities that move women ahead in school may hold them back in careers

An article in the New York Times poses a possible answer to the question of why girls consistently outperform boys academically and yet men hold 95 percent of the top positions in the largest public companies. Continue reading

Roz Brewer is newest member of Amazon Board

Starbucks COO Roz Brewer, who will be featured in an Up-Close Conversation at the 2019 AWESOME Symposium – May 1-3 in Seattle — has been named to the board of Amazon.com. An article in USA Today calls it a “barrier breaking” appointment because the current Amazon board is all-white. Continue reading