Friday, August 26, 2011

HAPPY 40th B-DAY WOMEN'S EQUALITY DAY!

HAPPY B-DAY to you!

Friday, August 26, 2011
The League of Women Voters celebrates the fortieth birthday of "Women's Equality Day."



To think that almost a century ago, exactly 91 years ago, the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitutional was passed and prohibits any United States citizen to be denied the right to vote based on sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920.

Happy 91st Anniversary Nineteenth Amendment!




The Amendment was drafted by prominent civil rights leader, Susan B. Anthony (pictured left) with assistant, American social activist, Elizabeth Cady Stanton (pictured below).


It took another 51 years to form Women's Equality Day - at the urgent request of Rep. Bella Abzug (D-NY) -- in 1971 the U.S. Congress designated August 26 as “Women’s Equality Day.”

For more information visit
"League of Women voters recognizes anniverary of 19th Amendment" article by Christine Kneidinger.



In 1869, Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton founded the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) an organization dedicated to gaining women's suffrage. Anthony insisted that Stanton become president as long as possible; Anthony served as vice-president-at-large until 1892 when she became president. (pictured right, Anthony and Stanton in later years - Stanton seated)

Thursday, August 18, 2011

HAPPY 60th B-DAY TO Iconic photo "American Girl in Italy" by Ruth Orkin

Sixty years ago today, Ruth Orkin captured the imaginations across the globe with this iconic photo titled "American Girl in Italy." According to Ninalee Craig (also known at that time as Jinx Allen) , subject woman in the photo, 23 years old at the time, the photo was not a symbol of harassment as many assumed, but an honest portrayal of an American woman having a wonderful time in Italy and enjoying the moment of being admired by 15 Italian men. Ninalee Craig is now a great-grandmother living in Canada. The photographer, Ruth Orkin, who passed away in 1985, also co-wrote and co-directed the 1956 Oscar-nominated film "Little Fugitive." In a telephone interview Craig confirmed on NBC that the photo was not staged and "symbolizes independence and fearlessness not harassment," see Today People article by Laura T. Coffey. More photos by Ruth Orkin at Bulger Gallery.
For more information visit "American Girl in Italy: 60 years later" by Mike Kromboltz of The Lookout.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Did you know that August 6, 2011 the WWW turned 20?

Twenty years ago on August 6th, Tim Berners-Lee, created the most innovative invention in only 3 months and called it the "world-wide-web" (WWW). So congratulations to Tim Berners-Lee and a BIG Happy BELATED B-Day WWW - 20th B-Day! I'm a big fan of all things digital and just had to share the WWW 20th B-DAY was 8/6th in case you didn't know it. More info including video at this link:

http://www.linkedin.com/share?viewLink=&sid=s516986078&url=http%3A%2F%2Ft%2Eco%2FI9Gtlu7&urlhash=h6be&pk=member-home&pp=4&poster=4656978&uid=5506749028785721344&trk=NUS_UNIU_SHARE-title

Thank you Sarah ElBatanouny for sharing and spreading the news!

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Why Are Corporate Blogs By Women Not Supported By Their Constituents?

"I do not think “real” leaders are the kind of paranoid people that get to the top quickly but fall quickly"
-- Grace Bosworth, President of Global 2 Local Language Solutions


"It's cool to get back up if you fall! But don't let the threatened and insecure -- males and females -- pull you down!" -- Gloria Buono-Daly
Whenever I begin another consulting assignment at a major corporation I observe and research the respective environment and Web site and end up with the same question -- “Why are the leading women's corporate blogs not being supported by women?”

This absence of commentary is a red flag and illustrates a much bigger problem at the company in the form of ineffective communication, counter-productivity, negativity and low morale. It only takes a few minutes to read a corporate blog and write a comment -- especially when the blogs are so interesting, informative and worthy of comments. For the past few years I have noticed that women at major corporations are not supporting fellow corporate women’s blogs.
Recently I contracted at a corporation with over 200,000 employees as a senior product marketing consultant and noticed that there were less than a dozen comments from one of their business unit's blogs yet there was a wealth of blogs on that corporate Web site. This lack of support is mind-boggling and serves no purpose but to breed negativity. How long can employees continue destroying what employers are paying them to build up?

Does this start from the top and trickle down to the bottom? Watch out, your company's stock may be headed for another plummet. I am always so positive and impressed by professionals when I work at a new corporation and learn about the company, especially by reading blogs from the corporate leaders, attending seminars, and navigating the corporate Web site. Yet, I do not understand why these major corporate blogs with the potential of having so many visits and views, do not receive the adequate feedback from fellow employees.

It ceases to amaze me of how the threatened and insecure employees intentionally thwart and insult the professional consultants -- the basis is obviously these employees are afraid that the new consultants will get noticed for their cost saving, productive contributions, and showing interest and support for corporate initiatives including blogs. Unfortunately, the productivity and business success is compromised because of these essentially useless and insecure employees. Yet, senior department heads are in the sand and corporations allow this to go on -- the familiar, AIG-ish, corporate status quo -- "Our government's bail-out money will pay our salaries; we're too big to fail," etc.

As a professional marketing executive who has been contracting for many Fortune 100 corporations and trust me, I get the big picture relatively quickly, I see many issues including lack of support, particularly among women executives. This is compromising the financial health of the corporation on a national and global level.

Negativity of this nature results in not only low employee morale and little or no ROI but dissatisfied customers.

Are professional women still living in the 1980’s when one women has to be thwarted in order for another women to succeed? Why is this sentiment common for women and not men? Could this be why professional women have not advanced as much as men? Have women turned competition into a game of back-stabbing tactics that do nothing but destroy the morale of a corporation? And what about corporate diversity and multi-culturalism -- is it destroying what women are working to achieve?

I believe corporate diversity is indeed compromised. Many top consultants have experienced their work thwarted and being intimidated by corporate employees. Whenever the consultants report the issue, their contract ends. A very common tactic, is when employees use inappropriate language in the form of misleading adjectives towards the consultant to make the consultant feel insignificant and themselves feel powerful and important. And we wonder why so few women make it to the top?

According to Grace Bosworth, President of Global 2 Local Language Solutions, “We wonder why women have not advanced as much as they should, but, when a women gets some kind of control, she acts as if she did it all by herself, and tries to push down anyone that comes near her level. We don’t try to help each other; we make it more difficult for each other. …The only thing I can control in this world is me, and I know that to change the world, I must first change myself. Do I look at a woman who has done well for herself with suspicion? Do I hesitate to spend time on a project that may not put me or my company in the limelight?… I do not think “real” leaders are the kind of paranoid people that get to the top quickly but fall quickly. We as women have to do better. Most of all, I vow to not say negative things about people I really don’t know. If we could all vow just that little thing, I see women taking great strides.”


So tell me do you believe corporate blogs by women are or are not being supported by their constituents? What are your favorite blogs? I’d be delighted to take a read, share my perspective and add them to this list.


Below is a listing of my latest favorite blogs by and about women:

Women in Business Don’t Support Each Other, and We Are Here to Change That
Is Eight Enough When It Comes to Success
Got Me Thinking: Is the Model of Masculinity Changing in America?
25 Things a Professional Woman Should Never Wear     (I’ll admit my biggest faux pas was putting my then, waist-long-hair back with a schrunchie)
Women Who Make Us Laugh
Google Made Her Rich, Facebook Made Her A Legend
100 Must Read Blogs by Women
Why You Should Stop Being A Wimp
Employers Feel A Talent Shortage
ClassyCareerGirl Blog
Making Sure Your Employees Succeed
Top 100 Websites for Women 2011
The Importance of Earnest Service, Thoughts from JM Byington & Associates, Inc.

PS This list will change but only with your help. So do send me your favorite blogs, bookmark this one and visit frequently. Thanks!