Turkeys Suspended On The Climbing Structure
I ran into a friend’s mother the other day. I’ve known this woman and her daughter for more than thirty years. A side benefit of living within fifty miles of where I grew up. “We are going to The Grill Room for Thanksgiving,” she responded after I queried about her plans for the upcoming holiday. “My daughter used to do it but ever since her father died she hasn’t been able to. You know how close they were…” Continue reading
Have you figured out the ten teams that matter? I asked naively during a meeting earlier this week. If the looks on the faces opposite to me were any indication, the answer was no. My meeting comrades had been charged with a change management effort at their company. They had lengthy color-coded spreadsheets. Action plans and timelines. They hoped to train everyone. Win hearts and minds. And accrue victory one step at a time….. Continue reading
Ever heard of blockers? I picked up on the phrase during my tenure as head of HR and Administration at a large S&P 500 corporation. A blocker in that context was a person who stood in the way of another’s progression. For those outside the corporate world this may seem odd so here’s the scoop. Every year the CEO, the head of HR (yours truly), and all business unit presidents would discuss the ‘talent’ (read: employees) who held the title director or higher. In our world that numbered more than 400 people. Continue reading
Do you remember Lawrence Summers’ gaffe regarding women and the sciences? He referenced a “different availability of aptitude,” in 2005 while addressing an audience as president of Harvard University. It cost him his job. Would it surprise you that he might have unknowingly referred to a pervasive cultural bias that most likely affects women in every field, not just the sciences? Why stop at the fields…this bias is likely present in every transition over the arc of our lives. Continue reading
Posted in Observations on Transition
Tagged 2005 Stanford Commencement, bias against women, In the sea there are crocodiles, linda rossetti, New York Times Bias Persist for Women of Science, observations from a women's transition, Steve Jobs, transition, women's transition, women's transition issues
I don’t know if anyone caught the news last week. On September 11 a textile factory fire in Karachi, Pakistan killed 289 workers. The factory made jeans destined for Europe. In reading about this tragedy and why it happened I was reminded of a quote in an investigative report on Apple and its Asian manufacturer Foxconn in the New York Times in January 2012. The series focused on the too-often fatal working conditions for employees who polished aluminum iPad cases. The quote by MIT professor, Nicholas Ashford, was, “If it were terribly difficult to deal with aluminum dust, I would understand. But do you know how easy dust is to control? It’s called ventilation. We solved this problem over a century ago.” Jeans? iPads? A profoundly sad common denominator…these tragedies were avoidable. Continue reading
Posted in Observations on Transition
Tagged Apple, career transition, Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt It's Up to the Women, Foxconn, Harvard, It's Up to the Women, Karachi Pakistan Textile Factory Fire, linda rossetti, Nicholas Ashford, observations on transition, personal transition, Tickle Me Elmo, transition, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory NYC, women's transition, women's transition issues
A red-haired expatriate hippie with a beard and a business suit sat on the floor across from me in a Japanese restaurant in the middle of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Think Jerry Garcia meets Howdy Doody. Lincoln, a former Peace Corps volunteer, was regaling myself and a friend with stories of his escapades in Latin America. I vaguely remember him talking about starting a business importing condoms. He was concerned about the quality of those available in country. It was unclear if his interest was driven by humanitarian or by personal reasons. Continue reading
“I can’t say anything,” said a long-time friend as she shared with me her opinion of a decision facing a mutual friend of ours. She was catching me up on the news of this friend whom she sees regularly. Her silence was triggered by an issue related to a child. The child’s parents disagreed on an educational decision. You couldn’t possibly say anything? I was stunned. Shouldn’t she offer a perspective or talk our friend through some options? I realize that I’m more confrontational than most…but silence? Really? Continue reading
“Nancy, Nancy, wake up! NANCY!” I shouted to rouse my sister who was asleep on a chair-cum-bed in my father’s hospital room. It was just after 7:00 am on a Sunday morning. We had dozed off at about 3:00 am. Cancer. I’m not sure why I woke up when I did. His breathing was erratic. We held his hand.
These moments raced back at me this week Continue reading
NovoFemina 