Professional Development News & Info
for Financial Women from Around the Web

An FWSF curated list of articles and research that may be useful and/or thought provoking as we navigate our professional advancement.

Via Harvard Business Review: Which Women Are Rising to the Top?

Lauren Ready at the International Consortium for Executive Development Research interviewed 60 top female executives from around the world to learn how they rose to the top. Her aim was to uncover some lessons for the next generation, and she found that while each woman followed her own path, they had all taken charge of their careers in similar ways. Learn how here or read the original study.
March 18, 2014

From the NYTimes a special section on Continuing Education: Helping Women Get Back in the Game

Programs to help women return to the work force after leave to care for children or parents are increasing in some fields. "Many women trying to return to work after a break have found it difficult to figure out how to navigate their way back in." The article examines several small but growing programs started within the last year to help highly educated and accomplished women return to jobs they left in finance and at law firms to care for children or aging parents. Read more here.
March 17, 2014

From Sheryl Sandberg's LeanIn.org and The Girl Scouts: Ban Bossy

When a little boy asserts himself, he's called a “leader.” Yet when a little girl does the same, she risks being branded “bossy.” Words like bossy send a message: don't raise your hand or speak up. By middle school, girls are less interested in leading than boys—a trend that continues into adulthood. BanBossy.com's mission is to encourage girls to lead. Check out the tips for girls, teachers, managers, parents and girl scout troop leaders here.
March 10, 2014

Via The Atlantic Wire: How to End the Gender Pay Gap Once and for All

"A pay gap of about 9 percent persists between men and women, and it's particularly cavernous at the top end of the income scale. Why?" The article goes on to suggest that flexibility and freedom are the answer. What do you think? [If you are interested this topic, a March 2013 study from Buck Consultants Benchmarking Women's Leadership provides data on women across a variety of industries.]
March 4, 2014

Sallie Krawcheck: The Highest Return Investment for Women

On LinkedIn Sallie Krawcheck writes: "I’m often asked to speak to women about investing. And for years, I’ve typically started with the basics of saving, diversification and asset allocation, and then moved to discussing how some women should consider taking on more risk, to increase the returns needed for their longer-than-men’s lifespan. But, before getting to that, there is an investment that women can make that has by far the greatest risk-adjusted return available. And that is asking for a raise." Continue reading here.
March 10, 2014

NYTimes: Changing Women’s Portrayal in Stock Photos

Modern stock photos of professional women (and caregiving Dads) via Getty Images and LeanIn.org “When we see images of women and girls and men, they often fall into the stereotypes that we’re trying to overcome, and you can’t be what you can’t see,” Ms. Sandberg said in an interview. Take a look, what do you think?
February 9, 2014

NYTimes: How to Suppress the Apology Reflex

Stop apologizing! "Confidence, at least in the American workplace, means never having to say you’re sorry."
January 20, 2014

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