by Jane Perdue | Women
Dear Sweet Zoe,
Today’s a special day—International Women’s Day. The IWD theme this year is equality for women is progress for all, so I think it’s a good day to celebrate that women hold up half the sky.
Had you ever heard that old Chinese proverb before? To your Mum-mum, it’s a simple phrase that says so much. It beautifully illustrates how men and women work together—for the greater good; to feed, clothe, educate, and nurture their children; to protect the planet; and to bring balance, tolerance, respect, and love to everything they do. (more…)
by Jane Perdue | Leadership
His joy was absolutely infectious.
It touched me, and I was standing some 20 feet away awaiting the final frothing of a vanilla latte.
He was back in the kitchen, laughing and teasing what I presume to be a co-worker. She was smiling, and her eyes twinkling.
I could hear an unseen co-worker laughing, too.
Everyone’s good spirits back there made me smile and chuckle.
“He forgot to take his meds today,” said the woman making my coffee. Her tone was disapproving. “I’m sorry you have to hear that.” (more…)
by Jane Perdue | Women
Seven businesswomen were onstage—all participating in a panel discussion for working women about being successful. The moderator’s first question was Please tell us your secrets for successfully managing work/life balance.
OMG…what a cringe-worthy way to start the evening.
I believe work/life balance to be a 21st century fairytale about unobtainable perfection. One that drains self-confidence, particularly women’s.
From my perspective, the best we can hope for over time is equilibrium between our professional and personal activities—our lives aren’t like ingredients that can be doled out in precisely measured segments at specified times. (more…)
by Jane Perdue | Stereotypes
A fascinating happenstance that bubbles up while I’m conducting diversity and inclusion workshops is that many people aren’t fully aware of what stereotypes are and how they impact how we think, feel, and act toward others.
Education ends ignorance, which in turn fuels ending stereotypes, so here are 21 things you should know about them.
1. Stereotypes “constitute a person’s set of expectations about a social group’s characteristics, including traits, behaviors, and roles.”
2. Stereotypes remove individual attributes from consideration as everyone within the designated group is considered to be the same.
3. Some stereotypes are descriptive, which professor Michael Gill defines “as perceivers’ beliefs about the characteristics of a social group and indicate the attributes, roles, and behaviors that describe that group,” e.g., all women are friendly; all men like sports.
4. Other stereoptyes are prescriptive in that they define how a specific gender should be or is meant to be. Professor Gill puts it this way: they “depict the specific behavioral norms that individuals must uphold to avoid” being derided or punished by others. Examples include women should be seen and not heard; men are meant to be the bosses.
5. They’re mental shortcuts that can be helpful, e.g., “the ability to quickly categorize people based on certain factors as a way to identify threats, friends, and other people that you can interact with socially.” However, those shortcuts can quickly lead to trouble if we don’t make the effort to assess the facts before deciding how to treat someone.
5. Research shows that children have definite stereotypes about women, ethnicities. and other social groups by age 5. (more…)
by Jane Perdue | Inspiration
Talk about an unexpected opportunity to learn!
I found this poem while doing research for my book about women and power and loved how the content pulled me into a little, no a lot, of personal reflection.
My time of mental exploration helped me to recognize all the opportunities around me that I had failed to see. Why did I fail to see them? Because I thought they were obstacles.
May reading this poem do the same for you, so perhaps you’ll see something you’re missing!
Quotes about opportunity
Opportunities, many times, are so small that we glimpse them not and yet they are often the seeds of great enterprises. Opportunities are also everywhere and so you must always let your hook be hanging. When you least expect it, a great fish will swim by. ~Og Mandino
The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. ~Alice Walker
I will prepare and someday my chance will come. ~Abraham Lincoln
To stay ahead, you must have your next idea waiting in the wings. ~Rosabeth Moss Kanter
Effective people are not problem-minded; they’re opportunity-minded. They feed opportunities and starve problems. ~Stephen Covey
Opportunities do not come with their values stamped upon them. Everyone must be challenged. A day dawns, quite like other days; in it, a single hour comes, quite like other hours; but in that day and in that hour the chance of a lifetime faces us. ~Maltbie Davenport Babcock
Victory comes from finding opportunities in problems. ~Sun Tzu
Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity, not a threat. ~Steve Jobs
Don’t wait for the right opportunity: create it ~George Bernard Shaw
Expect change. Analyze the landscape. Take the opportunities. Stop being the chess piece; become the player. It’s your move. ~Tony Robbins
If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair. ~Shirley Chisholm
