Today isn't just another day. No, it is a celebration of how far we've come and a reminder of where we need to push next. Welcome to a special episode recorded on a day close to my heart and journey, Women's Equality Day.
This isn't just any date on the calendar. It is a day to recognize the crazy, thrilling rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship. So buckle up. We're diving into the nitty gritty of business, bias, and breaking ceilings. We will discuss why more women should hop on this wild ride of starting their own business and spoiler alert. It's pretty darn empowering.
In this episode, I cover:
- Why fostering gender equality in today’s corporate setting matters so dang much.
- The unique edge women bring to the entrepreneurship landscape.
- Where women have been and where we might be going in the workplace
- How to cultivate an inclusive and equitable workspace.
- The power, influence, and money accessible to women through entrepreneurship.
This episode at a glance:
[03:35] When I looked back into the patterns of my own life. I saw that I was constantly supporting others and not receiving the acknowledgment or credit that I was looking for
[07:08] If we can build a self-driving car, but we can't figure out how to pass the equal rights amendment or pay women equally for work done. I think that's just nonsense.
[09:07] Men overinflate their skillsets, and women underestimate their skillsets. And so it's not a lack of capability that's holding us back. It's a dearth of opportunity, how we see ourselves and how other people see us
[10:54] Women's Equality Day is an opportunity to reflect on the progress. It's a chance to consider your own career trajectory. The obstacles you've faced and the potential for growth and empowerment through entrepreneurship
[13:18] You have the potential to help usher in a new era of entrepreneurship that's innovative, socially responsible, and built on equal opportunities. Let's make entrepreneurship the new norm.
Resources and Links mentioned in this episode:
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My Good Woman
Ep. 27 | Break the Glass Ceiling, MGW: A Women's Equality Day Special
Dawn Andrews:
Hey there my good woman. Grab your party hat, because today isn't just another day. No, it is a celebration of how far we've come and a reminder of where we need to push next. Welcome to a special episode, recorded on a day, close to my heart and journey Women's Equality Day.
This isn't just any date on the calendar. Ohhhhh no. It is a day to recognize the crazy thrilling rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship. So buckle up, we're diving into the nitty gritty of business, bias, and breaking ceilings. And we're going to discuss why more women should hop on this wild ride of starting their own business and spoiler alert. It's pretty darn empowering.
Hello friends. Welcome to My Good Woman, the podcast for new and future Female Leaders. I'm your host, Dawn Andrews, a happily married hockey mom and the founder and CEO of Free Range Thinking Business Strategy Consulting. Grab a seat at the table with me each week for candid conversations with Culture shifting glass, ceiling-busting, trailblazing, women leading impactful enterprises. We discuss what makes them tick, how they get it all done, and actionable strategies to help you lead with confidence and grow the visibility, reach, and revenue of your business. We're classy ladies, but we don't bleep the swear words, listener discretion is advised.
Welcome to another rip roaring episode of My Good Woman, where we champion those culture shifting, glass ceiling busting, trailblazing women. And you. Leading impactfulenterprises. Today, we're celebrating a very special day, Women's Equality Day.
Why do you ask? Not just because we love a good party. But because it's time for more women to take a leap and start their own businesses. In this episode, you'll learn about the snail-paced progress towards gender equality in corporate America. The unique advantages women bring to the entrepreneurial table. And why Women's Equality Day could be your launch pad to a fulfilling and impactful business career.
But before we dive in. If you already know that launching a businesses on your horizon, we've got a special gift for you. If you want to figure out if you've got what it takes to be a trailblazing entrepreneur. Take our fun, insightful quiz to discover your entrepreneurial spirit.
Discover, whether you're a Born Boss or a Mindful Maven and get tailored advice to guide your journey. Click the link in the show notes or head over to DawnAndrews.com/BizQuiz to get started. Take the quiz now. Because your next leap might just be a quiz away.
So, let me tell you a little bit about starting my own business. I was not an MBA student. I was raised in an entrepreneurial family, but I didn't necessarily know that I was going to start a business. In fact, it didn't even become clear to me. until I was imminently about to be laid off.
As the layoff date was arriving as RIF number three in my company was beginning. I was looking around trying to figure out what job I would want to look for somewhere else. And it became abundantly clear that I did not want to work for somebody else.
I needed space for more creativity. I wanted more flexibility. And when I looked back into the patterns of my own life. I saw that I was constantly supporting others and not receiving the acknowledgment or credit that I was looking for. For having helped others achieve great heights and sort of being the second banana.
It just wasn't fun and I didn't want to do it anymore. So as I was laid off, I took a huge leap with no real runway. No clue. No sort of checklist of where to start or what to do, and just went for it. And it was a bumpy exit. Let me tell you. But I could not be more happy for it. And not only did I take the relationships and expertise and skills that I had at the time.
But those have had the space to grow and flourish in a way that they would not have been able to inside what has become our traditional corporate structure. There was just not room for me to grow as a woman, I would have been hampered by the way, things have always been done. And I'm not a the way things have always been done kind of gal.
So, I don't know if you relate to this. But this episode will be really valuable and resonant for you. I think if you do, and if you don't hang in there for the curiosity, because I'd like to hear back from you and see what your thoughts are.
I've had my business now for more than 20 years. And what is disturbing to me is that some of the stats that I pulled and research that I did for this episode remain as true now as they [00:05:00] were 20 years ago. that incremental progress is really upsetting. I think. It is a snails pace of progress inside corporate America for women. hearing about stats can be like watching paint dry, but I just got to share these with you. according to the center for American progress. Women are back to work post-COVID with three-quarters of women aged 25 to 54 working full time.
That's great news. There was a lot of concern with the, pandemic that women were going to leave the workforce and not come back. So I'm glad we're back. And according to catalyst, a global nonprofit working to accelerate gender equality. there are women in the workplace study from 2022. The share of women in senior management is increasing incrementally. In 2021, the proportion of women in senior management roles globally grew to 31%. The highest number ever recorded. That's great news. When you consider that we're about 48.6% of all working humans. 31% in senior management is definitely good news. And now 90% of companies worldwide have at least one woman in a senior management role as of 2021.
Again, senior management roles, not CEO roles. Women leaders are still more likely to be HR directors compared to other roles and in that same timeframe from 2020 to 2021 the proportion of women in other leadership roles, like the C-suite CEO, CFO, COO has increased. Uh, in 2021, 26% of all CEOs and managing directors were women compared to only 15% in 2019.
But here's where it starts to turn in a direction that is really frustrating. The global fortune 500 reported an all time high. Of 23 women CEOs in 2021, including six women of color. Globally and all time, high of 23 female CEOs. What the heck man?
I can appreciate celebrating incremental progress, but I feel like it's a distraction. It's crumbs instead of big bites on the path forward. I mean, if we can build a self-driving car, but we can't figure out how to pass the equal rights amendment or pay women equally for work done. I think that's just nonsense.
It's moving too slow. And we don't have to stand for it. Are you as frustrated as I am by the glacial pace of progress towards gender equality in corporate America. Are you contemplating leaving your corporate job and striking out on your own? That's definitely where I was and that was 20 years ago. I would love to hear about your experiences and your aspirations. DM me with your thoughts, your plans, or just share a word of encouragement for your fellow would-be entrepreneurs.
I'm @FreeRangThinking on Instagram. And I would love to hear from you because we're all in this together.
Whew. Okay. So again, incremental progress, but definitely not moving at the pace that it should be. let's talk a little bit about the unique advantages women bring to the entrepreneurial table. And I got a few more stats for you because women aren't just meant to participate in the world of entrepreneurship. They are built to Excel in it.
So here are some really compelling points that reveal why women make great entrepreneurs. A 2019 Harvard Business Review article and research shows that women in leadership positions are every bit as effective as men. Women are graded high in excelling in taking initiative, acting with resilience, practicing self-development, driving for results, displaying high integrity and honesty.
In fact, we are thought to be more effective in 84% of the competencies that are related to leadership and leading in companies. Men were rated as being better on only two capabilities, Developing strategic perspective and technical or professional expertise, and I'm going to call bullshit on both of those.
Because When women are asked to assess themselves, we are not as generous in the ratings of our own skills and talents. This is where perfectionism, confidence, imposter syndrome and our like our overall self-worth get in the way of us being able to advance.
Men overinflate, their skillsets and women underestimate their skillsets.
And so it's not a lack of capability that's holding us back. It's a dearth of opportunity, how we see ourselves and how other people see us. So, this is where we start to break free. According to the national women's business council.
There are 13 million women-owned businesses in the US and they generate $1.9 Trillion in revenue annually. This creates jobs, generates income, builds economic growth. So why stay inside a corporate system that is contributing to your own self doubt. And your lack of progress when you could be launching your own thing. What would that be like?
Now I get that launching a business has its own set of concerns. We all get to pick our hard and fighting against a system that doesn't support us is hard and building our own thing is hard. I think life is more fun when you bet on yourself. So what can we do with Women's Equality Day that could help be your launch pad to a fulfilling and impactful business career.
I got some ideas. And let's get historical just for a hot minute. Women's Equality Day, celebrated on August 26th, commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave us the right to vote in 1920. But let's be real it has come to symbolize a whole lot more since then. It's about recognizing the strides women have made and the glass ceilings we continue to shatter in politics, education, sports, and in the world of business.
It is a powerful symbol of women's resilience, determination, and the relentless fight for equality. So how's that. For some fuel to start your entrepreneurial engine. Here's some other ways that you can use Women's Equality Day to help lift your spirit and guide you on your path to launching your own business. Women's Equality Day is an opportunity to reflect on the progress, it's a chance to consider your own career trajectory. The obstacles you've faced and the potential for growth and empowerment through entrepreneurship. What could you do if you had your own thing?
Women's Equality Day is a testament to the power of women to effect change. Girl. If the Suffragettes could transform society at a time of deeply entrenched gender inequality, if they can be brave, you can too. You can harness that spirit, build a business and change the business landscape. Women's Equality Day shines a light on our capabilities, potential and accomplishments. It's a powerful reminder of your own strengths and potential as an entrepreneur.
It also generates discussion and publicity around women's rights and gender equality. And this momentum can be harnessed to take a step forward in your own journey, whether that's launching a business, securing funding, asking for the promotion that you know, you deserve or expanding your network. And finally Women's Equality Day is a reminder of women's rights and liberties including the right to economic independence. As an entrepreneur, you can exercise this right to its fullest extent, Taking control of your career and your financial future.
So there's a reason that I chose this day to get up on a soapbox because Women's Equality Day is more than a historical commemoration. It's a catalyst for personal and professional transformation. It is a rallying cry for us to seize the reigns and create our own paths to success.
Let this be the day you decide to step out of the shadows and into the entrepreneurial spotlight. So we've peeled back the curtain on some hard truths about gender equality in corporate America. We've exposed the disappointingly slow pace of progress. And discussed why women shouldn't just sit around, waiting for the corporate environment to change.
We've also highlighted the immense potential that lies within every woman. You. That lies within you. To excel in entrepreneurship. From multitasking to empathy, resilience to innovation. We are wired with attributes, uniquely suited to navigate and conquer the business world. And we dove into the profound impact that female-led businesses have and creating inclusive, supportive, and equitable work environments.
Businesses, we start are not just profitable. They're transformative. You have the potential to help usher in a new era of entrepreneurship that's innovative, socially responsible and built on equal opportunities. Let's make entrepreneurship the new norm.
It is high time we strap on our entrepreneurial boots and March forward breaking barriers, smashing ceilings and including more people with us. The world of business isn't just a man's world it is our world too.
So this Women's Equality Day take a leap. Let's not just climb the corporate ladder. Let's own it and create it ourselves. You may have a lingering question. Is entrepreneurship really for me? I've got just the thing for you to check out next, to help you with that.
If you're ready to uncover whether entrepreneurship is for you, we've got a fun, insightful quiz to help you if building your own business is your next right step. Click the link in the show notes, or go to DawnAndrews.com/BizQuiz and take the quiz now.
And if you like this episode, please hit that subscribe button on your favorite podcast platform and pass it on to another woman you know. We've got lots of exciting content on the horizon and subscribing ensures you won't miss a beat, plus it helps other visionary women, like you find our podcast. So subscribe and join us on this journey to entrepreneurial greatness. Thank you for joining me, my good woman
Until next time.
Thank you for joining me this week. To view the complete show notes and all the links mentioned in today's episode, visit mygoodwoman.com. And before you go, make sure you follow or subscribe to the podcast so you can receive fresh episodes when they drop. And if you're enjoying my Good Woman, leave us a review on Apple Podcast, reviews are one of the major ways that Apple ranks their pods.
So even though it takes only a few seconds, it really does make a difference and helps our show grow. This episode was produced by me and Julissa Ramirez. Thank you again for joining me, Dawn Andrews in this episode of My Good Woman.