Are Women Able To Communicate To Top Positions In The Workforce?

December 23, 2010


Just before 2010 comes to a close the debate about women in the tech sector seems to have come up again, this time during a TED talk where Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg was on stage presenting. You’ve got to check out this video and feel free to add your own opinion on the debate.

Do We Need More Women Leading Technology Companies?

What I enjoyed about Sheryl’s talk is that she not only tackled the problem head on, backed up with personal stories and industry stats, but also managed to provide some solutions such as the one’s below:

  • Women need to be more assertive. Too many women are passive, or insecure. They need to be more confident and aggressive. (The challenge? Aggressive women are more likely to be disliked, while aggressive men are liked.)
  • If women have husbands, make sure they’re helping equally at home. Too often women are working twice as hard at home as the male counterpart. This makes it harder to work at your job.
  • Always keep your foot on the gas pedal. Don’t start thinking about leaving your job to have a child, because it will hold you back. Just charge full steam ahead from the word go.

Are Women Communicating Their Desire To Be In The Corner Office At Work?

As Sheryl points out, much of the reason why there is a lack of women in leadership positions in the technology industry (and other industries) it comes down to their ability to “put their hands up” and voice their desire to be in these senior roles that are often taken by men. “No one gets to the corner office by sitting on the side lines,” she also says during her talk. Here in Canada, we have had a number of women who are being recognized for their leadership in the corporate world including Mia Peason-Wedbury (Fleishman-Hillard) and Jacquelyn Cyr (Espresso).

Over the course of 2010 I have attended a few events where women in the workforce was a key topic of discussion, like many I walked out of the room still wondering what was accomplished over the last hour?   A few have found the solution so this isn’t a debate for them, however as the numbers show, most women have not found the answer they are looking for.
Maybe its time host a discussion and invite a few leaders of both sexes to discuss, debate and provide a few possible solutions on how to solve the problem.  A brand new year is about to start, what do you want your career to look like?

Leave your comments below, or feel free to contact me directly email (or just about any social network you can think of)

Source: BusinessInsider


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Dave Forde


Dave “The Connector” Forde has been involved in the marketing, public relations and technology industry across Canada for over 15 years in various sales and marketing roles, he launched The Connected One network of business sites which connects buyers to the right sellers. Profectio and PR In Canada covers news about the marketing and public relations industry each day helping professionals advance their career and businesses.
He also serves as an advisor to a number of businesses across the country. Find Dave on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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