The Downtown Women's Club womensDISH blog

Five Lessons Learned from Ted Kennedy

As I write this post the planes carrying the body of Senator Kennedy and his family have just left Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Massachusetts for Arlington National Cemetery where Senator Kennedy will join his brothers John and Robert.  These last several days have seen non-stop coverage of the passing of Senator Kennedy.  Sometime in the next week the jockeying will start over who will replace the Senator but for now many of us are just remembering and appreciating him.

I have two connections to Kennedy.  First, he served as one of my senators for most of my life.  As many have said, it will be strange not to have a Kennedy representing us.  Second, through his support the Center for Women & Enterprise came into existence.  Some of you reading this have hopefully benefited from the educational and technical assistance programs offered there.

In listening to the speakers at the celebration of his life last night and at the service today I was struck by several common themes which are lessons he leaves us with.  So I share what I take away from his life and hope some of you will add the lessons your learned.

1. The Senator always started with those things he shared in common with another not what separated them.  This enabled him to build consensus resulting in the passage of an extraordinary amount of legislation and was why he was known as a consummate negotiator.
2. Following from #1, Teddy, as many called him, never let it get personal. Because of this he could forge relationships and friendships with people who might be his adversary in the Senate or other governmental bodies.
3. He fervently believed in the greatness of others, encouraging them to be confident in their abilities, to believe in themselves.  At the service, Teddy, Jr. told a touching story about going sledding for the first time after losing his leg to cancer.  How with his Father’s encouragement he eventually made it up a steep slippery hill. 
4. Teddy enjoyed life to the fullest.  There will always be tough and sorrowful times but they are easier to bear with joy in your life.
5. The Senator was a servant leader...who rose each day asking who can I serve? 

With the Senator’s passing we each face a personal crossroads.  This was best reflected in the words of his niece Caroline speaking at the celebration of his life:

"Now Teddy has become a part of history and we are the ones who will have to do all the things he would have done, for us, for each other and for our country."

And so I challenge you…who will you serve?

Susan is a business advisor and consultant.  She works with CEO's to enhance their strategic decision making through improved financial intelligence and by creating their company's advisory board.  Susan is the author of the soon to be published Advisory Board Kit, a guide to assist business owners implement their advisory board.  Susan can be reached at susan@schammond.com.

New Study: women build own glass ceiling

First women cause problems on boards by being "too tough" (yesterday's post), and now we create our own glass ceilings because we underestimate ourselves.  At least that's what a new gender study says. Click here to read about it on Chris Flett's blog.

A new study shows female managers are more than three times as likely as their male counterparts to underrate their bosses’ opinions of their job performance.

The discrepancy increases with women older than 50, the study states.

“Women have imposed their own glass ceiling, and the question is why,” said Scott Taylor, an assistant professor at the University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management who conducted the study.

*  *  *

“Younger women tended not to be as off-base in their predictions than middle-aged or senior women,” Taylor said.

Taylor said managers may need to learn better ways to communicate to female employees that they are valued. Women may need to learn how to better seek positive and critical feedback, he said.

Taylor says the findings could indicate why many women don’t rise to head companies or why there is a wage disparity between men and women.

I'm not so sure I agree that women underestimating what their bosses think of their performance = glass ceiling.  I do think it may be a contributing factor. But, the part I found most interesting was the generation gap here. For years I've been listening to the Boomers' complaints about Generation Y being "entitled."  My response has always been "That's not such a bad thing. Especially if it means that they feel entitled to be treated just like their male peers."

I think it would be more interesting to track the younger respondents to see if they change their views over the years, or if not ... what effect this new attitude will have on the future of business.

It's clear that change is not coming from the top, so this may be one of our first signs that change is coming up from the bottom.

What's your real age?

The more successful older folks are those with a positive attitude and an inquisitive mind.  You've probably taken those online surveys that provide your real age.  I came across a fun test that can provide your social media age. 

Here's a test developed by Penelope Trunk.  It is taken from her Brazen Careerist blog entry: "What generation are you part of really? Take this test."

"So here is a test I put together with the help of an interview with Weigel and an evening reading her blog. Add up your points to figure out what generation you’re really a part of:

• Do you have your own web page? (1 point)
• Have you made a web page for someone else? (2 points)
• Do you IM your friends? (1 point)
• Do you text your friends? (2 points)
• Do you watch videos on YouTube? (1 point)
• Do you remix video files from the Internet? (2 points)
• Have you paid for and downloaded music from the Internet? (1 point)
• Do you know where to download free (illegal) music from the Internet? (2 points)
• Do you blog for professional reasons? (1 point)
• Do you blog as a way to keep an online diary? (2 points)
• Have you visited MySpace at least five times? (1 point)
• Do you communicate with friends on Facebook? (2 points)
• Do you use email to communicate with your parents? (1 point)
• Did you text to communicate with your parents? (2 points)
• Do you take photos with your phone? (1 point)
• Do you share your photos from your phone with your friends? (2 points)

0-1 point - Baby Boomer

2-6 points - Generation Jones

6- 12 points - Generation X

12 or over - Generation Y"

Some of you might be scratching your head and thinking:

• What the heck is IM, text, YouTube and MySpace?
• Downloading free music is illegal?
• Cell phones can take pictures too?

If so, it may be time to ask a teenager for help.

And for the record, my score was 15, making me a Gen Y person, although my real age is that of a baby boomer.

Nancy Loderick

Landing that dream job and staying young without Botox

Our society values youth and beauty.  Take a look at any advertisement to see who's portrayed and also what products are being marketed.  This is also unfortunately true in the job market, where being as young as 40 is considered old.

I'm a firm believer that age is a state of mind.  Don't let your age be the excuse as to why you haven't yet landed that dream job.  There are several things you can do to spruce up your image and they don't involve cosmetic surgery or painful botox injections.

Some simple steps you can take to keep up with the times:

1.  Make friends with the younger generations, the millenials and gen Y.  There is nothing like being around young folks to keep you young.  At the very least, you'll be better informed about the latest trends.   

2.  Keep up to date on technology.  Learn about blogs, Facebook, Twitter and the like.  This is a perfect conversation starter with a younger person.

3.  Use the latest technology.  Start a blog, or start commenting on other's blogs to get your feet wet.  Take a class to stay current.  There are lots of inexpensive online courses about everything under the sun.  This is yet another way to bond with a younger person.  Most will be flattered if you ask them for their help.

4.  Update your resume.  Take out graduation dates; only show jobs for the past 10-15 years.  This isn't considered lying, but rather putting down what's most relevant to future employers.

Does she or doesn't she?

I was so excited when a co-worker introduced me to the Hanes Outlet catalog.  I could now buy pantyhose in bulk and at a discount.  What could be better.  Well, the last time I bought pantyhose was in 1992.  I still have several pairs that I've never worn.

Usually I skim the latest news on my homepage, as I'm sipping coffee, reviewing my 'To Do' list for the day and composing some emails.  This latest news story almost caused me to spit out my coffee.  A 6/5/08 Wall St. Journal article, "Bare-Legged Ladies: Hosiery Reveals Office Divide," by Christina Binkley, highlights the latest in the pantyhose wars.

Binkley reports that:

• For women who entered the workplace before 1990, pantyhose was considered a critical part of one's business uniform.
• Many twenty somethings have never worn pantyhose and don't plan to start doing so.

As more companies are going to business casual, pantyhose has fallen by the wayside.  All in all, I consider this a good thing.  I'm sure the inventor of pantyhose must have been a man.  That being said, what's the alternative? Bare legs?  What sort of shoes do you wear then?  I don't think sandals or heaven-forbid, flip-flops are appropriate in an office?  Well, there goes wearing skirts then.

Nancy Loderick

Good things worth waiting for

As a lot of folks hit their 40's and beyond, many dream of switching careers.  Sometimes this is just a case of the grass always being greener on the other side, but sometimes it's more.  It can be scary to make a career change and it can also take a lot of work.

Erin White reports in a 11/27/07 Wall St. Journal article, "Profession Changes Take Time but May Be Worth The Wait," that a major career shift can be a lot of work and may require going back to school and a lot of networking.  A career changer will need stamina and persistence to successfully make this change. 

She also reports that even small first steps towards a career change can make people happier.  For example, switching departments and/or roles at one's current company or having a long term plan for that career change, can make people happier and more satisfied with their lives.

Nancy Loderick

A force to be reckoned with?

Are baby boomers finally getting recognized by marketers as a force to be reckoned with?  Stephanie Kang reports on this in a 12/4/07 Wall St. Journal article, "AARP Serves Up Navratilova."   Kang talks about the growing demand for retired athletes as spokesmen for all kinds of brands.  Martina Navratilova will become the first AARP ambassador for health & fitness.  She will be featured in online chats, video segments, and at AARP events.

According to Kang, retired athletes have a greater name recognition among average consumers.  Retired athletes have also become more popular.  This is a reaction, in part, to the recent sports scandals.  The latest headlines are all about steroid use and gambling rings, not exactly the image that companies want associated with their brands.

Some of the other popular retirees are:

• Michael Jordan
• Muhammad Ali
• Joe Montana
• Kristy Yamaguchi
• Dorothy Hamill.

I am particularly pleased to see a few women on this list since not everyone is a big basketball, football, or boxing fan.  The only reason I'm familiar with Joe Montana is because he's mentioned in one of my exercise DVDs.

Nancy Loderick

Where do we fit?

After my latest clothes buying experience (see my 11/12/07 post on "Size 00, or the invisible woman"), I was especially interested in an 11/3 Weekend Wall St. Journal article by Teri Agins, "Boomer Balancing Act".  (Baby boomers are those born between 1946 and 1964.) 

The boomers spend more than any  previous generation.  According to Agins, women over 35 accounted for over half of the $102.7 billion spent on clothing purchases from 8/06 to 8/07.  That's a lot of clothes!

The boomers view themselves as youthful and get extremely insulted if referred to as "mature or older  women." They want to be stylishly dressed, yet not look like a teeny-bopper.  Until recently, all that was available to them was the traditional flat shoes/ankle length skirts or the "Desperate Housewives" aka provocative, look.

Several department stores are experimenting on the best way to reach these women.  They've also learned to name the departments something catchy;  Blooomingdales is calling this department "Quotation."

However, a catchy name that's not very descriptive can cause confusion.  A tunic intended for the woman over 50 to wear with pants, also catches the eye of a 20-something, looking for a cute mini-skirt.

Nancy Loderick

Encore, encore

Once again baby boomers are casting aside stereotypes.  Gone are the days when one worked for a single company until age 65 and then went into full retirement.  Many in their 50's want to continue working, not because they have to, but because they want to.  They want to feel connected and to give back to society.

Glen Ruffenach, in his 11/17/07 Weekend Wall St. Journal article, "In Search of a Purpose," interviews Marc Freedman, CEO of San Francisco nonprofit, Civic Ventures.  Civic Ventures focuses on expanding the contributions of older Americans.  Marc talks about encore careers, which he defines as:

• A significant body of work; a career to last 10,15 or even 20 years beyond midlife.
• Ideally involving some sort of pay and benefits, not just a volunteer position.
• At it's core, it's a search for new meaning and a deep desire to contribute to the greater good.

Freedman also distinguishes encore careers from "working in retirement" jobs.  The "working in retirement" jobs are merely a bridge between a career and full retirement.  They are also a way to make ends meet, not necessarily jobs that provide satisfaction.

Nancy Loderick

Maybe it's not a man's world after all

I admit that one of my biggest fears is growing old and being alone.  On one hand, I celebrate each passing year, especially as I become more comfortable with who I am and where I am going.  I am also very grateful for my close, yet diverse circle of family, friends and colleagues.  On the other hand, statistics are against me since I'll most likely outlive my husband.  In this transient society, people tend to move frequently, so who knows what the future brings.

Irene Sege wrote an uplifting, yet practical story in the 10/15/07 Boston Globe titled, Our House.  She described the increasingly common phenomenon of boomer age women living together.  Boomer women are more likely than prior generations to have stayed single or to have divorced.  Housing costs are high and women usually have less financial resources than men.

Sege also cites Rebecca G. Adams, a University of North Carolina sociologist.  Adams points out that boomer men are not as likely to have these shared living arrangements.  Adams cites that men's friends are more activity-based, not intimacy-based, like women's friends and therefore men aren't as comfortable sharing living space.

These boomer women are redefining what it means to grow old, just as they have redefined motherhood, careers and everything else. I salute them and welcome the hope that they bring.

Nancy Loderick