Are Women Leaders the Missing Link for Your Company?

Even as more women head to work, the ones who get to work in a corner office remain rare:

• While the public has a high (89%) comfort level with woman as leaders, only 18% of top leadership positions are held by women.

• Woman rank above men in five of the eight character traits highly valued by the public in leaders (honesty, intelligence, creativity, outgoingness, compassion) and equal men in two others (hardworking and ambition), yet account for only 3% of CEOs, 6% of top paying positions and 16% of corporate officers.

These were among the fascinating facts I learned from Marie C. Wilson, president of The White House Project, an organization that advocates for more women in leadership roles. Wilson, author of “Closing the Leadership Gap: Why Women Can and Must Help Run the World,” spoke last week as part of a Mount Mary College Women’s Leadership Institute event.

At a time when companies need the very best in talent and creativity to gain a competitive edge, businesses would be wise to heed Wilson’s message.

So what can your company do? Creating a flexible work environment that appeals to women and rewards them for their unique strengths is a good start.

Women also may respond to different forms of encouragement than men, Wilson said. For example, men typically assume authority more comfortably than women. Your organization may want to do more to encourage women to take initiative, speak at events and promote their own talents.

For more ideas, Forbes has an interesting case study on efforts to recruit and retain more women leaders at Sodexo, a global food services firm.

Why should you consider similar initiatives? Because as a White House Project report points out, both women and men bring value to the table—but their combined effort creates the strongest foundation for innovation and prosperity. Gender diversity at all levels of an organization is a key recruitment and retention challenge that’s essential to your success.

You Snooze, You Win?

I have a recurring daily appointment on my calendar labeled “nap.”

It’s a joke (sort of). But maybe it shouldn’t be.

In fact, in my post-lunch stupor, I think a little snooze might be just what the doctor ordered—Dr. Sara Mednick, that is (author of “Take a Nap! Change your life.”)

Mednick’s extensive research demonstrates that 30 minutes of shuteye can dramatically improve employee critical-thinking, problem-solving and creative skills.

So a nap can be a big boost to a marketing communications professional, who thrives at the intersection of strategic and creative thinking.

But find me a company that even tolerates napping on the job, let alone encourages the practice.

Seriously, find me one. OK, Google (of course).

Tony Schwartz of the Harvard Business Review believes it’s time for a few more forward-thinking companies to give employee naps a try. By fueling innovation and productivity, naps are “a powerful source of competitive advantage,” Schwartz says.

Is there a better way to keep people at the top of their game? I guess we could try energy drinks instead. We’ve all seen those ubiquitous ads for 5-Hour Energy.

But come on—have you tasted that stuff? Also, do we really need more performance-enhancing drugs?

I’ll keep that nap on my calendar, thank you. And if I do get serious about a regular snooze, I hope it turns out better than George Costanza's attempt.

2 September Events You Won’t Want to Miss

Here’s a pair of great upcoming opportunities for business inspiration and marketing insight.

The MMAC Future 50 Awards Luncheon—Registration Deadline Sept. 10

n Event next Thursday, Sept. 16 at The Pfister Hotel

The Future 50 Program showcases companies that are leading the way to growth in the Greater Milwaukee region. It’s a great way to discover what up-and-coming companies are doing to break through—and how you might learn from their success.

By the way, I’ll be participating in the luncheon panel discussion. No hecklers, please.

PRSA-WI Welcomes Peter Shankman—renowned social media/PR thinker

n Monthly meeting Thursday, Sept. 30, at the Hilton Milwaukee

Peter is perhaps best known for founding Help A Reporter Out, which quickly has become the de-facto standard for thousands of journalists looking for sources on deadline. He is recognized globally for radically new ways of thinking about social media, PR, marketing, advertising, creativity and customer service.

Peter’s presentation, “First, SHUT UP. The New Rules of Communication in an Era of Social Media,” figures to be fascinating and fun. This will be his first visit to Milwaukee, so come on out and let’s make it a memorable one. BONUS: You could win a pair of roundtrip tickets on AirTran.

It’s Labor Day—Meaning We’re Still Working Our Way out of the Recession

The unemployment rate inching back up in Friday’s jobs report might seem like unwelcome news—especially heading into a weekend honoring the hard work of the American labor force.

Sure, it would be nice to break for Labor Day with some really solid economic news. Still, the numbers were actually better than anticipated, thanks to unexpected growth in the private sector.

Economists are expressing cautious optimism. The markets also took the jobs report as good news. Maybe you should, too.

Consider, as well, that yet another month of positive U.S. manufacturing data brought much-needed lift earlier this week. American manufacturers continue to lead the way.

Should be enough to ease worries at least a little for the holiday, right?

Here’s hoping that you enjoy the fruits of your labor this weekend, and that after that, economic momentum picks up the pace.

Keeping in Mind What Really Matters

In the end, it’s about family, friends and community.

But how often do we reflect on these foundations in the midst of our busy days? Sometimes it takes a personal struggle to put it all in perspective.

Jay Williams talked about his own such journey this week at the annual meeting of the newly renamed Waukesha County Business Alliance.

Jay had a long, successful career in banking, most recently at the helm of The PrivateBank – Wisconsin. Then cancer blew in like a tornado, taking the life of both his father and son and threatening his own. Through this adversity, Jay saw what many would miss: an opportunity to reevaluate what’s most important in life. He thought a lot about what he wanted his legacy to be.

As a result, Jay is now devoting himself to something he’s long been passionate about: the Milwaukee community. Today, he’s president and CEO of the Milwaukee Public Museum, a vital and historic community institution. He’s applying his experience to advance a cultural asset that can benefit greatly from his financial and business management expertise.

Jay sets a fine example for many business leaders, who have so much to offer nonprofits like MPM. While not everyone can dedicate all their time to their favorite cause, every business can do its part.

Leaders can lead by example in their charity work, while providing opportunities wherever possible for their employees to do the same.

I believe we all do better work when we keep in mind why we’re doing that work in the first place. That’s why being a force for good makes good business sense. Ultimately, it truly is about family, friends and community. Thanks, Jay, for reminding us.

American Manufacturers Must Band Together

"We must hang together, gentlemen...else, we shall most assuredly hang separately." - Benjamin Franklin

American manufacturers can be proud of their resurgence. This blog posting from one of our clients, Dave Lawrence of Milacron, underscores the importance of American manufacturing and its leading role in assisting our country’s future. As Lawrence states, “It will take collaboration, advocacy and a renewed commitment among manufacturers,” to lead the way into a stronger economy.

Manufacturers Must Capitalize on Current Momentum

While the rest of the economy rides the roller coaster, American manufacturers have been on a strong, steady climb.

Here’s some of the latest evidence that manufacturers are leading the way out of the recession.

It’s been a long time since our country’s factories have been at the forefront of positive economic trends. And we hope the public is taking notice. But the reality is, manufacturers can’t simply hope that people are aware of their successes.

No, the manufacturing industry has spent too many years burdened by bad news and perceptions of impending doom to suddenly expect opinions to change. Meanwhile, many of these companies have been too busy just trying to stay afloat to bother with branding, marketing, advertising, PR and all the other pursuits that could help turn the tide.

But now we arrive at this crossroads. It’s a perfect opening for manufacturers to use their momentum to their advantage, and get out in the marketplace with a forceful message about what makes them unique—the exciting work they do and the extraordinary value they provide to customers every day.

Manufacturers have proven themselves up to the challenge of an incredibly difficult economic environment. Now is the time to leave all that behind.