Springtime. Stormy skies and sunshine. Sweet scenting flowers everywhere. Life is bursting from the earth. It makes me feel so alive, but exactly in this season we lost a dear member of my husband’s family. My husband and I had the privilege to be present at his deathbed. We were holding his hand while his […]
What gives life meaning? Find your Ultimate Why Read More »
Gender stereotypes can kill a woman’s self-confidence, new research by Harvard Business School Assistant Professor Katherine Coffman shows. Oh no! Yet another reason why we can’t make it?! [Women] lack confidence in their ability to compete in fields that men are stereotypically believed to perform more strongly in, such as science, math, and technology. Women
Yet another set back for women? Please! Read More »
Domestic violence has struck about 750,000 adults in the Netherlands at least once in the last five years. 65% of these victims are women. 250,000 women experienced violence more than once and for 100,000 of them, the violence is routine. Between 90,000 and 120,000 children younger than 17 are experiencing abuse as well. Above age
Leadership against victimhood Read More »
Women in leading positions are often judged to be not nice. This is one reason why so few women want to be boss, I believe. Yet, one condition to achieve Sustainable Leadership for Women is indeed to stop being so nice. Women needing to be nice is why we’re practically absent where the decisions are taken,
Women leaders, please don’t be nice! Read More »
While walking back from a delightful lunch with a dear friend today, from a distance I heard the sad sounds of bugles. At the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, overlooking the oldest part of the city of Brussels, I stopped to attend the commemoration of the soldiers who died in World War I. With a
At a time when women outnumber men at university in most Western countries, I think it’s safe to say that lack of intelligence cannot be the reason why women still are lagging behind when it comes to occupying decision-making positions. Similarly, it’s been known for at least 30 years that more women at the top
More women leaders? Get real women to the top. Read More »
As the efforts to reach gender parity grow, more and more ‘gaps’ come to the surface. There is the pay gap, the career gap, the healthy movement gap, the chores gap, and so on. Lately I’ve come across articles about the gender confidence gap, and how to tackle it. I’m adding mine. A recent piece
#1 issue to solve: the gender confidence gap Read More »
Recent research by Bank of America Merrill Lynch shows that employing more women at the top is excellent for share prices. All male boards will soon have to let more women in, not because they like to share power, but because this is what moves the money. Women now have more economic power than ever.
More women at the top boosts share prices Read More »
Recently I read an interview with a business woman who said that the best thing she ever did for herself was to let go of perfectionism. She was right. Self-oriented perfectionism can be debilitating. As a recovering perfectionist, I know this well. Wikipedia describes the condition as ‘a personality trait characterised by a person’s striving
To be the perfect woman Read More »
Recently I had the privilege of attending a diner with the great Jane Goodall, a true example of women power. This meeting with 135 women in Amsterdam, aimed to generate ideas of how to support Jane in her mission. Most people associate this grand lady with chimpanzees, but the cause for which she still travels
