‘What shall we do? ‘I don’t mind. Whatever you like.’ When I was younger, my conversations would often follow this pattern, me being the one not minding. One day, a friend gave me the well-meant advice to get some assertiveness training, because I seemed so insecure. But I didn’t feel like that at all. Nowadays, I sometimes …
Ever been told to be more assertive? Don’t listen. Read this: Read More »
When I put a few pages about Barbie in my latest book – We-mind vs Me-mind, published in July – I wanted to illustrate how what we’ve learned to value in ourselves and others is making a lot of people deeply unhappy and perpetuates the very situation we want to change. Unfortunately, the latest Barbie …
Stereotypical Barbie is dead, long live the stereotype! Read More »
After playing up for a while, my, no, our washing machine broke down. ‘I’ll take care of this,’ Hugh, my very supportive husband said. Within a few days a repairman showed up on our doorstep at 8 a.m.. Together they went to work. Half an hour later I was called to the scene. The moment …
The other day I was talking to a friend whose birthday is coming up. ‘Not much fun in these isolated days,’ I started our conversation. The frown I saw appearing on her face seemed to split the screen in two. ‘I’m working day and night!’ There was a slight wobble in her voice. ‘Other colleagues …
Money is hardly ever what my clients view as their main problem. Indeed, often, interwoven in their stories are signs that they don’t care for it that much. And why should they? ‘Money is the source of all evil,’ they say in English. In French ‘money is the sinew of war.’ In Dutch a person …
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, …
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 …
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. …
That working women get punished for being mothers is not new. However, when researchers of the Universities of Gent and Leuven, Belgium, sent out 960 job applications with different profiles, they found that children are bad news for working fathers too. Male candidates with children were invited 18% less often for job interviews. According to Professor Stijn …
‘I see so many women who are great at their jobs, but also at remaining invisible,’ says Elke Jeurissen, founder of the Belgian women’s network ‘De Straffe Madammen‘ (The Strong Ladies). On Story Club, the site where Business Story Teller Raf Stevens posts his interviews (in Dutch) with a variety of people, Elke Jeurissen explains …
Networking is essential to help your business flourish, but women tend to limit their exposure to new people and new ideas. Hermiana Ibarra, professor of Organisational Behavior at London Business School, analyses why, in this piece below. Source: Why strategic networking is harder for women | Herminia Ibarra
In the two weeks since it’s possible, 550 Dutch women have reported being discriminated against at work because they’re pregnant. Companies who, for example, don’t extend a contract, will be punished. That’s good. But a radical change of mindset is required, that stops seeing children as the sole responsibility of women; that also stops …
Discrimination when pregnant no longer tolerated in the Netherlands Read More »
