Happy Birthday to us!
Happy Birthday to us! 
Wow, our book launched one year ago. Since then, we have spoken at over 50 (!!) companies and forums.
We have collected even more stories, more evidence of allyship, and more confidence that we can make progress for women in the workplace.
Check out some surprising places we showed up below >>>
WORLD. ECONOMIC. FORUM.
Yes, we spoke at the World Economic Forum’s HQ in NYC!
L to R: Lori Marcus, Cie Nicholson, Katie Lacey, Angelique Bellmer Krembs, Mitzi Short
You may know that WEF are fierce advocates for workplace equity – in fact, of the 17 UN Sustainable Development goals, Gender Equity is considered to be a top 5 imperative.
WEF famously produces the Global Gender Gap report, which in 2023 shows it will take 131 (!!) years to close the gender gap across the globe.
BRIGHT SPOT:
WEF invited us to create a series to highlight key insights from the report and the ACTION we recommend, based on our expertise.
Teaser: here are the 3 headlines…
1 – This stubborn barrier is widening the gap for women in leadership
2 – How ‘sponsors’ can achieve gender parity in leadership
3 – Four insidious phrases that keep the gender gap in leadership from closing.
Stay tuned to see this content on the World Economic Forum’s blog, the Forum Agenda – which boasts a monthly audience of *ahem* 1.5 million readers!
And, the U.S. AIR FORCE!
Yes indeed – we made a connection with a passionate group of women and men within the Innovation hub of the U.S. Air Force, called Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).
Turns out, the AFRL had pursued a self-examination of gender bias in their workplace a few years ago, after a young female scientist pointed out that there were few women at the leadership table.
Shocking/not shocking, the issues are very similar for women in the government and for corporate America. The great news is there are a lot of senior leaders there willing to take action.
The AFRL’s women’s network (Women in Science & Engineering, aka
AFWiSE) hosted us at an event attended by over 200 leaders, both men and women, across the department. Their most senior leader, executive director Timothy Sakulich, enthusiastically introduced us, and one of their senior female scientists, Dr Joni Arnold, joined us in telling stories and actions needed.
Stay tuned for more content coming out of our surprising connection!
The Summer We Turned Pretty … Loud
Even though the weather has turned cooler, we still recall the heat from our exciting Summer 2023 speaking events:
– Spencer Stuart executive search (broadcast to all offices!)
– Women in Capital Markets Champions of Change Gala (in Toronto, an audience of 800 women and men across financial services!)
– World Economic Forum NYC (also broadcast to their offices in San Fran and Geneva!)
– Morgan Stanley ISG (a repeat visit, for a wider set of leaders!)
What we are most proud of:
1 – every one of these audiences included as many men as women. #allyship
2 – the feedback consistently supports that this topic is important in every workplace today.
3 – we are having an impact, making the issues easy to talk about, and easy to act upon.
Band of Sisters events Summer 2023
Of course, we know these issues are not just in “corporate America.” We are finding the issues to be common across all types of industries, and in many parts of the first world.
Just ask Taylor Swift.
And the 52,000 people who viewed this video on our Instagram account!!
😳😰 From our group chat:
Here are a few cultural references that make for good dinner party conversation
The power of “Weak language” – NYTimes.
A hot take from our workplace hero Adam Grant: consider broadening the acceptable styles of leadership – for both women and men.
The origins of “Honest Overconfidence” – Against the Rules/Michael Lewis
Did you know that men overestimate their capability by 30%, while women underestimate by 30%? And this gap starts in the sixth grade!!
Understanding “Not here bias” – HBR
We are urged to define a “good” organization differently. It is not one that has gender equity – because none do. Rather, it is one that actively identifies, acknowledges, and combats inequity.
New call to action for women leaders: “Learn Poker!” – Time article
Apparently, there is no better source for learning how to survive and thrive in the workplace than the lessons of bluffing and gamesmanship.
Next up
For those who have long abandoned the physical print form of books, rejoice! Our AUDIO BOOK is in the works!! Expected to be ready by December 2023.
If anyone has an idea of a forum where our message should be heard, please let us know. We thank you in advance for any warm introductions. Let’s keep the momentum going!
Many thanks to all these sponsors who have hosted us so far: