What Are the Systemic Difficulties That Women Face Today?

Few business leaders will openly state that they have little interest in a more gender-equal world. However, the gap between intention and outcome illustrates that nowhere near enough decisive action has been taken to make this the case.

Women founders face obstacles across the board.

The problem lies not in the fact that women don’t want to build million-dollar businesses, but in the disconnect between our dreams and the industry support we receive — or lack thereof. As the world embraces a new way of working and strategizes for a post-pandemic world, it’s vital to investigate new ways of supporting women’s entrepreneurship. Here are the key questions that we need to ask — and how we can go about resolving them.

Learn how to create a gender-equitable startup landscape and more.

Are You Ready to Lead a Hybrid Team?

There are many challenges a hybrid workforce leader must address and overcome if they want to lead a high-performing, agile team.

Leading a high-performance, engaged hybrid team requires that the employee experience is the same whether team members are in the office two days a week, five, or never. Leaders of today’s workforce must emphasize inclusion, eliminate ambiguity, ensure accountability, and support their team members’ social needs.

Here’s how.

18th Annual WPO Chicago Summit 2021 a Smashing Success!

©Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Thank you for attending our 18th Annual WPO Chicago Summit hosted via Zoom September 9, 2021.  We had a wonderful program and learned how to boost a brand for yourself and for your business.  In addition, we had a chance to get to know one another better to deepen our WPO relationships, which we all value.   

We thank SimplyBe. CEO Jessica Zweig for her keynote presentation and Bryan Carter for his fine assistance.

 

We thank all of our sponsors who support WPO.   

Special thanks to our virtual host Foley & Lardner – Chicago members Lauren Loew and Ellen Wheeler.

Much appreciation to our WPO Chicago Steering Committee members: Karolyn Raphael, President, Winger Marketing (Chicago I), AJ Goehle, CEO, Luci Creative (Chicago I) and Genevieve Custer Weeks, Founder, Tutu School Franchises (Chicago II). Without their help, this program would not have been possible.  

Lastly, a shout out to designer Laura Fairman for her great work on the graphic!

Looking forward to next year's Summit and meanwhile, stay in good touch!

3 Ways to Handle Competition

According to Ilisa Kaufman, Psy.D., a Miami-based psychologist, there are three ways a person can handle competition, or rather “perceived competition.” 

They either:

1. Rise
2. Rant – or
3. Remove

Depending upon how a person responds, it might impact their functioning in general, especially social interactions.

Read on to learn how you can win when competing for success.