Women Statistically Outperform Men

Women are statistically outperforming men in various categories, but this has not always been the case. For centuries, boys seemingly held the upper hand in various facets of life like academics and careers. 

Women now account for 50.7% of the college-educated labor force, having surpassed men as of 2023. According to a McKinsey & Company study, companies with female leaders demonstrate higher success rates in organization and financial performance. Regarding college acceptances throughout the country, women have been proven to have higher acceptance rates compared to their male counterparts. 

Read on to discover women’s profound success in the workforce that can be largely attributed to changing social norms. 

This Woman Shares Her Secrets For Getting the Most Out of AI at Work

Formerly the global head of machine learning for startups and venture capital at Amazon Web Services, Allie K. Miller is among the busiest AI consultants and influencers in the industry, with more than 1.6 million followers on LinkedIn alone. 

Allie says, "By the time you wake up, your AI should have already been working for you for hours.” 

Is that so?  

In an interview with Inc., Miller says that nowadays, she largely works out of Claude Code, the agentic coding system developed by Anthropic. She keeps multiple instances of Claude Code running simultaneously in separate terminals. Because these Claude Code instances have access to Miller’s filesystem, they can autonomously complete work on her behalf. 

Learn how she does this.

Companies Are Rethinking Their Compensation Strategies

Across industries, workers are finding that the relationship between performance and pay has quietly shifted. 

Take Dominique Fields who had every reason to believe she’d receive a promotion. The 32-year-old digital marketing manager in Nashville discussed internal opportunities with her manager multiple times. But with each conversation, she says, “the goal posts moved.” Then, in May 2025, she was laid off.

Fields was caught off guard. She’s not alone.  Learn why.

Business Growth Strategies That Work

Just about one in seven companies has outperformed in the past five years. This latest installment of our landmark series for CEOs highlights business growth strategies that work.

Do you think of Walmart as a media or technology company?  Discover where more than half of its operating-income growth comes from.  

Better yet, learn how leaders get ahead and stay ahead by implementing these business growth strategies that work. 

What Is Business Stress About?

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, doesn’t believe stress comes from having too much to do. Instead, he believes it comes from not doing something soon enough. 

Bezos’ net worth hovers around $234 billion. But despite decades of scaling one of the largest companies in the world, he said his experience with stress hasn’t fundamentally changed. 

According to Fortune, Bezos has said stress tends to surface not when he’s overloaded, but when he’s avoiding something.

Find out how stress is really a symptom of something, as Bezos feels.

Positioning Your Business for Growth

Nearly half of American workers are employed by a small business. These companies have been called the heart of the American economy, and data supports their longevity and success. In fact, a 2024 report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce indicates that 67% of small business owners say their business has enough cash flow right now, and 65% say their business is in “good health.”

Here are the strategies that small businesses are trying and succeeding with, as well as where to expect growth for the rest of 2026.

Run Your Business Like You Only Get One Take

Running a company means your audience is always watching. You can’t do anything new or noteworthy if you don’t put yourself out there in spite of the possibility of failure. Even a launch that underperforms provides clarity, momentum and direction. 

Learn what great business leaders performers share, and how it helps them seize opportunities instead of missing out.

It gets back to running your business like you only get one take. This is not a dress rehearsal. Real progress requires (calculated) risk.

Success On Her Terms: Empowering Journeys of Women Who Built Multi-Million Dollar Businesses

Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global (wegg) is a partner to the Women Presidents Organization.  In wegg's latest new series, Success On Her Terms, both of the multi-million dollar woman business owners in Episode 1 and Episode 2 are former WPO Chicago members.

Listen to the conversations and take note of key insights on discovering your true North and what truly matters in business and in life.

Success On Her Terms is hosted by Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global and powered by Merrill, the Baldwin Marcovici Group.

Scaling a Business Requires a New Mindset. Here’s What Might Be Holding You Back

Many founders can get their companies to $1 million in revenue, but very few successfully push through to $10 million.

The reason? They often rely on the same strategies that got them to $1 million without realizing that what worked in the early days can hold them back in the next growth phase.

Here are five common mistakes founders make that keep them from scaling to $10 million. But luckily, it’s possible to overcome them. Here’s how to scale a business the right way. 

Photos: Massive Winter Storm Sweeps Across the U.S., Including Chicago

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.  (Chicago, 1/25/26)

An extreme winter storm is underway impacting two-thirds of the U.S. Starting Friday, 1/23/26 and expected to last through Monday, freezing rain, ice, and dangerously low temperatures will stretch from New Mexico to the Northeast.

Thousands of flights have been cancelled and power outages are of catastrophic concern especially for the southern states.

Take a look. 

Do What Works

This might not be the first piece of advice you’d expect from a wildly successful business coach who helps entrepreneurs expand their businesses. But you don’t hire Amy Porterfield to help you throw spaghetti against a wall and figure out what to try next. You hire her to tell you what works. 

Learn more about how this works and Amy's tips for transformation in 2026.

How to Rethink Leadership in 2026

The World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Leadership is setting out to initiate a global leadership lab to facilitate dialogue, collaboration and action with the aim of opening up new leadership futures that will create better outcomes for people and the planet. 

In its latest report, Next generation leadership for a world in transformation: Driving dialogue and action, the council outlines a holistic approach to addressing what appears to be a systemic rather than a purely human failure: The structures and institutions, the assumptions and traits that have long shaped how leadership is defined and exerted, are under unprecedented pressure. 

The report emphasizes four interlinked, but independent variables that shape the leadership cycle regardless of sector or region:

1. How leaders are selected
2. How they are trained
3. How they take decisions and action
4. How they are incentivized to manage their succession and long-term legacy.

Read on to learn more.

The Case For the Curious Leader in 2026

Leading others is difficult. Whether managing a team of five or hundreds of thousands of employees, leadership at any organization comes with demands and burdens that can buckle superiors. 

Discover how curiosity helps leaders thrive through uncertainty, spark creativity and build resilient teams in a rapidly changing world.

Make 2026 be the year you have an edge from being a curious leader.

Own Your Destiny in 2026

©Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Here's hoping your business funds your dreams (reflects who you really are) and enables you to own your destiny in 2026.  Happy New Year! – Laurel J. Delaney, WPO Chicago Chapter Chair

Happy Holidays 2025 from WPO Chicago!

©2025 WPO Chicago.  All rights reserved.

"On behalf of the Women Presidents Organization Chicago chapter members, may the gift of happiness be yours this holiday season!" – Laurel J. Delaney, WPO Chicago Chapter Chair

Rest In Peace Dear Dr. Marsha Firestone

Founder of the Women Presidents Organization, Dr. Marsha Firestone, passed away peacefully in her home on December 7, 2025.  On behalf of all WPO members, especially in Chicago, we extend our heartfelt condolences to her son Daren, daughter-in-law Nicole, her two grandkids and other extended family members.

She was a fearless leader, visionary, trailblazer, tireless worker, and passionate advocate for women business owners.  Her legacy will live on in all of us.

The Frank & Eileen™ Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership

Thanks to the generosity of Frank & Eileen™ founder Audrey McLoghlin, The Frank & Eileen™ Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership is the premier source for business acceleration, global entrepreneurship research, and entrepreneurial leadership. 

Babson educates and empowers leaders to create social and economic impact through industry and innovation as they research and enlighten the global community about the importance of inclusive leadership for prosperity and human progress.

As women build successful businesses, they end up paying it forward for others.   

How to Make Dialogue Constructive

It’s getting hard to remember a time before polarization, self-censorship, and social-media shouting matches. But there are proven ways to make dialogue constructive, and Stanford faculty are teaching them.

Check it out from Stanford Magazine.  And don't disagree with me :-).

WPO's Women2Watch 2025 List

Congrats to all the WPO members who earned a spot on this list.  A special shout out to WPO Chicago I member, AJ Goehle, President of Luci Creative with her #33 position. We are so proud of you! Congratulations!

Good Leaders Blaze Their Own Path

Roadmaps are great for getting from Point A to Point B, but building a business isn’t a predictable journey.

Key takeaways from this article are:

• The Lewis and Clark expedition serves as an example of embracing the unknown, where their preparedness and adaptability led to monumental discoveries beyond their initial mission.
• Business leaders should approach the unknown with care and curiosity, without being constrained by rigid roadmaps that can limit innovation and response to change.
• Entrepreneurial success demands a balance of deep preparation and the flexibility to pivot when unexpected opportunities or challenges arise, much like the historic expedition.

As the author says, "If your goal is to chart new territory and build something truly useful, preparation matters – but so do curiosity and adaptability. Equip yourself for the journey, then let go of the roadmap. The most valuable opportunities will reveal themselves along the way."