Understanding Leadership Barriers for Women

According to the White House Project Report 2009 women earn 60% of all degrees and make up 57% of the nation’s college students but only represent 26% of executive level positions. The Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology is working to change this statistic by promoting positive changes in institutional and organization life. One important way to make this change is to find or act as a role model and/or mentor to other women. Building experiences is another great way for young women to break through the glass ceiling. These experiences will build on leadership skills.


Trotman Reid, PhD presented several key activities for women to work on:

• Set you own goals and remember to dream

• Develop your skills and your network

• Adapt a few mentors and cultivate advisers

• Volunteer and self-nominate

• Act like a leader, because perception often becomes reality

• Know the rules and learn the history

• Lean how to share the work and the credit

• Seek balance and live by your priorities

• Make a life, not just a career

The Dad Effect

Can you take control of the board room, keep your cool in stressful situations and successfully manage your peers and direct reports in the office? If so, you may have your Dad to thank, according to recent research that suggests that strong father-son bond forged during childhood may help men deal with everyday stress and relationships later in life. Mallers, PhD examined men about the quality of their father/child relationships, as well as stressful events over several weeks. Mallers found that men who reported a good relationship with their fathers during childhood were less affected by stressful events than those who had poor father-child relationships.

RICH DAD, POOR DAD by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon L. Lechter discusses the importance of mentoring your children into successful careers and relationships. Although I agree that this is extremely important, Mallers research indicates that you can start today by simply wrestling with your kids. Maller suggests that rough and tumble play stimulates and challenges children and can even improve problem solving skills.

So put down those flash cards and build a future leader with some rough play.