4 Proven Strategies that Will Help You Get a Raise
The gender pay gap became front-page news last month after presidential candidate Kamala Harris announced a proposal that would require companies to prove they pay women equitably—or pay a fine.
But if you don’t want to wait to see what comes of that, here are four tips that expert Conference for Women speakers say have helped them negotiate salary increases: Read More
A Leading Doctor on Stress, Kidney Health and Work Life Balance
Featuring Dugan Maddux, M.D., Vice President for Kidney Disease Initiatives, Fresenius Medical Care North America
Happy Women’s Health Month! One issue that doesn’t get nearly enough coverage: chronic kidney disease (CKD). It’s on the rise for both women and men. We asked Dugan Maddux, M.D., vice president of kidney care initiatives at Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), to fill us in about CKD and to share her advice as a working woman for more than 25 years.
Q: Why is CKD on the rise, and what should women be on the lookout for? Read More
9 Mantras to Help You Turn Your Idea into a Business
Nathalie Molina Niño, CEO of BRAVA Investments
While starting a business, you’ll find yourself talking yourself into, and out of, a lot of choices. From idea to full-fledged enterprise, these mantras from real founders and executives will help you stay strong along the way. Pick and repeat the ones that speak to you the most.
#1. Corner yourself with courage—and go. Read More
5 Smart Steps For Future Entrepreneurs
Ann Miura-Ko, a founding partner of Floodgate
So you have a great idea for a business. What’s your next move?
First, take an honest assessment of your personality. Claire Lee, head of early stage banking at Silicon Valley Bank, has noticed three traits in successful entrepreneurs.
“Number one is adaptability: the ability to pivot, really be open to feedback and advice, knowing which to take and which to ignore,” Lee says. “Number two, and perhaps as important, is resilience and grit—you’ve really got to develop a thick skin. And third is resourcefulness—being able to leverage your network, know where to get help and not be afraid to ask for help, is critical.”
Did you check all three boxes? Great! Here are five more starter steps to help you forge a path forward: Read More
Confident Women Do These 5 Things Well
By Trish Foster, Senior Director, Gloria Cordes Larson Center for Women and Business at Bentley University
The gender confidence gap between men and women is real: compared to men, women are more deeply impacted by self-doubt. Numerous studies show that women experience unease regarding their career and job performance at a significantly greater rate than men. Women tend to apply for jobs only when they meet 100 percent of the qualifications while men feel confident to apply if they meet about 60 percent. Likewise, women have more trouble visualizing themselves as leaders than do men. And still more research suggests that women’s confidence wanes with experience while men’s grows.
But our confidence deficit is not the real news. The story that should matter for women is what erodes our confidence and, even more importantly, how we can fix it. Read More
The Mindset That Wins: Strategies of an Elite Champion Runner
If anyone knows persistence and how to stay motivated, it’s Desiree Linden, last year’s winner of the Boston Marathon in the women’s category and the first American to win in 33 years.
Here’s a peek into Linden’s winning mindset.
It starts with a no-regrets attitude.
Linden had success as a college athlete, but she wasn’t one of those stars that everyone was watching. Still, she decided to pursue her dream of going pro.
“For me, it was worth the risk of answering that ‘what if’ question,” Linden explains. “I felt like I had the ability, and if I just put in a little bit more time, maybe I could do something special. There were no guarantees that I could even make a living, but I didn’t want to look back in 10 years and go, ‘What if?’” Read More
Real Ways to Banish the Stress That Causes Burnout
We all know what we generally should do to reduce stress—eat healthy, sleep more—“so the challenge is finding what that looks like for each of us,” says Leah Weiss, a lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business and author of How We Work: Live Your Purpose, Reclaim Your Sanity, and Embrace the Daily Grind.
To help you reduce your stress, here are some strategies to consider: Read More
Want to Advance? Set up Your Own Personal Board of Directors
By Deb Pine, Executive Director, Gloria Cordes Larson Center for Women and Business & Bentley University Executive Education
As experienced and trusted advisors, mentors can have a significant impact on your career trajectory. Research has shown that people who have mentors are more likely to get promotions and are more satisfied in their jobs. When Indra Nooyi became the CEO at PepsiCo, she credited the mentoring she received for helping her break glass ceilings in business, “If I hadn’t had mentors, I wouldn’t be here today.” Read More
Letter to My Future Self
Featuring Liberty Mutual Insurance
Many of us have experienced the sense of excitement that comes from attending a conference. The amazing speakers, helpful breakout sessions and spontaneous conversations—all contribute to the buzz of new ideas and possibilities you feel. Indeed, 78 percent of Women’s Conference attendees reported feeling more optimistic about the future after attending the event.
So how do you sustain that inspiration? At both the TX and MA Conferences for Women last year, Liberty Mutual hosted “Letters to Our Future Selves” in their booth. Attendees wrote a letter to themselves describing their goals, aspirations and learnings. They will receive their letters six months after the conference. Read More
Cut the Complexity—and Do More Valuable Work
Meetings, overflowing email inboxes, procedures and policies are all adding complexity to our jobs, hurting our productivity and, most importantly, blocking us from doing the work that has meaning to us.
“Typically, we’re not [even] doing our best thinking at work because we’re so busy doing stuff,” says Lisa Bodell, founder and CEO of futurethink and author of Why Simple Wins.
Here are five ways Bodell suggests simplifying work: Read More