But rather than waiting for the structural impact of women’s workforce participation to take effect at senior levels, women are, instead, taking matters into their own hands. Support networks and groups are being formed such as Women 2.0, Young Women Social Entrepreneurs and the Blogher network – complete with mentoring opportunities, professional networking events and conferences – and all this effort is now beginning to bear fruit.

Research by Cindy Padnos, managing director of Illuminate Ventures, indicates that the performance of women in the enterprise – especially in startup businesses – has significant benefits. Not only are the high-tech companies that  women build more capital-efficient than the norm (with higher revenues and less committed capital), there are fewer failures:

As the global economy regenerates, new business models are needed to stimulate economic and job growth. Investors seeking to reinvigorate bottom-line performance and to favorably impact the entrepreneurial strength of our economy would be wise to support strategies that enable high-tech start-ups that are inclusive of women entrepreneurs.

But what it the opportunity for leaders? First, we need to acknowledge that we are not facing a recession – but a reset (as John Hope Bryant suggests). Next we need to look to those women in our management ranks who are already leaders in their fields. We need to support them and mentor them in the way that the grass roots social networks are doing. And we need to actively plan for their success and succession.

Nina Nets It Out: The statistics are starting to tell the tale – but despite clear economic and professional benefit, there is still a dearth of senior roles available for women. Smart business leaders will proactively support the transition of women leaders into more senior roles – and those that do will reap the rewards.

Just a generation ago, women were largely confined to repetitive, menial jobs. They were routinely subjected to casual sexism and were expected to abandon their careers when they married and had children. Today they are running some of the organisations that once treated them as second-class citizens.

However, the number of women who are actually running or leading these organizations are few and far between. Despite a resounding correlation between business performance and the number of women holding management and leadership positions, women remain substantially under-represented in such roles – with only 2% of the top jobs in the US and 5% in the UK being filled by women.

Orit Gadiesh and Julie Coffman wonder if there is something more systemic to this situation and are running a survey to investigate. You can participate in this survey here – with the results being presented at this year’s World Economic Forum at the end of January 2010.

Nina Nets It Out: In a time where expertise and experience is prized – where talent is scarce and will continue to be so, organizations with a pool of talented women will likely outperform their competitors. It’s time that we understand and begin to grow this vital two percent.

With more and more men forced to stay home, more and more women are bringing home the bacon. Women are more likely than ever to head their own families. They’re doing it all—and many of them have to do it all. When they work, it’s no longer just for “the little extras.” Their income puts food on the table and a roof over their heads, just like men’s income always did.

Even a quick glance at the Shriver Report signals the widespread changes that have occurred in just a generation. Between 1975 and 2008, the “traditional” family structure (a working husband only) has more than halved, from 52% to 21%. This has impacted families and women in particular in a myriad of ways – generating political, policy and organizational challenges around flexible working hours, child care, opportunity, equal pay and family care. At the same time, it is clear that women are reaping the benefits of education – women now receive 62% of college associate’s degrees, 57% of bachelor’s degrees, 60% of all masters degrees, half of all professional degrees and just under 50% of all PhDs – a stunning turnaround since 1970, especially at the upper end where women received fewer than 10% of professional and doctoral degrees.

Yet despite these indicators, and despite the fact that we have women in the high ranking public positions of Secretary of State and Speaker of the House, it seems that appearances are, in fact, deceiving. In her New York Times article, The Mismeasure of Women, Joanne Lipman suggests, “… Somewhere along the line, especially in recent years, progress for women has stalled. And attitudes have taken a giant leap backward.”

Rather than focusing only on the statistics – on the numbers, the gains, the incremental improvements, we need to look, as Joanne Lipman suggests, to changes in perception, alterations in behavior and how this creates the conditions for a change in the way this nation thinks of, and engages, its women citizenry. We need to take the same approach within our organizations – looking at what Jo Miller calls the “shadow organization” – the networks of relationships that hold and carry influence, and create action across the enterprise regardless of hierarchy – and actively put in place plans to promote our achievements and influence the way that they are perceived and even valued.

For sure, we have made progress, but better jobs, more pay and greater opportunity is one thing. Respect is another. Our challenge as leaders is to shift the conversation around the topic of women. After all, if you want profits, you have to smash the glass ceiling. It’s time to put the numbers to work – our numbers, the numbers that lie behind Maria Shriver’s report – and we’ll all be better off for it.

Nina Nets It Out: Women have made significant gains in the last 30-40 years. But for all the statistics, there are still inequalities – cultural inequalities which threaten to undo the good work of a generation. Leaders, as the custodians of organizational culture, have an important part to play in transforming both the perception and reality of women in business.

I strongly encourage readers to click over and to explore not just the set of questions that arose from the office politics webinar, but to delve further into the Women’s Leadership Coaching site.  The webinar series is an excellent way to hear from various industry professionals on topics that are very relevant to those in the workforce.

And in case you missed my discussion with Jo, you can find it here.

Jo Miller, CEO of Women’s Leadership Coaching, and I will be talking about “Winning at the Game of Office Politics” on Tuesday, February 24 2009, 11:00am-12:00pm PST

Some topics we’ll be addressing include:

• Is it possible to navigate office politics without becoming a political animal?
• Learn the difference between office politics and organizational awareness.
• Discover the unwritten “rules of the game” at work.
• Understand the dynamics of power and influence in your organization.

Get a copy of the presentation and listen to the podcast by clicking here.

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Please take the time to browse through these pages and if these messages affect you, please consider making a donation to invest in a group of women in the Philippines.

The women who participated in this project are:
Alison Spencer, IBM Australia
Amy Palko, Less Ordinary, Scotland
Anita Pahor, Women’s Opportunity Director, Australia
Beth Kanter Social Media for NonProfits
Bonnie McEwan Owner, Make Waves: Impact Marketing for Nonprofits USA
Cindy Lenferna de la Motte, Director at Fashion Collaborative, Australia
Danielle Johnston, Business Director, Committee for Melbourne, Australia
Debbe Kennedy, Founder, President, and CEO Global Dialogue Center and Leadership Solutions Companies, USA http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com http://www.puttingourdifferencestowork.com
Janette Toral, digitalfilipino.com Australia/Philippines
Joanna Young, Confident Writing, writing coach, Scotland
Kieran Cannistra, Innovation Editor IBM, USA
Linda Griffin Founder ClearWind LLC, USA
Lindy McKeown, eLearning Consultant, Australia
Lynne Wenig, Scope President (2005 – 2007) Australia
Marigo Raftopoloulos
Michelle Zamora, AP SOA Marketing Leader, IBM, Australia
Nina Simosko, Global Chief Operating Officer, SAP Education USA
Penni Russon, Author, Australia www.pennirusson.com
Phaedra Boinidiris, CEO, WomenGamers.Com USA
Renee Wolforth, Attorney, Washington, USA
Dr Robyn McMaster Sr VP MITA International Brain Based Cente
Sacha Chua, Canada/Philippines
Shai Coggins,Co-Founder & Community Strategist, b5media.com
Silvia Guccione, Director, Pomodoro Italian Cooking School, Australia
Suzanne Male, Publisher, Smink Works Books, Australia
Sacha Chua, Philippines and Canada

Nina Nets It Out: Leadership is not all big picture strategy. It is getting things done. It is achieving outcomes. It is identifying needs and gaps and moving to find solutions. A Woman’s Investment is a great example of grass roots leadership. Please support this great effort.

Much attention is paid to the disparities between men and woman in the workplace. It is true that women are generally paid less (roughly seventy-five cents on the dollar), encounter the glass ceiling earlier (of course, men don’t encounter it at all), must network more creatively and carefully, and generally wrestle more with the never-ending work/family/life balancing act. Yet it is also true that women are rising and succeeding in the business world more effectively than ever before. It is an indisputable fact that women have made substantial strides in recent decades, further underscored by Fortune’s 2008 list of the

Fortune’s list reveals some positive and encouraging trends: More than 50% of the winners are 50 and under, several are younger than 40. They hail from a wide cross section of industries and have a fair amount of diversity among their ranks. Many are competently juggling family and business life. And while the salary gap between men and women is still marked, one cannot help but applaud the fact that progress is clearly being made and will inevitably continue to trend upwards.

To be sure, gender equality in the workforce and beyond is a noble goal. But the continued advancement of professional women is important for all organizations looking to expand, diversify and become increasingly competitive.  Research in Europe and the United States suggests that companies with more senior-level women tend to perform better financially. Hiring and retaining women at all levels also enlarges a company’s pool of talent, important to fuel ongoing growth as well as hedge against leaner periods. Coaching, mentoring, and networking programs all have and continue to result in executive success and retention, increasingly important business and efficiency metrics.

This is an incredibly exciting time for women. In the political arena, we’ve seen a woman very nearly miss the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. A bold and outspoken, albeit controversial, female Vice Presidential candidate is on the Republican ticket. Women executives are making amazing strides in terms of compensation, position and power. And with the current state of the global economy, I would expect that discrimination across races and genders will decrease even more as we are forced to focus on the results and outcomes versus the person or package delivering them.

Yes, it is still the case that the higher up in a company you look, the fewer the number and percentages of women. But these statistics are indisputably improving. The point is not to close gaps just because its the right thing to do. Women contribute to the work world in significant ways; it’s foolish to ignore these contributions and their impact to companies’ bottom lines. With women also tending to be more loyal in the long term, we need to support and encourage the development of these executives for the benefit of all.

Nina Nets It Out: Success is success, no matter the package. Develop your resources, encourage your most promising performers and focus on developing all your best talent. Research shows that gender diversity is a goal well worth the investment, so evaluate your teams and make sure you’re supporting your people with a blind eye to all but their potential, your organizations subsequent enrichment and an ultimate boost to the bottom line.

More than 1,200 entries were submitted for consideration in 50 categories, including Best Executive, Best Entrepreneur, and Best Community Involvement Program. I’m pleased to say that I have been listed as a Finalist in the Best Executive – Service Businesses – More Than 2,500 Employees category.

It is humbling to be included in a list of women leaders of this stature! The other finalists are:

• Maria Pardee, President of Global Integration, BT Design
• Gail Donovan, Executive VP & COO, Continuum Health Partners
• Deborah Bothun, U.S. Advisory Leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Entertainment, Media and Communications Practice and Global Convergence Leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers
• Susan St. Ledger, Senior Vice President of the High Tech and Manufacturing Vertical, Salesforce.com
• Lizabeth H. Zlatkus, Executive VP and Chief Financial Officer, The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.
• Kathy Pankanin, Area Vice President, VWR International
• Jessie Paul, Chief Marketing Officer, Wipro Technologies

Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word “crowned,” winners will be announced during a gala event at the Marriott Marquis hotel in New York on Friday, November 14.

The ForbesLife Executive Women’s list of the highest-paid women in corporate America provides an interesting benchmark. Clearly, money is just one measurement — and for most executives, it is not the overriding factor in taking a leadership role. However, looking at the Forbes list, there are 100 women earning at least $3 million per year — which pales in comparison to the best-paid men in corporate America who pocketed at least $18 million.

Now, I agree, to the average person, these salaries appear astronomical. But it is important to remember that executive salaries set the benchmark by which all other pay scales are measured. Why, as a society, do we deem it acceptable for discrepancies of this magnitude to exist? They should no more exist at the executive level than they should at the intern level.

Judith H. Dobrzynski suggests that we need to herald the achievements of women leaders at the highest levels while also recognizing the work of women leading smaller firms and sizeable divisions of companies. Only by doing so, can we turn around the stereotyping that limits the opportunities open to women in corporate America. A good place to start is on the News on Women website. For while there is more work ahead of us, we are clearly not alone.

Nina Nets It Out: While great gains have been made by women in the corporate world, there is still a massive disparity between the earnings of women and men. Supporting and publicizing the success of women leaders at all levels is an essential part of transforming the workplace. Have you done your part today?

The insightful Wally Bock provided a very interesting, two part answer. Firstly, he checked his personal bookcase and noted that of the 50 or so business books he has/is in the process of reading, very few of the authors were women (which is one of the main methods of building a profile). Now, a leading business blogger like Wally is bound to be high on the list of publicists wanting to raise the profiles of business authors, so while this is a personal view, it really is a telling situation. As Wally says:

In all of those fifty books, there were only three woman authors. Lisa Haneberg had two books on my shelf. Elizabeth Craig of Accenture was co-author of The Talent-Powered Organization. And Erika Anderson wrote the book I’ll be reviewing next, an excellent one called Growing Great Employees.

But it was the second part of Wally’s answer that intrigued me most. Wally pointed out that part of Tom Davenport’s assessment method included a ranking based on hits on Google and Lexis/Nexis. However, before a “potential leadership guru” could even be assessed, they needed to be on the short list of candidates:

… We don’t know who makes up the initial list of names to try on Google and Lexis/Nexis. I didn’t see it in the Journal article or in Davenport’s 2003 book. Your name won’t even get run against the indices if you’re not on the list to start with. So who picks the initial list of names? Using what criteria?

Before we start to see more women on the Top 50 list (of anything), we need to see more women represented on the unpublished short lists of those responsible for compiling the lists. We need to see more women being recognized for their outstanding contributions to business, governance and politics. In fact, we need to see more women being recognized, period.

With this in mind, I would like to enlist your help.

The team behind the Thinkers 50, the bi-annual listing of the world’s most important and influential business thinkers allow you to vote on their site. You can vote for someone who is already on the list, or you can nominate someone new. Take a few moments to think of the women leaders you find inspiring, review the list, and add the leader you most admire (there are only four women on the list as I write).

Nina Nets It Out: The next Thinkers 50 list is announced in 2009 — and I hope to see more than four women in the top 50. Make your vote count!