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The issue has been getting lots of ink in the last couple of weeks — that issue being women in the corporate workplace. First, Fortune magazine’s September issue reported its list of the 50 most powerful women. Then came the report by Lean In and McKinsey & Company, Women in the Workplace 2015, and Sheryl Sandberg’s summary of the report in the Wall Street Journal, “When Women Get Stuck, Corporate America Gets Stuck.”
The first (Fortune top 50) is a celebration. That list has been an inspiration since it was first created in 1998.The list is more powerful than ever with 27 CEO’s of powerhouse companies like GM, IBM, PepsiCo and Lockheed Martin. Their stories and accomplishments are simply awesome. In 1998, there were two women Fortune 500 CEO’s. Over time, it will become more and more powerful as more women make it to top spots in bigger companies.
The Fortune piece states the obvious, though, “women remain woefully underrepresented in executive suites.” That’s the conclusion of the McKinsey/Lean In study. I will dig into analysis of the study in the next weeks. But I pause to celebrate the progress that has been made. As I’ve said before, we can see the glass as half-empty of half-full. Right now, I’m in a “half-full” mood and want to enjoy the “most powerful” list.
Are you impressed with the continued increase in power among the “top 50” – or are you frustrated that change hasn’t been faster – or (like me) both?
