Dr. Lois Frankel, President of Corporate Coaching International, says that we’ll know when women have reached the top when we quit counting and no longer cite how many women are sitting on the Supreme Court or how many women are world leaders. We’ll really know women have arrived at the apex when the court is populated by all women and we don’t even notice. That is the real test of success for her lifelong work as a best-selling author, keynote speaker, and executive coach. Starting with her first book, Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office, Dr. Lois has shown women how to use their voices and skills to go beyond the models we were given as girls and grow into the adult leading women we have the talent to become.
What’s New Since Dr. Lois Started the Nice Girls Series
Although she says that change is moving at a glacial speed, Dr. Lois does admit that some things have changed. People are talking and corporations are helping them do it through affinity groups, also called Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). These have cropped up in the last 10 years. She recalled her time at Pepsi when they had 12-14 affinity groups for each diverse group. She said that the company really valued diversity, and they grouped people together who shared common challenges, with separate groups for Asians, one group for Latinos, one for African-American women, and one for LGBTQ. They wanted each group to bring their unique challenges out into the open, share them and together, work on solutions.
In the spirit of In This Together, Dr. Nancy says that we have to talk to each other and realize that each woman is unique in her own way. Lois agrees and adds that we need to embrace our gifts and understand, “We’re all more the same than different, but it’s those differences that bring a richness to our decision-making and to our lives, and to just every aspect of society.”
How Nice Girls Speak Up and Stand Out
Dr. Lois’ new book is due out in January as an audio book and is currently titled, Nice Girls Don’t Speak Up or Stand Out: How to Make Your Voice Heard, Your Point Known and Your Presence Felt. She said that people would approach her after she delivered keynotes and ask if there was a book on communication that covered what she had discussed. When she realized that no one book did, she decided that “readers” needed to hear the examples, rather than read them on a page, so she chose to create an audio book.
More Perspectives on Helping and Advancing Women
Listen to this interview to hear Dr. Lois’ fascinating personal story, and how she changed course to become a successful entrepreneur and keynote speaker. Check out her website and all eight of her books about and for women. Find out more about her how her Bloom Again Foundation helps women with breast cancer. And learn what’s keeping women from becoming leaders, and how people of all colors and genders need to come together to help women reach the top.