Girl Power

There has been a lot of discussion this year about gender equality in this country, and for good reason.  Despite the incredible accomplishments of Ginni Rometty, Meg Whitman, Marissa Mayer, and many others, nearly 96% of chief executives of the 1,000 largest corporations in the United States are men. As women, it’s easy to be discouraged.

But I am a positive person.  I don’t dwell on the negative. It doesn’t inspire, or engage, or push us forward with vigor and purpose.  I make it my mission to highlight the good; to look on the bright side; to inspire, engage, and push forward with that vigor and purpose.

In that spirit, here are a few statistics to chew on.

• Even though women occupy only 4% of CEOs in the top 1000 corporations in America, those female CEOs generate 7% of the Fortune 1000’s total revenue.
• Fortune 1000 companies with female CEOs outperformed the S&P 500 index over their respective tenures.
• More is being done right now than ever before to promote women. It’s still not enough, but it’s also still growing.

Women are a key catalyst for positive change, and champion many of the issues that affect us all such as education, the arts, healthcare, and human rights. Throughout the world, women lead key efforts to advance innovation in global markets, empower women in fledgling democracies, promote education reform and the arts, and support the men and women of our Nation’s armed services.

Companies like Cisco, for example (that’s one I know a little bit about), are leading the way! Inspired by Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In, CEO John Chambers felt “a renewed sense of urgency to make progress” and implemented a ‘Gender Strategy.’ This accelerated succession plans for female executives, created an advancement pipeline, and launched leadership workshops.

Women have made great progress in promoting the importance and promise of gender equality.  But we have a lot more work to do.

Our mission, then, is clear: We must do everything we can to encourage, educate, inspire, and empower young women to pursue an education, a career, and a lifetime fueled by passion, philanthropy, and purpose.

Like what you hear? Pick up a copy of Every Gift Matters: How Your Passion Can Change the World, now available at Amazon.