Mindy Gibbins-Klein makes the case for more female dispatches from the boardroom, and a greater influence across the world of business
There are more women in business than ever before, and this provides some great opportunities. More balanced decision-making and leadership, more diversity of thought in discussions and more thought leadership from women’s perspectives.
Looking back over my 18 years in the publishing industry, I’m encouraged to see more women than ever before writing and publishing business books, however, there is still a long way to go. The opportunity is there to speak up and be heard; now more women need to take advantage of it and get published.
Female business professionals, like all professionals, learn from mentors and role models. The majority of these role models who are speaking, writing and training others are male, which is just a reflection of historical behaviours and the numbers involved. Until a few decades ago, there simply weren’t as many women achieving great things in business.
We all like to learn from people who have “been there and done it” and whom we can respect and relate to. Many women want to read books written by people who have experienced similar challenges to them. I’ve interviewed hundreds of businesswomen on this subject, and they all say they want to read more books written by women – not to the exclusion of books by men, but to add to those references.
The different angles and challenges presented by female authors tend to resonate with women in business – challenges such as juggling work and family, struggling with confidence, overt or subtle discrimination. Of course, people in many other social groups may also face the same issues, but it’s a known fact that a large percentage of women face these issues. And it could be that the thoughts shared by female authors could enlighten people from other groups.
Some fantastic success stories have been emerging lately, and they should be made available to inspire others. Women who have built businesses and careers have more than enough to share with other women. They simply need to take the first step and decide to put their thoughts out there.
Mindy Gibbins-Klein is a global thought-leadership expert and founder of Panoma Press, REAL Thought Leaders, and
The Book Midwife®. Her latest book ‘The Thoughtful Leader’ is available from Amazon and all good bookstores. Find out more at:
