A study released today by UC Davis on California Women Business Leaders reinforces the commitment of Seed 2020 organizers to provide networking opportunities for women owned businesses.
Of the 400 public California companies surveyed a few key facts came to light from the study.
- 118 have no women board directors and
no women executives
- 15 have female CEOs
It’s interesting to note that this study has been conducted for the past 5 years and there has been little change in the numbers 10.6% of top positions are held by females.
This indicates that there is still a corporate cultural reluctance to move women up the ladder. This article discusses the study. Wendy Beecham, chief executive of Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and Executives talks about why the upward mobility has stalled.
The most interesting point Ms. Beecham makes is:
Women don’t always have role models or mentors to help them advance in corporate careers.
That is a distinctive disadvantage. I agree with Ms. Beecham’s statement that people tend to hire like people. Thus there exist multiple obstacles to overcome in the continued struggle to move into powers of position.
Seed 2020 is designed to connect women and minority owned businesses to other business people who can help them grow. This movement offers live networking opportunities. As the program evolves and our supporters voice their needs and share their struggles our purpose will evolve to meet those needs and shared expectations.
One event we will be planning for in early 2010 is an event designed to allow small groups to solve real problems presented by our members. We hope that as we listen and design programs that meet real needs, the connections we make will help women owned businesses overcome the challenges that their counterparts in California experience.
Mentoring is one of our goals. It’s amazing to me that as far as women have come since the suffrage movement began there is still so far to go. No, I’m not a rabid feminist, I still like it when doors are held open for me. Nevertheless, I want my work to be judged on my ability, my intelligence, and my client’s satisfaction. I want to accomplish what my male counterparts accomplish, especially if I’m putting in the same effort.
Giving voice to methods women can use to break the glass ceiling and succeed in the corporate world makes being a part of Seed 2020 exciting and inspiring. I have had and continue to meet great role models, both male and female. Using their knowledge and experience and learning the ins and outs of how to relate with all levels of company workers has been invaluable. Seed 2020 offers the opportunity for women to benefit from the collective knowledge and experience that has allowed our members to succeed in much the same way.
Matching members to mentors, providing methods to navigate the corporate minefield and offering practical advise that is easily applied is just one more way for Seed 2020 to contribute to the success of women and minority owned businesses.
Constance Ard November 19, 2009
Posted by answermaven 
Even if your company operates in the typical teenage manner, drifting through the days from activity to activity, forward movement is ongoing. The teenager finally realizes its time to think about “the future” and plans are made and executed for college applications, moving into an apartment with their friends etc. The company too can drift forward until its time to think about “the future” and suddenly have their attention grabbed by the inefficient processes. Once that happens, thinking critically about how to share information and with whom is a necessary first step. Decentralized files in a collaborative environment is a handicap that is easily overcome. In a later post, I’ll discuss some of the solutions that are available to you for this first step from company adolescence to adulthood in information management.
Posted by answermaven 
Today, I’ve been exploring my Google Wave account, getting familiar with exactly what it is, how it can be used and thinking about what its impact may be. The biggest advantage I see to it right now, is as a replacement for that ongoing email exchange between people working together on a project and the ease of sharing items beyond documents as attachments for which email is so often used. The rich content that can be embedded into a wave is a useful component of this collaboration. The “ping” feature seems to be an evolution of instant messaging.
Posted by answermaven 
