The Levo League

The Ms. JD Corner 1. Dear [Law Firm Recruiter]: Snail Mail vs....

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:43:00 -0500

The Ms. JD Corner

1. Dear [Law Firm Recruiter]: Snail Mail vs. Electronic Applications (and the Curse of the Mass E-mail) A law firm recruiter explains why there’s not an upside to a snail mail application and how to make the most of electronic applications.

2. Glass Half Full: Unemployment Can Be Good For Your Career Hold on–don’t roll your eyes! Our Grateful Attorney, Barbara Borkowski, returns to describe how unemployment can actually help your career.

3. Partnerhood: Tot Mom Confesses Writer in Residence Kelly Savage Day reaches out to other female attorneys who are achieving a truly amazing feat: balancing successful careers with family.

4. A Chat with Dr. Silvia Hodges on How to Prepare for the “New Normal” in Private Practice Dr. Silvia Hodges on the new era in the legal services industry and how to prepare yourself for the challenges of the soon-to-be new normal.

5. Talking Leadership with Bonnie St. John “I was ahead in the slalom. But in the second run, everyone fell on a dangerous spot. I was beaten by a woman who got up faster than I did. I learned that people fall down, winners get up, and gold medal winners just get up faster.”

Round and Around the Internet: February 17, 2012.

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:42:00 -0500

The programmer-turned-Levo Leaguer Frances Advincula is back again with the weekly round-up of Girl Internet shining stars.

1. If you haven’t taken the wonderful opportunity Levo is offering with regards to landing your dream job, what are you waiting for? Come up with an eyecatching resume in minutes with cvmaker, but if you’re lucky enough to be design savvy, you can also check out WorkAwesome‘ssuper creative resume ideas.

2. Speaking of design skills, if that is on your to-do list for 2012,

Creative Bloq has a great roundup of Photoshop tutorials and a guide on designing logos that you can look at.

3. Mark Zuckerburg advises the younger generation to learn how to program. Read up on General Assembly’s three-part series on learning how to code. Also, if you prefer interacting with others, check out Sara J. Chipp’s five-step experience on Mightybell.

4. Learn how to deal with passive aggressive and/or annoying coworkers from The Grindstone. Also, Her Exchange has tips on how to avoid breaking down at work.

5. Ever wondered what its like to be an ice cream flavor developer orethnomusicologist? Yr Doing a Great Job brings you interesting interviews from even more interesting professions.

6. If you are starting a business, the stars at PR Diva have a two-part series on marketing your brand on a limited budget (here and here).

7. Find out if grad school is right for you, from Newly Corporate, and how to pick a program, from MBA Chic. For the ladies already studying up for the GMAT, here’s the ultimate, idiot-proof resource for the quant section – GMAT Hacks.

8. Write in Color brings us a gold mine of writing tips from author Margaret Atwood. On that note, Good says the media industry is getting maler and offers a solution.

9. As social media week comes to a close, here are a few more articles to make sure you’ve got the basics down:

Goals for your social media plan, The SITS Girls
Twitter basics, In Good Company
Ultimate social media cheat sheet, Column Five

The Second Liberation: How technology advances the state of...

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:39:59 -0500

The Second Liberation: How technology advances the state of women.

“If you get paid $40 an hour, and it costs $10 an hour for someone to clean your house– and you don’t actively enjoy cleaning your house– well then.” I still remember my mother explaining to me why we had strangers come into our home to clean when I was in elementary school. From the outside it was perceived as a luxury, in reality it was much more akin to a necessity– my mother, who was at the time raising me singlehandedly, was working full time as a nursing administrator at a university. A rigorous profession in academics such as hers did not leave room for her to play house unnecessarily if the resources were available to avoid it.

A look at history

I can’t remember a time when my mother wasn’t working. I doubt that she can remember a time when she didn’t work full-time, either. Looking back at that time, it’s clear to me that there had been an uptick in immigration of low-skilled labor. The uptick changed my mother’s life and mine for the better.

University of Chicago professor Patricia Cortes and University of Maryland professor Jose Tessada published a study in 2009 entitled “Low-Skilled Immigration and the Labor Supply of Highly Educated Women.” The study looked at employment data from the 80s and 90s, and concluded that women with PhDs or professional degrees– highly educated women—increased, across the board, by 45 minutes the amount of time spent at work due to the impact of low-skilled laborers’ introduction into the labor market. Cortes and Tessada note that “low-skilled immigrants work disproportionately in service sectors that are close substitutes for household productions.” In other words, low-skilled labor introduced to the market addressed a market need for domestic duties that were going unmet, or were being met by workers whose skill sets were more productively employed elsewhere. Tessada and Cortes found that this influx of workers only affected the amount of time the highly-skilled and educated women spent at work. No other demographic saw a shift.

Books like The Second Shift and The Price of Motherhood posit that a working mother has two jobs: her professional job, and on top of that, a set of time-consuming domestic responsibilities. These responsibilities exist regardless of whether the woman in question is a single mother. Works like these have also brought a stark truth to light: that in choosing to have a child, a working mother will sacrifice nearly 2 million dollars in earnings—decomposed, that sacrifice is caused by both the costs of child-rearing and the forgone opportunities a mother could have taken up professionally had she decided against raising a family.

Did I miss anything instrumental to psychological development from notwatching my mom wash my clothes, do my dishes, clean the toilet or cook me dinner every night? Did she love me any less because she wasn’t home every day after school to bake me cookies like I assumed everyone else’s mom was doing? I’ll heave a big no at those questions. My mother raised a woman who is in every way her daughter: ambitious, driven, intelligent, and principled.

There are so many arguments that, on the surface, are very cogent, on the subject of whether a mother should give up her career to stay at home and raise her child. The argument we hear in favor of mothers abandoning their careers to raise their children most frequently is actually identical to the one employers use when advising against a having a child: that there’s no substitute for being there. But popular opinion on this issue has shifted dramatically in the past 30 years: contrary to what people believed in 1983, recent research indicates that the “daughters of employed mothers have been found to have higher academic achievement, greater career success, more nontraditional career choices, and greater occupational commitment.”

Conflating housework and motherhood

The notion that the daughters of highly-skilled women go on to achieve more success and set new precedents in the workplace suggests that the debate of whether those highly-skilled women should spend time with their children is unfairly conflated with whether or not they should also retain domestic responsibilities as a full-time mother would. Whether or not my mom feels like she “missed out” on raising me—not to mention the guilt that mothers place on themselves—the votes are in, and I turned out to be a pretty good egg. But that’s another discussion for another time. It’s an issue better discussed by someone who has children. What I’m more concerned about right now is where technology will be able to take this outsourcing of “chores.”

Moving to New York after college for my first corporate job lent itself to a seamless transition, where I realize that most of my cohort’s transition is somewhat rougher. I went from 0 to 60 in no time flat, starting my career at a firm that put time constraints on me that made it a logistical hardship to cook, clean or launder my own clothes. And technology has made the process of sourcing labor, goods, and extra time easier. In the past two years, particularly, I’ve noticed a transition to the ease at which I can outsource my life in the form of mobile technologies.

Technology hasn’t really changed the fundamental dynamic at hand, but it has made the actual sourcing of labor to perform domestic tasks far easier than it was in my mother’s day. Growing up in Petaluma, there was one delivery option available to my mother: Chinese food. To this day, as an effect, I can rarely stomach the stuff. Not only were our options homogenous, to be able to order she needed to have already picked up the menu and have cash physically on hand. After a while, of course, the restaurant knew our orders by heart– and if we didn’t have quite enough to cover tip, a simple “we’ll get you next time” was all that was needed. This dynamic is very tough to find in New York City.

Bringing the big city to small towns

My options today are far more diverse—not just because I live in New York now, but also because there are simple technologies that make information, contact, and payment to restaurants near me very easy. On my walk home, I can skim through the options for delivery from my phone and rush to beat the delivery man home. If I have a little forethought, I can minimize my time spend on food by ordering from FreshDirect. If I find myself in the world’s worst work-related pickle, I have options: I can post a task request on TaskRabbit and ask someone to do my grocery shopping for the week, cook me my favorite recipe, and do the dishes, all for a premium of less than fifty dollars. When it comes to needing a new outfit, I don’t even have to move from my office to try it on anymore. I can do that virtually, thanks to technology like Clothia that allows you to virtually try clothing on. Looking into the future, Levo will even be doing more for you and your career thanks to the technology that we are building. If I need a gift, I can send it using e-commerce. I can even order car service to my door without having to pick up the phone.

So how much time am I saving? In terms of sourcing domestic tasks, it’s clear that there’s at least a 45 minute benefit every week. Whether that benefit outweighs the added “compulsion and distraction” element of technology that sometimes makes it feel like my mobile phone is taking over my life, we’ll leave it to be determined. For now I’d like to think that technology is making my life easier and better.

Think Like a Leader: Styles, Techniques, and Tricks. Young...

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:38:00 -0500

Think Like a Leader: Styles, Techniques, and Tricks.

Young leaders seek to inspire change on a global level by addressing problems from a top-down, and bottom up approach. Now, more than ever, our leaders need to engage and collaborate at multiple levels to develop solutions for a new generation. Resources are becoming widely accessible thanks to technology and sectors are merging at an outstanding pace. Today our ability to influence as leaders requires an ability to communicate in simpler, more efficient ways, whether that be using 150 characters, or coming up with an entire new language based on hand gestures such as Occupy Wall Street.

What’s your style?

There is a wide range of leadership styles. Most leadership research suggests that the most effective leadership is a blend of vision and inspiration, also known as transformative or charismatic leadership. But there are many styles that you should be aware when developing your communication skills as a leader.
Autocratic—Leader makes most of the decisions, doesn’t listen well, keeps decisions to themselves until feels the need to share with the group. Communication is mostly one-sided as there is only one side to many of the discussions.

Participative—Decisions are made based on consulting with entire team. Works well for motivating team and ensuring positive collaboration.

Laissez-Faire—Leader leaves group to itself, and allows maximum freedom to those involved in their team. This works poorly for emergency situations.

Narcisstic—Leader is driven by personal need for power and admiration.

Toxic—Leaders who abuse power by leaving group worse-off than when they first came.

Ask yourself questions that help direct your own understanding of how you communicate. Do you tend to use facts and rationalizations? Do you actively listen? Do you make decisions without telling anyone? Or are you do you employ emotional pleas to build a sense of purpose?

Ways to Strengthen Your Communication Skills as a Leader

1. Refine Your Personal Pitch

Everyone faces the question, “Tell me about yourself.” This is the Achilles Heel of every interview, elevator pitch, or straight networking because it sets the tone for everything beyond that point. It’s imperative to express to others why they should give a shit about you, and how you set yourself apart from others. How do you want to be remembered by this person? What message do you want to convey? A good exercise is writing down several pitches of who you are in a nutshell. This should include what you are about, what your style is, and your vision for the future.

Example: My name is Erin, I am good for morale. I am passionate about helping people, and dedicated to finding solutions for those without access to affordable healthcare.

2. Be Introspective

Not sure who you are? Begin the process by becoming more introspective. This has helped me immensely to know my strengths, weaknesses, and figure out areas of my personality that I need to pay more attention to in order to communicate more effectively with others. I have been journaling since the age of 12 to daily record how I am feeling, and draw patterns within my thoughts. Every few months I look over what I have written, and write down conclusions of how I think I am doing in comparison to personal goals I have set for myself. Having a point of reference is also a great way to develop metrics for your personal growth in this area.

3. Seek Outside Feedback

It’s easy to develop blind spots of who we are as leaders when you don’t seek feedback. Whether its mentorship, or specifically asking during your formal employee reviews, it’s critical to know how you come off to others, not just your boss. Suggest a 360 assessment that includes feedback from your entire team instead of just your boss.

Many companies also offer assistance and skills training to determine what your strengths and weaknesses are as an influencer. They range in price, but I recently took one from HRD press that was relatively affordable. These assessments help you tailor a customized plan based on your exhibited leadership traits and what qualities you show both at work and in personal situations.

What do these evaluations assess?

Most leaders possess a combination of the Big Five Personality Traits. These traits include: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. You will not always possess the same style of communication (depending on the type of situation you are dealing with) and it’s important to be aware of what traits work better than others in different scenarios.

These assessment tools were useful as I began dealing with more “emergency” situations. As someone who is generally a peacemaker, I find it difficult to communicate effectively when I need to be confrontational. I was able to look at examples of communication styles of influencers that have clear rules and structure, and adopt some of these strategies when I am required to step outside my core strengths of collaborating and harmonizing and am forced to play a more authoritarian role.

4. Practice & Play

Have you ever seen someone speak and walked away totally wowed? Have you thought about the hours of practice that went into that’s persons talent? Although some people may be naturally gifted at communicating as a leader, your skills can always be refined with more practice. Try stepping out of your comfort zone, whether that be joining a Toastmasters International group, or looking for options to speak to groups ranging in size. Some people may be great at speaking to large groups, and terrible one on one (or vice versa). If there is an topic you are comfortable with, look for opportunities to engage with different sizes of audiences. Try teaching a class through one of the many platforms: Communiteach, Dabble, or Skillshare.

Another tactic I have used myself is what I like to call the “test” interview. If you are considering changing jobs, or testing your influence style, try seeking interviews so you are more prepared for the job you really want. Nothing is worse than going for your dream job, and realizing in the midst of an interview you have gotten incredibly lackluster in how you speak about yourself, and communicate what you are looking for to others. It’s better to go on a few test interviews and you will be much more comfortable when a real one comes. Make sure to ask for direct feedback from the person interviewing you.

5. Be generous

No one likes insincerity. Make sure that if you are reaching out and putting effort into speaking with someone, that you speak at their level. Paying attention to who you are speaking with and tailoring your message at an individual level shows you care. If you have a poor memory, make sure you take notes to remember how the person interacts with you. Try this with everyone in your path whether that be your barista, cleaning lady, or CEO. It is a great indicator of how you interact with others, and leaves a person feeling positive.

Some of these common tactics are the easiest to forget in our daily lives. It can be exhausting to constantly put so much effort into how we speak with others. But it is easy to get lost in evaluating ourselves, and thinking it is all about us. It is never about you, it is about who you are speaking with. No one wants to be the person spoken at, they want to be spoken to.

When in doubt, speak from your heart. It is the best guide you have as a leader.

The Unsinkable Generation: How we’re going to make 2012...

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:16:00 -0500

The Unsinkable Generation: How we’re going to make 2012 the best year for women in decades.

Picture Melanie Griffith in her corner office in the final scene of the 1988 movie Working Girl. Carly Simon’s “Let the River Run” blares in the background as the camera zooms out over the towering skyscrapers and possibilities for ambitious women. This scene exemplifies the optimism and empowerment workingwomen felt in the late ‘80’s and ‘90’s. For the first time, women had faith that they could advance to high-level positions just as men could.

According to November’s Economist special report, “Closing the Gap: Women and Work,” the spirit and enthusiasm of the 1990’s working woman has today turned into frustration.

2012 hasn’t marked the progress previous generations hoped for in us: only 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. In parliaments across the world only 20% of the seats go to women— 15% to women in Congress in the United States. Women are also paid less, with the difference in income especially exaggerated in top positions where the inequality averages out around 18%. The decreased progress for working women could be attributed to the nature of economic growth; however, perhaps women could benefit from a little push to help them find their true place in the business world.

The rate of progress for female success in the working world is slowing. If one looks at this issue from an economic perspective, this decrease in growth could be explained by natural forces.

Women in the 1980’s and 90’s had a lot to gain in the working world; it was a time when women were starting to be considered for jobs that they had never previously been considered qualified for. There was a lot of room for progress to be made. Today, we have filled these initial openings for women; there is less of the “new frontier” for women to pioneer. Think of it this way: if a poor country is given one unit of capital when previously they had very little, their growth rate of capital will be huge. However, if a rich country with millions of units of capital is given that same unit of capital, its growth rate will be much smaller. Women of the 80’s were in the position of the poor country, whereas women today are somewhat closer to the richer country. Our growth rate of progress is going to be smaller and perhaps less noticeable, but that does not mean that we are not still moving forward.

If we continue exploring the analogy of the poor country and the rich country, it’s the case that the rich country can still avoid a slowing growth rate, if it changes certain parameters within the country— the savings rate or population growth rates, for example.

In just the same way, women can change some of our self-imposed parameters in order to again progress in the working world at a faster pace. I say self-imposed because I believe that women sometimes psychologically and socially trip themselves up. We need to focus on attitudes and perceptions that we can change ourselves, and that we can change now.

Women tend to under-value themselves—or if they’re not undervaluing, they’re under-representing their own understanding of themselves. Sheryl Sandberg in an oft-viewed TED talk posits that women often underestimate themselves, whereas men tend to think they’ve performed better than they actually did. Self-confidence is essential to the way people perceive each other. When someone exudes confidence, people perceive her in a better light. In her book, “Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman,” Gale Evans points out that part of getting ahead is just getting noticed in the first place. Women aren’t as comfortable with self-promotion as men are. If no one knows about a candidate’s accomplishments, they will go unnoticed. Women need to look out for themselves so that co-workers perceive them in the way they want them to. This usually means telling them – tactfully.

Ms. Evans also argues that women need to continue to raise their hands. For instance, women need to be more assertive and confident when they have an interesting idea at a morning meeting, or a dynamic question in an interview. When people don’t hear someone speak up, they often assume that that individual has nothing to say. Women should challenge themselves to make their voices heard and value themselves enough to know that their opinions matter. In addition, how much a woman values herself also comes off in the way she dresses. Wearing a too-short skirt or a too-low blouse to work is like wearing a sign that says, “Look at me, because my ideas aren’t worth hearing”. We need to help give ourselves the advantages we deserve, not disadvantage ourselves.

Planning ourselves out of success

Another interesting point Ms. Sandberg argues in her TED talk is that women have a tendency to plan out their lives (especially the part of the plan that includes having babies) very early. She reminds women not to leave before they leave—“Lean in,” she urges, as an alternative to mentally checking out of a job in preparation for leaving a job.

Women’s maternal instincts and the socialized expectations that they act self-effacing and overly humble often lead them to consider the concerns of others before their own. Although this altruistic trait is generally a wonderful quality, if it means that women aren’t trying for promotions or switching to a stronger career path, it could be standing in the way of our continued progress in the workplace. A professor of mine at Columbia noted briefly during Intermediate Macroeconomics that there is a notable lack of women in higher-level positions. He joked that when two people decide to start a family, first the man offers to quit work. Then the woman feels bad and says, “oh no, I’ll quit work”, to which the man replies “OK!” and the matter is settled. He then added that in reality, the stupider of the two should quit work, which we all thought was very funny.

Despite the light-hearted nature of my professor’s story, he does bring up a very good point: women often feel that by not giving up their career for their offspring, they are being a bad parent. However, according to a study published in the December issue of the Journal of Family Psychology, mothers who have jobs are healthier than those without employment.

There is a certain attitude in our society that it is nearly impossible to be both successful at work and at home. This is a belief that women have the power to break. A study conducted by researchers at University College London and published by The Economist indicates that maternal employment actually often improves the chances of having well-adjusted children. Yet when I type “career women happy child” into Google, links such as “don’t marry career women” and “happily childfree” are among the top hits.

Sheryl Sandberg argues that when men and women both work and split helping out at home, they face lower divorce rates and more fulfilling relationships. With all of these positive studies, women can change society’s view of the working mother into a positive, caring, and empowering image.

A nudge in the right direction

Women need to learn to help each other. Peggy Klaus, a leadership coach from Berkeley, California wrote an editorial in the New York Times, which was referenced in the Wall Street Journal, arguing that women are often their own enemies at work. She believes that one of the last remaining obstacles for women in the workplace is their mistreatment of one another.

A study by the Workplace Bullying Institute found that female bullies aim at other women more than 70% of the time, whereas male bullies are indifferent towards the sex in which they abuse. Ms. Klaus finds that there are several reasons for this behavior.

First, women are afraid that because there are so few spots at the top, another woman could come take their position. But this is a vestige of harder times for female professionals. Women hold a minority share of board seats and C-suite titles, and there’s plenty of room for growth on all levels of the professional world.

Another reason is that women sometimes bring their emotions to work and hold grudges against other women over minute differences. Sometimes women simply think that because they made it to the top by themselves, other women should too. But these behaviors, too, are vestigial—we live in a society that is far friendlier to the idea that women can add value and productivity to business than was the society of our foremothers. The begrudging sentiments are more and more obviously a distraction from more important competitions, such as who can create the most valuable revenue stream.

There seems to already be movement in the right direction—we have role models like Sheryl Sandberg, Dina Powell, Gina Bianchini, and Marissa Meyer. We have sites like The Levo League. We are setting positive examples for women. By forming bonds that suggest sisterhood and trust, women may become more likely to help one another.

2012 will be a year for increased progress for working women. We should channel the frustration expressed in 2011 to productivity and change in 2012. Women have all of the tools to help themselves and one another. It is still very much an exciting frontier for career-oriented women who are willing to challenge themselves to have it all.

Career Discovery Channel: Monica Vila, the Online Mom

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 20:14:00 -0500

Kelly Hoey returns with an interview with Monica Vila of The Online Mom (theonlinemom.com), a site educating parents about tech tools they can use with their children.

1. How do you want your name to appear?

Monica Vila aka The Online Mom

2. Describe your first “real” job. What are you doing now?

In 1984 I moved from Mexico City to work as a trainee in NYC for a publishing company. I worked in the International Sales organization b/c I could speak 5 languages. I was offered a full time position at the end of the trainee period and I never returned back home. Today I am co-founder of TheOnlineMom.com an organization devoted to promoting a healthy understanding and appreciation for the positive role technology can play in a child’s life. We also consult with consumer technology companies on how best to engage moms and influence their purchasing decisions.

3. What was the best piece of advice you’ve received?

Ask yourself everyday: How do I contribute to this job? How do I contribute to my team? How do I contribute?

4. Brag. Tell us about something really great or that you’re proud of or excited about.

After achieving C level status and flying private jets for a six figure salary – I am most proud of the fact that I now can work from home, make a great living doing exactly what I love to do.

5. 40 under 40. Ones to Watch. Most Powerful. So many lists out there….. who is on your list (and why)?

Morag Sutherland from Morgan Stanley – she is highly intelligent and extremely warm and caring with excellent sales training. All the elements of success!

6. What do you plan to accomplish by February?

By February I would love to secure investment for TheOnlineMom.com

-Kelly Hoey is a co-founder of Women Innovate Mobile.

Welfare Reform in the UK: How is it affecting low-income women and their children?

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:27:27 -0500

There are many reasons to dislike the House of Lords; its members are unelected, its undemocratic and the Parliament Act of 1911, coupled with Labour’s reforms, means that it doesn’t have the powers a second chamber should to effectively hold the government to account. But last night the Lords did a great thing when they voted in favour of an amendment which dilutes government plans to charge parents to use the Child Support Agency (CSA).

It’s often said the Coalition has a problem with women and in September of last year a memo was leaked revealing Cameron’s plans to woo women voters. In November it was reported that he was hiring a woman to assess and advise on the impact of his policies on the female vote, but it hardly takes a genius to work out that charging parents to use the CSA is going to be bad news for women, as well as grossly unfair.

The CSA can help single parents agree and collect maintenance payments from an ex (and as is often the case, estranged) partner. Even for a government agency it has a pretty terrible reputation - there’s even a website called ‘CSA hell’ where parents post their stories of frustrated encounters with the agency. While the service may need radical reform, it’s a vital one that government should provide. The overwhelming majority (97%) of those seeking child maintenance are women; single mothers trying to get fathers to take financial responsibility for their offspring.

The coalition is trying to use the Welfare Reform Bill to introduce a charge of £100 for parents who use the CSA; ministers claim that it’s to stop parents using the CSA as the “default option.” Given the lack of evidence that this practice occurs, it’s insulting to insinuate that women are running to the CSA without giving it a second thought: not many people want to get the government involved in their personal affairs and few are going to contact a body with a reputation as bad as the CSA’s unless they’re in a fairly desperate state.

The government has yet to provide a shred of evidence that women are initiating proceedings with the CSA without trying to reach a private agreement first. For many women, those that are unable to locate their child’s father or those that are fleeing domestic violence, a private agreement is simply not appropriate. While women that have experienced domestic violence will be exempt there is no explanation as to how this would be proven or checked, and there’s no consideration given to women that are victims of emotional abuse.

Finally, children in single parent families have twice the risk of living in poverty than those in two parent families. It’s shameful that the coalition is making the poor and vulnerable pay to access money that’s rightfully theirs. You might think £100 isn’t that much, but the median weekly income for a single parent working 16 hours a week or more is £337. Surviving on this at the same time as saving to pay the CSA will be beyond the reach of many single parent families. There’s a terrible irony that families who most need support accessing maintenance payments won’t be able to afford it.

The Department for Work and Pensions will seek to overturn the amendment when the Welfare Reform Bill returns to the House of Commons on Wednesday. In the meantime, I’m backing the Gingerbread campaign to stop the CSA charges, and praying that the Coalition wakes up to one of the reasons why it has a problem with women.

Felicity Dennistoun is a Levo contributor living in London who works for the Resolution Foundation, a think tank performing research and policy to improve the lives of people on low-to-middle incomes. She is also a Trustee of Youth Action for Change International (YACI), which funds the education of orphans and vulnerable children in Benin, West Africa.

My first job offer said it all: A bonus for staying for two...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:23:31 -0500

My first job offer said it all: A bonus for staying for two years; and even more for staying three. I was happy to have a job. They saw a Gen Y 20-something groomed by a generation of job-hoppers.

Call it what you will—job-hopping, job-surfing, job-shopping, churning—it was the standard in the early 2000s.

But we have to wonder: Is job-hopping in a recession a good idea? Is it still de rigueur to climb the ladder laterally, sacrificing company loyalty and incurring a high amount of risk?

Leap of faith

“It can work both ways, explains career expert Laura Vanderkam, author of 2007’s Grindhopping: Build a Rewarding Career Without Paying Your Dues. “If you have a good job, you might ‘burrow in.’ But many people haven’t reached that point of having a good job, so they’re going to be less loyal.”

Despite suggestions that workers are sitting tight in favor of stability, early strategic job-hopping can help you get ahead. A 2008 study in the American Sociological Review found that the benefits of job-hopping are found in the early days of one’s career.

“If you’re in a stable, good job, you’re probably going to stick with it now,” Vanderkam agrees. “There’s less risk. But how many people in Gen Y have that job right now?”

Apparently, only the lucky ones. A 2011 article from the American Sociological Association stated that young workers with educational aspirations, career goal certainty, and job search activities during the transition to employment between 18 and 30 were more likely to be currently employed and to have higher wages. In other words, indecision and aimless job-hopping translate into less success in weathering economic turmoil.

Putting an eye to the history of job-hopping, the data can be a mine field to extrapolate meaningful data without committing logical fallacies and overlooking nuances of the business cycle. UC Berkeley’s Daniel Gross observes this in the comparison of three studies on the history of job tenure in the United States. He suggests, as does UCLA’s Sanford Jacoby in a 1984 paper on the same subject, that the passage of NIRA in 1933 and FLSA in 1938 and the establishment of the NRLB in 1934 brought new, lasting worker protections to the work force and therefore altered the tenure profile of the average American worker forever. Sanford Jacoby also points out in Modern Manors: Welfare Capitalism Since the New Deal that before the Great Depression, a firm that could keep a worker on for 5 years was rare. And for women, he says, even as late as the ‘50s, tenure of a decade was exceedingly rare.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2010 the median tenure of women 25 to 34 was just three years. This isn’t significantly different than it was in 1983. But according to a recent report from Millennial Branding, which studies Facebook statistics, the average tenure for Gen Y (18-29) is just over two years.

A number of factors are to blame. Nearly 50 percent of the 10,000 subjects in 2007 study from MonsterTrak.com and Michigan State University held moderate to high superiority beliefs about themselves—which encouraged an attitude that avoided compromise in the search for the “ideal career.” Interestingly, women scored lower on the perceived superiority scale, which might explain why they are less likely to job-hop once they reach their 30s (see stats, below).

Women also might be less motivated by money. “We tend not to judge women as much solely on the basis of what they earn,” Vanderkam says. “Men, rightly or wrongly, feel that a big junk of what they will be judged on is how much money they bring in. Those are very old ideas, but hard to move beyond.”

Or women might just be more risk-averse.

“Steady work is steady work,” says 28-year hairstylist Erin Anding, who has been at the same employer for 6.5 years. “Plus, I like my clients.”

The study also reiterated the findings that those with high career plan development, who were motivated and directed, were less intent on job-surfing and more eagerly sought by employers. In other words, if you have specific career goals, target the job you want and keep the jumping vertical.

“If you are motivated by people higher up, if you have good mentors, that’s a good sign to stay where you are,” Vanderkam says. “But if you find yourself feeling on Sunday that you really wish you didn’t have to go to work on Monday, then you should put that effort into working your network.”

Look before you leap

No one could be blamed for staying in a secure job. But the smart job-hopper would be wise to keep their eyes—and their options—open.

“Just because you’re looking doesn’t mean you’ll actually leave,” Vanderkam says. “It will give you a sense of what is available and what your skills are worth on the job market. If could even lead to getting a better deal at your current employer.”

Vanderkam also stresses a major factor in deciding when to leave. “A key question is whether you feel like you’re still growing and learning in your current job—that’s a good sign you should stay,” she says.

And make sure you’re not burning bridges. “If you quit after three months, that’s not the best plan,” Vanderkam says. “But if you put in a good solid effort at a place for two years, I do not see that working against you.”

Plus, you might return to the company, but on a higher ladder rung.

“Moving to another company is a way to show you are more valuable, even if you come back to a place you were working before,” Vanderkam explains. “It would have been much harder to move internally.”

Experts and smart job-hoppers seem to agree that any job change be smart, rather than just a hopeful reliance that the grass is greener on the other side. Otherwise, as Anding puts it, “There may be no grass at all!”

“Job-hop with a purpose. Know what you want to do with your life, and get closer to that,” Vanderkam advises. “No job is going to be perfect, especially at 24, but you want each job to get you closer.”

The Thursday Think (+) Positive: Rethinking Your Financial...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:22:06 -0500

The Thursday Think (+) Positive: Rethinking Your Financial Perspectives.

This Thursday, we’ve got a very special post, brought to us by Shareeke Edmead-Nesi of The Conscious Spender.

If you’re anything like us, you really hate thinking about finances. We feel awful and guilty and want to avoid talking about it no matter the cost (sometimes literally). Shareeke Edmead-Nesi is on a mission to change the way we feel about finance—and, eventually, for us to go on to communicate these basic financial perspectives to our children. Here are a few of her perspective-changing tips:

1. Consciousness unlocks the key to your financial success. Become aware of your thoughts and feelings related to money matters.
2. On a monthly basis, schedule a money date with your family. Review, Re-evaluate and Take Action!
3. Organize your household or belongings, in order to prevent duplicate spending. Take note of extra items and sell or donate them.
4. Teach children how to differentiate between a Need and a Want. Together with your children, tour your home to identify what things are necessary.
5. Choose a financial role model for yourself. Use this person’s characteristics as a guide, as you ask yourself the question, “What would ___ do?”

How Has Digital Technology Enhanced Our Ability to...

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:02:00 -0500

How Has Digital Technology Enhanced Our Ability to Communicate?

There I was: it was Super Bowl Sunday, I was out with friends and excited to spend time with them during the big game. Much to my dislike, I found myself actually watching the game because my friends were too occupied tweeting every two minutes. I eventually pulled up Twitter on my phone so I could follow their play-by-play tweets, since it was impossible to carry a conversation while sitting next to the Twit-addicts.

Fast-forward to Monday, when a good friend I have not talked to in months, does not return my phone call, but instead writes on my Facebook timeline: “Just got your voicemail! How’s Chicago treating you? How are things?” Sometimes catching up via the Face just does not suffice.

Now, I work in digital media. I’m usually a big fan of social media and all things digital. But these events left me craving some REAL communication— you know, an old school face-to-face conversation or a written exchange that involves more than 140 characters.

Thankfully, there are digital tools and apps out there that make it easy for us young professionals to really connect with others in our personal and professional lives. And, as a bonus we have included some great time-saving communication apps and tools below.

Don’t Be Evil, now featuring Google+

For starters: Have you met Google+? If you have not tried Google+ hangouts, you are seriously missing out. When someone you want to talk to lives on the opposite side of the equator or street (not judging—winter can be brutal) it is the next best thing to hanging out in person. If you are like many other Millennials, your closest friends and family are scattered across the U.S and you have limited free time available for individual catch up sessions on the phone. There was a point in my life when I practically lived at an advertising agency and struggled to fit in time to talk to my family and friends. Hangouts made it possible for me to talk to up to nine people at the same time—I can easily send my love to my mom, dad, brother, sister and adorable little Westie dog all at once.

Even the President uses hangouts to video chat with Americans across the country. On January 30, 2012, President Obama hosted the first Google+ Hangout from the White House where people could virtually ask him questions about the State of the Union and have a two-way conversation with him from the comfort of their own homes.

Hangouts are also extremely useful for your work life. I work in a remote office, and when we need to have a meeting with coworkers in NYC or San Francisco, Hangouts with Extras provides an exceptional videoconference platform where we can videoconference and collaborate on a project. It allows us to share computer screens, integrate Google Docs (that can be later converted to Word documents), take notes and invite people to join the hangout by calling in from their phone.

Speaking of work communication: here is a tool that everyone should have in their office: Yammer. It is a self proclaimed “enterprise social network” that makes it easier to share ideas, get feedback and collaborate with coworkers across various disciplines. It boosts the best features of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogs in one secure, private network where employees can safely discuss internal projects they are working on. When I worked at a large ad agency with over a thousand employees, Yammer was an excellent tool that helped break down communication barriers across departments. We often uncovered extremely intelligent ideas and resources within our building that we did not know existed before because we sat on different floors or worked on different accounts. Yammer also allows people to start “microblogs” where people can share news, images and links—making it ridiculously easy to stay updated on the latest industry news. Hey, when my boss’s boss shares a news article, it is probably a good thing for me to read too. If your company does not have a Yammer account, you can create a free Yammer network with your company email address.

When it comes to email, as the Spice Girls wisely sang, “too much of something is bad enough.” (Maybe they weren’t referring to email, but you get the point.) Email is never ending and can require a lot of time to manage, especially when a group of 20+ people include you on a chain email that you would love to silently remove yourself from. For that reason, I’d like to shake hands with the brilliant people who created the Google lab, “smart mute” that makes it possible to silence an email chain that you no longer need to be included on. Within Gmail, pull down the “More” tab and select “mute” and voilà, replies regarding the InsertActivityHereThatYouHadZeroInterestIn will no longer flood your inbox.

Now, for a few digital gems that make it easier to communicate internationally:

Remember that time you were traveling abroad and sent SMS text messages and were later charged hefty international roaming charges? Me too. WhatsApp is a must have app because it allows you to message your friends on iPhones, Blackberries, Androids and Nokia phones in group chats internationally with no extra charges by using the same internet data plan that you use for web and email. Since WhatsApp uses your internet connection to send messages (similar to sending an email) once your friends download the application, you can chat unlimited. Just like you were sending SMS texts, you will receive messages via push notifications. One of the best features is that the app automatically loads your current contact database into its system so you do not need to waste your precious time to re-enter information.

Working on a project that requires you to read documents in another language? Thanks to Google Translate Toolkit you no longer have to search the streets of Manhattan for your own personal translator, you can now translate documents, web pages or Wikipedia articles on your computer. Google Translate instantly translates 58 different languages for free. The Google Translate app is your perfect sidekick while traveling.

Finally I saved one of my favorites for last: Word Lens. It is magical. It is the perfect translator tool for international business or personal travel. You simply point your iPhone lens at the sign or text that you would like to translate and it will automatically translate the words on your screen—you really have to see it to believe it. Major bonus—the app does not require an internet connection to translate. Word Lens is most useful when you need to translate short phrases and sentences, such as the “Do not drink the water sign” that will save you from Montezuma’s revenge.

The digital tools and apps listed above are examples of digital technology that can promote real, authentic communication within our personal and professional lives and save us time. These communication tools can be utilized to bring us together and allow us to learn from one another, no matter what language we speak. What are your favorite digital tools and apps that enhance communication?

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Brittany Thomas is a contributor to The Levo League.

Women in the News: Adele at the Grammys, Whitney Houston’s...

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:53:18 -0500

Women in the News: Adele at the Grammys, Whitney Houston’s death, and a Crackdown on Street Prostitution in New York.

Levo’s favorite female vocalist, Adele, took six Grammy awards last night. She says it “hasn’t really sunk in yet”that she’s won. Give it time, Adele. That’s a lot of Grammys to process all at once.

Whitney Houston has died. Rumors circulate about Bobbi Brown’s involvement. Whitney’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina, was released from Cedars-Sinai hospital last night after treatment for health reasons that were not disclosed. Oprah is airing a two-hour tribute program to Whitney on OWN Thursday night at 9pm EST. [via The Hollywood Reporter]

The digital era has brought much of the escort industry off the street corner, and there’s now a crackdown on indoor and outdoor prostitution, in response to prostitution-related arrests in the city holding steady around 4,200 per year since 2006, according to the state’s Division of Criminal Justice Services.

Fall in Love with Your Life: The Levo League speaks with Sara...

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:51:00 -0500

Fall in Love with Your Life: The Levo League speaks with Sara Caswell, Jazz Violinist Extraordinaire.

Just under a year ago, the Bieber-sphere experienced a massive upset: the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2011 was passed to a female bassist and jazz singer, Esperanza Spalding. Completely contrary to the digital-era trends of ‘more auto-tune, less subtlety’ that have been compounded by the downfall of the music industry and the upswing of the Great Recession, Esperanza is unabashedly conscientious, educated, and perfectly apprised of her jazz lineage. There’s no “I should probably perform this set without my pants on”-type thought in Esperanza’s head that so many of our female musical role models embody today.

Spalding’s unexpected victory at the time made me wonder: was the Golden Age of the plastic pop star coming to a close? Was this as “whoa, that came out of left field” as it felt to me, or was there an undercurrent of musical change in the air? Just after the ceremony, NPR published a story called “Wait, Who is this Esperanza Spalding?” I noticed a woman featured in the article whose role in Esperanza’s group was interesting: she was a violinist in the background playing with technique that was clearly bridging the space between classical and jazz violin. That woman, I soon learned, was Sara.

Violinist, Strategist, Optimist

Sara Caswell, whose technical facility on the violin intertwined with her gift for lyricism have been heard around the world (and not just on everyone’s favorite radio program, NPR’s Morning Edition) toured internationally with Esperanza in support of her Chamber Music Society (Heads Up International, 2010) from 2010 to 2011. As a solo artist she also has received acclaim: albums she has made have been featured in Coda Magazine, Jazz Education Journal, and Strings Magazine. She straddles the worlds of jazz, classical, and folk music; in recent years she has also toured with violinist Mark O’Connor’s American String Celebration and violinist Darol Anger’s Four Generations of Jazz Violin, and performed or recorded with such artists as Charlie Byrd, Gene Bertoncini, Skitch Henderson, Bucky Pizzarelli, Lynne Arriale, and John Clayton.

Why did I find Sara interesting? Partially because she was not center stage in her work with Esperanza. While Esperanza is in many ways a very interested phenomenon in the music industry—her headstrong nature and independence represent a musician who is not tethered to the Katy Perry model of existence—the industry that springs up to support a woman so heavily differentiated from the Justin Biebers of the world is notable. Sara has also recently been on tour with first-time Grammy nominee Roseanna Vitro, whose album The Music of Randy Newman (Motema Music, 2011) features Sara on violin. While Roseanna did not take the Grammy this year, the album that did— “The Mosaic Project,” features vocalist Terri Lyne Carrington, with whom Sara also performed alongside Esperanza Spalding last year.

In the jazz world, Sara is everywhere. And she is a supporting character in many of her musical endeavors—though not all, by a long shot. A successful climb to the top for many of us in the cubicle-friendly world looks shockingly similar to Sara’s ascent: she is taking opportunities where they arise, seeing potential and going for it, and she maintains a compassionate and friendly demeanor throughout that evinces the passion she feels for her career. I asked Sara how much ramp-up time she gave herself from the time she moved from the Midwest to New York City to gauge her actual success level. “I was told by friends, ‘you should take about five years in the city. And if works out, great. But if it doesn’t, there are other cities where incredible jazz is being made.’ So I gave myself five years.” Sara told me. How long did it take before she started getting real traction in the city for her professional accomplishments? “Four and a half years!” she laughed.

Supporting roles, supporting development, supporting success

While many of us as female professionals are supporting characters in the same way—whether we’re assisting our superiors, adding insight and depth to our work output, or pounding the pavement and cold calling sales leads—it’s not always as easy in cubicle-land as it is in music-land to enjoy the ride up. I spoke with Sara at length about her involvement with Ms. Spalding and how it works into her view of herself and her career trajectory.

“You wear a lot of different hats as a musician—“ Sarah said in a tone that can only be described as effervescent during our conversation, just before Sunday’s Grammy Awards, “bandleader, teacher, orchestrator—but they’re all hats I love to wear.” Sara’s been wearing the hat of both teacher and performer well enough to have made a name for herself in both worlds, with teaching experience under her belt like the Manhattan School of Music, Mark O’Connor String Camps, the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops, the Indiana University String Academy, and her own private studio. Not a light commitment. In many musical communities teaching is a necessary part of existence—not for financial reasons, but because there just aren’t as many opportunities to learn from great performers as there are people who want to learn to play like those performers. This is a fairly unique dynamic to be true of an entire industry: that mentorship and sponsorship isn’t just a new trend—it’s a fundamental necessity to keeping a musical world alive and evolving (there are complexities here, but I’m glossing over them).

What can businesswomen take from the life of a successful violinist?

In many ways, Sara’s life work has been humble: teacher, bandleader, arranger. But in all of the ways that translate to the life of a businesswoman, her professional development has been extremely strategic and pointedly efficient. She’s allowed for investment in her own development in her five-year ramp-up plan, plowback into her community of fellow musicians in her teaching life, and has opened her social network in ways possible only with true talent and passion. And those features of her development have translated into notoriety in the jazz world and an amassed bank of talent and knowledge that’s truly rare in in the world.

So has the effort been worth it? Sara’s response inspired me:

“It’s a dream. That’s not always the case for jazz musicians – it’s not a profession you go into for the money. It’s a hard life. Oftentimes, you are living month to month and you just hope the schedule fills in, and that things will come through, and that everything will be fine. If anything, the music demands that you always be on your toes. But the nature of jazz itself is so much about spontaneity and creativity and communicating with the musicians with whom you’re performing. One of the most beautiful things about jazz is that you have ultimate freedom with your voice and what you want to say. You don’t need to sit into a framework in order to succeed. You decide. That kind of freedom of expression is certainly not something all musicians have the joy of experiencing.”

Career Discovery Channel: Author & Leader, Selena...

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:37:00 -0500

Career Discovery Channel: Author & Leader, Selena Rezvani.

How do you want your name to appear?

Selena Rezvani, Co-President, Women’s Roadmap

Describe your first “real” job. What are you doing now?

My first real job was unfortunately a truly miserable experience (!), working at a boutique consulting firm that specialized in well…dysfunction. Luckily I moved on to other firms where I got great experience as a management consultant, focusing on the ‘people’ side of businesses. I worked with lots of interesting companies, advising them on how to engage their employees better, resulting in better innovation, retention & policies, and of course profitability. That led me to where I am today, co-running my own consultancy,Women’s Roadmap, where I work with companies to design gender-inclusive policies and assessments, so that they can better attract, retain, and promote talented women. I also write to columns, one for Forbes and one for The Washington Post.

What was the best piece of advice you’ve received?

“If you can’t, you must.” Meaning – if something scares you enough – it probably means you should go out and do it.

Brag. Tell us about something really great or that you’re proud of or excited about.

I’ve just finished editing my brand new book, due out this April – called PUSHBACK: How Smart Women Ask—and Stand Up—for What They Want (Jossey-Bass). I’m proud of the way the book came together, the message, and the kind of skills it encourages women to leverage. I argue that above all else, self-advocacy is critical to success. Yet women initiate negotiations four times less often than men, resulting in getting less of what they want—promotion opportunities, plum assignments, and higher pay. The goal of my book is to shine a light on the how-to of holding your own and pushing back to get what is rightfully yours.

40 under 40. Ones to Watch. Most Powerful. So many lists out there….. who is on your list (and why)?

If you look at the so-called rising stars offered up today, the women look pretty identical to the “already made it” crowd. Fortune for example listed as risings stars Andrea Wong, president and CEO of Lifetime Networks and Mellody Hobson, who manages $3.6 billion in assets and who sits on the boards of DreamWorks, Estée Lauder and Starbucks! These women are no longer “on their way” - it sounds to me like they’ve already arrived. The everyday, ambitious working woman is even more interesting to me. Often, she is the one that’s doing the daily blocking and tackling of becoming a leader. I find her extraordinary.

What do you plan to accomplish by spring?

As an entrepreneur, it gets very tempting to try to handle all pieces of your business yourself. But any small business professional will tell you that success hinges largely on letting go of, delegating, or outsourcing what isn’t a mission-critical task. The longer I do this, the more I realize how important it is to redirect duties that aren’t business-generating. My goal is to have done that with one more function of my business by February!

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Kelly Hoey is a co-founder of Women Innovate Mobile.

Round and Around the Girl Internet: February 10, 2012.

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:59:00 -0500

Everyone’s favorite programmer, Frances Advincula, gives us the run-down of what’s what in the girl universe, digitally.

1. It’s New York Fashion Week! If you’re lucky enough to attend any of the shows, keep an eye out to see if Post Fashionism is right about the top trends of 2012. If you prefer to indulge from the comfort of your sofa, you will enjoy The Coveteur’s foray into the closets of fashion’s hippest personalities.

2. Has Social Media Week gotten you riled up about starting a blog? In Good Company has a two-part guide on building a fantastic WordPress site. Finally, find out everything you need to know about site analytics to improve your traffic, a four-part series from Post Fashionism.

3. Pinterest just made it to the top 10 list of social media sites. To get you started, here are the best people to follow in a myriad of industries, courtesy of My Life Scoop.

4. Follow NYC’s journey of becoming the world’s number one digital city (Mashable). Also, do you agree that New York is more supportive of female tech startups? Join the conversation at The Grindstone.

5. Work and fun aren’t mutually exclusive. YSF Magazine brings us a guide on creating a warm, collaborative work environment. Bonus: read up on Women 2.0’s tips on maximizing the productivity of your remote team.

6. Ms. Career Girl posts an insightful article on start-ups from a fresh grad’s point of view. On that note, here is a helpful guide on how to keep your job and start a business from Her Exchange.

7. If you are on the hunt for your dream internship, here is the ultimate guide from Her Campus, as well as a few tips and tricks from Refinery 29.

8. Valentine’s day is just around the corner. Take this as a reminder to love yourself first and foremost, making sure you are not making these romantic mistakes that could be sabotaging your fabulous life and career (The Gloss). On a lighter note, check out the simple ways you can spread the love this season from Tiny Buddha. And, if you’re planning a Valentine soiree with your friends, you’ll enjoy this adorable roundup of DIY gifts and giveaways from Oh The Lovely Things.

The Ms JD Corner : Levo’s favorite picks from the...

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:57:17 -0500

The Ms JD Corner : Levo’s favorite picks from the week on Ms JD !

Once Upon an Abogada: The socio-cultural implications of life and litigation for one Latina lawyer.

Adventures of a Well-Traveled Law Student: This lawyer reflects on the importance of friendship in law.

Gender and Diversity in the Legal Academy: Ms. JD’s newest Writer-In-Residence, a 1L law student, takes a critical look at the gender split between her professors.

Public Interest Paths: A Conversation about Legal Aid.

Chambers USA had their first Women in Law Awards in the USA last week. Our NWLSO Liasion-Elect, Connie Lam, attended and reports on why it’s important for the legal diversity pipeline.

Happy reading!

Part Three of Three : L(L) Speaks with Alliance for Women...

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:55:00 -0500

Part Three of Three : L(L) Speaks with Alliance for Women President Erin M Fuller on Leadership and Work-Life Integration.

Erin M Fuller is the President of the Alliance for Women in Media, the longest established professional association dedicated to advancing women in media and entertainment. With nearly 10,000 community members, the Alliance for Women in Media represents men and women engaged in creating high-quality media and harnessing the power of women in all forms of media to empower career development, engage in thought leadership, and drive positive change.

Ms. Fuller is on the advisory board for the Women in Politics Institute at American University and is the President of the American University Alumni Association Executive Board. She is a Fellow of the American Society of Association Executives and teaches as a guest lecturer on non-profit management at American University.

Prior to joining the Alliance for Women in Media, Ms. Fuller previously served as the executive director for Tysons Tomorrow and as the chief staff executive for the National Association of Women Business Owners.

L(L): What information do you think is most valuable for women to know about leadership, and about how to be an effective leader?

EMF: I’ve taken a lot of leadership classes and training, but really – I chafe a little at the idea that leadership is different for women than it is for men.

I think leaders are different by definition and there aren’t universal similarities that are true for all women leaders. Everyone’s heard that generalization that women are great at relationship building, nurturing, and collaborating but we all know women who are very successful but not collaborative. On the other hand, we see images of really cold and dreadful female leaders – think of the Miranda Priestly character in The Devil Wears Prada. I don’t like that there’s a dichotomy that the only people who are successful have to be that character.

Generation Y is lucky in so many ways. For the most part, you women have grown up with so much more diversity than previous generations and have seen women in far more advanced roles. You see leaders as leaders and not through a gender-based lens.

Leadership is about respect. I always think that you know it’s time to leave a job when you look at your boss and think, “I could do that job better than that person.” Ideally you want to look at someone and think “How on earth does she do what she does? I have no idea how she’s able to manage it so gracefully.” There’s a huge amount of leadership that is learned over time and you have to be patient and respect that.

The last thing I’ll say about leadership is it doesn’t hurt to have a sense of humor. To acknowledge the absurd or ridiculous that happens in one’s career. To be in charge doesn’t mean you’re not supposed to be able to laugh at what happens.

L(L): You’ve worked a lot with women leaders in the fields of politics, media and business. Within these distinct fields, what do you view as the biggest challenges women face?

EMF: The women’s movement isn’t over. It’s frustrating sometimes to hear how people approach this issue. For the first time in 2010, we lost ground in the Congressional elections. Today there’s a sense that because decades ago we burnt bras and now we have a few leaders like Carly Fiorina and Hillary Clinton, we’re done.

But we can’t be satisfied with having just a handful. In politics, we have a practice that women don’t run for office until their families are grown up. They don’t want to expose their kids and their personal lives to all the mudslinging that happens in political campaigns – especially to female candidates. As such we miss out on a whole bunch of seniority and leadership opportunities in our lifetimes. This is where gender equity is struggling.

As for media and business – we know media lags behind other industries. Only 3% of media companies have female CEOs. Generally speaking, women tend to shy away from opportunities where they are profit and loss concerns on the table, where there’s money to be made. We see a lot of women go into HR and Marketing, but you don’t make money in those functions. It’s often in sales and revenue generating parts of business where you’re more likely to make money and where there are more opportunities to be leveraged.

L(L): You’ve said before that one of your goals is to make gender-based organizations and the issues they face relevant to younger women. What is difficult about getting today’s young women energized around gender-based issues?

EMF: It is harder today to engage younger women in traditional gender based organizations – a lot of times people think, “Aren’t we done with that?” Sure, women make up 51% of the workforce – but you have a glass ceiling and a sticky floor. And the idea of work-life balance doesn’t help – I see it as a total myth.

L(L): Why is work-life balance a myth?

EMF: You stick around a job that’s become comfortable because you see it as the way you can balance everything.

We have the opportunity to bring enthusiasm around a whole new set of issues involving work-life integration. Young women don’t want to have to feel they are torn between work and home. I am a mom and I understand the conflict and stress involved. I think there’s a real opportunity for Generation Y to redefine work-life balance.

Work is more flexible now. Everyone has a smartphone. You have email access 24/7. If you really need someone, you text them. Whether you have to work at your desk or be in a cube – the bottom line is that work has crept into crevices beyond 9 to 5. For me –if I have to make a phone call at 2pm to get my kid on a summer camp list, I’ll do that and that’s okay. I know I’ll still be checking my e-mail at 9pm.

For aspiring young women today, I think work-life balance is an illusion and work-life integration is a reality. The good thing for young women to know is that greater autonomy comes the longer you work somewhere. If you’re the boss, you can set your own schedule.

Honestly, what you’re doing at 24 is not what you’ll be doing at 30, when you’re going to be grappling with more family issues. Some things have gotten better in the last decade – for instance, Dads are so much more hands-on. But it’s still really hard. I get paid to be an advocate for women – but I’ll tell you, I kill myself to drop my kids off to school, make nutritious meals for them, and do my own work. It’s really challenging. I would never give up my kids and I would never give up my job.

It’s such an exciting time to be working and to be part of so much newness going on – I’d hate for young women who also want families to give that up. We’re going in a new direction for what it means to be working.

L(L): Okay, last question. Ones to Watch. Most Powerful Women. Most inspiring. So many lists are out there… Who is on your list?

EMF: I’ll give you just a handful of my personal favorites: women across all types of media. Here goes!

Beyonce, Adele, Tina Fey, Kristen Wiig, Amy Poehler, Samantha Bee, Rachel Maddow, Hannah Storm, Katie Couric, Gayle King, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Michelle Obama, Suzanne Collins (author of the Hunger Games trilogy), and (as for literary characters) Katniss Everdeen.

[Author’s Note: For any Levo Ladies working in media or affiliated industries, check out the Alliance for Women in Media, which has free community membership and weekly news briefs on career progress for women in media.]

The Friday FYI : Underage Models are a Thing at...

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:46:00 -0500

The Friday FYI : Underage Models are a Thing at NYFW.

It’s coming to light that many of the models walking at Fashion Week this week are underage. The New York Times covered it in the Thursday Styles. Why are they turning to younger and younger girls? Because they’re thinner.

Back in 2006, the death of South American model Ana Carolina Reston prompted a debate and a movement towards healthier BMIs in the modeling world. American designers, though, have in part argued against BMI restriction saying that because of their height, it’s difficult for fashion models to meet standards seen as normal by health organizations.

I don’t usually make these FYI things personal, and I kind of enjoy living behind a computer screen, but here’s my 50-cent piece: I’m 5’ 10” and I weigh 155 pounds. I’m lovely. And I’m healthy. So hearing the “she can’t have a normal figure because she’s too tall” line from designers I really love feels a bit like an insult, and a baseless one.

The upshot of the age debate at Fashion Week is that designers are designing for a certain age group (their consumers) and body type (women with BMIs over 17), but are marketing their product using a completely different age group and body type. I’m not even sure how I’m supposed to know how a garment will look on me based on this marketing tactic.

Fashion Week is a cultural event in New York City. An awesome one. But this trend is making it look more and more like a circus sideshow.

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Elizabeth Burke is attending her first New York Fashion Week event today.

Take a Winter Vacation. Seriously.

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:44:32 -0500

There’s nothing like spending three months arriving at the office before the sun rises and leaving it after the sun sets to make you want to rip your own hair out. Face it: sometimes you just need a vacation. And especially mid-winter, a little getaway can really help you remember that nice rational person you were before the winter solstice blues set in. Our friend at Contiki, Vy-Uyen Truong, gave us these valuable tips for your pre-vacation think-through so that last-minute flight to Florida can make your cubicle dream of relaxing on the beach real, instead of making you even more stressed out and exhausted.

1) Take your vitamins (before you leave and during your trip)

Long hours at the office, last minute shopping, and a late night of packing for your trip can take a stress toll on your body. Stay healthy with a consistent regime of Echinacea and multi-vitamins, starting a few days or even weeks before your trip. If you plan on burning the candle at both ends during your trip take vitamins the whole time, you’ll be glad you did!

2) Take a picture of your passport and email it to yourself

In addition to packing a photocopy of your passport, this extra step will guarantee access to your passport in a pinch - even if part of your luggage gets lost or stolen (with your photocopy in it). Use a hotel computer or an internet café to check your email and print a copy of your passport. Ask your Tour Manager to help you contact the nearest US Embassy; you’ll need their help if you plan on flying home!

3) Fight jetlag

The trick to avoiding jetlag and adjusting your internal clock is to stay up all day. Even if you’re flight gets in at 8am, fight the urge to sleep. Have an espresso or two, walk around and sightsee! After 8pm you’re safe to get some sleep and start your tour fresh the next day.

Of course, it also helps to get some sleep on the flight over.

TIP: Before you board the flight, have a beer or glass of wine at the airport bar and buy the most boring magazine you can find - you’ll be conked out in no time!

4) Be kink-free!

Two words – Neck Pillow. This brilliant invention is worth the extra room in your carry-on. It’s perfect for the long plane rides and the Contiki coach, where you can score some extra nap time while heading from place to place. Combine this with earplugs and you’ve got yourself the perfect pair!

5) SunTAN. Don’t sunburn.

There’s nothing worse than getting sunburnt on your first day of vacation. Bring at least SPF30 sunscreen (don’t worry you’ll still get a tan). Key areas to hit: face, back of neck, tops of feet, ears, nose, and shoulders. Chapstick or lipgloss with SPF in it is also a good idea.

6) Bring a watch

Since you probably won’t have your cell phone with you overseas, a watch will prove to be a good investment. You’ll always be on time for meet-ups, and you won’t have to pay that extra cab fare for missing the coach! A small travel alarm clock is also a good idea to help you wake up in the morning after a hard day of sightseeing, eating and shopping.

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Have a great travel tip? Share it!

For more info on what to pack for your Contiki trip, click here »

Think Positive (+) Thursday: FINALLY! Obama is suggesting we...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:40:38 -0500

Think Positive (+) Thursday: FINALLY!

Obama is suggesting we begin to think of the ever-tanking US economy as being a tunnel. And there’s officially now a light at the end of it.

As many of you will have read by now, unemployment in January surprisingly dropped to 8.3 percent, for the fifth straight monthly decline, suggesting a downward trend that would have to reverse sharply to produce an annual average of 8.9 percent.

Alan Krueger said earlier this week that if the president’s job creation proposals are passed in full they will help to prevent the types of shocks that slowed the recovery in early 2011. He predicted that if the proposals are passed unemployment could dip below 8% within the year.

That’s plenty of reason for us to Think Positive (+) !

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An open call to the Levo League: send us the reason why you’re happy this week and we’ll post them in our weekly Thursday Think Positive (+) !

What’s the Management End Game? How the Fate of First World...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:56:00 -0500

What’s the Management End Game? How the Fate of First World Women Matters to Third World Women Entrepreneurs.

The Third Billion Campaign, an initiative of La Pietra Coalition, is uniting the corporate engagement arms of OECD strongarms— Accenture, Booz & Company, Ernst & Young, and the World Bank, to name a few— to educate and empower female entrepreneurs in undeveloped companies. And it’s clear from research and news that parity is an absolute necessity in most of The Third Billion’s target communities. But do we have a clear idea of the paradise we lead these women toward?

The globalization of recent decades has shown the world just how crucial massive population segments can be when they are integrated into the global economy. China and India are the two most obvious examples. But the third less obvious demographic that’s gotten lost in the wash of economic analysis is a very simple one: uneducated and unempowered women. These women exist all over the world—even in the United States.

In the United States, it’s become clear that to some degree—whether because of the Recession or because of normal growth phenomena—that the parity of women has hit a plateau. This year’s World Economic Forum, despite its outreach efforts to include more diversity, consisted of only 16% women. Less than 20 of the Fortune 500’s CEOs are female. But there are bright spots: for instance, the majority of the World Bank’s directors are female. And while the worldwide average is around 15%, Rwanda, a country whose genocidal history has put its civil rights in jeopardy in the last three decades, has a Parliament that’s more than 50% female.

Amidst the plateauing progress and its ensuing ennui, women like Sandra Taylor the director of La Pietra Coalition are upholding a spark of hope that has ignited a global fire. “The evidence is clear,” she says. “women are the emerging market with the greatest potential for accelerating global economic growth over the next decade. Investing in women will transform their lives and lead to prosperity for their families, their communities, and for business globally.”

Several amazing women stood alongside Sandra last week to announce the launch of the Third Billion Campaign. Dina Powell, President of the Goldman Sachs Foundation and head of GS Corporate Engagement, as well as Beth Brooke, Global Vice Chair of Ernst & Young, and Pierella Paci, the Manager of the World Bank’s Gender & Development group, were among them. Dina spoke passionately about the United Nation’s 8 Millennium Goals, saying that “the answer to all of these goals have to do with women.” She spoke of Goldman Sach’s 10,000 Women initiative, which to date has trained 6,000 women and given them the resources to begin their own economic enterprises. But her goals are bigger than giving 10,000 women a microloan and sending them on their way.

“How do you take women from the platform where they’re running small businesses to the point where they’re creating 10, 20, 50—or 1,000—jobs?” Dina asked the small group assembled to celebrate the launch of The Third Billion. Dr. Victoria Kisyombe, a 10,000 Women trainee and the founder of Sero Lease & Financial Corporation in Tanzania, gave a moving reply: “Women may have all the same rights as men in many countries, but because of customs and traditions, women and girls find it difficult to establish ownership of tangible assets. This limits them. When women help women, it unleashes the 50% that isn’t vocal.”

Women Helping Women

The world of female beauty is a competitive one—we’ve seen that even just this week in Gisele Bundchen’s instinctual response to Tom Brady naysayers. The transition for women from solo players in the marriage marketplace to team players in a business environment hasn’t always been an easy one.

But the perspective shift—from one where women instinctually compete with one another across all parameters even where there’s no tangible goal to one where women advocate for one another and sponsor one another’s successes—has been invaluable. According to the World Bank’s recent Women, Business & the Law report, gender disparity decreases significantly in workplaces where a top manager is female:

(Women Business & the Law, 2012)

This effect is clearly related to goodwill between females within a business. But goodwill is hard to track in a database. Formal structures are what we have the power to monitor, and the World Bank report took a close look at the rights of women in economies worldwide by referencing these formal structures, both legal and economic, and the ways in which they affect their success.

To analyze the legal rights of women worldwide, the World Bank carved out 21 different actions that lend depth to an analysis of female parity—and whether women can legally perform these 21 things in the same way that men can is the basis of their study:

- applying for a passport - traveling outside the country - traveling outside the home- getting a job or pursuing a trade or profession without permission - signing a contract - registering a business - being “head of household” or “head of family” - conferring citizenship on their children - opening a bank account - choosing where to live - having ownership rights over moveable property - having ownership rights over immoveable property - having inheritance rights over moveable property - having inheritance rights over immoveable property - working the same night hours - working in the same industries - enjoying the same statutory retirement age - enjoying the same pensionable age - enjoying the same tax deductions or credits - having their testimony carry the same evidentiary weight in court - being able to initiate legal proceedings without permission

To give you an idea of the scope of the problem of female parity in the world:

Of the 45 legal differentiations described by the World Bank report to denote the legal rights of women across economies, no economy imposed all equally for both married and unmarried women. None of the 24 economies that impose ten or more legal differentiations is in high-income OECD, or Eastern Europe and Central Asia or Latin America and the Caribbean. 38 economies in total have no legal differentiations of the type measured by the study.

High-income economies have on average fewer differentiations than middle- and low-income economies, indicating that as an economy matures, it affords its females more civil and legal rights. However, these differentiations do not disappear as income levels rise. In fact, 17 of the 39 high-income economies covered have at least one legal differentiation.

In 121 economies studied in the World Bank report, unmarried women have the same rights as unmarried men regarding the ﬁrst 10 differentiators listed above. But only in 97 economies do married women have the same rights as married men. In seven economies, married women do not have the same property rights as married men.

How does microcredit help lessen the disparity?

Three-quarters of microﬁnance borrowers are women. It is, therefore, women who are more likely to beneﬁt when credit bureaus and registries make known information on available microﬁnance loans. A record of successful repayment enables women to build up credit histories—and these loans pave the way to more conventional financing and access to more capital.

This is what The Third Billion Campaign, along with programs like 10,000 Women, strives to achieve. They launched their decade-long effort last Wednesday, and are committed to opening the eyes of corporations and NGOs worldwide to the massive potential of women in these underdeveloped countries. They are unifying what has been to date a series of very disparate efforts to show commitment to female education and entrepreneurialism.

What do these strides mean for us back home?

Back in the developed world, women have made tremendous strides in the past century towards achieving workplace parity. But the fact remains that women participate in the labor force in a different way than men—and it’s clear from research that that’s partially determined by stereotypes of workplace attachment.

To a certain degree, a stereotype of this nature is not baseless: women are likely to be relatively less attached to their respective employers and jobs compared to their male counterparts, especially during the early part of their careers. Parts of female life just occur relatively early: marriage, childbirth, and family care responsibilities make it more likely that women will experience employment interruptions and gaps (Mincer and Ofek, 1982). It’s not crazy to expect that a woman’s job duration will be shorter than a man’s. This affects both on-the-job training investments and job selection. The gaps and interruptions mean that women are likely to invest less in ﬁrm-speciﬁc skills and more in general labor market skills that are portable across employers—especially given the inflexibility of many employers across the life events young women experience. The lack of firm-specific training makes women subject to relatively ﬂatter wage-tenure proﬁles, but the focus on general skills means a higher wage-experience proﬁle compared to men (Munasinghe, 2004).

So it’s really up to us in the next century—the suffragettes have finished their suffrage, but we as a community have not come to a consensus on what rights to demand and what expectations to set with our employers. We learn. We lead. We reproduce. All of these things make us better potential leaders—not worse ones. And now that we’re making the push into the third world to lift women out of poverty using the same techniques our mothers and grandmothers used not so long ago, it’s up to us to set an example of what success truly looks like for female leaders.