Ego, Muscle or Brains?

After review of an article from Newsweek,"The Visual Language of Liberation: Women's history " Are We There Yet?", I realized as so many of us have, that as important as communication is to our social environment & growth, the understanding and acceptance structuring the foundation of "getting there" is clouded by a few minor factors.
In 1969, 46 women employed by Newsweek sued for employment discrimination based on gender under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. If painted on canvas it went something like this: Every woman was proud to make claim to be employed by such a place as Newsweek and ambitions promoted enthusiasm full of vivid colors! Every dress suit properly starched, the stocking line ran perfectly up the leg, red lipstick pronounced the Independence and tolerance ran high with each slap on the rear, every wink from the boss and hearts fell by the wayside with each day their abilities were buried under the filings of stacks of report, turning over their written stories to the Muscle Department and being told by the Brains of the company "they aren't qualified" to be identified as the writer of their own articles. Of course these same "Brains" department couldn't cook a decent meal, so the red lipstick ran home to make sure this duty was completed per the Muscle's demand!
I take my hat off to "Woman of Our Past". The inner strengths and tolerance of duties placed upon them by our counterparts and companions were remarkable.
The question was; "just how much as changed, really?" Well, now we have a title, "Title IX Women" I feel better knowing that after 50 years women now have a group title that explains our actions and fight for equality, don't you? The fact remains that after all the fight, we still earn on average $4,600 less per year with a M.B.A Degree. We do, however carry titles within the corporations and large companies that reflect change toward the betterment not only to women but for our society as a whole. The results of women in such positions are monumental to many factors, whether agreed by all or not, does bring a stronger foundation to future growth and strengths to family, business and the country.
Ego said to Brains: The weaker gender can't do my job because I have muscles, therefore I am better! There isn't much more that might explain the suppression that still today holds back the abilities of a gender that truthfully has proven abilities beyond that of their counterparts in multitude of manners and fashions!
Still within the corporate world, the female gender does most duties raising the children on the daily basis, organizes and prepared the meals, attends PTA and sports activities, (soccer mom), keeps the family calendar running so the Brains knows what not to forget, takes the car in for repairs and still has the ability to run a major corporation!
Don't get confused with the statement: "more women are the breadwinners". If society (men in the corporate world) had the ability to think and look forward, as women do, they would have realized we (women) picked up the slack when "Muscle" needed us to build weapons during the war. We left our children and sewing to make sure the Brains had what was needed to succeed. And at $.80 per hour. Even during such a time, there were still "Ego's" that insulted women for leaving the home place to work, of course without thought to the bigger crisis at hand. Which is exactly what I'm referencing here.
The corporate world isn't black and white. The complexity surrounding bountiful production and growth has been provided by the so called weaker gender into the corporate world. This fact proven by tremendous growth within many well established corporation showing greater results with a women running the show. Good example would be case in point, Ann McDaniel, the managing director of Newsweek. After years climbing the ladder of "Ego", "Brains" and "Muscles", this women wasn't given this title, she earned every dollar and still brings to the table less than her counter part would today in the same position.
The corporate world needs to wake up and realize, if the tables turns too much the "Ego, "Brains" and "Muscles" might discover that one day the women may have the right to deny that 40% (increase) above the women rate and earn by abilities instead of by what I may refer to as a "muscle".
Again, as the Owner of a Company, my Hat's Off With Total Respect To All The Women on The Corporate Ladder. Keep climbing!

D.M.Voudouris

Split Pea Gumbo for Women in Business: Fetching Rocks

Split Pea Gumbo for Women in Business: Fetching Rockswww.univeralservicesproviderllc.com

Multi-Tasking The Laws of Business Interuptions.

When I began this business back in 2007, with no capital, my ideas & dreams and of course the novelty of owning my own business was like the eyes being bigger than the stomach at dinner time. Innocence is blissful in so many ways. Even at my age, bright, beautiful ideas have no bounders or guideline of limitations. We (women
have this innate ability to see the future in a band of full color & grand possibilities before we allow the interruptions of laws and facts to cloud our ambitions. We would never allow such a distraction to deter' us from our desires and powerful ideas. Being the powerful spirits that we are, life isn't allow to confront our dreams & ambitions with TAX LAWS, Insurance Coverage, Worker Compensation Coverage,OSHA Requirements, etc..etc..The list goes on and completely fills a file cabinet. The accountant fills another.
With every new contract, one that gives a better comfort zone & a small percentage of increase to profits, along arrives the unforeseen requirement that by some law must be put into effect.
Today I ask my insurance company the one question we are never to ask; "Well, Mr. Gordon, now that we have all the IWIF coverage and Liability coverage up to 1 million per incident, do I have all areas covered to ensure government contract
provision? The response was very direct & powerful, He replied; " Never ask your insurance agent that question" "Because, as a matter of fact, you still need to look at........he & I agreed to wait for the next bigger contract to implement higher coverage(s).
For those woman that understand "multi-tasking", well the world of Business as an owner, there is no real understanding nor terms to describe the real life of Multi-tasking. I've come to realize this isn't something one is given as a birth right. One must work at it & learn how to efficiently become proficient at it. Or you find you've written into a document what was said to you on the phone, or you've faxed papers to the wrong company, or even said "I love you" to a sub-contractor when hanging up, only to realize afterward that those standard words said to your family were spoke from habit due to multi-tasking untrained.
The big question is how do you teach yourself such an important & very required asset, when you've always been able to simply focus on one task at a time all your life. Real multi-tasking doesn't apply to what we woman understanding while juggling family events, household duties, shuffling soccer games. This is like Mars verses Pluto. Totally new zone & environment. An outer-self experience, to say the least.
Re-learning the deeper side of "focus" is important, but requires full attention of training and relining habitual procedures utilized for years. Organizational practice applies additional abilities to this problem, however the law of interruptions is common occurrence during every day in business. Therefore provides little comfort or assurance.
There is an unspoken of arena in the business world that everyone is semi aware. And that is all the needs, demands and requirement aren't going away. Tomorrow my phone call, emails, invoices, documents & responses are still in the same place I left them and all those important calls or response are to others just as busy as I am. Most associates are at the high level tasking and need those reprieves every now & then.
Remove the pressures clouded with nerve winching timeline creating a high level need for multi-tasking until tomorrow from time to time, just to allow for a breath of calm & faith that all will be just fine with anyone waiting to hear from you or for that signature, fax, document to be sent.
When tomorrow arrives still with the list of "to do's:, take one at a time until the laws of interruption create a need for four pair of hands & remember to proof read everything after a phone call. This is how one learns to multi-task as a business owner in today's busy market.