Forces are coming together from many directions with the need and goal that women have equal footing in the business world, the political world, and the world as a whole.  The reasons this is resonating so well in the business world  are many.  The forces include:

• Women earn the majority of college and graduate degrees making them the knowledge workforce of today and the future.  Companies need to figure out how to keep women engaged and moving to the C-Suite or some Fortune 500s will find themselves getting smaller instead of growing.
• The first Baby Boomers hit retirement age three years ago.  Regardless how their retirements look compared to the past, new leaders are needed to replace the white grey haired men who have been the traditional leaders of that generation.  Please note bullet number 1.  Women are needed to fill that gap.
• Women are the primary or sole breadwinner in 40% of households with children while only 20% of households with children have stay-at-home mums.  As President Obama stated we can’t think like Mad Men days anymore.
• Sheryl Sandburg hit a cord with Lean In.
• Boston decided to be the first city with Equal Pay focusing on 100% Talent.
• Marie Shriver with the help of Beyonce and others highlight the need for changing perspectives for women, the nation, and the next generation in the Shriver Report on Women Pushing Back from the Brink
• Organizations like 2020 Women on Board are working towards larger female representation of women on the nation’s corporate boards.

One new force that is bringing many together is Take the Lead, a organization co-founded this year by Gloria Feldt, a leader in women rights.  Take the Lead is having it’s Launch Event on February 19th in Arizona and Sheryl Sandburg will be there along with many other female leaders.    There is a live and free video stream of the event for those of us not in Arizona.  This is an event I’m looking forward to.  I hope you will join me in watching.

I hear it often,  “this headhunter emailed and bothered me with a job opportunity.”  I wish they would stop.

STOP, heck no.  Sure there are many jobs you do not want which reinforces that you are at the right job right now.  Yet,  someday you are going to want a new job.  As I say often, every job has an expiration date.  Either you decide it, the company decides it, or the economy decides it.  With that in mind, accept the request to connect, respond to the email, and listen to the pitch because one day there will be a job that is just too good to be true.  And they came to you!

Knowing what kinds of jobs are available in your industry is a critical part of career management.  Don’t let false loyalty to your current employer take your eyes off of managing your life.  Don’t let bruised egos due to headhunters with jobs that are beneath you swear off ever talking to another headhunter.  Spend five minutes once every six months or so when you get such interest and be grateful you get the interest.  Some day there will be no inbound interest and  you will be looking for a job.  Who can you contact then?  Not the people you ignored when you were happily employed.

Even better, you can ask for the moon when they come to you and you like the job you already have.  Everyone of us should experience that at least once.  Here’s one story.

Even the best intentioned boss does not give out raises without some prodding.  Managers need to find and keep the best talent at the least amount of cost possible.  That is their responsibility to the company.  I know we like to think bosses who listen to the stories of our kids illness, take us to lunch, and create fun unity events, also ensure that our pay keeps up with the changes in the market.  That assumption could come back to haunt you.  Watch this video and find out how even the best of bosses are waiting for you to raise your hand to get a raise. 

Find something you love to do and you will never work a day in your life.  That saying is a goal of many working people; me included.  Unfortunately,  many people I encounter as a salary negotiation teacher put so much focus on finding something that they love that they forget to make sure their pay is appropriate for the job.  The following video discusses how the intersection of the two truly is a better goal.