Women Executives: The Truth, The Lies, The Secrets

Does the glass ceiling still exists? According to an article on Forbes called “Are Women Happy Under the Glass Ceiling?”, both men and women believe that a glass ceiling still exists. In a survey by Accenture mentioned in the article,  “about 70% of women and 57% of men believe an invisible barrier—a glass ceiling—prevents women from getting ahead in business, according to a study of 1,200 executives in eight countries, including the U.S., Australia, Austria and the Philippines. Yet, there are women in business who have found a way to reach the top of the corporate ladder.

What is the truth, what is the lie, and what are the secrets that you should know about making it to the top of the corporate ladder?

The Truth: Despite the fact that women are making it to the top of the corporate ladder, those that have, have beat incredible odds. Top female executives can earn tens of millions of dollars in salary, yet none of them have made Fortune’s list of the top ten highest paid executives overall. The top ten on Forbes’ list of the highest paid executives in 2006 were all men, according to a report on Money.CNN.

The Lie: Women will never get on the Forbes top ten executives. According to Business Week women ARE finding their way to the top. “ Progress is slow. But more women are now going higher on the corporate ladder, where the rewards are significantly richer—and a shot at the top is better. According to Catalyst, 7.3% of line jobs held by corporate officers at 500 large companies were held by women in 2000, up from 5.3% in 1996. In fact, there are more female chief financial officers, chief operations officers, and chief information officers than ever before. In 2000, 15 of the top 50 highest-paid executive women held such positions—traditional steps to becoming a CEO—up from 11 in 1994.”

The Secrets: What do women know at the top of the corporate ladder know that you should know? Read all about the secrets I discovered in Part II of this article. I was going to list a few of them here to keep this article a reasonable length, but then I thought they deserved an article of their own. These women have important lessons about success for everyone, whether you’re a man or a woman. Hope you come back to find out more about these incredible women and learn the secrets of their success.

Comments

[ven]

you missed a very key peron

Indra Nooyi- CEO of pepsico-- the most powerful business woman in the world.

[Gina O'Leary, General Manager]

Hi Ven. Yes, I agree the Indra Nooyi is a very powerful female executive, but is she one of the "highest paid"?

[GB]

Indra K. Nooyi pulled down $9.4M in 2006 compensation, not including previously granted stock options valued at more than $30M. The latter are substantial, but would not count toward her 2006 comp. Certainly a big hitter, but slightly below the other women on your list.