Women – we have come a long way!

Early in the 1960s, a freelance writer from New York, traveling to Boston to interview a psychologist for a book she was working on, stopped by the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and ordered a drink at the bar. “We do not serve women,” the bartender said, and whisked her off to a little lounge off the women’s restroom, where he brought her the whiskey sour. It was a moment Betty Friedan recalled with humiliation decades later, long after she helped spark a movement that made sure nobody ever got consigned to that lounge again.

Excerpted from When Everything Changed by Gail Collins. Copyright 2009 by Gail Collins. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publishe.

At my SWE workshop on The Introverted Leader today, it occured to me how far we have come. These bright women  (all introverts) are building rockets and designing battleships. They are also managing people and projects that require a combination of technical prowess and humanity. I am in awe -because from their 20’s through their 50’s, they still face challenges every day in mostly male dominated workplaces.  We practiced strategies to be more visible, to network, to speak up and to share our successes.

I feel privileged to help them in this journey towards being powerful leaders – and to be part of this sea change of women taking hold of their power.