Leading Women founder Susan Colantuono shares new insights on women’s advancement

CHARLESTOWN, R.I. - April 8, 2013 - PRLog -- When Catalyst published its latest census of Fortune 500 companies (http://www.catalyst.org/media/catalyst-2012-census-fortune-500-no-change-women-top-leadership) the headline was, “No Change for Women in Top Leadership.”

While the pipeline of middle management and feeder professional/technical positions remains around 50% women, the percentage of women at the top remains below 20% with no significant change in over a decade. As measured by the percent of F500 women corporate officers, it has actually declined in 2012 to 14.3%.

“Much of the effort that organizations invest in women's advancement isn't solving the talent development challenges executives care about most,” said Susan L. Colantuono, founder and chief executive officer of Leading Women, an organization dedicated to advancing women from career-start to the C-suite. “All the advice today’s diversity and learning functions are giving women is helpful, but it falls short in fueling the pipeline for women into senior and executive positions.”

How can this be when there have never been more consultants, coaches and companies offering services to support women’s careers?

One reason is that the vast majority of the advice given to women today is essentially repackaging of advice that has been around since the 1970s. Upon entering a career, women are urged to learn self-promotion, to speak up and be more assertive, to get a mentor, and enhance their personal brand.

While this guidance has been instrumental in helping women advance from career-start into middle management, it is woefully insufficient in preparing them to move into senior and executive positions.

“Traditional advice lays a strong foundation for career success, but it will only take women so far,” said Colantuono. “Take a look and you'll notice that most traditional advice is focused on helping women move from career-start to middle management.”

According to Colantuono, delivering traditional advice to help an organization move women from the middle to the top is like giving them a 5-speed bike to compete in the Tour de France. It won’t help them keep up with the pack.

“At Leading Women we are expert at delivering the tools that women need to transition from the middle into senior and executive positions,” said Colantuono.

To learn about adding Leading Women’s Breakthrough Leadership content to your organization, email us (mailto:info@LeadingWomen.biz).

About Leading Women

By providing innovative solutions based on proprietary research, Leading Women helps companies achieve their goals for women’s advancement. Each solution delivers a unique perspective and practical tools for overcoming the common barriers to women’s advancement. To fit the reality of today’s workplace, Leading Women's solutions are delivered live, virtually, online and in combination. For more information, visit Leading Women (http://www.leadingwomen.biz/), call +1-401-789-0441 or email info@LeadingWomen.biz.

Leading Women is a certified woman-owned business - WBENC. Partner with Leading Women to advance your supplier diversity goals.

About Susan L. Colantuono

Susan L. Colantuono is an internationally known author, speaker and consultant. As CEO and founder of Leading Women she brings high-impact guidance to corporations that are serious about women s advancement and to women who want to build rewarding careers. Colantuono was recognized for her contributions in this area when Providence Business News named her Business Woman Ally/Mentor of the Year. Her book, No Ceiling, No Walls: What women haven t been told about leadership from career-start to the corporate boardroom (http://www.amazon.com/Ceiling-Walls-leadership-career-sta...), has been described as a must read by CEOs and thought leaders alike. Its lessons are used in organizations as diverse as AIPSO, Alcatel-Lucent, Amgen, DePuy (a J&J company), Campbell Soup Company, GTECH, Kodak, MassMutual, MFS, New York Life, PepsiCo, OfficeMax, Prudential, Sodexo, Sunoco, The MITRE Corporation, Williams and others. Colantuono’s book, Make the Most of Mentoring: Capitalize on Mentoring and Take Your Career to the Next Level (ASK Leading Women) (http://www.amazon.com/Make-Most-Mentoring-Capitalize-ebook/dp/B0099UTE2W/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362679290&sr=1-1&keywords=make+the+most+of+mentoring), delivers unconventional guidance on how to tap into the power of this valuable career tool, optimize your time invested and reap high-impact benefits.