Like many companies Kraft was focused on cost cutting, limiting growth and expansion, focusing on keeping jobs versus hiring more employees. Women CEO and Chairman Irene Rosenfeld presented the growth diamond. “The growth diamond was simply a visual representation of the megatrends that were going on. It was about trading up to premium products. It was about a focus on health and wellness.

It was about a focus on convenience and snacks. That was the lens that we then used to reframe our categories and to make them more relevant and contemporary to our consumers.” Too often companies give into fear in a turbulent economy. Studies indicate that women leaders are in tune to their consumer’s needs. People were still eating cheese and other Kraft products, why not grow?

Known for her risk taking Rosenfeld took the leap, used her management abilities of leading from the head and heart. “We were in the process of evolving. So it was a terrific time to step back and say, “Who should Kraft be?” We spent time talking to employees around the world. We conducted focus groups. We held online chats. We talked to them about the characteristics of the companies that they admire, the characteristics of a company they would like to work for, some of the strengths that they see in Kraft, and areas of opportunity.They distilled that work down to the seven values:

• We inspire trust.
• We act like owners.
• We keep it simple.
• We are open and inclusive.
• We tell it like it is.
• We lead from the head and the heart.
• We discuss. We decide. We deliver.

Kraft did grow, in performance and financially and expanded internationally with the acquisition of Cadbury and by offering the products their consumers desired. Listed as number 13 on the Forbes list of 100 Powerful Women Rosenfeld is one to watch.

How can living your core values help you and your organization to grow? How will you enroll employees in the growth? What fearless moves will you make as you “get growing?”

A record number of women are Fortune 500 CEOs.

Women are launching businesses at 1.5 times the national average.

There are now 8.2 million American women running their own companies.

“The numbers are notable,” says executive and business coach Debora McLaughlin, author of “The Renegade Leader: 9 Success Strategies Driven Leaders Use to Ignite People, Performance and Profits,” (www.TheRenegadeLeader.com).

“From 1997 to 2011, the number of U.S. women-owned businesses increased by 50 percent,” McLaughlin says. “And in 2011, the median compensation for female CEOs was 13 percent more than for male CEOs,” according to NerdWallet Financial Markets.

According to Catalyst, a non-profit organization, as of January 1, there were 21 women running Fortune 500 companies, including IBM and PepsiCo, That’s up from seven in 2002-2003. Among the Fortune 1000 companies, there are twice as many, including the CEOs of Neiman Marcus Group, Cracker Barrel and Dun & Bradstreet.

“Nonetheless, business women still face hurdles,” McLaughlin says. “Keep in mind, while 21 are Fortune 500 CEOs–a record high–that’s only 4.25 percent of the total and the figures hold for Fortune 1000 companies. Less than 5 percent have a female at the helm.”

A recipient of the 2012-13 Women of the Year award presented by the National Association of Professional Women, McLaughlin says she watches the financial trends. While women are launching more businesses, they have an upward climb. Studies show that women-owned companies are less likely to hit the $1 million mark and are more likely to fail.

“To claim, own and keep the keys to the corner office, women executives need to be seen, heard and to lead with greater influence and impact,” McLaughlin says. She offers three key tips:

• Develop your personal brand. Let people get to know you, your core story of experiences and how they relate to your drive and vision. As Steve Jobs said, “connect the dots,” then use  transparent communication to share your story. People make better connections with people who tell a great story, and they’re most interested in the story behind the person at the top. Transparency encourages greater communication, team building and leadership.

• Develop and use your personal network. Find a mentor and be a mentor; seek out other women at your level; and accept the strength, ideas and energy your connections have to offer. It is no longer necessary to blaze trails alone, and women have more  power than they may realize. According to a Dow Jones report, startups with five or more female executives have a 61 percent success rate. The report also notes the odds of success “increase with more female executives at the VP and Director levels.”

• Stand for something. Position yourself as a strong thought leader. It’s not easy being at the top. Women tend to distrust powerful women, and men may view  women as weak or too collaborative and sensitive. Take a firm stand on something you care about deeply and rally the organization around that objective. You will gain the respect of your peers, customers and stakeholders.

As the numbers clearly demonstrate, business is changing. Women account for 73 percent to 85 percent of consumer decisions in the United States, which gives female CEOs yet another advantage — insight into their customers’ values, McLaughlin says.
Debora McLaughlin has a forthcoming book, “A League of Her Own.” She’s also the CEO of The Renegade Leader Coaching and Consulting Group combines her experience as certified executive coach and as a top sales performer in New York City and Boston to help CEOs, business leaders and organizations achieve accelerated results.

Just returned from a vacation with friends in Turks and Caicos where a friend built a new home with an inner living room of pools, a sky lit fire pit and a view of the ocean from every corner. We celebrated by inviting the nearby neighbors over. Night after night different guests arrived. The “princess of wall street” who wrote a book by the same title told me of her powerful time at Bear Stearns. The architect for the house arrived with a batch of coconuts from which he made his own decorative drinks; some thought him a bit eccentric. In contrast, the next door neighbors of Prince told us Prince is driven to his breathtaking home, garage closes and he is never seen outside. It got me thinkin’.

We just finished watching the Grammy Awards. On the Super Bowl we waited for the unique commercials (I loved the Budweiser horse one, didn’t you?).  We waited and we watched, for those who were going to come forward, to be seen, heard and get noticed, worldwide.

It is easier to blend in. It takes courage to get noticed. To be truly seen for the person you are, to have your voice, your opinion heard. This week I am working with a CEO, who wrote a book, and now ready to show the world her company in a bigger way, by developing her own expert platform. More CEO’s are asked to speak today than ever before, many shy away, it’s easy not to own your message or to blend in with the majority of the world who are too shy to own the podium.

How about you?  Peek around your horizon, where can you show up bolder than before? Where are you blending in when you could own the floor? What would you say if people were waiting for your 20 second time slot? Blending in is easy, standing out gets things done.

(Oh, the dog…at the party, Susan who runs a shelter for dogs, TCSPCA.TC, told the story of Betsy one of the many homeless dogs on the island. Betsy  found her way into the hearts of a family that visited in December but now, long gone home, they had no way of getting her to the States. Betsy rode home on my lap in the plane and was delivered to that loving family on Friday, to greet her first snow.  And to top it off, one of the guest donated $23,000 to the shelter to cover vet services. Now I wonder what would have happened if Susan decided to just blend in instead of stand out?)

Find out how you can help the TCSPCA Here.

So did you do it? Did you get into the game? Did you make a play for the expert position and claim it as your own? Did you stand on the mound and proclaim to the world of fans/prospects that they had better keep their eye on you? Did you make a pitch for something different, something new, something that excites you for once instead of everything your competition has to offer?

Well I might be on vacation, starting my tan early on the sunny beaches of Turks and Cacaos surrounded by friends but I still have my renegade eye on you. I’m watching to see what you are up to, if you are going to take a chance on yourself, your business, your industry this year. My clients set the standards for others to follow, will that be you?

My mind never seems to stop thinking, does yours? While I am away I know the most creative insights will be given to me like a cool beverage on the beach, simply delivered with a smile. This is why it is so important, my fearless driven leader, to take some downtime for yourself. To find that quiet time to be in your center, in flow so the creative space is opened. This is why so many of us get great ideas in the shower, our mind is quieter. This is why my nightstand is filled with notebooks and my cell phone has a mag light app that would light up the entire room as I write and register my quick thought before it’s lost so I can go back to my dream.

The problem is we might hear the idea, “get the download” but so many don’t take action. The title of The Renegade Leader was just that, words I heard in my head before I thought them, if that makes sense. So was A League of Her Own. Now the muse is chasing me to keep busy, it demands it be written for March 30^th so I have to pay attention. After all The Renegade Leader took on a life of its own, hitting number 1 on Amazon in Business, being invited into the Emmy Award gift bags, talked about on CBS News and soon to be in the New York Times. What if I hadn’t listened? Who knows what will happen next and I sense The League of Her Own has its own sense of urgency.

What is your muse saying? What downloads are you hearing? What action could you take to move on your field, to run the bases and hit your own homerun? Remember I might be on vacation but I am watching you…

What will it take to “go?” I was inspired this week to begin my next book, A League of Her Own, I’d been hovering for weeks (months?) thinking about it and then it happened, the first words were typed and the curser moved through the page, leading the way. I couldn’t type as fast as I was thinking. But what gave me the permission slip, the green light, the A-Okay sign that it was safe to begin?

And isn’t that what so many leaders and businesses wait for, their sign to “go” to get started, to launch that newly innovative idea/product, to take a stand for something, to move forward to the front of the line in their industry, to be the expert they know deep inside that they are.

Have you ever experienced that feeling, the desire to move forward but the hesitancy to take action? Why? Are you afraid of failing? Or perhaps more so, of succeeding… and then owning that place in the front of the line and being seen, vulnerable, subject to someone telling you to play small again but knowing there is no going back. You gave yourself permission.

Last week I had a great VIP Day with a client, we redesigned her business, created her expert platform including her signature story, her core signature business programs, a strategic marketing plan and four ways to leverage her programs/services so she maximized each, creating informational products and long term client engagements.  Every whiteboard space was taken. This is what she had to say:

 I give Debora and the “VIP Day” my highest recommendation.  The day was everything and more that I hoped for.  Debora was able to offer support and challenge me to think and create in new ways.  She has an ability to draw ideas out of me.  I appreciated her ability to organize the ideas in a way that let me visually engage while leaving my hands free. Plus it designed a business that offered four times the revenue I had projected for the year and more importantly allows me to serve more people without extra hours. It was a wonderful experience and I would, without reservation, recommend the VIP day to all VIPs.”  K.R.

So what are you waiting for? Claim your space. Move out of the shadow of the dug out and get into the game! Find out what your VIP treatment can be like!

What really represents women’s interests? On Sunday I went to my local bookstore, happy to grab a coffee and a scone and eager to peruse my copy of

I found it right where I knew it would be, in the business section, right by the men’s area (yes I did take a quick look at the cover of GQ). Then the back wall caught my eye, Women’s Interest. It stretched from one end of the store to the other, bright, shiny and colorful. It was covered with tons of magazines… all about fashion, crafts, interior decorating and celebrity scandal. That made me ponder.

Then I got mad, unfortunately for the poor man relaxing in a lounge chair reading his magazine. I quickly added a copy of the Harvard Business Review front and center and took this photo. The poor man looked startled and I vented my thoughts, telling him I would be posting this on my blog, seeing I wasn’t up for debate, he quietly said “Good luck with that.”

Women are interested in business and many other topics too.

Matter of fact 8.2 million American women run their own companies. Women are launching businesses at 1.5 times the national average.

Women account for 73 percent to 85 percent of consumer decisions in the United States, which gives female CEOs them yet another advantage — insight into their customers’ values, making for successful businesses.  And (women always have an “and”), research shows that when women’s businesses are successful they tend to give back, in their communities, to those in need and to seed other businesses. 

And (another one) yes, we do this while decorating our homes and adding to our swagger with some fashionable flair.

With the Renegade Leader book I’ve been asked to submit a number of articles.

This is an important message to share so I’m going to write an article about it, help me shape it to your message!

What do you think should be in the Women’s Interest section? What would you add to your local store’s shelf?

Don’t be afraid to express your passion and even your vulnerability if you’re unsure how to make your vision a reality. President John
F. Kennedy didn’t know how to put a man on the moon, but he was committed to making it happen and got others to think about and
create the possibility. Why not paint your picture as big as it can be? Others might be able to define the possibilities. Put the putty of your vision into everyone’s hands, and let them play with it for a while to see what they can create. Being a part of building the vision energizes the
excitement to achieve it.

Just as children seem to know who will be good at doing what and quickly assign the right roles to individuals, identify the work
to be done by all of your team players and decide who will do what and why. Do this as a collaborative effort as well, identifying what is needed and asking who is ready to step up to that responsibility. The people who move forward might surprise you. People take pride in tasks they have specific ally chosen to perform, so involve your team players in creating the vision, as well as identifying the actions and timeline needed to get there. Ask what resources they need to be successful, and provide what is required along the way.

Collaboration moves along like a vibrant hum when the vision stays alive. If you want others to whistle while they work, keep the music playing. Keep people informed of the progress being made, or have your focus groups do so. Share the wins, challenges, and detours made as the project progresses, and reconstruct the journey around hazards and barriers that attempt to hinder your movement.

Even the hardest tasks are easier to handle in collaboration. Now that your collaboration muscle is strengthened, focus on what’s next.
What else will make a difference? Where will you go from here? Use your shared values as a way of creating new ideas for your organization.

Collaboration begins with you. Know that you can’t do it alone and that organizations that foster teamwork outperform those that operate in silos. Rediscover your playful side, engage others in the art of creativity, figure out how to keep the buzz alive, and make collaboration a core value in your organization.

photo credit: paul bica via photopin cc

Share the Front Seat

When you were a child, did you ever want to sit in the front seat with your parent? Did you ever “call” it, only to have an older sibling take it anyway?

It can be scary on dark, rainy nights when you drive alone. When the journey is long, it’s better to have a few passengers on board, and it becomes a more interesting trip when you share leadership. Conversation flows, shortcuts can be discovered, and sharing the heavy role of leader gives you time to rest or plan for what lies ahead.

It’s no surprise that the most driven, impassioned leaders hold the reins of leadership tightly in their fists. Trust concerns and worries about delays often keep them from sharing their responsibilities. But imagine what you would be capable of achieving if others stepped up to the highest level of leadership?

The bottom line is: Your role as a leader is to create more leaders. Fostering leadership now helps you pull together your team when you need them the most, such as when:

• You’re trying to merge divisions or organizations together and are met with resistance.
• You’re in a state of change, and some team members are in flexible
• You’re under pressure and need the collaboration and fine precision of your people to achieve your goals.
• Your responsibilities have  grown, and you are wearing thin so that you just can’t manage it all unless you delegate.

Yes, as a leader, your role is to be someone others follow naturally, but your secondary role is to inspire others to lead effectively as well. In fact, your job is not to just give them a seat up front but actually hand them the keys from time to time.

Even Aldis Hodge knows the key to success is Leverage. Nominated for best supporting Actor in the 64^th Emmy Awards Aldis started his career early, landing his role on his 21^st birthday. Known as “the hacker” on the TV show Leverage he apparently knows how to position himself to get what he wants. Do you?

Renegade leaders are leaders with uncompromising visions. This means nothing gets in the way of their success, nothing that they can’t figure out how to navigate around. In the Renegade Leader book you will learn how to position yourself to be the leader that others choose to follow. You can read about the top skills today’s leaders need to motivate the unique needs of today’s workforce. This week’s client’s coaching challenges have ranged from how to navigate generational differences, in reverse to how to manager peer manager relationships.

A young leader managing seasoned, older employees. How do you leverage the knowledge base and at the same time introduce your innovative thinking to put your own fingerprint on the organization. Somehow you have to leverage the earned respect of older employees and get them on the same page coloring on the canvas you are presenting.  I work with executives and CEO’s but I also coach young professionals on how to stand out from the crowd and be seen and heard.  In order to make your imprint you have to been seen and heard. Speak up at meetings, share your ideas in the context of how they will fit the organization’s goals and ask for as much responsibility you can take on. Stand out by claiming your center stage. You can find out 64 tips on how to do this at www.ignitemyspotlight.com.

What about managers who don’t leverage their relationships with other managers? Are you supposed to be standing shoulder to shoulder with a co-manager only to find yourselves back to back, each looking the other way? If so take the first step and get on the same page, decide on mutual goals and the shared decision criteria you will use for every decision in your department. Work as a team, agree to disagree and when doing so share your point of view. “I can see your point; let me share mine and how I came to this conclusion.”

For more leadership skills to leverage your success check out The Renegade Leader book

Jackson Pace – Homeland Series

Last week a leader told me he was “tired of all of the drama!” You know what I am talking about, the interpersonal conflicts, excuses for missing accountability; the special needs of each employee…the weight of all of it can feel unbearable at times. My response? “Enjoy the cast of characters and take in the show.” Every organization has its own drama, actors who want to claim the center stage and have their voices be heard, cast support crew who hang out behind the curtain providing supports when needed and an ever changing mix of scenery as each day is never the same.

You have a choice, you can get frustrated or you can sit yourself in the director’s chair and motivate the highest performance. Your entire cast takes their cue from you. You set the tone, you command the stage, you manage the scenery, now give permission to your cast to be creative and ad lib the lines. The drama that most leaders complain about is often due the suppressed creative expression of their team and/or the lacking script of the vision.

Today’s worker wants a leading role, they want to know the full story, they want to understand their role in the big scene and to have a say in how the drama unfolds. Cast them in their best parts and allow them to live fully in character and watch an award winning performance unfold.