Mariah Burton Nelson: Keynotes: Women, Excellence, Leadership

Author/Athlete/Professional Speaker

"Think of yourself as an athlete. I guarantee you it will change the way you walk, the way you work, and the decisions you make about leadership, teamwork, and success."- MBN

PROGRAMS FOR WOMEN'S GROUPS

I believe that all women, regardless of athletic background, can benefit from seeing themselves as athletes, developing their physical intelligence, and learning to walk through the world with an athlete's courage, confidence, and commitment to excellence. I challenge women to "play their own game," to compete openly, and to bring the principals of teamwork, goal-setting, fairness, fun, and celebration into the workplace. -- MBN

Most popular programs:

1) THE COURAGE TO COMPETE: What Women Need to Know About Winning, Losing, and Excellence

2) THE LEADERSHIP GAME: 5 Lessons from the Playing Fields

3) THE HEART OF A CHAMPION: How to Win at Work Without Losing Your Soul

How Female Audiences Respond to Mariah

Sample description:

THE COURAGE TO COMPETE
What Women Need to Know About Winning, Losing, and Excellence

Many women are ambivalent about competing for what they want in the workplace. We don't want to lose, or we don't want anyone else to lose, or we'll afraid of male or female resistance if we win. Yet that ambivalence can itself become a barrier to career development and advancement. Mariah redefines competition as "seeking excellence together" and encourages women to define success for themselves, succumbing neither to the traditional male model (conquering) nor to the traditional female model (cheerleading). She shows women how to deal with opponents, male and female; how to make wise decisions about when to compete and when not to; how to identify and support teammates; and how to cultivate the heart of a champion: courageous, confident, and compassionate.

This is a general description; Mariah customizes speeches to meet the needs of each audience. For more information, contact Mariah Burton Nelson, 703/276-8323.

Some facts about women in the workplace

On corporate advancement

Men hold 94% of the highest corporate jobs (Source: Catalyst)
Of the 53 openings for CEOs in Fortune 1000 companies in the first 6 months of 2001, one went to a woman
(Source: Executive search firm Chritian and Timbers)
Women fill 6.2% of corporate "line" positions (Source: Catalyst)

On attitudes about men in the workplace

When senior executive women were asked to what they attribute success, the two most frequent answers were, in this order:

Superior performance
Developing a personal style with which male managers are comfortable.
(Source: Catalyst)

Comparisons between athletes and nonathletes

Avoid competition and feel uncomfortable in competitive environments: 50% of nonathletes, 15% of athletes (Source: Embracing Victory by Mariah Burton Nelson)

Relationship between sports and success

Percentage of Senior Executive Women in Fortune 500 Companies who played sports when they were young: 86 (Source: Linda Bunker, University of Virginia)

On Competition

70 percent of women agree that "Many men are threatened by female victory."

The majority of women agree that

Learning to win and lose are essential in today's society
Women can compete without being cut-throat.
Competitive women tend to be successful
(Source: Embracing Victory by Mariah Burton Nelson)

Why women are leaving corporate America

In a recent study by Catalyst, the New York-based research and advisory group, nearly 30% of female entrepreneurs with prior private-sector experience cite the glass ceiling as the major reason they left corporations. They describe the glass ceiling as:

Failure to have their contributions recognized (47%)
Not being taken seriously (34%)
Feeling isolated (29%)
Seeing others promoted ahead of them
Ways to retain women in corporate America
Recommendations by Sheila Wellington, President of Catalyst:
- Recognize and reward women's contributions. Tell women they're valued - often: orally, in writing, with development opportunities, with compensation, and with high-visibility assignments.
- Find out what the workforce wants and take their needs seriously. Address work-life balance issues. Offer informal flexibility over workday schedules.
- Remove hidden barriers to success: lack of mentors, lack of informal networking, lack of high-visibility assignments.

To contact Mariah about her presentations, call 703/276-8323 or write to her at Mariah@MariahBurtonNelson.com

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