Women in Corporate Leadership | Jenna Fisher - 490

Corporate progress for women is historically slow and filled with systemic biases that have stood for generations.  So how can we raise up a new generation of female leaders capable of overcoming those challenges? Today I'm pleased to be joined by Jenna Fisher – Co-lead of Global Financial Officer Practice at Russell Reynolds Associates, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author with a new book To the Top: How Women in Corporate Leadership Are Rewriting the Rules for Success. Jenna's amazing book was 8 years in the making, and it took the pause of COVID to provide the free hours she needed to dedicate to the project in order to see it through. In February of 2022 she began interviewing amazing women in various roles and industries all over the world to learn their stories, struggles, and successes. Through these conversations, she learned how women can seize the opportunity in front of them. In addition to the traditional biases that women have to deal with, Jenna learned some of the things that women do that set them back, such as not applying for roles because they don't tick every box in the job description, while men will traditionally apply even if they only check a few of the boxes. Jenna shares some tips for how women can overcome this hurdle and why they need to put themselves out there with confidence. Finally we discuss how age and focusing on family can set women back in the workplace.  Jenna explains that women often focus on being the best in their position, and changing that focus to the family means taking a risk that your career could fall to the wayside. Peter and Jenna share advice for maintaining and growing those aspects that can make a real difference in climbing the ladder, even while you're taking time for your family. This is a wonderful conversation where women at any stage of their career can gain valuable advice on moving to the top! Three Key Takeaways: *  Writing a book is like having a baby.  Labor is hard, but the real work begins after the child is in the world. *  Women who pause their careers to focus on family need to find ways to maintain their network until they are ready to return. *  Age does not define the heights that people can go. Give people the grace to run at their own pace.