Since when did doing something “like a girl” become an insult? That’s the question behind a new video from Always and filmmaker Lauren Greenfield, wherein men and women are asked to demonstrate what it means to do certain tasks”like a girl”. Their responses are silly and funny…until the same question is posited to little girls, and the stark contrast of their answers reveal that this is no laughing matter. To some adults, “like a girl” implies weakness, frailty, and ineptitude, whereas to quote one of the young girls from the video, running like a girl simply means “run fast as you can.” Clearly, something is going awry in the transition from girls to women in how we view ourselves and our abilities.
This video is part of #LikeAGirl, a campaign by Always to address the self-esteem crisis in young girls, which largely occurs during puberty when a girl’s self-confidence significantly decreases. Greenfield, the accomplished and award winning filmmaker behind The Queen of Versailles, Beauty CULTure, and Thin, was commissioned by Always to look at the social implications of “like a girl”, and to see how people’s connotations with the phrase changes with age. By taking what is a common schoolyard insult and turning it into something…
It is estimated that 88% of American households give to charity annually, and with over one million non-profit organizations registered with the IRS, every dollar has unlimited choices on where to go. For nearly 60 years, Giving USA has tracked the charitable contributions of those in the US, and while the charitable sector has taken a beating in recent years due to the ongoing fallout from the 2008 Financial Crisis and subsequent recession, the latest report, released earlier this month, has good news for those working in the nonprofit sector.
In the calendar year of 2013, Americans donated a total of $335.17 billion, a number that marks a 4.4% increase from 2012, and represents the fourth straight year of growth in charitable giving. More importantly, this number is rapidly approaching the pre-recession peak of charitable giving that occurred in 2007 when Americans donated $349.5 billion, meaning that while economic recovery from the recession is still persistently slow, the spirit of giving back hasn’t been dampened and continues to grow.
These reports are issued annually by Giving USA and track the charitable giving of individuals, foundations, corporations, and bequests, and highlights from the 2013 report include the following:
Total giving has increased 22.0% since the official end of the recession in 2009.
Individual giving (both small and large gifts) has significantly increased while corporate giving has decreased.
International giving, is the only area that continues…
“Executive presence will not earn you promotion after promotion, but lack of executive presence will impede your ability to get as far as you want to go… Quite simply, promotions are not just functions of ability, values, or the numbers you hit, but also rest critically on how you are perceived.” — Sylvia Ann Hewlett
We would all like to believe that if we work hard, do our best, and keep at it, success will inevitably follow, but often this is not the case. One look at the lack of diversity in corporate America suggests that certain demographics are being left behind on the corporate ladder, and in an effort to understand why this is happening, the Center for Talent Innovation undertook a nation-wide survey to examine the factors that are key to career success. The results were illuminating, and form the basis for a new book titled Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success by Sylvia Ann Hewlett. Released earlier this month, Executive Presence argues that while merit and qualifications are important, they will only get you so far in your career. For that extra push, you need Executive Presence.
So what exactly is Executive Presence? Simply put, it’s not about whether or not you have what it takes to be a leader, but whether or not people perceive you to be leadership material. If you don’t exude leadership qualities, more…
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We would all like to believe that if we work hard, do our best, and keep at it, success will inevitably follow, but often this is not the case. One look at the