Lately I have been thinking about how to speak to women. I have a coaching practice that is almost exclusively women. And I spent 18 years in fragrance sales and marketing. So it seems natural that I should be interested in how to reach today’s professional woman. Yet it is confusing. The same people who want to work on women’s issues — retaining more women in mid-career, work-life balance — also seem to shy away from the prospect of reaching out to them directly. And sometimes, the events that are most likely to appeal to women, are under-attended. How do you speak to serious professional women in a way that appeals to our feminine side? I have often suspected that the answer might come from the fashion-cosmetics-retail world, where women are able to be comfortable in their femininity.
Which is why I was so excited to find a cool voice in “The View from the Top” in the Marie-Claire @Work supplement and to read about Joanna Coles in this weekend’s NYT Styles section. I love this perspective. Instead of focusing on the plight of professional women, or the challenges of work-life balance, the Marie Claire article reads like any other winner talking about the spoils of victory. Natalie Massenet, Nancy Dubuc and Carolyn Everson all talk about enjoying being powerful and having a seat at the table. It reads like an article on Richard Branson or Steve Jobs. How lovely! If this is the next voice of feminism, I’m all in.