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Part One: Women Tell It Like It IS and Provide Real Leadership

So why are both corporations and our country still MISSING THE BOAT?

As a “dyed-in-the-wool” Democrat, watching the Republican Convention last week took a great deal of perseverance and determination... until I heard the speeches of wife of the nominee, Ann Romney and another woman, who was never my favorite politico, former Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. What a pleasant surprise.

Ann Romney carried herself with grace, confidence and warmth -- areas her husband seems to be lacking in.  Her very obvious mission was to communicate the “rest of the story” about Mitt.  To warm him up, to assure Americans that he “earned” the wealth he accumulated by sharing that their love story started very humbly in a basement apartment with an ironing board as a table.  Although the speech was obviously crafted by expert speechwriters, Ann nailed it.

She was believable, direct and even I, momentarily, wanted to switch parties. When she looked right into the camera and said that her husband “will not fail” I was nearly swayed.

The following evening, Condi took the lead and dusted Mitt’s right-hand man, Paul Ryan.  According to the Washington Post, she was more “serious and presidential” than Ryan, tackling the tough issues head head-on.

What struck me about these two women was that, although neither are running for anything, they both outshone the big, blowhard stars of each night, New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie, and “would-be” VP, Paul Ryan.

After reflecting upon all I saw during the Republican Convention, I’m left with is the lingering feeling that our nation, political parties, and many corporations are missing the boat in not truly utilizing the natural leadership of women.

Yes, we’ve made tremendous progress in both politics and business, but we’ve yet to nominate a woman for president. The stats on the C-suite in business are just as grim: According to USA Today, only 3% of Fortune 500 companies are led by women and only 15% of their boards consist of women.

What a loss for this country, the economy, and the charismatic women who are often used as powerfully effective tools to communicate the messages for the “real” leaders... the white guys in boring suits.

Stay Tuned for Part Two!

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