Happy Friday!
Celebrating our Limitless Leaders: today we honor Aubrey Gideon. Aubrey is Vice President at First Financial Trust and a Member. Read more about why she gives back: https://txwsw.com/volunteer-spotlight-aubrey-gideon-limitless-leader/
I recently shared the milestone that women now hold more payroll jobs than men. Part of this was driven by the increased number of degrees women have achieved as well as more black and Hispanic women joining the workforce. The article notes that male-dominated occupations like manufacturing are shrinking while female-dominated jobs in healthcare and education are growing. The bad news behind this milestone is that these female-dominated jobs are both devalued and underpaid which is a big negative for the workforce as a whole. The full article can be found here.
There are a lot of statistics out there that underscore the benefits of having a diverse workforce, but actually achieving diversity at most firms is severely lacking. The next article, from the Harvard Business Review, outlines concrete steps companies can take to build a more inclusive workplace. The full article can be found here.
A recent Bloomberg article notes that hedge funds not led by white men outperform by nearly 2 to 1. The article goes on to note that out of Bloomberg’s extensive fund database, there were only 35 firms managed by women or minorities. These funds produced a return of 6.6% over the past 3 years versus a return of 3.9% for their male peers. And who says finance is a meritocracy? The full article can be found here.
Finally, January is the month of goal setting for the year. A recent article in HBR notes that the key to attaining any goal is to start small – with micro habits actually. It seems setting a big goal, like running a 10k, is more burdensome than motivational. The key is to break the steps down into small achievable goals that help change behavior, like laying clothes out for the gym the night before. The full article can be found here.
I would ask each of you to consider corporate sponsorship of TXWSW. Benefits include attendance at our flagship events and recognition for your firm. To learn more, you may find our sponsor information here. Additionally, we would be happy to create a custom sponsorship for you. Please contact Bianca King at developmentdirector@txwsw.com
Kind regards
Christine
Join the conversation.
We want to hear from you; use the hashtag #TXWSW when posting your challenges and triumphs.