There’s an old adage “You have to take the bitter with the sweet.” It was certainly sweet to be named to Forbes’ “Americas Best Small Companies List” last week. The bitter part came later.
As part of the story, they asked the CEOs of the top 20 businesses on the list to identify the book that has recently resonated with us. Initially, when the story posted, the writer noted that there were no female CEOs in the top 20 businesses on the list. Then they realized that Clearfield, at #14, had a woman CEO. (That would be me.) They subsequently ran a correction.
I’m not bitter about the mistake, but perplexed that the writer, a woman, assumed that there was no female leadership at these companies. The data would indicate that this assumption could have been easily reached — In September, Fortune reported that women currently hold 4.2 percent of Fortune 500 CEO positions and 4.5 percent of Fortune 1000 CEO positions. (For the list, click here.)
Rick Bergman, CEO of Synpatics, which was #19 on Forbes’ list, chose the book “Lean In” by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. He indicated that with daughters in college, he highlighted this book for it “…breaks down gender imbalance in the workplace, exploring why women’s progress in achieving leadership roles has stalled.”
I don’t necessarily agree with the term “stalled.” I believe we’re seeing movement in this area. But it’s happening far too slowly and far too seldom for these enlightened times.
Coincidentally, the book I identified was “Ninja Innovation” by Gary Shapiro. I told the reporter, “It’s about speed and nimbleness – the core of what sets Clearfield apart from its much larger competitors.”
I might add that those are also characteristics of good leaders – both male and female.