Business Opportunities Weblog

November 13, 2007 by Rich Whittle | 1 Comment

MiamiHerald.com:

Climbing to the top and surviving may seem like a subject businesswomen have talked about ad nauseam. But put successful women on the dais, and hundreds will show up in search of nuggets of wisdom.

in Miami, Maureen Kempston Darkes took the stage before nearly 300 women at The Commonwealth Institute South Florida for some straight talk about getting ahead.

As a challenge, navigating a male-dominated industry ranks up there with climbing Mount Everest. Kempston Darkes not only holds the highest operating post ever achieved by a woman at General Motors, she also peddles cars in some countries where women aren’t even allowed to drive.

On this day, before this room of women, Kempston Darkes shared this advice: Have the courage to take risks. She wants women executives to say ”that sounds interesting,” adding, “even if it makes you queasy.”

But this is not a leader whose optimism interferes with reality. This is a women at the top who got what she wanted and is brave enough to question the price she has paid. She wishes she had tried harder to schedule in the events most important to her.

”As I look back, my work/life balance was off a bit,” she told her audience. “I hope women do a lot better in the next generation.”

Photo by John Vanbeekum.

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Tags: Small Biz, Success, Women