Ambassadors for women at work

I find myself in the unlikely company of Ivana Trump and Jim Yong Kim. The 'US first daughter' and the president of the WB wrote a joint piece yesterday in the Financial Times on the enormous dividends which would flow from greater  economic participation by women. They point to better board level decision making; higher productivity; and more household spending on food, education and health.   They identify blocks to realising these benefits:  lower access to finance; legislative constraints, for example on land ownership ; and narrower occupational options. I'll sign up to all of that.  A broad consensus is clearly emerging.... Two other PP-relevant newspaper items caught my eye.  A Sunday…
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LRB’s power pieces

Two excellent PP-relevant pieces in a recent issue of the London Review of Books. One is a review by David Runciman of a book on Theresa May which sums up her trajectory to power in a way that really helped me get a fix on the PM's outlook and attitude.  Especially telling is the contrast he draws between May and David Cameron, at several points in their political careers.  Cameron is ...all posh-boy charm and insouciance, flying by the seat of his pants with the aid of his network of well-connected chums.  May is earnest and diligent, apparently less opportunistic and more willing to assess things on their merits. And…
Read More

Late Fragments and careers

I've just finished Kate Gross's intensively poignant Late Fragments.  Kate died of cancer in 2014, aged 36, and wrote the book as a memoir for her little twin boys.  She manages a wonderful balance between huge sadness for the life, and family, that she is leaving and affirmation that even the short spell she had left to live was something to appreciate and enjoy - not by doing a bucket list of activity but just in itself. Kate was highly ambitious.  She had been Private Secretary to Tony Blair in No 10 Downing St, and was running a high profile NGO called the Africa Government Initiative when the cancer struck.  She…
Read More

Gender pay – and careers – gap

The media are alive with the sound of commentary on the regulations that come into play today, requiring companies with over 250 employees to report on gender and pay.   Amongst the central requirements are information on mean and median pay and bonuses for men and women. But it's important that the requirements also include the duty to report on the proportions of  women and men at four different pay bands - quartiles - in the organisation.  This is at least a start on giving a profile to careers and progression, and not only to money.  It's this focus on careers - occupational progression over time, at whatever level and…
Read More

Cousin conversations

My Scottish grandmother had 8 grandchildren.  As kids we assembled annually in Auchenblae and enjoyed swimming in the North Sea south of Aberdeen.  I say 'enjoyed' , and I think we genuinely did, though a trip there last summer and a dipping of toe into  water makes me wonder how. Growing up we went our own ways, but Grannie's funeral - decades ago now - brought us together again as adults.  Ever since we've met from time to time, and last Sunday some of us had lunch together.  It was just after the PP's publication, and so there was a bit of backchat on the book.  Without breaching family confidentiality…
Read More

Ambassadors for women at work

I find myself in the unlikely company of Ivana Trump and Jim Yong Kim. The 'US first daughter' and the president of the WB wrote a joint piece yesterday in the Financial Times on the enormous dividends which would flow from greater  economic participation by women. They point to better board level decision making; higher productivity; and more household spending on food, education and health.   They identify blocks to realising these benefits:  lower access to finance; legislative constraints, for example on land ownership ; and narrower occupational options. I'll sign up to all of that.  A broad consensus is clearly emerging.... Two other PP-relevant newspaper items caught my eye.  A Sunday…
Read More

LRB’s power pieces

Two excellent PP-relevant pieces in a recent issue of the London Review of Books. One is a review by David Runciman of a book on Theresa May which sums up her trajectory to power in a way that really helped me get a fix on the PM's outlook and attitude.  Especially telling is the contrast he draws between May and David Cameron, at several points in their political careers.  Cameron is ...all posh-boy charm and insouciance, flying by the seat of his pants with the aid of his network of well-connected chums.  May is earnest and diligent, apparently less opportunistic and more willing to assess things on their merits. And…
Read More

Late Fragments and careers

I've just finished Kate Gross's intensively poignant Late Fragments.  Kate died of cancer in 2014, aged 36, and wrote the book as a memoir for her little twin boys.  She manages a wonderful balance between huge sadness for the life, and family, that she is leaving and affirmation that even the short spell she had left to live was something to appreciate and enjoy - not by doing a bucket list of activity but just in itself. Kate was highly ambitious.  She had been Private Secretary to Tony Blair in No 10 Downing St, and was running a high profile NGO called the Africa Government Initiative when the cancer struck.  She…
Read More

Gender pay – and careers – gap

The media are alive with the sound of commentary on the regulations that come into play today, requiring companies with over 250 employees to report on gender and pay.   Amongst the central requirements are information on mean and median pay and bonuses for men and women. But it's important that the requirements also include the duty to report on the proportions of  women and men at four different pay bands - quartiles - in the organisation.  This is at least a start on giving a profile to careers and progression, and not only to money.  It's this focus on careers - occupational progression over time, at whatever level and…
Read More

Cousin conversations

My Scottish grandmother had 8 grandchildren.  As kids we assembled annually in Auchenblae and enjoyed swimming in the North Sea south of Aberdeen.  I say 'enjoyed' , and I think we genuinely did, though a trip there last summer and a dipping of toe into  water makes me wonder how. Growing up we went our own ways, but Grannie's funeral - decades ago now - brought us together again as adults.  Ever since we've met from time to time, and last Sunday some of us had lunch together.  It was just after the PP's publication, and so there was a bit of backchat on the book.  Without breaching family confidentiality…
Read More

Ambassadors for women at work

I find myself in the unlikely company of Ivana Trump and Jim Yong Kim. The 'US first daughter' and the president of the WB wrote a joint piece yesterday in the Financial Times on the enormous dividends which would flow from greater  economic participation by women. They point to better board level decision making; higher productivity; and more household spending on food, education and health.   They identify blocks to realising these benefits:  lower access to finance; legislative constraints, for example on land ownership ; and narrower occupational options. I'll sign up to all of that.  A broad consensus is clearly emerging.... Two other PP-relevant newspaper items caught my eye.  A Sunday…
Read More

LRB’s power pieces

Two excellent PP-relevant pieces in a recent issue of the London Review of Books. One is a review by David Runciman of a book on Theresa May which sums up her trajectory to power in a way that really helped me get a fix on the PM's outlook and attitude.  Especially telling is the contrast he draws between May and David Cameron, at several points in their political careers.  Cameron is ...all posh-boy charm and insouciance, flying by the seat of his pants with the aid of his network of well-connected chums.  May is earnest and diligent, apparently less opportunistic and more willing to assess things on their merits. And…
Read More

Late Fragments and careers

I've just finished Kate Gross's intensively poignant Late Fragments.  Kate died of cancer in 2014, aged 36, and wrote the book as a memoir for her little twin boys.  She manages a wonderful balance between huge sadness for the life, and family, that she is leaving and affirmation that even the short spell she had left to live was something to appreciate and enjoy - not by doing a bucket list of activity but just in itself. Kate was highly ambitious.  She had been Private Secretary to Tony Blair in No 10 Downing St, and was running a high profile NGO called the Africa Government Initiative when the cancer struck.  She…
Read More

Gender pay – and careers – gap

The media are alive with the sound of commentary on the regulations that come into play today, requiring companies with over 250 employees to report on gender and pay.   Amongst the central requirements are information on mean and median pay and bonuses for men and women. But it's important that the requirements also include the duty to report on the proportions of  women and men at four different pay bands - quartiles - in the organisation.  This is at least a start on giving a profile to careers and progression, and not only to money.  It's this focus on careers - occupational progression over time, at whatever level and…
Read More

Cousin conversations

My Scottish grandmother had 8 grandchildren.  As kids we assembled annually in Auchenblae and enjoyed swimming in the North Sea south of Aberdeen.  I say 'enjoyed' , and I think we genuinely did, though a trip there last summer and a dipping of toe into  water makes me wonder how. Growing up we went our own ways, but Grannie's funeral - decades ago now - brought us together again as adults.  Ever since we've met from time to time, and last Sunday some of us had lunch together.  It was just after the PP's publication, and so there was a bit of backchat on the book.  Without breaching family confidentiality…
Read More

Ambassadors for women at work

I find myself in the unlikely company of Ivana Trump and Jim Yong Kim. The 'US first daughter' and the president of the WB wrote a joint piece yesterday in the Financial Times on the enormous dividends which would flow from greater  economic participation by women. They point to better board level decision making; higher productivity; and more household spending on food, education and health.   They identify blocks to realising these benefits:  lower access to finance; legislative constraints, for example on land ownership ; and narrower occupational options. I'll sign up to all of that.  A broad consensus is clearly emerging.... Two other PP-relevant newspaper items caught my eye.  A Sunday…
Read More

LRB’s power pieces

Two excellent PP-relevant pieces in a recent issue of the London Review of Books. One is a review by David Runciman of a book on Theresa May which sums up her trajectory to power in a way that really helped me get a fix on the PM's outlook and attitude.  Especially telling is the contrast he draws between May and David Cameron, at several points in their political careers.  Cameron is ...all posh-boy charm and insouciance, flying by the seat of his pants with the aid of his network of well-connected chums.  May is earnest and diligent, apparently less opportunistic and more willing to assess things on their merits. And…
Read More

Late Fragments and careers

I've just finished Kate Gross's intensively poignant Late Fragments.  Kate died of cancer in 2014, aged 36, and wrote the book as a memoir for her little twin boys.  She manages a wonderful balance between huge sadness for the life, and family, that she is leaving and affirmation that even the short spell she had left to live was something to appreciate and enjoy - not by doing a bucket list of activity but just in itself. Kate was highly ambitious.  She had been Private Secretary to Tony Blair in No 10 Downing St, and was running a high profile NGO called the Africa Government Initiative when the cancer struck.  She…
Read More

Gender pay – and careers – gap

The media are alive with the sound of commentary on the regulations that come into play today, requiring companies with over 250 employees to report on gender and pay.   Amongst the central requirements are information on mean and median pay and bonuses for men and women. But it's important that the requirements also include the duty to report on the proportions of  women and men at four different pay bands - quartiles - in the organisation.  This is at least a start on giving a profile to careers and progression, and not only to money.  It's this focus on careers - occupational progression over time, at whatever level and…
Read More

Cousin conversations

My Scottish grandmother had 8 grandchildren.  As kids we assembled annually in Auchenblae and enjoyed swimming in the North Sea south of Aberdeen.  I say 'enjoyed' , and I think we genuinely did, though a trip there last summer and a dipping of toe into  water makes me wonder how. Growing up we went our own ways, but Grannie's funeral - decades ago now - brought us together again as adults.  Ever since we've met from time to time, and last Sunday some of us had lunch together.  It was just after the PP's publication, and so there was a bit of backchat on the book.  Without breaching family confidentiality…
Read More

Ambassadors for women at work

I find myself in the unlikely company of Ivana Trump and Jim Yong Kim. The 'US first daughter' and the president of the WB wrote a joint piece yesterday in the Financial Times on the enormous dividends which would flow from greater  economic participation by women. They point to better board level decision making; higher productivity; and more household spending on food, education and health.   They identify blocks to realising these benefits:  lower access to finance; legislative constraints, for example on land ownership ; and narrower occupational options. I'll sign up to all of that.  A broad consensus is clearly emerging.... Two other PP-relevant newspaper items caught my eye.  A Sunday…
Read More

LRB’s power pieces

Two excellent PP-relevant pieces in a recent issue of the London Review of Books. One is a review by David Runciman of a book on Theresa May which sums up her trajectory to power in a way that really helped me get a fix on the PM's outlook and attitude.  Especially telling is the contrast he draws between May and David Cameron, at several points in their political careers.  Cameron is ...all posh-boy charm and insouciance, flying by the seat of his pants with the aid of his network of well-connected chums.  May is earnest and diligent, apparently less opportunistic and more willing to assess things on their merits. And…
Read More

Late Fragments and careers

I've just finished Kate Gross's intensively poignant Late Fragments.  Kate died of cancer in 2014, aged 36, and wrote the book as a memoir for her little twin boys.  She manages a wonderful balance between huge sadness for the life, and family, that she is leaving and affirmation that even the short spell she had left to live was something to appreciate and enjoy - not by doing a bucket list of activity but just in itself. Kate was highly ambitious.  She had been Private Secretary to Tony Blair in No 10 Downing St, and was running a high profile NGO called the Africa Government Initiative when the cancer struck.  She…
Read More

Gender pay – and careers – gap

The media are alive with the sound of commentary on the regulations that come into play today, requiring companies with over 250 employees to report on gender and pay.   Amongst the central requirements are information on mean and median pay and bonuses for men and women. But it's important that the requirements also include the duty to report on the proportions of  women and men at four different pay bands - quartiles - in the organisation.  This is at least a start on giving a profile to careers and progression, and not only to money.  It's this focus on careers - occupational progression over time, at whatever level and…
Read More

Cousin conversations

My Scottish grandmother had 8 grandchildren.  As kids we assembled annually in Auchenblae and enjoyed swimming in the North Sea south of Aberdeen.  I say 'enjoyed' , and I think we genuinely did, though a trip there last summer and a dipping of toe into  water makes me wonder how. Growing up we went our own ways, but Grannie's funeral - decades ago now - brought us together again as adults.  Ever since we've met from time to time, and last Sunday some of us had lunch together.  It was just after the PP's publication, and so there was a bit of backchat on the book.  Without breaching family confidentiality…
Read More