Laura is a coach, consultant, and speaker on the unique opportunities and stumbling blocks for women leaders. She has appeared in the Washington Post, Chicago Sun Tribune, and Toronto Star. She is a sought-after keynote speaker and is a featured guest on many podcasts and radio programs. Laura helps organizations redesign processes that minimize unconscious bias and improve diverse representation at all levels of the corporate pipeline. Laura’s goal is to improve opportunity and fairness in the workforce to increase employee satisfaction and belonging across all demographic groups. Throughout her career, she has led many high-impact, process improvement teams including a cross-cultural, region-wide team in the Asia-Pacific region. She is a graduate with honors from GE’s competitive Financial Management Program and holds a BA from the University of Wisconsin Madison in Business Marketing. She lives in Berkeley, California, and is Co-Chair of Notes & Words, a benefit concert for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland.

Here is the scary reality. Most girls do not want to be leaders.

Research indicates most girls define leadership and bravery as something ‘heroic.’ In fact, only 1/3 of middle-school girls today believe they can be a leader. The numbers go down as they get older. 

As an HR consultant specializing in women's leadership and succession planning, I have always been passionate about what makes individuals successful, self-aware, and resilient; and how to design processes in the workplace to support that journey.

That's why I was so surprised one day when I noticed my then 10-year-old daughter exhibiting some of the same career-derailing traits as many of my female clients. Did it really start this early, I wondered? I decided to leverage my 20 years of experience as a leadership development consultant and executive coach to delve deep into the world of girls' leadership.

Eight years later she is back to being the authentic, confident, and strong young woman I always knew her to be!

The journey opened our eyes as to the societal norms and pressures that young girls face on a daily basis which can erode confidence and future professional success.

My goal is to answer several questions: What causes these behaviors so early? Why can they sometimes last into adulthood? Can these behaviors be changed? How can women successfully navigate the external roadblocks that society places in their way?

My blog chronicled the journey I took with my daughter. My early history in finance and auditing compels me to conduct extensive research and seek fact-based solutions for the topics my daughter is tackling.  

Unfortunately, the data proves girls have an uphill battle. Research proves:

-Girls pride themselves on perfectionism and, therefore, avoid taking risks that could help them grow. 
-They hate conflict, so they do not end up practicing self-advocacy or communicating during difficult conversations. 
-To avoid being labeled "bossy" they turn away from leadership roles.

On top of these internal roadblocks, girls feel society's triple bind:

-Be confident, but not conceited
-Be smart, but no one likes a know-it-all
-Ambition is good, but trying too hard is bad
-Be assertive, but only if it does not upset anyone else.

My Mission

My goal is to shed light on these issues that affect girls so heavily. Of course, helping my daughter navigate these tough issues was my top priority, but by chronicling our journey, she and I also strive to help other girls along the way.

During her journey, I wrote, she approved, we posted. She is the bravest person I know.

I live with my husband and two children where I also enjoy sinking my teeth into big philanthropic projects that make a commensurately big impact like Notes & Words.

Laura Clydesdale is a Senior Associate at both ProjectNext Leadership and Forshay Consulting Firms. For more background on Laura visit her profile here. You can follow her on Twitter at @l_clydesdale and she can be reached at laura@lauraclydesdale.com.

For all public speaking appearances, please CLICK HERE and complete the inquiry form.