By Robert Lawrence, President/CEO

A wonderful woman friend of mine had an awful experience last night! It happens every day and we all know it exists, but we tend to sweep it under the rug.  I can only say that it’s a different world for women in business than it is for men, and it’s about time we men took notice and did something to recognize and correct the problem.

My friend is a working, single mother and is without a doubt, a very beautiful, young, vibrant professional, working outside our industry, in a family owned business; doing all she can to generate revenue during these difficult times.   She does what most do, including taking her clients out to dinner in order to build relationships.  Yet somehow, it’s different for her than it is for men in the same role, and why?  Because she is an attractive, bubbly woman and many men assume that because she is single and beautiful, she can be disrespected and spoken to (by a married man) in ways that most would never dream of and would find simply find abhorrent!

I am not going into great detail because I don’t need to! Most of you, while you would never consider such behavior or language, know exactly to what I am referring.  Needless to say, she was very upset and felt forced to leave the client, before dinner was even ordered.  She remained professional and wasn’t rude (although she had every right to be if you knew what was said to her) but she nonetheless, had to make an excuse and leave.

So, what’s the real impact?  For her sadly, it is great! Most importantly, she felt degraded, and insulted.  Secondarily, she will no doubt lose the business because she refused his advances. But for him? While he disrespected my friend (not to mention his unsuspecting wife at home) probably nothing – at least in the in the short term. He’ll move on and try it again with another unsuspecting woman. But long term?  Well, he’ll no doubt do it again and if he has any sons, they too will probably grow to treat women in the same vulgar manner.

Men truly can be pigs and if you put a bit of alcohol in them, they can be even more so! Gentleman! This is another unacceptable double standard that must discontinue. We must teach our young boys that a woman should be treasured and never disrespected, that her professional qualities should never be looked upon any differently than those of a man, and that they should speak to a woman as they would hope another would address their own sisters or mother.

Look at Mattel, who recently announced the introduction of a “Sugar Daddy” Ken doll. An older Ken, who uses money to have his way with young Barbie dolls?  Ooo, now there’s an example of what we want to teach our young daughters?  And what about them? What does a man like this say as a father of a young woman, when he treats women with such disdain?

As men, let’s be certain to teach our children!  Teach your sons to be men. Teach them to keep their zippers and mouths closed, and that “no” means “no” and that a woman in a personal relationship should be treated as a gift, and a woman in business should be treated with respect!

Let’s work on showing our sons how to be “real” men!

By Robert Lawrence, President/CEO

I received this in an email from a college professor friend of mine in Memphis, Tennessee. We think a look at some of what this American hero has to say is worth a closer look.

Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from its death throes?  He’s now 82 years old and has wrote the book, ‘Where Have All The Leaders Gone?’.  Lee Iacocca Says:

‘Am I the only guy in this country who’s fed up with what’s happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder! We’ve got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we’ve got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can’t even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, ‘Stay the course..’

Stay the course? You’ve got to be kidding. This is America , not the damned, ‘Titanic’. I’ll give you a sound bite: ‘Throw all the bums out!’

You might think I’m getting senile, that I’ve gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore..

The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs.. While we’re fiddling in Iraq , the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving ‘pom-poms’ instead of asking hard questions.. That’s not the promise of the ‘ America ‘ my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I’ve had enough. How about you?

I’ll go a step further. You can’t call yourself a patriot if you’re not outraged. This is a fight I’m ready and willing to have. The Biggest ‘C’ is Crisis! (Iacocca elaborates on nine C’s of leadership, with crisis being the first.)

Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It’s easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else’s kids off to war when you’ve never seen a battlefield yourself. It’s another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.

On September 11, 2001, we needed a  strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes… A hell of a mess, so here’s where we stand.

We’re immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving.

We’re running the biggest deficit in the history of the country.

We’re losing the manufacturing edge to Asia , while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs.

Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble.

Our borders are like sieves.

The middle class is being squeezed every which way.

These are times that cry out for leadership.

But when you look around, you’ve got to ask: ‘Where have all the leaders gone?’ Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the  point.

Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?

We’ve spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.

Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm.

Everyone’s hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn’t happen again. Now, that’s just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you’re going to do the next time.

Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when ‘The Big Three’ referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it?

Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debit, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.

I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn’t elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on NBC news or CNN news will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don’t you guys show some spine for a change?

Had Enough? Hey, I’m not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here.  I’m trying to light a fire. I’m speaking out because I have hope – I believe in America . In my lifetime, I’ve had the privilege of living through some of    America ’s greatest moments. I’ve also experienced some of our worst crises: The ‘Great Depression,’ ‘World War  II,’ the ‘Korean War,’ the ‘Kennedy Assassination,’ the ‘Vietnam War,’ the 1970’s oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11.

If I’ve learned one thing, it’s this: ‘You don’t get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it’s building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That’s the challenge I’m raising in this book. It’s a “Call to Action” for people who, like me, believe in America ‘. It’s not too late, but it’s getting pretty close. So let’s shake off the crap and go to work. Let’s tell ‘em all we’ve had ‘enough.”

Please make your own contribution by sending this link to everyone you know and care about. The future of our world is truly, at stake!!