Women’s Leadership – Where Do We Stand?

September 2020 marked the 25th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace. There, 189 countries committed to equal rights and opportunities for all women and girls.

In 1995, UN Women created a “Declaration and Platform for Action,” recognizing that the odds were systematically stacked against women and organized to address them.

In 25 years, how have these declarations translated to action?

It is sobering to note that not a single country has achieved full gender equality in practice in 2020. This is based on a framework of:

  • Economic participation and opportunity
  • Educational attainment
  • Health and survival
  • Political empowerment

Basic criteria. Life-defining criteria.

The top 10 countries are:

  1. Iceland
  2. Norway
  3. Finland
  4. Sweden
  5. Nicaragua
  6. New Zealand
  7. Ireland
  8. Spain
  9. Rwanda
  10. Germany

The United States is 53rd.

The goal for the 25th Anniversary was to take stock and reflect on progress. The hope was to point to groundbreaking change for gender equality. Instead, with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, even the limited gains made in the past decades are at risk of being rolled back.

From the UN Secretary-General’s Brief:

The pandemic is deepening pre-existing inequalities, exposing vulnerabilities in social, political and economic systems, which are in turn amplifying the impacts of the pandemic.

Across every sphere, from health to the economy, security to social protection, the impacts of COVID-19 are exacerbated for women and girls simply by virtue of their sex.

Yet in the face of these negative impacts, as we’ve pointed out in a previous blogpost, “Revisiting Gender Equity,” a new women’s leadership movement seems to be taking shape with a global call for “Generation Equality.”

The mantra of this movement is succinctly put by Melinda Gates, one of the most powerful women in philanthropy and praised by the UN-Secretary General as “visionary.”

This is how we emerge from the pandemic in all of its dimensions: by recognizing that women are not just victims of a broken world; the can be architects of a better one.

In our next blog posts, we will explore the ways this is being done around the world.

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The Institute for Women’s Leadership was established in 2021. Located at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the Institute provides participants the opportunity to expand transformational leadership skills, building a leadership a pipeline for Northeast Wisconsin. The Institute both embraces the Wisconsin Idea and serves the core and select missions of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in its commitment to inclusion, civic engagement, educational opportunity at all levels, and community-based partnerships. The Institute seeks to fulfill critical needs in the region and contribute to a robust, more broadly engaged and representative professional workforce and leadership. For more information visit the website www.uwgb.edu/womens-leadership 

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RESOURCES:
International Leadership Association. “’Building Forward Better’ – Why Women’s Leadership Matters.” Amanda Ellis, 12 August 2020.
UN Women. Annual Report 2019-2020.
World Economic Forum. “Global Gender Gap Report 2020.” Insight Report.

Growing Optimism Around Vaccine

If you’ve been wondering about the impact of the coronavirus vaccine and the incidence of cases at nursing homes, you’ll be glad to know the latest news is positive.

According to a recent article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the first nursing home inoculations in Wisconsin took place December 28, and in that week, Wisconsin homes reported 254 residents had contracted COVID-19. That was down from a high of 854 new cases the week of November 9.

But since the first week of vaccinations, nursing home cases have dropped 97%, their lowest level since May.

An analysis by the research arm of the American Health Care Association found that new cases dropped at a faster rate in nursing homes that had received vaccine than in ones that hadn’t. The analysis compared 797 homes that had vaccinated residents and staff in late December with more than 1,700 homes in the same counties that had not vaccinated.

Along with nurses, doctors and other health workers, residents and staff of nursing homes were the first Wisconsinites to get vaccinated. Most nursing home residents have now received both doses of the vaccine.

These dramatically improved numbers increase optimism about the promise of the vaccine.

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WISCONSIN COVID-19 VACCINE STATS

Total doses administered: 1,568,329

Wisconsin residents with at least one dose: 986,387 (16.9% of the population)

Residents with both doses: 548,343 (9.4% of the population)

Residents 65 and older with at least one dose: 592,772 (58.3% of 65+ population)

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For people wanting help with vaccine-related questions, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services has launched a toll-free telephone hotline: 844-684-1064.

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Dedicated to Quality Care

The Wisconsin Caregiver Academy is dedicated to ensuring quality care at community-based residential facilities and continues to train trainers and caregiving staff.

New train-the-trainer sessions have been scheduled through June 2021. When taking a train-the-trainer course, employees can become state-approved trainers for assisted living providers. This eliminates the cost and burden of having to bring in outside trainers into your facility to train staff. You, an employee or a consultant can become a state-approved trainer!

See All Dates by Topic:

Medication Administration
Standard Precautions
Fire Safety
First Aid and Choking

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COURSE
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Wisconsin nursing homes see a 97% drop in COVID-19 cases since the first week of vaccinations.” Sarah Volpenhein and Alison Dirr. March 4, 2021.

Respect Goes a Long Way

In the hospitality industry, customer experience is king. What does it take as a professional to lead in an ever-changing and messy environment? Let’s hear what hospitality leaders, past and present, have had to say.

Gray Shealy, AVP of Architectural Design and Innovation, Royal Caribbean Cruises

“Respect for others will go a long way, as will humility. Don’t forget you’re in the hospitality industry. Open doors. Listen. Look into someone’s eyes when having a conversation. Allow others to go first. Toast a guest at a meal. Wait until everyone is served. Emily Post may be a good mentor, come to think of it…”

Arne Sorenson, CEO, Marriott International

“Particularly in American society today, but maybe business society generally, you’ve got a glorification of folks who say, ‘Oh, I only sleep three to four hours a night,’ which is dead wrong. We don’t want to be preachy to our guests when they get into our hotels. They’re going to lead the lives they want to lead, but I think there are some things we can do to be in a dialogue with our customers about the strengths of sleep. Those of us who do sleep should be proud of saying we sleep.”

Leeny Oberg, EVP & CFO, Marriott International

“Know yourself. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Get feedback, and work hard to get that feedback. It is not an easy thing to have people give you feedback, and it’s not easy for people to give feedback, particularly when it’s constructive. It is so critical, as you find your career path, that you know where your strengths and weaknesses are.”

Horst Schulze, Co-founder, Ritz-Carlton Hotel Group

“Leadership is creating an environment in which people want to be part of the organization and not just work for the organization. Leadership creates an environment that makes people want to, rather than have to, do.”

Larry Steelman, VP of New Business Ventures, Cox Business

“Providing actionable information that isolates service-impacting issues and enables fast resolution is key to guest satisfaction.”

Krissy Gathright, EVP and COO, Apple Hospitality REIT

“Create your impact. There will be people along the way who will help support you, but it’s ultimately up to you. You control your own destiny. Do not wait for someone else to create a path for you.”

Isadore Sharp, Founder, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

“Keep your egos in check, and let the people who work for you shine. Because they’re the people who know our customers best—the people we depend on to lead the way. It’s no longer, ‘Do as I say.’ It’s, ‘Do as I do.’”

Jagruti Panwala, Chairwoman, AAHOA

“Build relationships. Attend conferences. Network not just with women, but men as well. I also just believe that you can’t achieve success on your own. Make sure you’re working with successful people, positive people.”

Joy Rothschild, Chief Human Resources Officer, Omni Hotels

“I find that this is one industry where hard work, spirit, and energy trump degrees or where you sit on the pecking order. If you are willing to put in the time—which is easier said than done—you should have no obstacles. You do need to be willing to go where the opportunities are. The more flexible you are, the better.”

James Tubo, COO, Blueprint RF

 “My key takeaways in serving the hospitality sector are: 1. Always try to put yourself in the shoes of the front desk agents serving our guests. 2. With more than 55 thousand hotels, the industry is surprisingly small. Everybody seems to be connected. 3. Don’t lose sight of what you set out to do. Our goal was to ensure that guests connect to the internet—that simple.”

J.W. “Bill” Marriott, Jr., Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Marriott International, Inc.

“The four most important words in the English language are, ‘What do you think?’ Listen to your people and learn.”

Kit Kemp, Co-founder, Firmdale Hotels

“The challenge I give myself—which, I’m sorry, would never occur to a man—is to craft common spaces with residential tone and texture where people want to idle.”

Barry Sternlicht, Founder, Starwood Hotels and Resorts

“You can learn everything that there is to know about the industry or the player from the company that is performing better or worse.”

Kemmons Wilson, Founder, Holiday Inn

“Remember: A person who wins success may have been counted out many times before. He wins because he refuses to give up.”

Avi Brosh, CEO, Paligroup

“The future of boutique hotels is not about size or design or asset class. It’s about going back to the beginning, back to what Morgans did. That’s delivering on this promise to create an authentic, ad hoc community of like-minded people that, for an evening or a few nights, transcend nationality or who they believe they are. It’s a promise that a guest be whoever they want to be for that night.”

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LEARN MORE ABOUT WISCONSIN TOURISM

UW-Green Bay and the Wisconsin Department of Tourism are collaborating to revitalize travel in Northeast Wisconsin by hosting a virtual Tourism Summit on Thursday, April 22, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Tourism is an integral part of the Wisconsin economy. The pandemic created challenges and disruption for the many businesses and workers that make up this multibillion-dollar industry.

The Tourism Summit is tailored for any business or frontline worker associated with tourism in Wisconsin, including restaurants, hotels, golf courses, other recreation and attractions, communities and more. The Tourism Summit is hosted by UW-Green Bay’s Division of Continuing Education and Community Engagement.

Learn more about the Tourism Summit by visiting www.uwgb.edu/tourism-summit or by contacting Melissa Betke, Program Specialist and 920-663-7337.

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RESOURCES:
BlueprintRF. “15 Hospitality Leaders Share their Best Business Advice.”