Are you and your business ready to grow?  Are you finding it difficult to take your business to a significantly highter level of revenue?  This article will show you six ways you can take charge of business growth.  In today's economic environment, that's news you can use! | lesa meira

During the May 2009 Global Summit of Women held in Santiago, Chile, a presentation by Mayra Buvinic, Director of the World Bank in Chile gives perspective on the issues of gender facing the Profile of Women in Latin America.  Referencing the International Center for Research on Women and their DHS data, Mayra cited four major areas of study as it relates to the women of Latin America and provided notable data supporting each area of study.  She concluded with policy implications of the study | lesa meira

During May 2009 the Global Summit of Women was held in Santiago, Chile.  Notes on the presentation made by Esther Silver Parker of Wal-Mart offer revealing insights on the megatrends Wal-Mart is watching as we begin to emerging from world economic crisis.  Ms. Parker also issued a challenge to all of us to continue working to close the gender gap in social, political, and social power. | lesa meira

Women are tough. They are showing outstanding resolve and strength in coping with the current economic crisis and, as owners of approximately half of all businesses, play a crucial role in the nation's recovery.  Their increasing rate of entrepreneurship is a force that policy makers around the world would do well to consider:  on a global basis, women own approximately one-third of all businesses. Why are women so resilient, even in tough times?  Read on... | lesa meira

During the May 2009 Global Summit of Women held in Santiago Chile, Dr. Diana Palais, Director of Microsoft's Partnerships for Technology Access (PTA), spoke about the success of Microsoft's initiatives with public-private partnerships. For detailed information on the PTA, visit www.microsoft.com/pta   | lesa meira

Make a profit or contribute responsibly to the common good of your employees, customers and community?  There's no economic reason to make a choice...do both! | lesa meira

Technology has made it easier and faster to communicate and share and work together no matter where you live in the world, leading some authors to refer to the world as 'flat'.  Have your leadership skills kept pace? | lesa meira

Your character is the greatest single factor shaping the culture of the company or organization you lead.  It will manifest itself in the values of your employees and become the context in which your employees work every day.   Equip them with a sure foundation by being a leader of character and service that they are sure to model. | lesa meira

At the age of six, joining Girl Scouts was not, as I recall, a strategic choice of mine. My mother probably figured it was just the best way for me to have meaningful and productive play. When I sent my own children to preschool, I learned that this strategy was called 'learning social behavior' or 'becoming socialized'. | lesa meira

Perhaps it is best thought of as having the ability to inspire followers. You may initially obtain followers due to recognition or persuasion, and you may then exert a little influence to retain them, but ultimately they will have to trust you to stay with you. Can you learn how to be a good leader? Yes! | lesa meira

Seventy years ago, the founder of Douglass Signs was an artist and creative spirit who thoroughly enjoyed figuring out any challenge. It was L.J. Douglass' passion for solving problems for others that led him to react to literally every sign request with a can-do approach. When he was asked to mark gas water heaters, he learned how to make decalcomanias (water slide decals), which led to the formation of the screen printing division of the company. | lesa meira

As a woman entrepreneur, one of my real pleasures is connecting, sharing and doing business with fellow women business owners. Although my preference is to create and further these relationships through personal encounters, I have found several technologies that enable me to creatively manage these relationships all over the world. | lesa meira

Recently, I had the pleasure of listening to futurist and author David Houle as he described the future ahead from his new book The Shift Age, which I understood to be his phrase to describe the shifting social, cultural, political and economic planes around which we are all globally interconnected yet remain highly individualistic. Whoa, what happened to the age of technology? | lesa meira

Back in 1974, my friend Carol and I sported matching t-shirts emblazoned with the popular ad jingle "Try it, you'll like it!" Needless to say, these shirts met with parental frowns for precisely the reason that Carol and I wore them...they were a little naughty. | lesa meira