 |
|
|
|||||
Although there are now 55 female CEOs among the top 500 U.S. companies, female representation is still only 11%. A recent McKinsey & Co. article, The Inner Game of Women CEOs, explores how women who reach the top navigate the mental, emotional, and relational polarities of leadership. How do they maintain confidence and humility while asserting their bold vision and operational grit without self-erasure? Women often lead differently because they have to. Their leadership isnt just a matter of style or preferenceits survival. And that reality doesnt just shape how women show up as CEOs; it reshapes how they communicate, both internally and externally. Female leaders face a double bind Female leaders are consistently caught in what sociologists call the double bind. They are penalized for being too assertive while also dismissed for not being assertive enough. According to McKinsey, women are more than twice as likely as men to be described as overly ambitious, even as they are equally as likely to be described as lacking ambition. Similarly, a Textio report on job feedback shows women receive 22% more feedback on their personality than men and 30% more exaggerated feedback than men. The gap is even greater for BIPOC women. For a female CEO, communication is not just a leadership tool; its a tightrope to walk. Every sentence, keynote, or town hall must project vision and conviction, but not aggression; authenticity, but not overexposure; strength, but not dominance. Sound familiar? Revisit America Ferreras epic monologue in the Barbie movie. Its a balancing act few men are forced to consider, much less master. Visibility versus relatability In high-stakes leadership, communication isnt about charisma; its about trust. Women CEOs often default to a relational, purpose-driven approach in their messaging, using we more than I, contextualizing decisions with values, and inviting dialogue over top-down decree. This isnt weakness. Its often a strategic choice to preempt bias and build credibility. But theres a risk. A too-collaborative tone can undercut authority in the eyes of boards or investors still primed for the Hero Archetype. On the other hand, an assertive female executive can be misinterpreted as cold or arrogant. This paradox means women CEOs must become highly intentional communicators, code-switching not just between audiences, but between their identities. Culture setting through language The best women CEOs use communication not just to lead, but to recalibrate expectations of what leadership looks and feels like. They narrate change. They humanize decisions. They model curiosity as a strength. And often, they do the extra work of translating their leadership moves, explaining not just what decisions they made, but why. This transparency builds alignment and trust but also requires time and emotional labor that their male peers are rarely asked to invest. Internally, this may require women CEOs to spend time: Holding stakeholder briefings that address business outcomes and cultural implications. Articulating a clear vision with space for feedback and co-creation. Saying I dont have all the answers, not as a sign of weakness, but as an indication of leadership maturity. Male CEOs are rarely expected to take these extra steps. Redefining the CEO voice Platforms like LinkedIn, Substack, and executive podcasts create room for women CEOs to tell their own stories on their own terms. This is crucial. While many still face biased gatekeeping in traditional media, digital platforms offer more nuance, depth, and control. We see the most effective women leaders using communications to: Elevate purpose over personal brand. Lean into values without becoming tokenized. Speak candidly about failure, ambiguity, or systemic change. Done right, this kind of external communication doesnt just enhance reputation; it redefines what executive presence looks like in the public arena. The Takeaway The leadership playbook is different for women than men because the expectations and penalties are different. The best women CEOs have developed an inner game of resilience, clarity, and purpose, not because they wanted to, but because they had to. What the McKinsey article illuminates, and what we must continue to say out loud, is this: Women are not thriving despite their different approach, theyre thriving because of it. And how they communicateas translators, narrators, and meaning-makersis central to their success. As more women take the helm, lets not ask them to conform to outdated norms. Lets rewrite the norms, starting with how we define strong leadership and how we choose to talk about it. Tyler Perry is co-CEO of Mission North.
Category:
E-Commerce
Millions of individuals and families across the U.S. are trapped in a vicious cycle. Financial concerns like inflation and housing costs are harming their mental health, and the rising cost of healthcareanother major concern for householdsis preventing them from getting the care they need. That makes all of their health problems worse, and the cycle keeps spinning faster and faster. That was the key insight from our recent survey on mental and financial health we conducted with Talker Research. About 70% of U.S. adults said their financial anxiety is at an all-time high, and 20% reported a decline in their mental health over the past year. If that weren’t alarming enough, roughly 30% of people said their mental health had been negatively impacted by the cost of healthcare, or by the difficulty of accessing healthcare for themselves or a loved one. Most discouraging, despite the evident need, only 14% of people were currently seeing a therapist or psychiatrist. The top reason people cited for not getting help? Affordability, by a wide margin. Mental health access barriers What is the biggest challenge preventing you from seeking professional care for mental health? Source: Included Health / Talker Research (2025) Costs are rising This tangle of financial anxiety, cost-related access barriers and deteriorating mental health are a crisis in the making for all of us. When people forgo needed care or medications due to costas 36% of Americans recently havetheir physical and mental health problems tend to get worse, which makes them more likely to end up in the emergency room or a hospital bed. This cycle is an especially acute problem in the commercial insurance market, which largely comprises employers providing health benefits to America’s workforce (158 million people). Thanks in part to surging hospital prices, per-capita healthcare spending has shot up faster in the commercial market than in Medicare or Medicaidand the cost trend is only getting steeper. Cumulative growth in per capita spending by insurance type since 2008 Source: KFF (2025) Employee benefits Rising costs are trickling down to individuals and families through higher premiums and copays, even though employers, to their credit, have absorbed most of the increases in recent years. In fact, in an effort to support their workforce and rein in costs, many employers have upped their investment in a wide range of health benefitsoften at little or no cost to employeesto close gaps in care and guide their people toward high-quality, cost-effective support. These benefits range from mental health apps, platforms for telehealth and chronic condition management, navigation services, and much, much more. While some of these offerings do help individuals get healthier and generate cost savings, it’s clear they haven’t done enough to reverse the broader affordability trend. How come? Engagement is one problem. Too few employees are aware of their benefits, enroll in them, or stick with them long enough to impact their health or financial outcomes. Employee engagement is always an uphill battle, and the lack of integration in healthcare only makes it harder. Mental, physical, and financial health can’t be addressed in isolation, as the recent survey findings show. But most tools and services arent connected, making it nearly impossible for individuals to experience a seamless journey that supports all of their healthcare needs. A bigger, related problem is the fee-for-service payment model. Engagement alonegetting people to use more serviceswont improve outcomes if the care isnt timely or high quality. In the commercial market, a shift toward value-based care and contracting is helping employers, employees, and healthcare partners align incentives to drive better clinical and financial results for everyone. What people really need, what theyre missing most, is personalized, all-in-one healthcare that provides integrated medical and mental health support, care coordination, benefits guidance, and help with billing and claims, all of it connected by empathetic humans who are looking out for the whole person. Mind, body, wallet. Taking care of any one of these dimensions of healthand bringing down costs for everyonerequires taking care of all three. Owen Tripp is cofounder and CEO of Included Health.
Category:
E-Commerce
High Noon has recalled certain variety 12 packs due to a potentially serious labeling error. The packs include cans that were labeled as Celsius energy drinks but in fact contained vodka seltzer, according to a recall notice posted this week by the the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There are obviously quite a few problems with an energy drink containing vodka, the least of which being that most people would likely agree that these beverages are meant for different parts of the day. The recall applies to High Noon “Beach Variety” 12 packs shipped between July 21 and July 23, many of which contain cans that were labeled Celsius Astro Vibe energy drink, Sparkling Blue Razz edition. According to the FDA, consumers should check their individual Celsius cans to make sure they dont contain lot codes “L CCB 02JL25 2:55” to “L CCB 02JL25 3:11.” While the two brands are not owned by the same companyHigh Noon is owned by E. & J. Gallo and Celsius is owned by PepsiCothe mix-up happened at a packaging supply facility that works with both brands. The recall was initiated after High Noon discovered that a shared packaging supplier mistakenly shipped empty Celsius cans to High Noon,” the notice explains. The product was shipped to eight states: Florida Michigan New York Ohio Oklahoma South Carolina Virginia Wisconsin Reached for comment, a representative from E. & J. Gallo referred Fast Company to a press release and explained that the recall is limited to products from two production lots. However, the representative could not provide the exact number of impacted cases and cans. We are working with the FDA, retailers and distributors to proactively manage the recall to ensure the safety and well-being of our consumers,” E. & J. Gallo said in a statement. A representative for Celsius did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Both the FDA notice and the press release shared images of the impacted Celsius cans, which have silver lids as opposed to their normal black lids. While no illnesses or adverse events have been reported, High Noon is advising consumers to dispose of these specific 12 packs or mislabeled Celsius cans. For refunds and more information on next steps, customers can contact consumerrelations@highnoonvodka.com.
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||