These three words seem to have raised much controversy when paired with “as compared to a wise white male.”

Many have called Sotomayor a racist for uttering these words and even president Obama is trying to say she misspoke, that others were taking her words out of context or that she didn’t mean what she said.

Although some of us could have made a similar statement without the comparison, “Wise women with rich experiences may make excellent decisions,” whenever we end up comparing ourselves to others we may get into trouble.

A couple of years ago, I was a panelist and award recipient at the Latina Woman Business of the Year event in Miami. During the discussion, one of the questions we were asked was whether men had interfered in our way to success. The other panelists agreed that was the case. I didn’t agree and was the last to speak. I calmly said that sometimes men may get into a woman’s way to go up the ladder but that, some other times, it is other women who may place obstacles and not allow their fellow colleagues to move up. The audience (with both men and women) came to life. Were my colleagues sexist for making this statement? Was I being sexist for making my comment? How did bias play a role for each of our statements? By the way, this experience led me to write Alpha Female Leader over that weekend!

Some of my fellow panelists had physical reactions to my statement. Some were upset. One came to me after the event and told me totally agreed but she couldn’t say this in public. In the end, though, the one who seemed to be the most upset by my statement ended up saying she would prefer to have a male boss.

I work with men and women but most of my clients are men. I have been hired to be the first woman consultant by some all-male groups in Fortune 500 companies.  I have always felt that I have been hired because of the quality of my work and not because I am a woman, white, or Latina.

The wise, I like, though…

By Dr. Gaby Cora

Many worry about having a job during the recession, taking vacation doesn’t even cross their mind.

With busy week schedules, many try to maximize their recreation time on a daily and weekend basis rather than formally taking time off.

Interestingly, generation Y seems to be slightly more worried than generation X about whether or not they will still have a job when they come back as per this study.

Younger employees and women employees may also tend to make their vacation plans while at work…

Thoughts?

There are many cultural differences around taking time off. For example, it is very unusual for employees to take more than one week off in the US. In other countries it is not unusual to take vacation for several weeks. Except if you are the boss…  

By Dr. Gaby Cora

Are you interested in staying young forever? I was honored to participate on a panel with other prestigious speakers at the Anti-Aging Panel at the Florida Conference for Women in Orlando Florida, last week. The panel included Dr. Saralyn Mark, Dr. Deborah Harding and our distinguished moderator was Dr. Carol Scott.

By Dr. Gaby Cora

In regular times, many argue they can’t “afford” to get sick. More so in a recession, many will rather go to work sick than miss their pay even if this means that they may get sicker at the job or that they may get other people sick at work.

By Dr. Gaby Cora

The recession has now grown its spreading roots. Those who didn’t think it was going to hit them have sadly come to terms: the recession is here to stay.  Thousands of people have been laid off and thousands wonder if their current job will still exist. Either way, all of us have a family member, a friend or a client in this situation. Listen to this posting as a podcast/MP3: Balance Work in Life with LOVE

By Dr. Gaby Cora - Author: Alpha Female Leader

Mean girls make it easily into each and every literary work or film. Our fascination and love-hate relationship is obvious - we are seduced by their appeal and power, yet repulsed by their ill-intentions.

By Dr. Gaby Cora

Are you used to waiting until the ball is dropping in Times Square on December 31 to set your New Year’s resolutions? You’re not alone. Most people do that.

By Dr. Gaby Cora

Many still struggle keeping the holiday flame alive this season. Employers are asking the best of their employees while employees fear that they may lose their jobs unless they give it all.

How can we find some positive balance between working hard and keeping our sanity? How to handle increasing demands in the workplace and at home, staying in good shape and living up to the family’s expectations for gifts and favors?

By Dr. Gaby Cora

In an ideal world, we would dedicate eight hours of our day to work, another eight to enjoy recreational activities and the last eight hours to sleep. The true question is, how many of you live in the ideal world?

By Dr. Gaby Cora

My husband and I are wealthy. Our kids don’t need to ever work in their lifetimes. While our older children are interested in many things, we are alarmed at one of our son’s lack of interest in pursuing any major purpose. Any thoughts?

You raise an interesting dilemma: you have provided for your sons and daughters in a way that they won’t need to ever make a living and, on the other end, you have somewhat taken away their hunger, that drive to achieve beyond their needs. Many kids in the younger generations have been brought up in affluence with the “I want, I get” mentality. What to do?