Hooters' "I AM" initiative empowers its women employees

How Peggy Cherng engineered Panda Express' success | Create a positive culture with this psychological tool | For women, it's the "broken rung" not the glass ceiling Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( October 11, 2023 [WFF Leadership SmartBrief]( Advancing and Empowering Women Leaders [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE]( [] A Leader's Edge [] [How Peggy Cherng engineered Panda Express' success]( Panda Express co-founder Peggy Cherng applied the technical prowess of her engineering expertise and data-based methodical strategy to grow the eatery's share of the Asian takeout market to 43%. Sales exceeded $5 billion over the past decade due to Cherng's systematic method of rolling out new technology, standardizing the guest experience and menu and establishing a goal to open 100 new locations in the US annually and even more overseas. Full Story: [Forbes (tiered subscription model)]( (10/4) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Career Progression: Developing Leaders [] [Create a positive culture with this psychological tool]( [Create a positive culture with this psychological tool]( (VioletaStoimenova/Getty Images) Leaders can use a classic psychology tool, Reinforcement Theory, to create a positive culture driven by transparency, rewards for a job well done and continuous feedback that can minimize disruptive behavior, writes leadership professor Ben Laker. "By internalizing and adeptly applying this theory, leaders can transcend traditional management, achieving both short-term goals and leaving a sustainable, long-lasting impact on their teams and organizations," Laker writes. Full Story: [Forbes (tiered subscription model)]( (10/10) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [For women, it's the "broken rung" not the glass ceiling]( [For women, it's the "broken rung" not the glass ceiling]( (Lean In) It's not a glass ceiling that prevents women from ascending to the highest levels of leadership, but a "broken rung" where many are passed over for promotions early in their career, creating fewer women to reach the C-suite, according to a new study from consulting firm McKinsey & Co. and Lean In. Researchers say the problem begins when men are promoted early in their careers for their potential while women must prove themselves with a "track record" to move up the ladder. Full Story: [CBS News]( (10/6) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Read the latest from SmartBrief [] - [Building the refrigeration technician workforce of tomorrow]( SmartBrief/Food (10/6) [] - [FMI's pitch competition propels technology in the grocery industry]( SmartBrief/Food (10/2) [] - [Retailers get creative with savory fall flavors]( SmartBrief/Food (10/2) Free eBooks and Resources Free eBooks and resources brought to you by our sponsors - [The Communication Process: Skills to achieve desired outcomes]( - [Microsoft Excel: Unlocking the Power of Spreadsheets]( - [The Top 75 Leadership Quotes of 2023 - Part 1]( - [ChatGPT Newbie: Your Essential Handbook for Navigating ChatGPT]( - [The Visual You - Why Body Language Matters When You Speak]( [] Diversity and Inclusion [] [Delta wine selections reflect diversity]( Delta Air Lines is adding 17 new wines to its onboard menus this fall. Kristen Manion Taylor, senior vice president of in-flight service, said the selections "represent brands that share Delta's values -- brands that reflect the diverse community of the winegrowing world and lead their industry in sustainability practices." Full Story: [Delta News Hub]( (10/4), [Forbes (tiered subscription model)]( (10/5) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [MEL's Luis Miguel Messianu: Engage Hispanic audiences]( Luis Miguel Messianu, founder, president and chief creative officer of Messianu/Edelman/Lerma (MEL), writes about how advertising can better engage and uplift Hispanic communities. "The best work is based on our life experiences and cultural upbringing, and it's relatively easy to spot work that wasn't created by people that live the culture," Messianu writes. Full Story: [Ad Age (tiered subscription model)]( (10/6) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Could your DEI policies have unintended consequences?]( Help prevent diversity, equity and inclusion policies from backfiring by considering how they could affect the wider workforce and monitoring them consistently, writes Vanessa M. Conzon, assistant professor at Boston College's Carroll School of Management. "Some organizations have even started piloting their DEI initiatives before rolling them out organization-wide, and such efforts can improve policy quality by identifying issues before the policy has even been officially implemented," Conzon writes. Full Story: [Harvard Business Review (tiered subscription model)]( (10/6) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Weavers Way shines the spotlight on diverse vendors]( Weavers Way Co-op is celebrating four years of supporting Philadelphia-based makers and artisans of color through its Vendor Diversity Program. The program has helped many vendors bring products to the market including Adelie Coffee and Puddin' Guy, and the company plans to expand the program to a new location. Full Story: [Progressive Grocer]( (10/9) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Women in Trucking: More companies have diversity policies]( More companies are adopting diversity policies, with 56.4% of firms now having formal policies, according to a Women in Trucking report. Meanwhile, 19.3% of companies say they're actively developing a diversity policy and 36.9% of transportation company leaders are female. Full Story: [The Trucker]( (10/10) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] - [Survey: Hispanic inclusion shows slow progress in US corporations]( CNBC (10/9) [] Women and Innovation in the Workforce [] [Goldin wins economics Nobel for study of working women]( The Nobel Prize in Economics has been awarded to Claudia Goldin of Harvard University for her research on how working women's roles have changed and why the pay gap has persisted. Goldin has said that to help reduce the pay gap, governments would need to increase their funding of child care and employers would need to allow employees to share more job duties. Full Story: [National Public Radio]( (10/9) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Hooters' "I AM" initiative empowers its women employees]( Hooters, which marks its 40th anniversary this year, has been promoting its alumni's success stories as part of Chief People Officer Cheryl Kish's "Image, Attitude, Memorable" initiative, which also offers tuition reimbursement and educational programs and aims to grow into a mentorship and networking platform. "Our largest internal demographic is female, so it makes sense to empower them and get them the opportunities they want," Kish says, adding, "It is our obligation and responsibility to provide those opportunities and to celebrate, elevate, educate and empower the women of the brand." Full Story: [Nation's Restaurant News (free registration)]( (10/5) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] WFF News [] [Finding mentors in unlikely places]( The value of mentors is well researched and documented: these relationships can help you advance more quickly, build a broader range of skills and increase visibility in your organization and field. Unfortunately, research also shows that women continue to receive less of the mentoring and manager support that grows careers than men do. Not every mentor has to be someone you can walk down the hall to talk with, drive across town to meet for coffee or even chat with over Zoom. Hearing the stories and insights of people whose advice you may hear just once or access via a podcast or seminar can also play pivotal roles in your development. [Read more](. 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