Has the time come for us to rethink the characteristics of a good leader? According to Stephen M.R. Covey, author of Trust and Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others, it has. If Covey’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he is the son of Stephen R. Covey, the famous author of the influential book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, first published in 1989. Second-generation Covey continues the tradition of writing about inspirational leadership in his own book, presenting an alternative to the Command and Control leadership model that has dominated management for decades and which relies on hierarchical authority. He recognizes that the world has changed, work itself has changed, and the workforce has evolved, and he emphasizes the valuable role of diversity to unlock creativity, innovation, and success. According to Covey’s assessment, the new Trust and Inspire leader works to unleash people’s talent and potential by truly empowering and inspiring them rather than by containing and controlling them. He contends that anyone who leads with integrity, who shows true concern for employees, and who communicates transparently cultivates a culture where team members feel valued and inspired to do their best. Trust and Inspire leaders also know the importance of self-awareness and personal growth, so they demonstrate genuine openness to feedback. In Covey’s estimation, the fundamentals of becoming a Trust and Inspire leader consist in f ive fundamental beliefs and in three stewardships. Talented leaders believe that: people have greatness inside them; people are more than just employees - they are multifaceted, whole individuals; a company or organization can provide enough for everyone; leadership equals stewardship; and leaders create enduring influence from the inside out. Covey also outlines the three stewardship principles as follows: good leaders model who they are; they trust in their own leadership skills; and they inspire others by connecting their decisions to the “why”- to a purpose.

Some corporations are dropping diversity, equity, and inclusion titles and roles. However, there are other ways to incorporate and champion DEI principles. It may seem as though the goals and principles embodied in the concept of diversity, equity, and inclusion are being chipped away every day: On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, effectively ended the consideration of race in college admissions. Major investors BlackRock, Citadel Securities, and other financial firms have proposed a new private-market stock exchange in Dallas through which companies could access capital - and avoid DEI requirements that the high-tech Nasdaq electronic exchange mandates for its listing of companies’ boards of directors.This June the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta ruled that a Black-owned venture capitalist firm, the Fearless Fund, could not issue grants exclusively to Black women business owners. The court said the firm’s Fearless Strivers Grant Contest is “substantially likely to violate” equal rights laws. Edward Blum, the activist who led the group’s lawsuit, is the same one whose case led to the Supreme Court decision to dismantle affirmative action. Texas State Senate Bill 17 passed in January, banning all DEI offices, programs, and training along with preferential hiring and diversity statements at Texas public universities and colleges. These developments and others, driven by an assertive conservative majority in the Supreme Court and political populist nationalism on the rise in the United States and around the world, have led some U.S. companies to abolish, reduce, or reinvent their diversity initiatives. But experts say there is reason to take heart. Sweeping global inevitabilities - the climate crisis, demographic trends, globalization, and infrastructure investments - could well overpower today’s political and judicial moves. To solve myriad global problems, engineering firms will continue to require the contributions of as many engineers as possible, including those from historically underrepresented groups.

Each year, the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing (AiC) program receives thousands of amazing award applications from women, genderqueer, and non-binary students across the country who are interested in tech. To select the national and regional award recipients, volunteers of all experience levels are needed to review and score each submission. It’s a simple and inspiring way to meet and support the future of tech, and increase much-needed diversity within computing, technology, and STEM fields! Volunteering as a reviewer is a rewarding and convenient way to: Uplift inspiring students who are the future of tech; Build a supportive community that encourages persistence; Get involved online from anywhere, at your own pace. Volunteers who complete 20 or more reviews will also receive a certificate. Volunteer reviewers are crucial in recognizing and encouraging current students, as well as their educators and mentors. Each review takes an average of 10 – 25 minutes to complete.

Discover how mobile science labs are revolutionizing classroom learning and opening new doors in STEM education. Mobile labs can be a great way to help STEM-oriented students prepare to enter the workforce as well as to reach students who don’t really know what they’re interested in yet, Colvin said. The labs provide an opportunity to boost traditional classroom coursework, giving students and teachers a break from the same experiences every day. They also provide a way to reach rural communities, where going on field trips may be harder. The labs also offer students a chance to be taught by people who look like them, Colvin said. Whenever possible she hires instructors from local communities. “I want to support teachers (with activities) that maybe students haven’t seen yet and offer role models that students can identify with.”

The Association for Women in Science (AWIS) expresses deep disappointment that no women were awarded Nobel Prizes in the sciences this year. This outcome highlights a persistent gender imbalance in the recognition of scientific and academic excellence in physics, chemistry, physiology and medicine, and economic sciences.
“We know many women are succeeding and thriving in STEM, but they don’t always get the recognition they deserve,” said Meredith Gibson, CEO of AWIS. “The Nobel Prize is one of the most prestigious award platforms in the world. It sends the wrong message to future generations when they see zero women among the newly named laureates.” Women are published less often, receive fewer patents and awards, and face challenges that men do not. Organizations must re-examine existing practices and do more to break the systemic biases that are deeply rooted in STEM culture in order to retain women in STEM, dispel the stereotypes, and inspire the next generation. AWIS urges the Nobel Prize committees to take concrete steps to ensure that women scientists and scholars are nominated and recognized for their contributions including: Transparent Nomination Processes: Ensure that the nomination and selection processes are transparent and inclusive, with clear criteria that promote gender diversity. Publish a list of top nominees so they can receive some benefit from the recognition; Diverse Selection Panels: Ensure diverse selection committees that include a balanced representation of women and men from various scientific and academic fields. If the pool of candidates is not diverse, look harder; Active Outreach and Encouragement: Do more to actively seek and encourage nominations of women scientists and scholars, as well as historically excluded minorities, particularly from underrepresented regions; Regular Reporting and Accountability: Set measurable goals for improving gender diversity. Publish annual reports on the gender breakdown of nominees and awardees. AWIS remains committed to advocating for gender equity in science and academia and calls on the Nobel Prize committees to take the necessary steps to ensure that the contributions of women are equally celebrated and recognized.

In recent years, the conversation around gender disparity in entrepreneurship and STEM has gained momentum, especially when data continues to show that only 18% of high-growth enterprises have at least one woman in their founding team, highlighting the urgent need for systematic change. A notable development in this ongoing discourse is Innovate UK's recent decision to honour its original commitment of awarding 50 grants for its ‘Women in Innovation’ funding competition. This decision reflects a broader acknowledgement of the necessity to support women in innovation, while also shedding light on the dynamic nature of public funding. However, this development is just one piece of a larger puzzle, revealing the complex and multifaceted nature of achieving gender equality in the sector. Missed opportunities for female entrepreneurs often underscore the broader systemic challenges within the funding landscape. When grants or resources fall short, it reflects not just a financial setback but also highlights the enduring obstacles women face in accessing support and recognition. Such situations reveal the need for a more robust system that addresses these gaps and provides equitable opportunities for all entrepreneurs, regardless of gender. Ensuring consistent and fair access to resources is crucial for fostering a more inclusive and balanced entrepreneurial environment.

Deena Shakir, an investor at Lux Capital, struggled to explain to her three young kids what exactly her job was. She first tried buying a Chia Pet, where kids plant chia seeds on a figurine “to show them how seeds can grow into something amazing.” Shakir, who’s invested in health tech companies like fertility startup Alife Health and women’s health company Maven Clinic, particularly loved that the figurine was a unicorn. “They didn’t get the joke, but I thought it was hilarious,” she said. In 2020, in the midst of quarantine-induced boredom, she decided she needed to create something that explained the process of founding a startup but would also be engaging for children. Shakir settled on a picture book and got to work. In the book, Leena Mo builds a robot to plow snow. Her neighbors all beg her to build dozens more and sell them one, a feat that seems impossible until a neighbor offers to invest. Leena Mo recruits a team, advertises the robot on local news, and, you guessed it, becomes a CEO.

Ruby Jackson, a 23-year-old student midwife at the University of Brighton, has developed an app, “Melanatal,” to address gaps in the recognition of maternal and neonatal conditions on Black and brown skin. Her app aims to educate both clinicians and patients on how conditions such as jaundice, pre-eclampsia, and mastitis appear on darker skin tones, a subject historically underrepresented in medical training. Jackson’s inspiration for Melanatal came during her placement at a neonatal unit in Ghana, where she realized that key symptoms - like jaundice - present differently on darker skin. She had previously been taught to look for “yellow skin,” which isn’t always applicable to Black or brown patients. This moment led her to understand how easily signs could be missed, prompting her to develop a solution. The app, currently in development, will feature hyper-realistic medical illustrations and aims to reduce race-based health inequalities. “This app will help provide the much-needed information for black and brown women who are nearly four times more likely to die in pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum in comparison to white women,” Jackson told University of Brighton. “Through Melanatal, clinicians can get better knowledge to care for black babies who have the highest rate of both stillbirth and neonatal death.”

For women engineers who want to climb the corporate ladder, putting your head down and doing your job is often not enough. Listen to this enlightening conversation with TED speaker Susan Colantuono and Laurie Shuster, editor-in-chief of SWE Magazine, as they discuss the pivotal business and strategic skills to uplift women engineers. Susan Colantuono, TED speaker and founder of Be Business Savvy, shares the key business and strategic skills to help women get ahead in conversation with Laurie Shuster, editor-in-chief of SWE Magazine. Hear Colantuono’s practical tips to understand your employer’s market positioning, promote your achievements effectively, and be perceived as a leader in STEM.