Welcome to the Hot Mommas Project Learning Series where we showcase a Hot Mommas Project case selected by a student team member or guest. The series is targeted toward educators and leadership groups seeking authentic role models in addition to business/career lessons. A complementary podcast accompanies each blog post. Episodes feature interviews with Hot Mommas Project founder Kathy Korman Frey and student contributors.
Student contributor: GW student and Hot Mommas Project intern Ximena Iacono.
Featured case: Jennifer Moore’s “When Success is No Longer Enough”
Case themes include: family, confidence, goals, careers, change, and balance.
Click here to listen to the online version of the podcast with Kathy Korman Frey and Ximena Iacono. Click here to listen and subscribe on iTunes.
Case excerpt by Moore with discussion starter by Ximena Iacono:
“With tears rolling down her cheeks, Jennifer Moore had left work one evening completely exhausted and stretched beyond capacity. As the Director of Government Affairs for the most powerful health care industry in the world, the pressure and stress of her job was taxing. She was surrounded everyday by the quintessential old boys club, dodging innuendos and working twice as hard to be acknowledged for what was handed over to her male counterparts. While she had several positive male and female mentors outside of her employer that provided advice and guidance, the culture within the organization was impenetrable with no opportunities, or even interest, to create positive changes in the work environment. While society would deem Jennifer successful with her educational accomplishments, high profile position, large salary, and accolades for her professional achievements, she felt like a failure. She was miserably unhappy working amongst male colleagues that constantly belittled her, chipping away at the remaining self-confidence that existed. As a result of this hostile work environment she development serious anxiety issues; a common problem amongst her female colleagues and those in entry- and mid- level positions. She needed to get out of there but was unsure of her next step. Did she want to work for another large corporation or maybe a nonprofit? Did she want to start her own business? While the options were endless, she was too beaten down to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Summary:
To use Hot Mommas Cases in a learning, training, or bookclub environment:
- Read this blog post and Moore’s case “When Success is No Longer Enough”
- Listen to the podcast online or on iTunes.
- Discuss!
You can find more cases from this series by clicking “Role Models in the Classroom” under Categories in the right column of our blog.