We’ve all heard the saying, “it’s lonely at the top.” For many female C-suite executives, rising Vice Presidents, and entrepreneurs this isolation is compounded because these positions are traditionally held by men. Women working in these positions find themselves mentoring and serving others but they do not have a place where they can receive that same support.

 

We had the honor of sitting down with Lindsay Kaplan Co-founder of Chief, a New York-based private women’s network that provides a place for C-suite executives to connect, network, and grow. In this episode, we discuss what a Chief woman/person looks like. We talk about the need and benefits of having mentoring available to women and what that kind of support looks like at Chief. Join us as we learn more about Chief and the services they offer.

 

We hope you enjoy this episode, we are thrilled to learn more about Chief and are excited to see them grow.

 

Episode Breakdown:

 

5:09 Introductions, Chief the beginning. The need for a place for women climbing the ladder to find support.

5:27 Lack of women in leadership.

5:46 Chief exists to provide a service to women, not ask for service from them.

6:03 What is YPO?
7:18 Building something inspired by this idea for the woman sitting at the boardroom table.

8:20 Founding members, this is a place for you.

10:04 The waitlist and plans for expansion internationally.

11:09 Criteria. Who makes up the women of Chief?

13:10 Finding powerful women/people who want to learn, meet, and support others.

13:27 Bringing cognitive diversity to the table.

14:03 White feminism, diversity, and goals.

14:20 Bringing in underrepresented women.

17:08 Hard balance, naysayers, and accountability.

18:20 What are core groups and do the topics covered have a spin towards women?

1910 Facilitators are trained to guide groups, groups are not member lead.

20:45 The exercise-driven approach and key events members attend.

21:30 Members attend meetings in person.

21:44 Topics do not have a bend towards women but are designed with women in mind first.

22:49 Is self-care for women only?

25:06 Keeping women in power is harder than getting them there.

25:14 Expectations on working women.

25:33 Mindfulness is an important part of being a leader.

27:03 Optionality and variety within what Chief has to offer.

27:29 The Clubhouse design, inspired by greenrooms.

31:09 The Clubhouse is not meant to be a coworking space.

32:10 Plan of growth.

34:18 Speakers at Chief events.

35:58 Member run conversations and Q&A.

36:17 Off the record, private organization with no social media.

38:10 Confidentiality is something that is important to members and speakers.

39:12 Funding, investors, and the journey of finding funding.

42:09 Investors that know branding, membership, and diversity.

43:32 Who are you selling to, who is your competitor, what is your product?

46:33 Farewells. Getting women to a place of power and keeping them there.