Deborah Smith Pegues is a Maxwell Leadership Coach, award-winning author, and TV host on the TBN Salsa Network. As a former VP of a Fortune 500 company, Deborah has extensive knowledge and experience in leadership. She is a global speaker delivering advice on relational, financial, physical, and emotional freedom. Her most recent book entitled Lead Like a Woman, is a manual of empowerment and a practical guide for women who dream of being leaders. She joins Marcel Schwantes to discuss gender inequality in the workplace and how women can rise up to senior management roles.Women make up almost half the workforce in the US and hold over half of the country's middle management positions, but they only account for 5% of the most executive positions in the top 500 companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange, research says. [1:17]Marcel asks about the purpose of Lead Like a Woman. Deborah explains that she wants to teach women how to bring what they have to offer to the table. "We need to stop the hand-to-hand combat and work hand-in-hand together," she says. [4:30]Marcel comments that one of the best traits of a leader is curiosity. Curiosity manifests itself as intuition in women. [8:45]Leaders need to let go of their tendency to pursue perfection as it is counterproductive.. [13:00]Marcel asks Deborah what she thinks may be the most common obstacle female leaders face today. She replies that one such obstacle is lack of confidence and cites a Harvard study proving it. Many women don't aspire to achieve high positions because they don't believe they can, so they don't apply for them. [17:44]Deborah talks about her journey, from her humble beginnings as a Southern maid to climbing the corporate ladder. "You've got to ask for what you want and not be shy about it," she says. [21:36]"There's been a recent push to make corporations more diverse, but it feels disingenuous and has become more cliche than actual practice," Marcel comments. He asks Deborah to explain why diversification should be more than just a checkbox to tick. She talks about the value of having diverse opinions and perspectives on a team, and discusses how unconscious bias and white privilege affect hiring practices and promoting women up the ranks. [28:59]Marcel asks Deborah why she thinks some leaders still lead through fear. Fear is a good motivator and it makes people get the job done, she replies. She talks about the negative impact that fear-based leadership has on employees, and how leaders should show love. [32:08]ResourcesDeborahPegues.comDeborah Smith Pegues on LinkedIn | TwitterLead Like A Woman: Gain Confidence, Navigate Obstacles, Empower Others

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