Meet Lydia Swan and BarBara Bools

The Power Percentage Editors

30 years ago, as Authors and Top Management Recruiters, we wrote a book, Power Failure (now out of print), which chronicled women intent on reaching top management – who said ‘no’ when it was offered. Our book and speaking tour explored both the thickness of the glass ceiling, and the myths surrounding it.

When Power Failure was published by St. Martin’s Press, Business Week reported that there were only two women CEOs of the Business Week 1000 Corporations – Katharine Graham of The Washington Post, who had been the first female CEO in the history of the Fortune 500 list in 1972, and Linda Wachner of Warnaco Group (#420 on the Fortune 500) who was chosen as CEO in 1986, 14 years after Katharine Graham at WaPo. Some lists included Marion Sandler, who was Co-CEO with her husband Herbert of Golden West Financial, the 5th largest Savings Bank at the time.

Just three women and 997 men were making the decisions for almost all of American business and employees.

By 1995, the Fortune 500 List of CEOs included no women.

We were back to 500 men leading the corporate world.

The ERA failed to be ratified. Susan Faludi wrote Backlash. Sheryl Sandberg wrote Lean In.

Women made slow gains in a few top leadership areas of American life, while losing power in many others.

In these 30 years, we have continued to be entrepreneurs in marketing and communication, as well as speaking about and promoting Women’s Leadership and diversity, equity and inclusion across our American public life.

Additionally, we are activists in Voting, especially non-partisan efforts to increase youth voting and help 18-30 year olds develop life-long voting habits. (visit Vote2022.fyi)

To keep the Power Percentage Index up to date and as clear as possible, we have added two 20-somethings to our Power Percentage Editors – both have backgrounds in promoting voting and women’s rights.

We believe that leaders need to represent and reflect the people they lead.

We believe that people deserve leaders who represent and reflect them.

All the best,

Lydia Swan and BarBara Bools