Tiffany Dufu: Elevating Women Through Support, Connection, and Accountability

How can we elevate women by connecting and engaging with each other and holding ourselves accountable to our intentions? How can companies who want to attract and retain top talent do the same? 

I had a great time talking with my guest today, Tiffany Dufu, about her mission to support and elevate women. Tiffany shares her personal story and the mantra her mother used to tell her every day that she hopes to whisper into other women's ears. We discuss The Cru's mission and business model - and how they help women and companies achieve success through support, connection, and accountability. We also talk about why connection is so important to achieving goals (what The Cru calls intentions) and why empathy ensures successful engagement.

Tiffany shares how the pandemic has affected women's career goals and why employers and leaders need to understand this new reality and respond accordingly. And she shares 3 tips for connecting across diverse backgrounds that could transform the way your teams get work done.

Key Takeaways:

• If you want something you’ve never had before, you have to do something you’ve never done before. 
• Women in the middle (whatever middle means for you in your life) tend to be looking for meaning, advancement, and integration. 
• Limiting choices for women also limits choices for men, which then also trickles down and affects the children in the home. 
• The intention of “finding a new job” doesn’t mean leaving an organization. Leaders and employers need to bet on their teams, especially their women, and make clear the opportunities that they have in the organization, within and without their teams. 

"We are the most powerful change agents in our own journey." —  Tiffany Dufu

About Tiffany Dufu, Founder & CEO, The Cru

Tiffany Dufu is founder and CEO of The Cru. Their algorithm matches circles of women who collaborate to meet their personal and professional goals. She’s also the author of the bestselling book Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less. According to foreword contributor Gloria Steinem, Drop the Ball is “important, path-breaking, intimate and brave.”

Named to Entrepreneur's 100 Powerful Women and Fast Company’s League of Extraordinary Women, Tiffany has raised nearly $20 million toward the cause of women and girls. She was a launch team member to Lean In and was Chief Leadership Officer to Levo, one of the fastest-growing millennial professional networks. Prior to that, Tiffany served as President of The White House Project, as a Major Gifts Officer at Simmons University, and as Associate Director of Development at Seattle Girls’ School.

Tiffany is a member of Women’s Forum New York, Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority, Inc., and is a Lifetime Girl Scout. She serves on the board of Girls Who Code and Simmons University and lives in New York City with her husband and two children.

References Mentioned:

The Empathy Edge podcast, Rhonda George-Denniston: Why Betting on Your People Leads to Market Domination - https://theempathyedge.com/rhonda-george-denniston-why-betting-on-your-people-leads-to-market-domination/

Connect with Tiffany  Dufu

The Cru: https://www.thecru.com

Website: https://tiffanydufu.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tdufu

Book - Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less: https://www.tiffanydufu.com/books

Don’t forget to download your free guide! Discover The 5 Business Benefits of Empathy: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

Connect with Maria: 

Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com

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Hire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

Take my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

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