On March 23, 2017, the Zeigler College of Business along with the Women’s Resource Center hosted a discussion with Wall Street Journal journalist Joann Lubin. Lubin, author of “Earning It”, a book discussing professional women in the workplace and how they succeed in their positions, spoke to the audience of students and professors about her book and focused on three specific topics: pay wage negotiation, earning credibility and earning power.

     During her discussion, Lubin, who is the current Management News Editor for the Wall Street Journal and a 2003 Pulitzer Prize winner, elaborated on how she herself has succeeded in her field as well as some of the advice she has heard and learned from other professional women, primarily COEs, for large corporations. In this hour long event, Joann talked about how she was the first woman hired by her newspaper in San Francisco back in 1971 and some of the problems and adversities that arose from such a monumental step.

     The biggest take-away Lubin gave from this lecture had to do with the three topics she discussed in regards to her book and the women she wrote about; the pay wage gap, earning credibility and earning power. At one point, Joann could be quoted as saying in regards to earning credibility in your workplace and profession is “That’s how the guys deal with it, toe to toe.”

     She emphasized throughout her lecture that while women aren’t always seen as the first and foremost leaders, that while it might take more work and ambition, women are just as capable as men to become successful in their careers and lives. You can check out more of Joann Lubin’s work on her website, joannlubin.com.