In 1984, responding to the concerns of female graduate students, I founded Oakland University's Women in Leadership Forum. The Forum was designed to provide skill sessions to assist women in their search for leadership positions in education and social service agencies. In addition to the skill sessions, panels of successful women in leadership positions provided valuable insights as well as strategies for success. The design also included a research component to study the prevailing attitudes

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... f women and men toward women leaders with a comparison of leadership styles of women and men. Attitudes are formed at an early age and are reinforced by prevailing traditions and society's socialization processes. It was deemed important to assess attitudes for attitudes in turn shape our reactions and assessments of ourselves and other