In Focus

Chicks In Charge

You may not know it, but the hockey team my husband plays for is a mess. The Calgary Flames haven't made the playoffs in three years, and this year isn't looking much more promising. At the end of last year they fired the team's General Manager, his assistants, and the entire coaching staff. This was to be a brand spanking new year as they hired a ton of fresh faces hoping to lure the fans back to the game. The fans came back, but unfortunately the product on the ice is worse than last season.

At a dinner with the Calgary Flames wives, (wives of players, coaches, management and ownership) I found myself in a very animated conversation with a couple of the owners' wives. This, by the way, is taboo - talking about team turmoil with the owners - but this is how desperate both sides have become. We ended up turning a wives luncheon into a problem-solving pow-wow. We pinpointed the problems of last year and came up with a much better solution for half the cost. We had all the answers. At the end of the luncheon one of the owner's wives said, "I don't know why we don't just run the team. We would have had none of these problems and things could get done a lot faster. Our way sure makes a lot more sense."

We giggled. Like that would ever happen in the NHL.

Believe it or not, there are industries where this wouldn't sound so absurd. There are women running companies and making decisions in the male-dominated business world. For example, Carly Fiorina is probably the most famous woman in the high-tech world. She is the CEO of Hewlett Packard and is respected by more men in this world than there are women who even know she exists. Before I was a Chick I would have said, "Carly who?" Now she's my idol. All this week in the Chicks Eye View we are going to be focusing on women in power, to help me realize it really can happen.

Another case in point (and Chick Jana's favorite): Oprah Winfrey. Believe it or not, she is not all about chatter. In addition to being the Queen of the Harpo Entertainment, she has also launched Oxygen, a women's cable network and an internet site. She also publishes O, a magazine geared towards women.

We've all heard of that other famous television woman in power, Martha Stewart. Martha is the CEO of her own company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Is that similar to Omnipotent? Anyway, she really is omni-media, with a television show, a website, published books galore, and a magazine. Hmmmm. sound familiar? Get this, my dining room table is identical to the one in Martha's Living magazine last month, except that she has food on hers. Stay tuned for tomorrow's article, The Martha Touch.

Later on this week, Chick Megan will tell you about Walmart.com's new Chick CEO, Ms. Jean Jackson. Jackson used to work for the Gap, but recently moved over to Walmart to jump start their online division. Chick Cheryl has been watching Meg Whitman, CEO of online auction house eBay, very closely the past few quarters as the company always seems to be one of our Chick stock contenders. Ms. Mary Meeker is also a name widely recognized around the web. She is the leading Internet Analyst at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. Meeker gives some advice that sounds right up the Chick alley, like "Don't invest in things you don't understand."

Another Chick In Power is Linda Ahlers, President of Dayton's, Marshall Fields, and Hudsons. She gets all the credit for turning Target around, and now has moved on to try and save these sinking ships. (Hmmm. Maybe she can help the Calgary Flames!)

How about Donna Karan? Donna Karan International - fashion leader. Or how about Karen Katen? She is the President of Pfizer's U.S. Pharmaceuticals Group. Yep, Chick Karen managed the launch of Viagra two years ago and continues to successfully launch many other new drugs. Or how about Debby Hopkins of Boeing? She's the Senior Vice President and the CFO. She can do everything but fly the plane.

I've left my favorite top Chick for last, Abby Joseph Cohen. (Isn't that a great name?) She is the Chief U.S. Portfolio Strategist for Goldman Sachs. She is the most powerful female influence on the stock market. When Abby speaks, everyone listens - and then either buys or sells. I think I'd faint if I ever met Abby. I've got her on my "Most Want to Meet" list right after Andrew Lloyd Weber. She'll be the subject of my article on Thursday.

So, you see, give the National Hockey League time. There will be a woman running a team soon, if not the whole league. And if I were a gamblin' gal, I'd bet it'd be our own Chick Susie. I just hope and pray I'm somewhere in her organization. Just imagine what we could accomplish at our luncheons!