Good morning, Broadsheet readers. Today, we speak with WNBA Coach of the Year Sandy Brondello as she leads the Phoenix Mercury through this year’s finals. Read on to hear about the female senator who just might have presidential ambitions, and to learn how Gap instituted equal pay across all levels of its organization. Have a great Monday!
EVERYONE'S TALKING
• Serena Williams wins U.S. Open. The defending champion beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-3 for her 3rd straight U.S. Open singles title and the 18th major title of her career. Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, who also have 18 titles each, gave Williams an 18-karat gold bracelet after the big win. At 32, Williams is the second-oldest woman to win a title in the Open era. NYTimes
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
• Kirsten Gillibrand for President? After the New York Senator's new memoir hit the shelves, questions are cropping up about the extent of her political ambitions. “If Hillary Clinton doesn’t run in 2016, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kirsten Gillibrand jump in,” a source told the Washington Post. WaPo
• Katie Jacobs Stanton talks Twitter's scale. Twitter's VP of global media is focused on expanding the social media giant's reach. "77% of our users are from outside the United States," Stanton told Re/Code. "So while we are a U.S. company, we need to make sure we’re scaling our efforts globally." Re/Code
• Meet the women of West Point. As recently as 1976, West Point admitted no women. Now, more than 4,100 females have graduated from the military academy. The New York Times followed six of the academy's current female cadets to learn more about their daily lives. "Not only do I have to prove it to myself as a fresh lieutenant out of West Point, but I have to prove myself as a woman too." NYTimes
• Why ISIS is recruiting women. The radical militant group used to discourage women from joining. Now, as ISIS seeks to grow, it is aggressively recruiting women to serve in support roles and, even more frightening, to have children who could grow up to become ISIS supporters. Times
• How Gap instituted equal pay. The retailer recently disclosed that it pays men and women equally at every level of the organization. Dan Henkle, Gap's senior vice president of human resources, told HuffPost that the company began making more of an effort to codify its diversity policies in the early 1990's. HuffPost
BROADVIEW
Sandy Brondello: Coaches are like CEOs
Sandy Brondello, a veteran WNBA player and head coach of the Phoenix Mercury, was named Coach of the Year in August. The Australia native now is leading the Mercury through the best-of-seven league finals, winning the first game 83-62. She talked to me about coaching and some of the similarities between running a team and a company.
What do you tell your players before they hit the floor?
When people talk about us winning because we have the number one record in the league, I make sure that isn't even in their focus. We respect our opponents. I want confidence, but not complacency.
What is your leadership philosophy?
I played professionally for 18 years and I just try and be myself. I am a very positive person so I try and give constructive feedback. I communicate a lot and make sure players know what their role is.
Audience size has been a challenge for the WNBA. How do you fix that?
In this league, everyone likes a winner, and I've always been impressed with the turnout for Phoenix games. The fans have been great and they embrace us. It is good to see so many people are in the stands, but it really does depend on how successful the team is that year.
What was your reaction to Becky Hammon becoming the first full-time female coach in the NBA?
It is groundbreaking. I coached Becky for many years and she got this opportunity because she knows what she is talking about. She is going to be a great coach regardless of gender. There is no stigma that she is a female. In the future, hopefully there will be more opportunities for women.
Do you see any similarities between being a coach and a CEO?
They both are leadership positions where you have a lot of people under you. You have to understand the value of teamwork and being a cohesive unit. If there is too much individuality or selfishness in a business or in a team, that's when the productivity is not where it needs to be. How to talk to people and holding people accountability is also important for both CEOs and coaches.
What's your key to career success?
Sometimes you might doubt in your ability, but I never stopped believing in myself and every day I go to work and try to get better. I don't rest on any laurels. That's how I was at a player and that's what I do as a coach.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
• Julep CEO: Fly like a bumblebee. Jane Park, CEO of makeup subscription service Julep, believes that successful CEOs must be able to tackle problems at many levels of the business. "I think of it like a bumblebee that can move multidirectionally, and can get granular in the details, but also can go up high enough to see how everything fits together." NYTimes
• Big win for NFL cheerleaders. Two former Oakland Raider cheerleaders earned a $1.25 million settlement after suing the team for failing to pay them minimum wage. Fortune
• Valley Girl Show host talks women in tech. Jesse Draper, host of online tech talk show Valley Girl, says female tech founders are afraid of being in the spotlight and lack confidence. This leads to a shortage of funding for women-run companies. Fast Company
ON MY RADAR
Are women leaders more likely to get fired? Management Today
Women's World Cup seeks equal playing field NYTimes
Why gender-based leadership programs fail Fast Company
Female film characters are improving NYTimes
The architecture gender gap Policy Mic
QUOTE
You’re an unbelievable champion and an inspiration to me on and off the court. You definitely owe (me) drinks later.What Caroline Wozniacki said to Serena Williams after the match last night