Equinox CEO Niki Leondakis' Trick To Get Men To Pay Attention\

Niki Leondakis became CEO of Equinox in early 2017 after multiple years in C-suite positions in the hospitality industry. In our series, "Two Questions with Adam Bryant," she shares the challenges she faced as a woman in high positions in the workplace and how she proved herself to the men around her.
"Dude, don't you realize she's the boss?"
It's a scene that many female executives can relate to. Even though she was the leader, she noticed the men in the room weren't making eye contact with her, and they were talking to her male subordinates instead of her.
When her colleague left the room, one of the men in the meeting said, "When your boss comes back in the room, we should discuss this." An awkward moment, to be sure, but Leondakis didn't have to say anything. Another colleague of hers set the record straight with his "dude" explanation.
"All of a sudden everything shifted, and they started making eye contact and redirecting the conversation to me," Leondakis said. "It just goes to show you that assumptions were made - because I was a woman, and the only one in the room, I was subordinate to the guy sitting next to me."
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The Trick Equinox CEO Niki Leondakis Uses To Get Men To Pay Attention | CNBC Make It.

[@r3v001]

When you look up "classy" in the dictionary, you will see her photo. That last story had me undone.

[@sjlee7567]

Truly inspiring person: she transformed someone else's bias by the quality of her work, not anger. She is the role model young men and women need today.

[@Hawxxfan]

Inspiring! Shows the results of being genuine and always hustling harder

[@WestCoastChicano661]

Diligent woman!