By Robin Madell (San Francisco)

Three percent. That dismal number reflects the number of overall board seats held by women of color directors among Fortune 500 companies in 2011, according to Catalyst’s latest study on Women on Boards.

We may have grown weary of seeing numbers under 20 percent for women’s total board membership—in the United States, the latest figure is 16.1 percent, with the vast majority of countries studied posting even lower numbers. Yet when we scrutinize the data still further, we see that most board seats in women’s too-small slice of the pie—13.1 percent—are held by white women.

In fact, Catalyst’s research shows that when we look at individual companies, almost 71 percent have zero women of color directors serving on their board. Asian women and Latinas are particularly underrepresented when we examine the data for all women directors, holding only 2.5 percent and 4.9 percent of seats, respectively. Black women account for only 11.3 percent of all women directors.

How can we change this situation? Beth Stewart, CEO of Trewstar, which specializes in the placement of women on boards, says that companies need to make adding minority women to boards a specific priority. She explains, “This means that when they come up with a long list of very specific criteria, they need to choose race as the determining factor and not, for instance, supply chain management experience in China. Find that in the next white guy, and accept any type of high level business experience from a minority candidate.”

Stewart emphasizes that this does not mean lowering the criteria, but broadening it. “For example, if you were looking for someone who was a CFO and you find someone who is EVP for Technology, take the EVP for Tech and find the finance person in some other form—or add two directors,” says Stewart.

Other organizations, like the Robert Toigo Foundation, are also hard at work on the problem. Among Toigo’s initiatives is All A Board, a program for connecting boards with diverse candidates.

The program allows women and minority professionals interested in board service to use a free online tool to designate areas of interest and showcase their areas of expertise. The Toigo team uses these profiles to help connect board candidates with public and private companies, nonprofits, and foundations that are looking for leadership talent.

Nancy Sims, president of the Robert Toigo Foundation, also provided advice on what minority and multicultural women can do to improve their chances of landing a board seat—and what companies can do to help facilitate their efforts.

“The pipeline is growing,” says Sims. “But there is more to be done to both prepare women and minorities for board service—and to prepare boards for a change of composition. Creating a bigger supply, or pool of talent, without prompting an increased demand for the talent is only half of a solution. We need both the supply and the demand to expand for greater board diversity to occur.”

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By Stephanie Wilcox (Middlefield, CT)

When was the last time you asked for help at work? If you can’t recall, or if the answer is never, you may be very comfortable in your position and are confident in the work you produce. But there’s more to your career than being good at your job. Don’t be afraid of appearing incompetent or unqualified or putting others in an awkward position. If you haven’t sought out help regarding career progression, dealing with staff, dealing with managers, managing work-life issues, exploring career paths, or any other topic of importance, you’ll need to let that mindset go. Asking for and accepting help can mean career advancement. Here’s why.

1. Asking for help shows you want to do the best job possible.

If you have given a good shot on your own, but want to ask someone for their input on a challenging task, you’re just being thorough. It isn’t incompetence if you’ve already put in a solid effort. Good, insightful questions show you are paying attention and you are informed.

“I believe that, ultimately, career advancement comes from getting to a good answer, getting the work done, and getting the work done right and on time,” says Rhonda L. Lessard, FSA, MAAA, Head of Medical Cost Analytics at Aetna. “If you need to get help to do so, then it supports that goal. If avoiding help means that a poor answer results, or that the work is substandard or late, then failure to ask for help has indeed impeded your career.”

If you are producing good work in a timely manner, it will advance the department and your career development. Consider the alternative: not asking for help when you should be “can be very unfortunate when it stands in the way of producing good work,” says Lessard, who oversees a staff of nearly 100 and answers many career-related questions on a regular basis. “We can’t all know everything, but we all know something and have certain skills that can be, in essence, traded with those around us for the knowledge and skills that they have.”

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By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Last week, BritishAmerican Business Women’s Network hosted a discussion on how women can access promotion opportunities in the tumultuous economic atmosphere. The panel, hosted by KPMG, featured Ana Duarte McCarthy, Managing Director and Chief Diversity Officer, Citi; Claudia Saran, Practice Leader – People & Change, KPMG LLP; Lareina Yee, Partner, McKinsey & Company; and was moderated by Leann Balbona, KPMG Network of Women Leader, Managing Director, Tax – International Executive Services, KPMG LLP.

Yee opened the event event with an overview of McKinsey’s Women Matter [PDF] report, which measured the views on gender diversity of about 1,500 business leaders globally. “There are enormous reasons to be very proud of where we are and be happy with the progress we’ve made.”

But, Yee said, we shouldn’t rest on our laurels just yet. For example, she explained, without the advances women have made in the workplace since the 1970s, today’s GDP would be 25% smaller. How much bigger could it be if we achieved gender parity in leadership? Considering the current economic circumstances, this question is growing ever more salient.

“The contribution of women undoubtedly matters,” she said. “If we’re going to get out of this economic funk, we’re going to need them. And we’re going to need them for a long time.”

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By Hua Wang (Chicago)

Women face a variety of obstacles in their efforts to advance to upper management. The majority of upper management are made up of men, and bosses tend to promote people like themselves. The absence of performance feedback, mentoring and formal career guidance can further hinder women’s career progression. Below is a guide to the five questions women need to ask in order to get the next promotion.

How Do I Talk About My Strengths?

Bragging is often seen as a dirty word, but effective self-promotion can significantly help you land a coveted job or advancement. Due to cultural factors, many women are uncomfortable with taking credit for their accomplishments and fear that touting themselves may backfire.

During job interviews, for instance, men are much better than women at crisply describing what differentiates them. Women should know what the choice assignments are, speak up for them, and let influential people know what they’ve done.

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