So, who wears the smarty pants in the family?

When President Obama gave his controversial speech entreating children to stay in school and get their degree, it seems women were listening. For the first time in U.S. history, there are more women with a college degree than men. It has long been acknowledged that those with a college degree are more likely to have higher incomes than those without, and that the wage gap between men and women has begun to close (although not completely). Statistics show that earnings for women grew 44% from 1970 to 2007 compared with a 6% increase for men.

But how are these changes in economic and educational background affecting our relationships and our families? In 1970, the number of husbands who had wives earning more than they did was 4%; in 2007, 22% of wives earned more than their husbands. Our recent economic downturn has also hit men harder than women, with men carrying 75% of the unemployment burden. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009) The outmoded image of the husband bringing home the bacon and the little lady being financially dependent is going nearly extinct in the 21st century, particularly with the Great Recession.

Families who've experienced the greatest gains are those with both husband and wife holding college degrees. Men with a college degree are not only gaining higher economic benefits because of their degree, but most are also marrying someone with equal earning potential. This makes married couples who both have a college degree the heavyweight champions of income.

Americans are overall better educated today than they were four decades ago. Yet interestingly, those with a college degree are less likely than ever to marry those without one. Why else would marriage rates decline as women get smarter?

The lesson is this, guys: get your degree because Princess Charming is earning more than ever before. Otherwise, she won't be coming to rescue you!

(One great social trends study on this timely topic is: "Women, men and the new economics of marriage. by Richard Fry and D'Vera Cohn.")

One of the most exciting things to look forward to in your career is that next great job or challenge that really stretches you. But rather than be distracted by looking for the next big opportunity, the best way to get promoted is to get really great at the job you’re doing today.

“Time and time and again you see people whom, as soon as they get a new job, start chasing the flame for the next one,” Stephen Miles, the Vice Chairman of Heidrick & Struggles, shares. “Don’t be a flamechaser. Make sure you manage up appropriately, so you’re not being overzealous, not lobbying for the next job, but are still building relationships.”

While it’s tempting to chase that flame, the best way to get promoted is to think about the things you can do today to be really great at your current job—that way you get noticed for the next one!

“You should be revealing your skills and capabilities through the work that you do as opposed to through your lobbying efforts,” Stephen emphasizes.

Watch the video version of my interview with Stephen Miles below:

Senator John McCain told that he had one piece of advice for those who seek positions of leaderships: be a proponent only of things you truly believe in.

"Every time in my career that I've done something for political expediency, I've later regretted it. When I've taken on an issue with my true beliefs, even if it's unpopular at the time, it always turned out right in the end," he revealed.

While McCain was running for the Republican nomination for president in 2000, the South Carolina State Senate passed a bill to remove the Confederate flag from the top of the State House dome.

Because he thought it would gain him votes, McCain went against his true values on the matter, saying he thought it was a state's issue.

"This was clearly a cowardly approach, and in the end, I lost regardless and displayed cowardice," he insisted. "You can do things that appear beneficial, and they may give you temporary advancement or movement along your path, but unless it's something you really believe in, you'll never succeed."

Watch the video version of my interview with Senator John McCain:

2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Iranian born Shirin Ebadi, knew from an early age that she was destined for a life upholding justice:

“When I was a child and would see a fight break out in the street, I’d rush over to defend the person who was being beaten up, without really trying to understand what the fight was about,” she told me.

That love for justice sent Ebadi to law school, when, after graduation, she became a judge. However, because of the Iranian Revolution (the 31st anniversary of which is today), Ebadi was told that she could no longer serve as a judge because she was a woman. Undeterred, she became an attorney at law and began defending human rights cases.

“In the early days of the revolution, defending human rights was considered a dangerous activity. I was actually labeled by right wing newspapers a 'feminist', a disloyal person to the system, a human rights advocate-- as if these were insults!” Ebadi recounted. “But as the years passed, there was more human rights awareness inside the country and being a human rights advocate was no longer regarded as being negative."

Her lifelong quest for human rights has clearly not been an easy one. But Ebadi told me that maintaining unshakeable faith in her cause carries her through even the most challenging situations and moments.

“I cannot lose hope. Once I lose it, I lose my activity and my activism. I compare my situation to that of a person in a shipwreck: when the person falls in the water, he has no choice but to keep swimming until he arrives at a shore. If he gives up, he’ll never get to the shore. I cannot allow myself to give up hope.”

Watch the video version of my interview with Shirin Ebadi below:

Being number one in your industry is a great thing - it's something we aspire to! But once you've gotten there, a danger exists in losing the edge, hunger and willingness to take risks that made you so great in the first place.

"It's actually very rare that it's the market leader whose most in touch with what people want," Olof Faxander, president and CEO of SSAB told me. "When you get too big and comfortable, you run into risks as an organization."

"If you create an environment were people get penalized every time something goes wrong, you create very risk-adverse employees," he continued. "As long as people take calculated and sound risks you should encourage them to do that. That's how you can innovate and move forward. If we help align our customers with good products, then we can grow with them."

This innovative company is putting themselves on the line in order to build products and partner with their customers. You’d be surprised how profitable they've become in the process!

Watch the video version of my interview with Olof Faxander below: