Author Archive
The Importance of Reflection
Posted by: | CommentsAs the new year dawns we inevitably find ourselves thinking backward and forward. Maybe we have had bad experiences with “new years resolutions” or at the very least have friends who have set forth with good intentions only to lose focus very early in the new year. Regardless of the jokes or bad press we hear about new years resolutions it is very healthy to take time for regular reflection on ones life, goals and dreams. Our reflection does not need to be at the turn of the year but often it is a natural time to do so. Give yourself the gift of quiet time to engage in strategic thinking about your life.
For women in business regular reflection is a critical success skill. Women who set aside time to think deeply about the journey they have been on, the current road they are traveling and how these compare to where they want to go are often women who are not only successful but also feel a deep sense of peace and satisfaction with their success. Women have many choices but seem to be less inclined than their male peers to invest in themselves in a mindful manner. Could this be socialization telling us we are selfish if we take time for ourselves? We often have many roles we play simultaneously both at work , home and in our community. As a result of all of these roles we are very rarely without a “to do” list. A constant focus on getting things done can paradoxically cause us to lose sight of what we are doing.
The Importance of Girls
Posted by: | CommentsThis week is “The Girl Effect Blogging Campaign” week. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of women around the world are blogging about The Girl Effect this week. http://www.girleffect.org/video. The campaign is asking women to use their voice…..asking women to add their voice to the many voices working to raise awareness about the connection between the development of girls and the development of a peaceful thriving world.
This campaign is not about investing in girls to the exclusion of boys. This is about understanding the impact we face if girls are marginalized. The impact if girls are not receiving the same amount of investment and opportunity as boys. This is about protecting girls, boys, men and women. This is about protecting societies. Girls and their fate impact the fate of the culture and country overall. Girls and their fate impact overall economic development, public health,population growth and much more. Take just a few moments to learn more about the plight of girls in countries all over the world and how it might impact us all. The first step is always raising awareness. Understanding deeply the price we pay any time a portion of the population being marginalized. Eventually it impacts all of us.
Retaining and Developing Talent that Represents the Future
Posted by: | CommentsJill is an African American woman with ten years of experience in consulting. She is certified and versatile in the areas of practice in which she might contribute now and in the future. She has deep community roots in the major metropolitan area in which she works and she has shown great promise in promoting the organization in the market. She has demonstrated ability to target in on very valid and significant business development opportunities. She is liked by her peers and develops the people on her teams. She also plans to leave the company and possibly industry altogether. What is wrong with this picture?
A Woman’s Perspective
Posted by: | CommentsConsider these selected quotes from a well known novel:
” A startling thought this, that a woman could handle business matters as well or better then a man. Never before had she put this remarkable idea into words. She sat quite still with the heavy book on her lap, thinking how in these past lean months she had done a man’s work and done it well. She had been brought up to believe that a woman alone could accomplish nothing. Why…. why….her mind stuttered, I believe woman could manage everything in the world without a man’s help-even having babies. With the idea that she was as capable as a man came the sudden rush of pride and a violent longing to prove it, to make money for herself as men made money. Money that would be her own, which she would neither have to ask for or account to any man.”
Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell, 1936
As I read these words recently- It occurred to me how very remarkable it was that Ms Margaret Mitchell put these words into print in 1936. I found myself thinking about how diverse this perspective was in the 1930′s and how accurately predictive.
Increasing Market Profile With Women’s Initiatives
Posted by: | CommentsWomen’s Initiatives Focused on Business Growth
Due to the challenging economy and increased focus on revenue generation and business growth the timing is right for women’s leadership initiatives to be a catalyst for increasing organizational market visibility. All corporate initiatives are called to directly support business strategy in the best of times and these are not the best of times. It is possible to tap more deeply into existing markets and enter new markets by promoting the organization’s interest, thought leadership and progress in the advancement of female leaders.
Becoming more targeted in efforts to bring market focus to the organizational activities and progress in retaining and advancing women links directly to common strategic goals.
- Growth goals
- Increased visibility & external profile in existing geographies
- Increased profile in new markets targeted for future growth
- Strong links and leadership opportunities with local organizations to enhance community profile
- Targeted growth through female consumers, business owners and business decision makers
- Attraction , retention and development of female talent thru visibility in local organizations and events where many of the most talented female executives and managers participate
- Increased visibility on the organization as a great place to work for all
Do You Feel As If You Are Swimming Upstream?
Posted by: | CommentsAre we taking advantage of the natural flow of an organization or are we swimming upstream?
Below are two critically important topics for Women in Business
1- Are you working on the right things? 2-Do the right people know you are working on the right things?
These two topics are important guiding rules for women navigating a career in business- particularly in professions that have historically been male dominated. One of the reasons these two topics are critical for women is because of the lack of naturally forming advocacy relationships. Advocacy relationships are critical and form more naturally for men in business for a variety of reasons. Advocacy relationships are essential for learning what the “ right things” are and for becoming visible to the “right people”. This is not about hard core politics. This is about tapping into the natural stream and flow of organizational relationships and processes. So often women are like fish either hovering near the shore in the status quo or even swimming up stream. There is a natural flow of networking, visibility and advocacy that exists in all organizations. So often we are not in the natural flow which results in our desired progress requiring much more energy and effort then it might if we were to be fully engaged in the flow. Fish that use the natural flow and currents of the river arrive at their destination sooner and are less exhausted when they get there.
Do You Have Success Amnesia?
Posted by: | CommentsThis week I am presenting at a wonderful conference- Linkage Women in Leadership. This event is held in San Francisco each year. It is a high energy event for women in all stages of career development. The event draws very powerful keynote speakers and excellent breakout presenters. Many many years ago I came to this conference to learn about the advancement of women . The Firm I was a partner with at the time was very far behind in maximizing the talent of women. Less than 5% of the partners at the time were women.
As I sit here today -many years later, I have a moment to reflect on how far I have come. Today I am a conference speaker, national chair of the AICPA industry executive committee on women’s advancement and successful consultant in the advancement of women. I am reminded of how often the women I work with as a coach do not take time to look at themselves and their considerable success. A good friend and coach has often told me: “you have success amnesia”.
Getting Beyond Unconscious Bias
Posted by: | CommentsWe are all guilty of bias. It is part of being human.
One of the issues facing women in business is continued stereotyping , unconscious bias and the unintended consequences that result. This is one of the most difficult issues organizations face when they are working on culture shifts that must take place if women are to participate on an even playing field. The most difficult aspect of this issue is the fact that so much of our bias is unconscious.
I was on a plane recently which was delayed because a crew member had lost their identification and we could not take off unless she found it. She apologized profusely over the intercom several times as we sat on the plane waiting. Many individuals seated around me began to grumble and discuss how terrible this was and how xxx airline was going down the drain. Several others talked about making formal complaints regarding the very unorganized and incompetent flight attendant that was at fault. This discussion went on for about twenty to thirty minutes as the clock ticked. At long last the voice came over the speaker again and apologized and noted that we would take off shortly. At this point the woman came down the isle apologizing in person to everyone on the plane. There was stunned silence as it became apparent that the invisible voice belonged to the pilot and not a flight attendant.
What You Dont Know Can Hurt You
Posted by: | CommentsMany times when working with organizations on strategies to increase gender diversity in the leadership ranks the leaders will say ” lets just get all the women together and ask them what they want”. While this is noble and certainly talking with the women in the organization to understand how they experience the culture is critical it is not “the answer” . One of the most serious issues women face when attempting to advance in male dominated cultures is lack of access. Lack of access to senior leadership, opportunities, information, and organizational knowledge. As a result of this lack of access women “dont know what they dont know”. This also is a driving force in the phenomenon of women rejecting efforts to start any type of program or initiative aimed at advancing women. It is common to hear some of the women who may have be closest to breaking through to levels where women have not been represented say that they are not role models and do not want anything to do with any programs related to women or women’s advancement. This also represents the fact that women “dont know what they dont know”. Best practice programs aimed at helping women to advance are all about business and all about evening a playing field that is not providing equal career development opportunities for all. The uneven field is not something most people can see without awareness raising activity. The women in the organization are in fact often the individuals who most cannot see what is happening and “what you dont know can hurt you”. There are a long list of things that an individual needs to know about an organization in order to increase their value proposition to that organization. The most common method of learning these key lessons is access. Access to senior leaders, opportunities, experiences, assignments, and organizational learning. Without this information our careers are like a journey we take without a map. Most of our male counterparts more naturally gain this very important access due to ease of networking that very naturally takes place between people who identify with each other. Therefore our male counterparts have a map which is a very real and tangible advantage. We may think the road to our destination is straightforward and with steady hard work we will arrive. Little do we know that there are side trips and short cuts we need to know about that we cannot see without access to organizational knowledge. When we hear the lament of male leadership teams ” we would hire women if only we could find any qualified to do the job” they are not always making excuses. Because women are very often taking a less than focused journey without a map- they may not be as qualified as their male counterparts because they have not had the assignments and experiences that they need to be prepared to be the best candidate for a job. In addition, research has shown us that women are very often evaluated on experience while males are evaluated on potential which multiplies this problem dramatically. SO what is the answer to this very significant dilemma? Learn how to build access. Stay tuned for my next posting on this very topic!!
