2011 Top 10 Leadership Skill & Career Tips for Women

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Looking back over 2011, we hope you didn't miss these tips on career success and leadership skills.

Leadership

1.  Move beyond conventional wisdom, develop skills With Eyes Wide Open
And many more here...

Career Advice


Here's to a prosperous, rewarding and JOY-filled 2012.

Career Advice from Ursula Burns and Important Advice Beneath the Advice

Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox is the first African American woman to be CEO of a FORTUNE 500 company (and the first woman CEO to succeed another woman). It's notoriously difficult to get an interview with her - I know, I've tried. But recently when a member of Xerox' compensation committee asked her to speak at the WICT leadership conference, she did.  
Here's her advice ...and important advice beneath the advice. Premium content available to PLATINUM, Corporate and GOLD Members of Leading Women
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Susan
Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
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Virginia Rometty and the Case for Progressive Social Policies



When Sam Palmisano, CEO of IBM announced that Virginia Rometty’s would succeed him as CEO he is reported to have said, “Ginni got it because she deserved it. It’s got zero to do with progressive social policies.”

I believe he meant to imply that Ginni Rommety earned her new position by virtue of her outstanding performance and that she wasn’t appointed as a token women (imagine a F500 board going along with such a preposterous recommendation). As well intentioned as his praise was, the statement itself indicates that Sam might need some progressive social thinking. When was the last time you heard a F500 CEO described as getting the position, “because he deserved it.”

Anyway, his message, while laudatory of Ginni, was technically inaccurate.  The very reasons she was able to earn her new position were because of progressive social policies.

For example, when it was founded in 1850, her alma mater Northwestern where she studied computer science and engineering in the late 70s had an all male student body. It was through the progressive social policies 19 years later that women were accepted “under the same terms and conditions as men.”

IBM is proud to tout on its website that the first professional women were hired by the company in the 1930s. But that effort didn’t shift the culture enough that IBM could hold itself as a paragon of women’s advancement. In the 1970s (about the time Ginni joined), as a result of the progressive pressures of the feminist movement, IBM launched its first women’s programs – and they continue today.

Alan Greenspan wrote in his autobiography that he loved to hire women because he could pay them less and their work was exemplary. If Ginni Rometty earned the equivalent of her male counterparts during her career at IBM, it was because of the progressive social concept of pay equity and the Equal Pay Act that became the law in the U.S. in 1963.

Ginni and her husband Mark have no children. I do not know whether this is by choice, so let’s have her stand in as an example of any woman and her partner. Progressive social policies about family planning make the decision about if and when to have children a choice for all of us.

So, to Sam Palmisano and all the women and men who believe that progressive social policies are irrelevant to women like Ginni advancing to top levels of corporations, I say, it’s not an either/or proposition. 

Progressive social policies have gotten women in the door. They have given us a chance to prove ourselves and to earn top spots. Progressive social policies and the women and men who fought for them deserve our thanks, not our dismissal.

Lead ON!
Susan
Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
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To Get Paid More, Cultivate Your Network!

Before the great recession, an author in Canada, reported that women executives have a harder time than their male counterparts finding a new job after they've been let go. If that isn't reason enough to focus a portion of your energy on developing a smart strategic network (as differentiated from a collection of friends), a new study by Marie Lalanne and Paul Seabright of the Toulouse School of Economics adds another. Improved compensation for executive director positions!

As reported in the Economist:
"They find that if you were to compare two executive directors, identical in every way except that one had 200 ex-colleagues now sitting on boards and the other 400, the latter, on average, would be paid 6% more. For non-executives the gap is 14%.
The really juicy finding concerns the difference between the sexes. Among executive-board members, women earn 17% less than their male counterparts. There are plenty of plausible explanations for this disparity, from interruptions to women’s careers to old-fashioned discrimination. But the authors find that this pay gap can be fully explained by the effect of executives’ networks. Men can leverage a large network into more senior positions or a seat on a more lucrative board; women don’t seem to be able to."
+ + + + No Ceiling, No Walls is a great gift + + + +

 As an explanation of why women execs have a harder time getting a new job, their findings also speak to the importance of "weak ties" (that we've written about).
"According to Granovetter, the social connections that are the most valuable when looking for a job are not the closest ones but the more distant ones. Strong ties, such as close friends and relatives, are more likely to have similar information concerning job opportunities, while weak ties, such as acquaintances and coworkers, are more likely to move in different social circles and to have access to different information about job and other opportunities."
Although the cited research applies to the most senior women, it is of use to all of us. The time to cultivate your strategic network is when you don't need it!

Lead ON!
Susan
Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
Follow her on TwitterLittlePinkBook  |  Facebook  |  LinkedInGroupLinkedIn

With Eyes Wide Open

Ever since I spoke at the W.I.N. conference in Rome last month I've been thinking a lot about career advice given to women over the past 40 years. Much of the advice hasn't changed although the words might have changed. We've been told and continue to be told to:
  • Speak up, be assertive, ask
  • Get a mentor (40 years ago the definition was the same as today's idea of a sponsor)
  • Dress for success, develop executive presence
  • Manage your reputation, enhance your personal brand
  • Balance work/life, integrate work and life
and yet the advances that women have made have mostly slowed or stagnated.

That's why my message about the importance of developing and demonstrating business, strategic and financial acumen is so "eye-opening" - as a matter of fact every email I received from the global women who attended my presentation used those words!

The most rewarding email was from Manuela who wrote: 
"I came back and immediately sent an email to our VP clearly communicating the cost savings I achieved working on a project for investments for next year such 63% savings versus plan, 1 mill $ here another 12 mill$ (!) there – it is huge, Im proud of it and I said it this time…."
Manuela not only wrote about sharing her "eye-opening moments with women back at work" she was actually able to put into immediate action the advice about demonstrating business acumen! She'll forever move forward in her career with eyes wide open.

If you're serious about your career and think you can climb to success by following conventional wisdom, please think again. Clear advice about developing and demonstrating business, strategic and financial acumen (what we call The Missing 33%™ or The Secret 33%™) is hard to come by. To remedy that deficit is what motivated me to write No Ceiling, No Walls: What Women Haven't Been Told About Leadership from Career-Start to the Corporate Boardroom.

+ + + + No Ceiling, No Walls is a great gift + + + +

If you're serious about your success and don't already own a copy of No Ceiling, No Walls, gift yourself with a copy. It might sound self-serving to promote my book, but really it's you-serving!

With the holidays approaching, we're offering a special discount to help spread the word. It makes a great gift for colleagues, team members, proteges, daughters, nieces, moms and any other woman serious about her career.

Lead ON!
Susan
Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
Follow her on TwitterLittlePinkBook  |  Facebook  |  LinkedInGroupLinkedIn

Be Prepared with Your Courageous ASK™


Recently one of the organizers of an international women's conference where I had spoken grabbed me to talk with one of the conference attendees - I'll call her Felicia. I had no idea why I was asked to speak with Felicia, but as we chatted I learned that Felicia had come to the conference as a vendor in the marketplace. Because the marketplace wasn't the focus of the conference, she was disappointed in her experience.

While it may be true that the conference could have done more to promote the marketplace, Felicia and I discussed a few networking tips that she could use during the rest of the conference to make the most of the experience.
  1. Be Prepared with a Courageous ASK™: Felicia wasn't clear when we began what she hoped to gain from her attendance at the conference. As we talked, it became clear that beyond selling a few pieces in the marketplace she needed introductions to high end jewelry stores that might carry her line. The tactical activity of selling jewelry while important was a short-term focus while strategically building contacts for sales through international jewelers would pay off over the long term. So, it makes sense to not only have a Courageous ASK - in Felicia's case, "could you make a referral to a high end jeweler who would be interested in my line of jewelry?" - but to make sure that your ASK is as strategic as it could possibly be.
  2. Represent Your Product: When we sat down, it astonished me that Felicia wasn't wearing any of her jewelry. She had the opportunity to be a walking representation of the beautiful jewelry - a potential conversation starter if commented on it, or as an example if she introduced her ASK. You might not be able to wear your product, but you could make an impact with a 2-sided business card, or some other tangible representation of what you do or what you need.
  3. Nurture Your Network: Whether someone was interested in purchasing jewelry, it was important for Felicia to collect business cards. That way she could ask if her new conference acquaintances knew anyone who knew anyone who might provide introductions to high end jewelers. Oh, and be sure to thank anyone who responds to your Couragous ASK. I'm sorry to say that I haven't heard word one from Felicia since I emailed her intros to 2 high end jewelers.
So, the next time you are in a position to network, be sure you know what would be the best possible outcome of your Courageous ASK, be sure that you capitalize on opportunities to Represent your Product and Nurture Your Network by following up.

Lead ON!
Susan
Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
Follow her on TwitterLittlePinkBook  |  Facebook  |  LinkedInGroupLinkedIn

Belief versus Facts, Intent versus Impact


A recent Small Business UK post reports:
"Women are breaking through the ‘glass ceiling’ and have increasing employment opportunities, particularly in terms of career advancement and remuneration, suggests research.
More than three quarters of HR directors (78 per cent) do not believe that men have an advantage over women in the workplace, according to a study of 180 respondents by staffing services firm Robert Half." (emphasis added)
What they believe and the facts are out of synch. The UK is roughly equal to the US in the number of women corporate executives (around 15%).

Color me cynical, but wouldn't it be surprising if the very professionals who are responsible for assuring equality WOULD believe that men have an advantage over women in the workplace?

It is business reporting like this that makes it difficult to keep attention on the real advances and lack of advances for women in the workplace. For example:
And it perpetuates the myth (strongly believed by CEOs) that there is no gender inequity in business.

Lead ON!
Susan
Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
Follow her on TwitterLittlePinkBook  |  Facebook  |  LinkedInGroupLinkedIn

Leadership Development that Delivers


Ron Ashkenas has a great article on Forbes today with the title

He cites a major corporation that did away with a very expensive and exclusive leadership development program for its top 400 when...
"...six months later none of the participants could say that their business or function was any better off as a result of the program; and few could cite anything that they were personally doing differently."
The leadership model we use at Leading Women has produced different results for our participants. While we can always do better, and are continuously improving our programs, here is my comment on Ron's article.
"Ron, great article and excellent advice. Our work developing women leaders focuses very heavily on alignment with the business and we've had results different from the example you cited:

A retroactive survey of participants in our leadership programs told us that a stunning 86% were promoted or were given more responsibility (an indirect indication of their business impact).

The most frequently reported behavioral changes include:
  •     82.5% more intentionally project leadership presence.
  •     76.2% think more strategically about their job/organization.
  •     61% network more strategiclaly outside their organization.
  •     60% lead from core strengths and gifts.
  •     58.5% network more strategically within their organization.
  •     56.1% are better able to elicit information and listen deeply (inquiry skills).
  •     50% more proactively seek to know their organization's strategy.
We continuously work to improve these results and to track performance impacts on the business. Thanks for the inspiration to continue on our journey."
If you're looking for high-impact leadership development that delivers, we have one that's right for you. Read about them here.

Lead ON!
Susan
Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
Follow her on TwitterLittlePinkBook  |  Facebook  |  LinkedInGroupLinkedIn

New Wage Gap Stats for Managers...and they aren't pretty

Wage Gap Stats
 A quick post because I've never seen these stats delivered before. And I hope to never see such a wide gap again. As reported by the Atlanta Business Chronicle based on Bureau of Labor Statistics. The wage tap is over 20% in 5 sectors including 29.9% in the category of management, business and financial operations.
"The 7.35 million women in the management, business and financial operations category earned a median of $961 per week during the second quarter of 2011. The 8.78 million men in the same classification drew median pay of $1,371 per week. 
Here in Rhode Island, the Vision 2020 @equalityinsight initiative is working to engage organizations on this issue. What are you doing where you are?

Social Networking = Savvy Networking?
This headline from The Republic caught my eye this morning, "Social media helps professionals break through gender barriers". Being committed to breaking through gender barriers I read the article which describes a networking "savviness formula" i.e. the gender comparison of the percentage of profiles in relation to the number of connections they have. For example in the tobacco industry women account for 70% of connections, but only 45% of profiles.

Our focus at Leading Women is to help women understand the difference between social networking and strategic networking and we know that social connections don't necessarily equate to savvy networking. Strategic networking is about using our relationships in service of a larger outcome. For example, to what business and/or career purpose do we leverage our connections?

Our research indicates that men are perceived as much more strategic networkers while women are seen as better at developing relationships. What is your experience?

By the way, according to LinkedIn's savviness index:
"The top industries where women were deemed the savvier networkers, according to LinkedIn, were tobacco, ranching, international trade and development, alternative medicine and alternative dispute resolution. As for men, they trumped women in online networking savviness in law enforcement, medical practices, capital markets, hospital/health care, and cosmetics. Across all industries, both globally and in the United States, men took the connectivity prize, according to the LinkedIn report."
To see what else we're keeping our eye on these days, check us out on Facebook.

Lead ON!
Susan
Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
Follow her on TwitterLittlePinkBook  |  Facebook  |  LinkedInGroupLinkedIn

So Glad to be Back!

When Google merged ALL of my accounts (why the heck did they do that?) I couldn't figure out how to log into blogger. Finally, they created a fix. It's good to be back.

Leadership Lessons: What Men Know...about Mentoring


Recently a man who serves as an executive sponsor of his organization's women's initiative attended a presentation I gave. Having heard what I said about The Secret 33%™ he commented,
"It’s hard to imagine business skills not being a big part of what goes on especially when you look at the discussions that happen at the executive director and officer level. The discussions that go on in the room among the people are really related to the business – how does the business go forward, how does the business evolve, where should the business be heading. That is where a lot of the...time on people’s calendars...on email and the content of email – it really is on the business and it’s very hard to imagine mentoring not addressing although our formal training doesn’t... Those of you who were listening to presentations would have observed that 99% of the discussion in his hour presentation was on strategy, and outcomes...” G.P. Chief Engineer
Like many organizations, the one referred to above puts little, if any, emphasis on formal education on business, strategic and financial acumen. Men (and women who are smart about how to use mentors or who have business-savvy mentors) are likely to get informal grooming on the business of business.

How does this compare with the content and competencies furthered by your company's women's initiatives?

At Leading Women, we know that business, strategic and financial acumen represent The Secret 33% of the career success equation for women. To learn more about what that means, why it's important, and what you can do about it; contact us and/or pick up a copy of No Ceiling, No Walls. You'll be glad you did!

Quantum Leap Forward: New Tools for Women's Advancement

"When it comes to women's advancement>"...in the last two years we’ve almost hit a point of stagnation, where we’re not seeing even that incremental change in the representation of women at the top. So it’s time to say, 'We’ve come this far, why haven’t we gone as far as we would like?' Companies need to take a more careful look at the programs they have in place around talent management and hiring practices to determine where there might be hidden biases." (e.a.) Christine Silva, Catalyst quoted in IT Business Edge
If your numbers aren't moving in spite of all your programs based on conventional wisdom, it's time to take a look at what Leading Women has to offer. Consider for example our 4-part series on Power Tools for Career Success (recently delivered to Professional Women in Healthcare).
  1. The Secret 33%For decades, the paradigms underlying leadership development have been viewed as neutral - in spite of the fact that much the research at the root of these paradigms (dating back to the late 70s) was done on men. As a result, most leadership development initiatives over-focus on 2/3 of the leadership definition, leaving women at a disadvantage. This module explains the negative impact of the Missing 33%™ on leadership, career advice, mentoring, executive presence, self-promotion and more. It goes further to explain what it takes to turn The Missing 33% into The Secret 33% of the career success formula for women.
  2. Think Like a CEO: Developing Business Acumen Anyone can think like a CEO if she is able to step back and look at the big picture of her business. This means understanding the 4 key outcome areas that executives pay attention to and keep in balance. While this knowledge won't guarantee advancement - without it women will undoubtedly hit a plateau in their careers.
  3. Show Them the Money: Strategic and Financial Acumen Once women understand the 4 key outcome areas that executives pay attention to and keep in balance, they are able to more deeply understand and interpret strategy and the role financials play in setting and assessing strategy. This module delivers a simple model that makes this crystal clear.
  4. Speak the Language of Power Without Losing Your Voice This capstone session provides women with actionable tools for demonstrating their enhanced business, strategic and financial acumen - and to do so with grace and authenticity.

    To see what else we're keeping our eye on these days, check us out on Facebook.

    Lead ON!
    Susan
    Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
    Follow her on TwitterLittlePinkBook  |  Facebook  |  LinkedInGroupLinkedIn

Mother's Day Proclamation - Work/Life Debate Should be SOOOO Over


Enough already! The question has been answered. Yes, Virginia, a woman can be a mother and have a successful career.

So, on Mother's Day 2011, let's finally put the debate to bed.

Need proof? Of the F500 women CEOs past, present and announced, nearly every one of them has been a mother/stepmother - and often to 2 or more children.

In honor of these virtual mentors from whom we can learn so much, let's learn once and for all that work and motherhood are not mutually exclusive. Thank you:
  • Brenda Barnes, retired Sara Lee
  • Carol Bartz, Yahoo!
  • Angela Braly, Wellpoint
  • Ursula Burns, Xerox
  • Carly Fiorina, retired HP
  • Christina Gold, Western Union
  • Susan Ivey, retired Reynolds
  • Andrea Jung, Avon
  • Ellen Kullman, Dupont
  • Carol Meyrowitz, TJX
  • Christine Morrison, announced Campbell's
  • Anne Mulcahy, retired Xerox
  • Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo
  • Irene Rosenfeld, Kraft
  • Mary Sammons, retired RiteAid
  • Laura Sen, BJs
  • Meg Whitman, retired eBay
  • Patricia Woertz, Archer Daniels Midland
Apologies to Lynn Elsenhans, CEO Sunoco if she has children.  Online research turned up no references to any.

UPDATED 6/6: Financial News has a story about Helena Morrissey, head of Newton:
"ranked the Most Influential Woman in Asset Management at the Financial News Awards for Excellence in Institutional Asset Management Europe 2010, had a family of five when she took the job and has had four more children since her appointment."
To see what else we're keeping our eye on these days, check us out on Facebook.

Lead ON!
Susan
Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
Follow her on TwitterLittlePinkBook  |  Facebook  |  LinkedInGroupLinkedIn

CUS Words - Fending Off Harassment


Recently a friend of my son's told me that a guy in her office is "kind of creepy" and made comments the other day about liking her shoes. I asked her what she did about it and she said nothing and that she was going to wait a few months and hope he stops.

This is a very common responses - especially among women early in their careers.

I suggested that she needs to start as she means to go and nip this in the bud. I offered several ways she could verbalize her displeasure with his attention. This reminded me of the concept of CUS words that hospitals use when building a culture of safety. It is shortcut for language that escalates if the first message isn't taken in. 

CUS begins with I am Concerned...escalating to I am Uncomfortable...and finally to this is a Safety issue.

Here's how using CUS words could work if you or someone you know is confronted with uncomfortable comments the same escalation can work this way.
  1. I am Concerned that your comments are focusing on my attire, shoes and not on my work. You might be trying to be friendly, but in the workplace how I look is not an acceptable topic for discussion.
  2. I am Uncomfortable that you are continuing your comments about how I look and again asking you to stop.
  3. Having asked you twice to stop commenting on my appearance, I am reporting you for Sexual harassment.
If you find yourself in a position of receiving unwarranted attention, try using CUS words to respectfully make clear your boundaries. Hope this helps!

To see what else we're keeping our eye on these days, check us out on Facebook.

Lead ON!
Susan
Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
Follow her on TwitterLittlePinkBook  |  Facebook  |  LinkedInGroupLinkedIn

The Velocity of Women on Boards


I am a great fan of Jim Kristie's. He is the editor and associate publisher of Directors & Boards and has had a long term interest in women on boards. Here's his most recent update (with apologies for wholesale quoting!). It represents good news for those who care about greater representation of women on corporate boards.
"(Directors & Boards) has been documenting for the past two years elevated levels of women joining boards. Here are some of our latest findings (expertly crunched by Roster editor Kelly McCarthy):

  • In the first quarter of 2011, 34% of new director elections that we tracked were women.
  • In the fourth quarter of 2010, 38% of new directors were women.
  • For 2010 as a whole, 34% of board appointees recorded in the Roster were women; in 2009, the recruitment rate was 39% — a dramatic leap from 25% in 2008.
Most major surveys of board composition point to representation of women stuck in the mid-teens range, where it has been mired for years. To my mind, there is a simple explanation for meshing these very different recruitment findings.

The major surveys are a snapshot of board composition at a fixed point in time — an annual look at who is sitting on a defined universe of boards. The Directors Roster is a snapshot of a quarterly flow of activity at a random universe of boards — companies that happen to have added a new board member.

This is a bit of apples and oranges. What we are looking at with the Roster is velocity — a moving target — whereas the annual board reports are measuring an end point. We need both sets of measurements to properly gauge marketplace activity.

As a longtime champion of board diversity, I am sympathetic to the concern my survey counterparts share with me — that the optimistic picture we present in the Roster could lull people into thinking that recruiting of women directors is going along just swimmingly, when in fact all the annual reviews of board composition do not seem to bear that out. That’s why I prominently cite other surveys in Directors & Boards that show how sluggish the progress is of board diversity.

I agree that many questions are left unresolved about the enduring impact of our measure of velocity. Perhaps it is a matter of time — and it will be a lot of time — before we see the cumulative impact of these elevated recruiting levels.

But something is going on, and that is where the Roster data play an important tracking role."
Thanks, again. Jim for your good work!

If you want to see what else we're keeping our eye on these days, check us out on Facebook.

Lead ON!
Susan
Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
Follow her on TwitterLittlePinkBook  |  Facebook  |  LinkedInGroupLinkedIn

A New Look at Leadership Development for Women

Over the years, I've been involved with Linkage through their Global Institute for Leadership Development and their Women in Leadership Summit. So I was delighted when I was contacted to take part in a series of interviews on leadership for a global research study on the identification and development of leaders. The result of this work will be in an upcoming book by Phil Harkins, the CEO of Linkage - and a well known expert on leadership.

The interview was far ranging and today I received this note from the interviewer.
"Thank you very much for your willingness to support our leadership research at Linkage. Your discussion of the excess emphasis on traits (rather than results) in modern business is one of the key highlights that came out of this series of interviews. Your candor has been extremely helpful to us..."
Here are 4 of the key points I made during the interview.
  1. I shared my definition of leadership: "Leadership is using the greatness in you to achieve and sustain extraordinary outcomes by engaging the greatness in others."
  2. Women have been under-served by most leadership development initiatives because they over-focus on interpersonal skills (the 1/3rd of the leadership definition that has to do with engaging the greatness in others). For decades the a collection of competencies labeled interpersonal skills is one where women are consistently rated by their bosses as outperforming men.
  3. The individualistic culture in the U.S. drives an overemphasis on seeking individual traits of leaders (the 1/3rd of the leadership definition that has to do with the greatness in you). This also under-serves women because of the competencies sought by boards and CEOs when identifying C-suite candidates and high potential employees, only 24% have to do with personal traits.
  4. Of the competencies sought by boards and CEOs when identifying C-suite candidates and high potential employees, 50% have to do with business, strategic and financial acumen. These have to do with the 1/3rd of the leadership definition that has to do with achieving and sustaining extraordinary outcomes. Specifically, they are looking for evidence of these competencies via impact on the business. In study after study over the past several decades, men have been rated as outperforming women in these areas. That's why we call these extremely important competencies The Missing 33%™of the career success equation for women.
For decades, the paradigms underlying leadership development have been viewed as neutral - in spite of the fact that much the research at the root of these paradigms - dating back to the late 70s - was done on men. As a result, most over-focus on 2/3 of the leadership definition, leaving women at a disadvantage.

To illustrate: In our work with companies on their women's initatives, we analyze the competencies that they embed in their performance and leadership development systems. In one F500 company, only 18% of its management competencies focus on business, strategic or financial acumen (The Missing 33%) - while 48% focused on personal traits. So, if a woman were to cultivate her personal traits per their system, she would hit a glass ceiling pretty early in her career because she would lack the business, strategic and financial skills required to advance.

And while some companies place more of a balanced emphasis between personal traits and engagement skills, the minimal focus on business, strategic and financial acumen is not uncommon!

How does your organization emphasize The Missing 33% in its performance, succession, leadership development, women's initiative content and other advancement systems?

To learn more about The Missing 33%, why it's important, and what you can do about it; check out this short video, and pick up a copy of No Ceiling, No Walls. You'll be glad you did!


Lead ON!
Susan
Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
Follow her on TwitterLittlePinkBook  |  Facebook  |  LinkedInGroupLinkedIn

3 Important Questions!


Are you a Businesswoman or a Woman in Business?
Earlier this month I enjoyed delivering a webinar to a number of Professional Women in Healthcare. The topic was Think Like a CEO: Developing Business Acumen. Implicit in the topic is the question, do you think of yourself as a "woman in business" or as a businesswoman. I recommend that your answer should be that you think of yourself as a businesswoman. Here's why:

A "woman in business" can be said to be a woman working in a business, but a businesswoman is a woman who "gets" and is advancing the business of her organization. She understands the business of business, has strategic and financial acumen and is more likely to be considered as a "high potential" candidate for advancement.

So, how do you think of yourself?

What's the Brand of Your Women's Initiative?
It was an honor to consult with a large financial services organization as it launched launch its women's initiative - including a recommendation to initiate a women's leadership employee resource group. During the discussion about recommendations to the executive team and goals for the initiative, the topic of work/life balance and flex-time arose.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to offer advice, here's what I said,
"It's important to think about you you want your executives to see your efforts. Do you want to lead with the stereotypical work/life balance issues, or do you want to lead with a focus on leadership development and building the business?"
They made the right choice. What's your answer?

What are you Doing about The Missing 33%™?
In presenting The Missing 33% to the global women's council of a F500 company, I discovered that only 18% of its management competencies focus on business, strategic or financial acumen - while 48% focused on personal greatness competencies.

This is nearly the reverse of what our research indicates are the skills that executives and boards seek in C-suite candidates and high-potential employees. Of the skills sought for these movers, 50% have to do with business, strategic and financial acumen and 24% with elements of personal greatness.

How do you measure up in the area of business, strategic and financial acumen? How does your organization emphasize these in its performance, succession, leadership development, women's initiative content and other advancement systems?

At Leading Women, we consider business, strategic and financial acumen to be The Missing 33% of the career success equation for women. To learn more about what that means, why it's important, and what you can do about it; check out this short video, and pick up a copy of No Ceiling, No Walls. You'll be glad you did!

Lead ON!
Susan
Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
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Leadership and Change

We are half way through Women's History Month and past International Women's Day. It is a month to reflect on the status of women - how far we've come, progress under attack and what's left to do. For Leading Women, March is also our anniversary month - 8 years ago, Jane Metzger was our first breakfast speaker. Since then much has changed for Leading Women and we're so grateful that you've been with us for the journey.


As I reflect on the horrific tragedy in Japan, I know that every day has its tragedies for millions of women around the world (to understand more about this read Half the Sky). And so, it feels fitting that I'm spending a chunk of this month in Guatemala where a group of Leading Women will be working with women's cooperatives and a local health center to strengthen their capabilities and position them for sustained success. You can read more about what we're doing here.

Working cross culturally is an excellent way to confront the fact that we have worldviews and that they influence everything we do. And so, we begin our work with a weekend focused on strategy and change and a contemplation of our worldviews on both

For example, in the U.S. we live in a linear culture with the future in front of us and the past behind. In other cultures, including in the indigenous cultures around Lake Atitlan, time is circular. Their actions are shaped by the cyclical nature of the season  and the work that has to be done in their milpas (plots of land where maize is grown).

As I think about my worldview on change, I see that it is shaped not only by the U.S. culture, but also by the fact that I am the eldest, that my grandparents or great grandparents immigrated to the U.S. and other factors. As I think about working on strategy and the changes that strategic plans require, I consider how a milpa is like a business. Both are influenced by the environment, both produce outcomes and both need nurturing infusions.

What forces have shaped your worldview on change? Do you seek change, embrace change or approach it with caution? Do different types of change cause different reactions in you? What are your beliefs about making change? And how does your complicated and personal worldview about change strenghten or impede your success as a leader? This is important self-discovery work - because, as I say, "leadership is all about change all the time."

Lead ON!
Susan
Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
Follow her on TwitterLittlePinkBook  |  Facebook  |  LinkedInGroupLinkedIn

Reflections on the 100th Anniversary International Women's Day


March 8th is the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day and I am spending it with the Global Women's Council of a F500 company. For me this is a fitting way to celebrate both the accomplishments and highlight the steps yet to take in corporate America - the women in the room have made it close to the top of this venerable company, and yet in all its history it has never had a woman CEO.

That said, I'd like to take this opportunity to cast a wider eye at what's happening to women around the world. Starting here in the US, last week the White House issued its first report on the status of women in 50 years. While the media overplayed the wage gap, there is a related factor that has worsened, the rate of women living in poverty. 

As displayed in the Huffington Post, in spite of incredible leaps forward in level of education attained, 18% of women overall and nearly 40% of women heads of households live below the poverty level. In looking carefully at the graph, I noticed something disturbing.
  • Both percentages were on an overall downward trend from 1964 to 1979.
  • They rose during the Reagan years and stayed relatively high until around 1993 when Bill Clinton took office. During his presidency (1993 - 2001), the rates declined.
  • During George W. Bush's tenure women's poverty levels increased again. 
Now, most of you know that I don't like to be political in this column, but the correlation between the policies of conservative Republicans and the worsening status of women have been on my mind given the many recent initiatives at the state and federal level to curtail women's reproductive rights. As I can attest from personal experience - access to family planning resources and reproductive rights are the foundation for women's health and economic well-being. But this is not simply a personal experience for many women who have had the luxury of planning their pregnancies. This is also one of the factors cited in a Federal Reserve Bank of Boston report on the progress made by women in business. And yet, our rights in this area are under the deepest attack in decades.

Federally, the revised H.R.3 would deny tax credits to businesses that offer employees health insurance plans that happen to cover abortion care, as well as disallow any medical deductions for expenses related to abortion. Women would not be able to set aside their own money in pre-tax health accounts for abortion coverage (hmmm, I wonder if their male partners could. So much for small government. You'd need an army to police the health policies of every company applying for tax credits and Health Savings Accounts of every woman!)

Several years ago two women - one anti-choice and one pro-choice - co-authored a book on reproductive rights. Though they had different perspectives on abortions, they found common ground when it came to preventing unwanted pregnancies. Shocking to the anti-choice author were the attacks she endured for her pro-contraception stance. Hearing them interviewed was the first time that I learned that the anti-choice movement is using abortion for a broader anti-contraception agenda.

This face of the anti-choice movement has been revealed again this month. For example, in Wisconsin the governor's budget would not only defund Planned Parenthood, it would reverse a state law that requires health insurers to pay for prescribed contraceptives. (No mention is made about whether he would reverse reimbursements for Viagra!)

Conservatism and religious fundamentalism are the foundation of these movements and both are on the rise not only in the U.S., but also around the globe - primarily in Muslim countries where unrelenting pressure is forcing women out of the mainstream and into the shadows. In emerging economies - as reported in Half the Sky - women and girls continue to suffer from sex trafficking and forced prostitution; gender-based violence including honor killings and mass rape and maternal mortality, which needlessly claims one woman a minute. But in the marvelous book by the same title, there is story after story of women who bravely take the lead to tackle these brutal issues.

So, here's to International Women's Day and Women's History Month. We've come a long way, but we and our sisters around the world still have a long way to go. Please get active, take the lead and make a little history to help women continue to make strides in health & safety, education and economic participation.

Lead ON!
Susan
Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
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Associating with Associations

Here at Leading Women we're obviously big fans of networking...by that we mean the cultivation of strategic relationships inside and outside your organization. Why? First, because getting the job done almost always requires cooperation with others. Second, because the higher you go in your organization, the more important become external networks - specifically those with organizations that can influence the business environment for your organization.

That's why it's important to consider association memberships. Professional associations, industry associations, customer industry associations, vendor/supplier industry associations and trade associations are all fertile possibilities. To get you thinking, we offer a list of professional associations on our site. But through my own network, I recently came across a site with a comprehensive list of women's associations - as a matter of fact, nearly 700 of them! From advertising to banking, construction executives to railroad, to accountants.

With so many to choose from (and for most of us so little time) how do you choose? Here are 3 tips for finding the right associations to participate in.
  1. Consider your profession. Most professions have at least one related association for example HR = Society for Human Resource Management; IT = Women in IT. As a matter of fact, our list is mostly professional associations.
  2. Identify the industries represented by your major customers and discover the associations they belong to. This is a great way to keep customer trends in the forefront of your mind.
  3. List the industries represented by your major suppliers/vendors. Their associations will alert you to trends that might disrupt or provide opportunities in the supply chain.
Relationships nurtured in any or all of the above will keep your thinking fresh and contributions valuable. So, be sure that you're associating with associations as part of your strategic networking plan.

Lead ON!
Susan
Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
 Follow her on TwitterLittlePinkBook  |  Facebook  |  LinkedInGroupLinkedIn

Lest We Forget


I generally try to stay away from things overly political, but I see frightening trends  (and actual votes) at the state and national level that will take women back to the 1950s when we had no ability to legally plan for families. And the recent vote to de-fund Planned Parenthood could mean that low income women will also have less access to maternal health care.

Why does this matter to women in leadership? Well, several years ago the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston published a study that indicated that access to family planning was one of the most significant factors in enabling women to have careers.

How are women and men allowing this trend to happen? I think it's because we take our rights of access for granted. Rights of access to family planning, rights of access to credit, rights of access to jobs. We believe that these rights are the norm and can't be rescinede and/or we buy into the myth that there is no inequality - in spite of statistics that shows that there is. For example, Ginka Toegel's Fortune story and the HuffPost article illustrating wage gaps by industry (visual above).

Lest We Forget...

This week, Congresswoman Jackie Speier courageously spoke against the de-funding of Planned Parenthood
"As the night wore on, the vitriol and grotesque commentary got worse and worse," Speier, a second-term Democrat from California, told HuffPost. "I sat there thinking, none of these men on the other side have even come close to experiencing this, and yet they can pontificate about what it's like. It just overwhelmed me."
Conservative, republican legislators in Wyoming told their personal stories when they spoke out against exceedingly restrictive and intrusive anti-choice state laws.

Recently a colleague sent me a link to a Story Corps story about a woman in the 1970s who was a pioneer in her profession. Thanks to her and women like her, we have the access that we do to various professions. Listen here as Dee Dickson describes how she made her way as an electrician.

Stephanie Coontz has a new book about the life of women in the 1960s. Worth watching:

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Lead ON!
Susan
Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
 Follow her on TwitterLittlePinkBook  |  Facebook  |  LinkedInGroupLinkedIn

Enhancing Your Leadership Brand


A while back, I commented on the ForbesWoman LinkedIn group to a discussion on personal branding. The question was, "are businesswomen avoiding the spotlight, not as focused on Personal Branding as men?" Here's my response:
"My observations  confirm that women are less likely to seek the spotlight and develop a professional brand by displaying expertise in many arenas. For example, in several gender-neutral LinkedIn groups on leadership, the comments are overwhelmingly offered by men. Another, a review a few years ago of HBR articles showed that nearly all were written by men.

That being said, I wouldn't say that women are not as focused on our Personal brands. We are mis-focused. Here's why: most messages we receive about personal branding are over-focused on personal style: attire, fitness, accessories. This mis-focus on style is coupled with women's humility and distaste for or discomfort with self-promotion. As a result we often don't look for or take advantage of opportunities to establish professional competence and leadership credibility."
This was a timely question. Earlier that week I presented to the WISE group at New York Life. One of the most important pieces of advice I offered was that there is a difference between your personal, professional and leadership brands.

This is a distinction rarely made, but absolutely essential for women who are working to create careers that soar or businesses that succeed.

If you want to learn more about the distinction and how to make it work for you (and the other women in your organization) email info at LeadingWomen.biz

Lead ON!
Susan
Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
 Follow her on TwitterLittlePinkBook  |  Facebook  |  LinkedInGroupLinkedIn

Career Lessons from the Mouth of Gabrielle Giffords


People who know me, know that one of my favorite quotes is this:
"No one cares the storms you encounter, they only care did you bring in the ship."
In the context of business, this means that no one cares about the problems you're having as you work to get your job done. In other words, there's no whining in business.

I find a way to work this into most of my programs because I encounter far too many women who, when asked how they are, launch into a complaint about how overwhelmed and busy they are. This is a career derailer for this reason: if you can't handle the job you have, why should you be considered for a bigger job?

That's why this morning's headline in Huffington Post caught my eye, "'Hi, I'm  Good': As Giffords Starts to Speak, Doctors Work to Help Brain Rewire Itself."

Can you imagine! Here's a woman who could choose to complain about many storms, but her choice was not to. Instead, when talking with her brother-in-law Scott Kelly as he orbited the international space station, she said she was "good." No complaint crossed Gabby's lips.

So, take a lesson from Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ). At work, when someone asks  you how you're doing, avoid complaints. Fussing about the amount of work you have doesn't make you sound important, it makes you sound incapable. Instead, consider one of these 3 strategies:
  1. Graciously self-promote about a recent accomplishment. For example, "I'm doing great. We just wrapped up the xyz project on time and on budget and it's going to make a difference to this quarter's top-line revenue."
  2. Report on progress on an important project. "I'm doing great. My team is ahead of goals on the abc project."
  3. Describe a strategic conversation. "Great, I just met with about opening up the market in Central America."
And, if you're wondering why I chose the photo above instead of one of her more professional photos. For a couple of reasons. One, I know from my own experience as a rider that to be any good you have to become the "lead mare." Second, riding is immensely therapeutic and so I hope that the rehab facility gets Gabby on horseback asap!

Lead ON!
Susan
Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
 Follow her on TwitterLittlePinkBook  |  Facebook  |  LinkedInGroupLinkedIn

Compartmentalizing Life

In her excellent book The Male Factor, Shaunti Feldhahn describes the difference between how many women and men view their worlds.

Men view the "work world" and the "personal world" as distinct disconnected spheres of activity. Women tend to view their "work worlds" as circles within the spheres of their "personal worlds". There are benefits to both views. Today, Michelle Obama described a good example of the benefits of the male view (advance to around 7:45 on this clip).



She explains that when he walks from his office in the West Wing to the family quarters, President Obama lets work drain away so he can be present as a father and husband. It is safe to assume that when he walks back to the West Wing in the morning, he lets home drain away.

On Monday, I was working with a group of women from India and we had a discussion about whether women in India face a choice between being mothers and being successful career women. I made two main points in the discussion.

First that most of the Fortune 500 women CEOs are mothers, so the obvious answer is, no. We don't face an either/or choice.

The second was that to get ahead, it is important how a woman manages her home life when at work. It is useful to learn to let our home life drain away so we can be fully present as professionals and leaders. Because, while our identities as women might be deeply tied to our identities as mothers, our identities as leaders are not.

A woman who leads with home issues will be seen as a less valuable resource. Recently, a participant in one of our assessments received many comments about the significant demands of her home life. The unstated message behind these comments is that she has trouble meeting the demands of the current job given her home life, so why would management consider her for a bigger job in the future.

If compartmentalizing is something you'd like to get better at, here are 3 tips:
  1. If you have to pick up your children or attend an event, don't explain to anyone. Leave and take care of business. If you have to explain, say something like, "I have an appointment."
  2. Don't initiate conversations with discussions about your family. If the men you work with do, feel free to contribute at a personal level that goes no further than theirs.
  3. Be sensitive to over-displaying family in your work space. Look at the work areas of people whose jobs you aspire to and take a cue from them.
That being said, there are important benefits to carrying who you are at home into work. Carry your strengths, values, core beliefs and worldview to help you lead with authenticity. Carry your compassion, openness and creativity. Just be wary of carrying in the challenges of parenting.

Lead ON!
Susan
Susan Colantuono is CEO of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls.
 Follow her on TwitterLittlePinkBook  |  Facebook  |  LinkedInGroupLinkedIn