I just finished reading Lean In and I love it. Is it a guidebook for women in leadership? Not exactly. But that is not what Sheryl Sandberg set out to write. For me it is several important things and for any one of them should be read. In no particular order, Lean In is:
A summary for younger women of what has happened in the last 40 years to make possible today's opportunities for women.
A compilation of important research upon which policy and practice choices should rest.
A description of foundation skills that women (and men) need in order to be effective in business.
A call for gender equality outside the workplace to enable gender equality inside the workplace.
An unabashed feminist call for equality and a reminder of how far we have yet to go.
An education for managers - men and women - about many of the biases that create career barriers for women.
A source of helpful solutions for eliminating and minimizing some of these barriers.
A collection of personal stories that women and men can relate to, modeling how to draw on their own experiences to make choices and to address gender dynamics.
The voice of a new generation speaking to her peers who might not listen to those who blazed trails.
A clarion call for women to make educated choices about their aspirations and not let unconscious biases or expectations (lowered) rule them.
And is the courageous voice of a successful F500 woman executive pulling the curtain back once again, shining light on issues of gender in the workplace and enabling a revitalized dialogue.
I hope that every woman, man, manager and parent will read this book. While the advice to "lean in" alone won't get women to the top, it is an important part of the equation.
I've been delighted as Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook has taken public stances on the issue of women's advancement. I look forward to the release of her book Lean In. Her advice to women to "lean in" is important - especially for women who aren't already acting on their ambitions. But research tells us that this isn't advice for all women! It's generally advice for women who are on their way to middle management positions or who are already in middle management, but timid about their ambitions.
What about women who are already in the middle, who aspire to senior positions and believe they are doing all it takes to get there? The advice to "lean in" has limited value to them, but these 4 interventions will enable them to create a career that soars 1. Ensure that Women Develop Business, Strategic and Financial Acumen: We call this set of competencies "The Missing 33%™" because they represent the most important third of leadership excellence. As a matter of fact, our research into what directors look for in C-suite candidates and executives look for in high potential candidates indicate that business, strategic and financial acumen account for 50% of the criteria! Women need these messages! 2. Eliminate Gender Bias in HR Systems:
Most companies' talent development and performance management systems
over-emphasize interpersonal skills or personal greatness and
under-emphasize the importance of business, strategic and financial
acumen. Absent formal messaging about these executive-critical
competencies AND the lack of mentoring that women get about them, women
are left scratching our heads about why our excellent interpersonal and
team skills aren't enough to get us to the top. 3. Address Gender Dynamics: Managers who make talent decisions about succession and promotions into senior management hold assumptions about women and men, careers and leadership and many of these assumptions disadvantage women. As a matter of fact, research by McKinsey finds:
“Of all the forces that hold women back,
none are as powerful as entrenched beliefs.
While companies have worked hard to
eliminate overt discrimination, women still face the pernicious force of
mindsets that limit opportunity…”
4. Focus on Competencies for Executives: In an earlier blog I wrote,
"Traditional
advice lays a strong foundation for career success, but it will only
take women so far. Take a look and you'll notice
that most traditional advice is focused on helping women move from
career-start to middle management.
CAREER TRANSITION
CONVENTIONAL ADVICE TO WOMEN
Career-Start
to Middle
Middle
to Senior/Exec
Learn to
self-promote
X
Learn to speak
up, be more assertive
X
Become more
confident
X
Set ambitious
goals, don’t leave before you leave
X
Get a mentor
X
Learn to network
X
Enhance your
personal brand
X
Develop executive
presence
X
Ask!, and
negotiate more effectively
X
Have an elevator
pitch
X
RECENT ADVICE TO WOMEN
You need a
sponsor
X
Women who are already "leaning in" need more advice about how to move from the middle into senior positions and what they have received has been woefully inadequate. (For more on what this advice looks like, email us.) So, Sheryl we wish you all the best with your "Lean-In Circles" - they will play an important role in keeping the pipeline of talent full of women. At the same time, we hope that organizations that truly care about women's advancement make them only one part of a more comprehensive strategy to ensure that top talent is developed!
"She blasted managers who unconsciously reflect stereotypes when they
judge women's performance, saying: 'She's great at her job but she's
just not as well liked by her peers,' or: 'She's a bit aggressive.'
"They say this with no understanding that this is the penalty women face because of gender stereotypes,' she said."
This is an issue we've been tracking for decades - and working with a few progressive organizations that are addressing it head on. You can view info about our related service line here:
On a side note, the language used to describe Sheryl is disturbing. She's said to have "launched a fierce attack" and, as you read, "blasted managers." I'd suggest there was a bit of stereotyping going on by the authors/editor!
2012 Gender Gap Report
Every year I wait for the WEF Gender Gap Report - especially since the research points out a strong correlation between gender equity and economic prosperity. Take a look at the video and download the entire report.
More from Davos, this EXCELLENT article capitalizing on the correlation between gender equity and economic prosperity.
"The rewards are becoming demonstrable. Significant research from the
World Bank to the public and private sectors has shown how investments
in women yield a “double dividend”: women are more likely than men to
invest their incomes in their families and communities, driving GDP up
and illiteracy and mortality rates down. This double benefit, combined
with pure market forces, now presents Wall Street and women with a
unique and mutually beneficial opportunity."
33% Still Missing
Good news from an Apollo Group study that finds that women are well poised to lead into the 21st century. Why? Because...
"Women top the charts in key skills.
Women outperform men on key leadership competencies, such as
communicating, coaching, organizing people, thinking creatively and solving problems.
Women also score higher than men on traits that are essential in
today’s collaborative work environments, such as empathy, transparency
and inclusiveness."
Undoubtedly, if you're a Leading Women follower, you'll notice that all the mentioned strengths have to do with personal greatness (problem solving, empathy, transparency) or engaging others (communicating, coaching, inclusiveness). And while they're important...yawn! Similar findings have been true for decades.
Referencing our definition of leadership (Leadership is using the greatness in you to achieve and sustain extraordinary outcomes by engaging the greatness in others.), what's still missing is the 33% of leadership that has to do with "achieving and sustaining extraordinary outcomes." There's nary a finding that bosses think women outperform men in business, strategic or financial acumen.
A Bit of the 33%
It's not much, but it's a start (and it can be taken as meaning that women focus on the job, not the outcomes). Nevertheless, we celebrate these findings (emphasis added). Recent research reported by HBR found:
"...at all levels, women are rated higher in fully 12 of the
16 competencies that go into outstanding leadership. And two of the
traits where women outscored men to the highest degree, were taking
initiative and driving for results – two traits which have long been
thought of as particularly male strengths.
When global management consulting firm McKinsey asked business
executives around the world what they believe were the most important
leadership attributes today, the top four results were intellectual
stimulation, inspiration, participatory decision-making and setting
expectations/rewards — all attributes more commonly found in women
leaders."
Why in the 21st century does an organization retain the name "manpower?" And isn't this the height of irony:
“The world simply cannot afford such a poor representation of half the
talent pool when filling key leadership positions is posing such a
global challenge. Growing the pipeline of women in management roles is
critical to having the talent businesses need to win,” said Mara Swan,
ManpowerGroup Executive Vice President, Global Strategy and Talent.
“Companies should revisit old-fashioned work models and people practices
so that high-performing women are not prevented from rising to
leadership positions.”
Much of the effort that organizations invest in women's advancement isn't solving the talent development challenges executives care most about. Sure
all the advice today’s diversity and learning functions
are giving women is helpful, but it falls short in fueling the pipeline for women into senior and executive positions. For example, in December, Catalyst’s published its latest census of Fortune 500 companies with the headline No Change for Women in Top Leadership. While we can celebrate the fact that the pipeline of middle
management and feeder professional/technical positions remains around 50%
women, we must also decry the fact that the percentage of women at the top
remains below 20% and hasn’t changed significantly in over a decade (as
measured by the percent of F500 women corporate officers it has actually
declined in 2012 to 14.3%). How can this be when there have never been more consultants, coaches
and companies offering services to support women’s careers?
One reason is that the vast majority of the advice given to
women today is essentially repackaging of advice that has been around since the
1970s. While this guidance has been instrumental in helping women advance from
career-start into middle management, it is woefully insufficient in preparing
them to move into senior and executive positions.
Traditional advice lays a strong foundation for career success, but it will only take women so far. Take a look and you'll notice
that most traditional advice is focused on helping women move from
career-start to middle management.
"Regrets, I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way"
Who knew that Frank Sinatra's signature song concealed important career advice? Certainly not the woman I was sitting with at lunch the other day. She was chosen to participate in our Breakthrough Leadership series and I had asked her about her interest in moving up to the next higher level.
As with many women she replied that she wasn't sure that she wanted to take on the long hours that were required. So I asked her, "why are the hours so long?"
"Because in that job, client entertainment is important," she answered and went on to describe how often and late into the night the man holding her next likely job entertained clients.
I subtly suggested that she wouldn't have to perform the job as he currently did.
The executive who was seated at the table (let's call him Frank) returned from the buffet line and chimed in, "You know, you don't have to take clients to football games. I don't like football and have never used the company's seasons tickets."
We hadn't been talking about football, but his comment shifted the conversation to other types of entertainment - including horse shows, spas and theater. After he left I asked her, "what was the important message that you just heard?"
"That I can shape the job to my own interests and situation," she replied.
Indeed!
Too many women look at possible future jobs and make decisions about advancement based on what they see, not on how they could shape the job.
Don't let some guy's idea of how a job needs to be done ever dissuade you from seriously considering a higher or different position.
Take a bit of advice from Frank...take the job and do it your way!
Forbes just released its list of the 400 richest Americans
and it took until number 92 on the list to find a woman who is known
primarily as an executive not an heiress. Meet Marilyn Carlson Nelson.
Marilyn Carlson Nelson was the CEO and now chairs the board of hotel,
travel and restaurant company Carlson Inc. Her father, Curt founded
the company in the 1930s. Marilyn served as CEO until 2008 and will step
down from her post as chairman next year. She is also on the board of
the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, whose member companies
account for more than 40% of corporate giving in the US, and she
teaches corporate responsibility to MBA students at the University of
Minnesota. She has been named one of "America's Best Leaders" by U.S.
News and World Report.
"I am convinced that it would not have mattered where
my life work might have taken me. In the end, I would arrive at the
same conclusion: It is all about relationships."
She writes this as she reflects on her departure as CEO of Carlson
and after expressing gratitude to the key groups in her strategic
network:
Her executive team who taught her the "boundless power of 'we'."
Employees who care for one another and the customers.
Suppliers who enable the company to serve.
Customers and partners for their loyalty and trust in the company.
What lesson can you learn from her?
I find 3.
Encountering people with gratitude and the assumption of positive intent.
It's essential to have a strong internal AND external network.
And it's important to develop your strategic relationships in the context of your organization and moving it forward.
If you take her lessons to heart, you might not make it to Forbes
list of the richest Americans, but you'll help move your organization
forward, have a rewarding career and make a difference in the lives of
those you encounter.
Guest blog by Renee' Aloisio and Kate Kennedy. As one of the state delegates to Vision 2020, I have enjoyed working with them and the other amazing women who are part of this effort. Thanks to GoLocal for the original.
As the Rhode Island economy plods along its slow recovery, our state's businesses continue to seek out any kind of competitive advantages to get ahead. One such advantage that has been widely documented and reported is the power of women's leadership. Some companies are making serious investments in this area, while others have yet to take full advantage of the opportunity.
Research indicates companies led by women or with a higher representation of women board directors experience higher financial performance. The correlations are found across industries ‒ from consumer discretionary to information technology. Here in Rhode Island, women currently make up 48% of the workforce, and many women can be found in entry- and mid-level management positions. But when we look at the top levels of management, executive officers hover at somewhere just above 10% and board seats are filled by a slim 16%. A clear indication that we can and should be doing better.
Vision 2020 Rhode Island's upcoming report, Women, Leadership and Wages, reviews the findings of a survey conducted with 22 of the state's largest not-for and for-profit businesses. The survey is focused on initiatives and best practices that advance women, such as commitment to women’s leadership, advancement of women into senior leadership, wage equity and women on boards. The report also examines obstacles and barriers to advancing women into leadership.
The findings at times fall below where we would hope Rhode Island businesses could be: for example, only 23% of for-profits and 1% of not-for-profits surveyed have a clearly defined strategy and philosophy for the development of women into leadership roles. However, some best practices are being utilized to advance women, such as requiring a diverse slate of candidates for executive searches and conducting wage equity audits that look for inequities in compensation between men and women serving in the same position. This report can and should be used by for-profit and not-for-profit leadership teams, human resource departments and board of directors to spearhead meaningful conversations for improving the advancement of women in their organizations' leadership team. The real benefits of paying attention to these measures ‒ short and long-term, financial and workforce ‒ can offer an alternative for contributing to companies' competitive positions and thus Rhode Island's economic growth.
On behalf of Vision 2020 RI's Corporate Sub-committee, we invite members of the business sector and other interested parties to attend and hear more about the report's findings at Leading Women's breakfast, The State of Women's Success, being held on September 11th at 8:00 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick. We appreciate the willingness of companies who participated in the survey, and we urge all members of the business community to participate in ongoing research to share successes and challenges in advancing women's leadership as we work together to advance Rhode Island's economy.
Vision 2020 was developed by the Institute for Women's Health and Leadership at Drexel University College of Medicine to make equality a national priority through shared leadership among women and men. The organization’s goal is to advance women’s equality before the landmark 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage.
Renee Aloisio is Director of Internal Operations at LGC&D and Kate Kennedy is the Executive Director of Rhode Island Business Group on Health.
The report, Women, Leadership and Wages will be available online at www.leadingwomen.biz and at www.wfri.org on September 11. Hard copies will be distributed at the event.
Susan Colantuono is the author of No Ceiling, No Walls: What women haven't been told about leadership from career-start to the corporate boardroom and Make the Most of Mentoring.
She's also the CEO and founder of Leading Women where she guides women to more inspired and confident leadership and provides companies with uncommon solutions for overcoming the common barriers to women's advancement.
Providence Business News honored Susan as Ally and Mentor for Business Women. That means that you're in for a treat today as Susan's blog serves as your virtual mentor for career success.
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