Women in leadership! ! ! ! !
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Women in leadership September!2015! !! !
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Women in leadership! !
It! started! out! as! a! conversation! about! confidence.! Katty!Kay!and!Claire!Shipman’s!article,!'The!Confidence! Gap',!reignited!a!debate!about!whether!women!were! naturally! less! confident! than! men.! Citing! familiar! demons! –! the! ‘imposter! syndrome’,! lower! expectations! of! earnings,! the! need! to! meet! 100! per! cent!of!a!job’s!criteria!before!even!applying!–!Kay!and! Shipman! concluded! that! “acute! lack! of! self7 confidence”! remains! a! primary! reason! for! women’s! failure!to!break!the!glass!ceiling.! !
“Women feel confident only when they are perfect. Or practically perfect,” they!write.!After!a!few!years!of!acknowledging!that!the!barriers!to!women’s!progress!were!often!not!of!their! own!making,!Kay!and!Shipman’s!findings!seemed!to!point!to!women!themselves!as!the!‘problem’.!Are!women! really!thwarting!their!own!progress!with!perfectionism?!What!about!those!who!have!broken!through!–!are!they! exceptions!to!the!underLconfident!rule?!Do!Kay!and!Shipman’s!findings!reinforce!stereotypes!or!reveal! something!we’re!now!ready!to!talk!about?
For!Ruth!Sacks,!crises!of!confidence!are!not! genderLspecific!and!are!something!from!which!she’s! learned!over!the!course!of!a!long!and!diverse!career.!! For!Laura!Zimmerman!of!lobbying!and!membership! group!Catalyst,!confidence!is!contextual:!pitching!to! a! highLpowered! client! might! be! a! breeze! for! a! seasoned!saleswoman,!but!presenting!to!a!group!of! strangers! may! still! fill! her! with! dread.! Women! returning!to!work!after!maternity!leave!may!feel!less! assured!than!when!they!left!because!they!feel!out!of! the!loop.! Influential! Stanford! psychologist! Albert! Bandura! separates! confidence! –! an! abiding! strength! of! selfL belief!–!from!“selfLefficacy”,!a!belief!in!one’s!abilities! in!relation!to!a!particular!situation.!! SelfLawareness,! even! selfLdoubt,! can! be! a! useful! correction!to!overLconfidence.!! ! ! ! ! ! !
Few!women!or!men!are!possessed!of!the!kind!of!inL theLbone! selfLbelief! that! remains! unshakeable! despite!circumstance.!It’s!easier!to!acquire!a!sense! of! selfLefficacy! –! through! an! openLminded! attitude! to! taking! on! challenges,! an! ability! to! bounce! back! from! failure,! by! diving! in! with! commitment! to! hobbies! and! work.! For! Sacks,! it’s! a! question! of! finding!something!you’re!passionate!about!–!even!if! it!doesn’t!fit!with!what!everyone!else!is!doing.!! Entrepreneurs!Shazia!Mustafa,!Liz!Jackson!and!Laura! Haynes!believe!it’s!possible!to!adopt!a!certain!state! of!mind!that!allows!you!to!overlook!obstacles.!“I’m! not!sure!it’s!a!question!of!confidence,”!says!Haynes.! “I’m! incredibly! confident,! but! I! also! listen! to! that! inner!voice.”!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Women in leadership! ! Humility!is!increasingly!seen!as!a!desired!quality!for! good!leaders.!Sometimes!it's!about!embracing!what! makes!you!different,!observes!Lynne!Murray.!Nicole! Lindsay,!author!of!“The!MBA!Slingshot!for!Women”,! resolved!early!in!her!career!not!to!hide!herself!to!‘fit! in’! with! the! crowd.! “Not! that! I! could! have! hidden! anyway!–!I!was!a!black!woman!in!mostly!white!male! settings,”!she!tells!the!FT.!! Confidence!is!also!cultural.!Just!as!leadership!styles! tend!to!vary!subtly!from!one!country!or!company!to! the!next,!so!do!notions!of!what!confidence!looks!like.!! When!it!comes!to!women!in!the!workplace,!we!may! also! be! confusing! bluster! with! true! selfLbelief,!
particularly!in!organisations!where!loud,!charismatic! leadership!models!are!considered!the!ideal.!That’s!a! problem! for! women! facing! the! soLcalled! ‘double! bind’:!what!looks!like!assertiveness!in!men!is!often! judged!as!aggression!in!women.!! The!more!seasoned!and!experienced!the!leader,!the! more!unafraid!they!are!to!admit!they!don’t!have!all! the! answers,! as! PwC’s! Mary! Dolson! observes.! And! perhaps! it’s! at! leadership! level! that! there! is! least! disparity!between!male!and!female!selfLconfidence.! So!how!do!women!get!there?!Who!better!to!ask!than! successful!women!themselves.!
“What&happens&to&girls&in&their&teenaged&years?&Girls&seem&to&leave&school&with&a&lot&of& gumption.&Then&something&happens,&their&confidence&takes&a&knock”&
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Women in leadership! ! !
Mary Dolson
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PwC’s!lead!IFRS!(International!Financial!Reporting!Standards)! technical!partner!and!a!member!of!the!Woman's!Trust!Board.
“Can!I!just!say!I'm!annoyed!with!Indra!Nooyi,”! says! Mary! Dolson.! Nooyi,! who! broke! new! ground!for!women!when!she!joined!PepsiCo's! board,! has! come! out! with! a! remark! that! has! prompted!a!media!outpouring!on!'mother!guilt'.! !“Nooyi!is!saying!she!feels!guilty!for!spending!so!much!energy!on!her!career!and!less!on!her!children.! I!don't!believe!in!guilt.!Guilt!is!mechanism!to!do!what!you!want!but!still!feel!like!you’re!a!good!person.! Guilt!never!made!anybody!behave!differently.”! Like!Nooyi,!Dolson's!career!has!taken!her!to!uncharted!territory!and!the!top!of!her!profession.!Her! attitude! to! being! a! working! mother! is! pragmatic.! Short! maternity! leave! in! her! early! career! as! an! accountant!didn’t!deter!her:!“It!never!crossed!my!mind!that!I!wouldn't!go!back!to!work.” Nor!did!assignments!in!the!then!emerging!markets!of!Poland!and!Russia!(she!moved!to!Central!Europe! in! 1991,! when! “we! boiled! the! children’s! milk”).! She! made! partner! in! 1996! and! was! often! the! only! woman!at!the!table.!! Dolson!started!out!in!journalism!but!switched!to!accounting!and!found!she!“loved!it!LL!the!symmetry! of!debits!and!credits”.!She!joined!Price!Waterhouse![as!it!was!then]!in!1985.!! Now!part!of!the!global!assurance!team,!which!specialises!in!the!application!of!accounting!standards! worldwide,!she!spends!a!great!deal!of!time!on!the!road:!"29!years,!lived!in!four!different!countries,! visited!more!than!50!countries,!but!only!the!one!‘job’,”!is!her!crisp!accountant’s!summary.!!! “Maybe!I!was!prepared!to!do!something!others!wouldn’t.!I!only!see!it!that!way!in!hindsight.!I’ve!never! been!good!at!career!management.!It!was,!and!is,!all!about!the!adventure.!Poland!and!then!Russia!gave! me!access!to!highLquality,!relatively!inexpensive!childcare!during!a!critical!part!of!my!career.!! “I!had!a!wonderful!support!system!and!the!children’s!nanny!remains!a!lifelong!friend.!It!was!like!having! my!parents!there.!It!allowed!me!to!really!commit!to!my!career.! Did!you!encounter!any!barriers?!! “There!was!no!maternity!leave!policy!for!partners!when!my!youngest!son!was!born.!So!I!proposed!one! (20!weeks),!although!I!always!kept!in!touch!and!really!didn’t!stop!working!completely!for!that!long.! “As!a!mother,!you’re!not!'happy'!to!leave!your!children,!but!I!wanted!to!give!them!a!predictable!part! of!every!day,!so!I!opted!for!a!late!start.!This!was!never!formalised,!but!both!PwC!and!clients!have! respected!my!family!commitments!over!time.!And!I’m!good!at!keeping!clear!boundaries!at!home!and! at!work.”! Were!you!singled!out!for!discrimination?! “In!Russia,!I!was!the!only!woman!audit!partner;!I!always!one!of!very!few,!or!the!only!woman!around! the!table.!It!wasn’t!so!much!being!singled!out!as!a!'black!hole'!effect!LL!you!knew!there!was!another! level!of!things!going!on!that!you!weren't!involved!in,!particularly!in!Russia!and!Poland!in!those!days.! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Women in leadership! ! There!was!perhaps!an!assumption!that!you!wouldn’t!be!interested!in!certain!roles!because!you!had! children,!so!they!weren’t!offered!to!you.! “There!may!be!opportunities!that!never!came!my!way!because!I'm!a!woman!and!a!mother.!I!think!I! have!been!judged!differently!as!a!woman.!After!all,!a!firm!is!nothing!but!people.!Everyone!brings!their! humanity!to!work;!we're!all!fallible.!And!remember!the!era;!it!was!the!90s!and!I!was!a!novelty!as!a! woman!partner.!! “How!you!behaved!made!a!difference!to!how!you!were!perceived.!I!found!myself!newly!divorced!as!a! young!partner!and!decided!never!to!date!within!the!firm.!I!would!advise!other!senior!women!against! it.”!(She!stands!by!that!advice,!too,!and!once!spoke!to!a!male!colleague!about!the!damaging!effects! his!attention!might!have!on!another!woman's!reputation.)! Are!businesses!waking!up!to!diversity’s!benefits?!! “Some!still!seem!to!have!a!tickLbox!attitude!to!diversity,!though!if!the!box!helps,!then!fine.!I!don’t! think!it!helps!achieve!diversity!in!thought!and!views!but!it’s!a!start.! “There!have!been!positive!changes!at!PwC!over!the!years.!I!hear!young!male!partners!saying!they!want! to!be!there!for!their!families.!I!think!they’re!most!interested!in!the!fun!part!of!parenting,!but!they! wouldn't!have!even!talked!about!it!10!years!ago.”! What!a!company!does,!though,!is!more!important!than!what!it!says.!She!was!one!of!those!who!called! for!partner!roles!to!be!‘advertised’!internally!at!PwC!to!improve!opportunities!for!women!in!the!firm.!! Is!lack!of!confidence!holding!women!back?!! “Not!my!problem,!I!think.!I!see!myself!as!having!a!deplorable!excess!of!confidence,”!she!laughs.!“Do! men!lack!confidence!and!just!not!talk!about!it?!Women!do!come!to!talk!to!me!about!their!confidence! issues.!I!do!what!I!can!to!encourage!them!to!seize!opportunities.!! “I've!been!given!opportunities!to!do!things!I!didn't!know!how!to!do!LL!you!hum!a!few!bars!and!find! your!way.!Confidence!also!comes!with!experience!and!reputation.!Those!who!are!really!expert!will! say,!'I!don't!know'.!! “I!have!daughters!and!I!see!things!happening!for!women!that!are!more!disturbing!than!workplace! diversity!or!a!confidence!gap.!Don’t!get!me!started!on!‘pink!and!blue!toys’!or!pornography!on!the! Web,!or!the!absence!of!role!models!in!film!and!TV.!We!will!be!here!all!night."! ! ! !
“Maybe&I&was&prepared&to&do&something&others&& wouldn’t.&It&was,&and&is,&all&about&the&adventure”&
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Women in leadership! !
Dr Ruth Sacks Senior! lecturer! at! Westminster! Business! School’s! department! of! leadership! and! development.! In! 2014,! she! launched!Women!for!the!Board.! !
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“I've!always!known!I!wouldn't!work!in!one!place,!and! never! thought! of! the! idea! of! a! career! for! life,”! says! Dr! Sacks.! Starting! out! in! France,!she!was!only!going!to!stay!a!year.!She!lived!there!for!15,!and!has!worked! on!consultancy!projects!on!three!continents.!! ! “I’ve!never!really!planned.!It!was!a!case!of!taking!opportunities.!It!was!highLrisk!strategy!(in!hindsight):! I! was! divorced,! quite! young! and! had! a! child,! and! was! in! a! foreign! country! without! family! support.! There’s!only!so!much!you!can!do!in!that!situation,!so!you!look!creatively!at!what's!possible.! “If!you!always!do!the!same!thing!you'll!get!the!same!thing.!If!you!want!to!do!something!differently,! it's!about!making!yourself!open!to!what!you!can!do,!what!will!suit!you!and!the!lifestyle!you!want.! “I!gained!and!perhaps!retained!a!reputation!for!persistence:!if!I!want!to!do!something,!I'll!find!a!way.! But!I!have!to!enjoy!work!LL!it’s!a!lot!of!my!time!so!I!have!to!like!what!I!do.!That's!always!been!a!guiding! principle.!! “You!find!ways!to!make!it!work.!I!think!I!was!a!better!mother!because!I!had!something!else!to!do.! That's!not!the!same!for!everyone.!If!you're!a!mother,!you!want!to!be!with!your!children!more!than! you!possibly!can.!So!there's!always!some!guilt,!but!it!shouldn't!take!over!your!life.!It's!a!choice.”! Have!you!had!an!‘I’ve!arrived’!moment?!! “I!did!a!few!projects!for!the!United!Nations.!Having!breakfast!in!the!canteen!at!the!UN!was!a!'here!I! am'!moment.!The!first!day!of!the!Women!for!the!Board!was!an!'ooh,!here!I!am'.!The!fact!that!you're! talking!to!me!is!another.”! What!obstacles!face!women!advancing!to!board!level?! “Women!themselves,!organisational!culture!and!beliefs!LL!these!can!be!obstacles!to!progress.!Different! people!have!different!perspectives,!so!it’s!unhelpful!to!generalise,!but!unconscious!bias!has!a!lot!do! with!it.!The!more!we!talk!about!unconscious!bias,!the!more!it!becomes!conscious!and!therefore!can! be!challenged.! “It'd!be!interesting!to!explore!what!shareholders!think!of!the!diversity!argument,!too.! “There! are! moments! when! I'm! staggered! by! what! women! are! saying.! At! a! TED! talk! session! at! the! business! school,! young! women! were! saying! that! they! didn't! think! they! could! have! a! family! and! a! career.!So!we're!not!there!yet.”! Campaigns!such!as!Like!A!Girl!have!done!much!to!highlight!how!persistent!stereotyping!can!be,!she! adds.! “What!happens!to!girls!in!their!teenaged!years?!If!you!talk!to!teachers,!they!are!doing!all!the!right! things! and! many! adolescent! girls! seem! to! leave! school! with! a! lot! of! gumption.! Then! something!
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Women in leadership! ! happens,!their!confidence!takes!a!knock.!Some!make!it!through!the!other!side,!others!don't.!I!don't! know!exactly!what!it!is,!but!there's!something!there.!Maybe!universities!need!to!do!more.”! Have!you!ever!felt!under7confident?!! “Yes,!I've!felt!crises!of!confidence.!I've!started!a!piece!of!work!with!enormous!knots!in!my!stomach.”! To!tackle!it,!she!suggests!thinking!about!what!you!want.!! “Consider!the!worst!thing!that!could!happen,!then!decide!if!you!can!live!with!that.!Of!course!I!have! not!been!offered!every!job!I've!gone!for:!my!view!of!myself!and!what!other!people!are!looking!for! haven't!always!met!in!the!middle.!But!none!of!us!gets!through!life!without!a!few!scars!LL!it's!what! makes!us!who!we!are.”! The!global!and!diverse!nature!of!her!work!that!has!erased!many!of!her!own!biases!and!expectations.! “I've!worked!with!the!visually!impaired,!where!you!have!to!think!in!a!different!way,”!she!says!by!way! of!an!example.!“We!are!made!up!of!all!of!our!experiences.!Some!we!choose;!some!we!don't.”! Have!you!ever!encountered!sexism!at!work?!! "I've!been!asked!'are!you!going!to!have!another!baby'![a!question!then!brushed!off!as!a!joke].!When!I! first!got!back!to!the!UK,!I!was!asked!at!one!interview!how!I'd!look!after!my!son!if!he!got!ill.!I!didn't!get! the!job!and!I!suspect!that!influenced!their!decision.!So!I!stopped!mentioning!that!I!had!a!child.!It!wasn’t! ideal,!but!it!was!one!way!to!stop!questions.! "Today,!familyLfriendly!policies!should!make!that!question!redundant.!But!not!all!organisations!are! supportive!of!flexible!working.!Presenteeism!is!still!a!problem!among!some!'dinosaurs'.!! “I!understand!the!pressures,!particularly!if!you're!running!a!small!business.!Women!may!not!get!100! per!cent!of!what!we!want,!but!we!can!have!quite!a!lot!in!the!modern!workplace.”! Do!women!have!different!leadership!traits!to!men?! “At! the! risk! of! stereotyping,! we! often! value! different! skills! and! different! behaviours.! But! any! organisation!needs!a!combination!of!leadership!qualities.!These!need!to!work!for!the!organisation!but! also! to! challenge! it.! Organisations! need! diverse! boards! in! order! to! meet! customers'! needs! as! they! change.”! Her!counsel!to!up!and!coming!women!is!this:!“Find!and!pursue!whatever!your!passion!is,!even!if!it! doesn't!fit!with!what!everyone!else!is!doing.!If!you!don't!know!what!it!is!yet,!you'll!find!it.!It's!what! gets!you!out!of!bed!in!the!morning.!It!might!be!being!a!mother,!it!might!be!being!a!managing!director.!! “Talk! to! people! about! your! ideas! and! aims! LL! they'll! be! willing! to! help,! that's! why! they're! in! your! network.!After!all,!I!am!sure!you!would!do!the!same.”!
“It’s&a&question&of&finding&something&you’re&passionate&about”& ! !
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Women in leadership! !
Shazia Mustafa Managing!director!and!co7founder!of!Third!Door,!a!nursery! and!workplace!hub!based!in!London.!! !
Women!who!start!their!businesses!after!becoming! mothers! are! often! labelled! ‘mumpreneurs’.! But! it! would! be! unwise! to! pigeonhole!Shazia!Mustafa!in!that,!or!any!other.!way.!“Any!moment!I’m!put!into! a!box,!I!fight!it.”! !
A!maths!graduate!trained!in!accountancy,!Mustafa!did!her!MA!in!marketing,!then!interned!at!the!BBC! in!Newcastle!and!“just!pestered!everyone!till!I!got!paid!jobs”.!Her!persistence!ultimately!landed!her!a! job!at!Radio5!Live.!She!then!moved!to!telecoms!giant!Nokia!to!gain!some!more!commercial!experience,! but!the!idea!of!starting!her!own!business!had!already!taken!root.!! “I!had!my!first!maternity!leave!there!and!it!sparked!idea!for!Third!Door."!! Struggling! to! get! any! work! done! around! her! fiveLmonthLold! daughter,! Mustafa! wished! for! a! place! where!she!could!leave!her!little!one!for!a!few!hours!while!she!worked!productively!nearby.!"That!gave! me!the!idea!for!the!business!I’m!running!now.”!! That!was!in!2008,!and!Third!Door!opened!in!May!2010,!when!her!second!child!was!only!six!months! old.!! “It's! been! hard! and! challenging! but! I've! learned! more! than! I! think! I! would! ever! have! learned! in! a! corporate!environment,”!says!Mustafa.!! Next!on!the!agenda!is!a!second!hub:!“I!never!saw!it!as!a!'lifestyle!business'.!If!you're!going!to!do!it,!do! it!big!LL!that’s!just!my!personality,!I!suppose.! “I'm!Muslim,!I'm!Pakistani,!I'm!the!eldest!of!three!and!I!have!wonderful!parents:!I!don't!know!whether! it's! ingrained! in! me,! but! I've! always! pushed! myself! and! held! onto! my! values.! When! my! husband! proposed,!I!said,!‘you!do!know!I'm!not!going!to!change!my!last!name’.!I!don't!see!the!point.!I've!always! been!quite!tenacious."! Have!you!encountered!obstacles!as!a!woman!in!business?!! “I!may!have!encountered!sexism!but!have!been!oblivious!to!it.!I’m!not!sure:!in!hindsight,!maybe.!I!was! frustrated!at!the!BBC!at!not!seeming!to!move!as!fast!as!my!male!peers.!It!wasn't!'inLyourLface',!though,! and!the!people!who've!given!me!opportunities!have!also!been!men!LL!the!best!boss!I!had!was!the! Radio5!Live!controller.”! How!have!your!experiences!shaped!your!leadership?!! “I!hire!a!lot!of!women,!but!I!don't!just!want!it!to!be!womenLfocused!business.!It!probably!boils!down! to!personality,”!she!says,!though!she!admits!people!still!fall!into!stereotypical!roles!in!her!business!LL! childcare!candidates!are!mostly!women;!tech!staff!are!usually!men.!!
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Women in leadership! ! “In! the! workplace,! we’ve! yet! to! manage! the! maternity! leave! issue! effectively.! Unless! childcare! is! cheaper,!or!free,!like!in!Scandinavian!countries,!you!have!to!have!a!very!good!job!to!justify!returning! to!work.”! What!about!your!own!family!set!up?! “I!work!with!my!husband,!and!we!share!responsibilities!equally.!I!think!he!does!more!school!pickLups,! but!I!don't!feel!bad!about!it.!We!both!work!full!time,!so!we’ve!both!going!through!stress!of!setting!up! a!new!business!and!juggling!family!life.!But!we’ve!put!systems!in!place!to!automate!the!business!and! since!my!husband!has!joined!full!time,!we've!got!more!balance.!Next,!we’re!aiming!to!set!it!up!so!that! the! business! doesn't! depend! on! us! being! present.! The! ultimate! goal! is! to! grow! the! business,! work! school!hours!and!term!time,!so!I!can!see!my!children!and!take!the!odd!week!off!for!a!holiday.”! Do!you!feel!as!confident!as!your!husband?! “When!we!opened,!I!saw!my!husband!as!better!at!'selling'!the!business!LL!he!has!an!MBA!and!sales! experience.!I!didn’t!feel!confident,!as!I!took!any!criticism!personally.!Now!it!doesn’t!bother!me!at!all:! I!know!we!have!a!great!product!that!is!the!future!for!working!families.!! “It!comes!from!inside,!so!if!you!make!a!few!wrong!hires,!you!can!lose!faith!in!yourself.!I'm!sure!there! will!be!moments!when!I'm!unsure!in!future.! “But!now,!when!pitching,!my!husband!and!I!do!it!together.!It’s!a!good!combination!that!plays!to!our! strengths.!I!can!tell!the!story!about!how!it!began,!bring!some!emotion!to!it.!I’m!happy!to!leave!him!to! manage!the!financial!side.!! “In!my!work,!I!see!women!who’ve!not!worked!for!a!while!lose!their!confidence.!SelfLbelief!can!take! you!a!long!way.!That’s!what!I’d!like!to!instil!in!my!daughters.!I!wouldn't!necessarily!want!them!to!work! in!a!corporate!environment!LL!I’d!prefer!they!set!up!their!own!business!as!it!is!a!lot!more!empowering.! “I!still!see!the!corporate!environment!as!a!place!of!barriers!LL!you!need!to!fit!into!a!specific!culture!or! into!a!certain!mould.!The!way!I!speak,!where!I!went!to!school!LL!they!weren't!necessarily!a!fit!for!the! BBC,!although!I!think!R5Live!controller!liked!that!I!was!different.”! That!said,!Mustafa!believes!you!need!a!certain!mindset!to!start!a!business.!“I!was!nearly!broken!by! the!process,”!she!says!laughing,!“but!I’d!still!urge!women!(and!men)!to!try!it!and!see!if!you!have!it!in! you.”!! Her!advice!to!women!in!corporates!is!to!network:!“Every!job!I!got!at!the!BBC!was!because!someone! put!me!forward.”! Do!you!think!the!workplace!is!becoming!more!equal?! “There! are! still! some! suppliers! who! struggle! with! the! concept! of! a! woman! at! the! helm.! One! man! insisted!on!speaking!to!my!husband,!assuming!he!was!the!only!one!who!could!make!decisions.!But!I! tend!not!to!continue!working!with!people!who!have!that!attitude.! “I'm!a!complete!feminist!LL!that!is,!I!believe!in!equal!opportunities!for!both!sides.!We're!trying!to!create! an!equal!place!here.!I!think!corporate!workplaces!should!consider!family!situations!more.!After!all,! lastLminute!trips!abroad!can!have!an!impact!on!men,!yet!they!aren't!always!given!the!same!kind!of! notice!period!as!women!might!receive."! She!carries!those!principles!through!to!Third!Door.!“It's!not!about!making!money.!The!aim!of!Third! Door!is!to!create!a!new!way!of!life.!I!feel!I!can!change!the!world!in!my!small!way.”!
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“SelfEbelief&can&take&you&a&long&way.&I’d&like&to&instil&that&in&my&daughters"& ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Women in leadership! !
Laura Haynes Chairman!of!Appetite!brand!consultancy,!a!trustee!board! director!of!UN!Women!UK,!director!of!The!Legacy!List,!and! a!member!of!the!Parliamentary!Design!Commission.!! ! !
Haynes! has! been! inadvertently! stepping! over! obstacles!from!a!young!age.!“It!may!sound!odd,!but! I!just!didn't!recognise!barriers.!I!guess!I!refused!to! see!them,!to!me!they!just!didn't!exist.!I!never!felt!as! if!I!was!knocking!through!things.!I!was!just!stepping!over!them.”! That!started!young:!Haynes!was!the!first!girl!in!New!York!State!to!be!allowed!to! swap! home! economics! (cookery)! class! for! woodwork! –! a! battle! her! mother! fought!and!won.& She!sees!education!as!central!to!progress.!“There!is!an!incredible!need!for!people!to!learn!how!to!think! freely!and!creatively!and!learn!how!to!apply!insight.”!says!Haynes.!She!worries!that!the!current!focus! on!technical!training,!while!understandable,!may!railroad!those!who!don’t!yet!know!what!they!want! to! do.! “Initially,! I! went! to! university! without! great! clarity! about! what! I! wanted! to! be.! Through! education,!I!discovered!a!passion!for!my!subjects,!but!I!also!learned!to!think,!analyse!and!interpret.”! It!also!brought!her!to!London!for!her!Masters,!and!she!has!lived!in!the!UK!ever!since.! !“I!didn’t!have!the!usual!large!corporate!career,!so!I!didn't!endure!what!a!woman!recently!described! as! the! 'enormous! permafrost'! of! middle! management,”! she! adds.! Instead,! she! worked! for! entrepreneurial! organisations! where! she! could! “just! get! on! with! things”.! She! also! benefited! from! joining!an!industry!–!brand!consulting!–!when!it!was!in!its!infancy.! Are!creative!industries!more!inclusive?! “In!theory,!yes.!But!there!are!fewer!senior!women!than!you!would!expect.!As!with!other!industries,! there!seems!to!be!a!drop!off!at!senior!level.!It’s!biology,!partly,!but!that!also!becomes!an!excuse!people! use!to!block!change.!It!becomes!the!norm,!and!women!tend!to!believe!it,!too.! “But! there! is! desire! for! change! at! the! top.! It’s! in! the! middle! level! that! things! get! stuck.!“I! see! it! in! industries!such!as!energy,!finance!and!engineering!LL!they!know!the!benefits!of!diversity;!they!see!that! they!have!women!who!are!intellectually!capable.!But!people!tend!to!promote!in!their!own!image.”!! Was!your!first!taste!of!leadership!daunting?!! “It!was!fairly!monumental,!yes.!I!was!the!youngest!person!and!the!only!woman!on!a!board!of!six,!in! many!ways!a!lone!voice!on!a!lot!of!issues.!“But!you!have!to!think!of!it!as!an!enormous!opportunity!to! learn!from!others.!I’m!not!sure!women!know!the!impact!they!are!having.!I!coLchaired!one!committee! with! the! president! of! a! major! oil! company,! who! told! me! he’d! learned! an! enormous! amount! from! watching!me.!That!left!me!shocked.! ! ! “You&need&a&willingness&to&take&people&with&you,&and&the&humanity&to&listen& ! ! to&other&people’s&ideas”& ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Women in leadership! ! Do!you!think!that’s!a!more!female!approach?!! “I’m!not!sure!if!that's!female,!specifically.!It!may!be!one!of!the!ways!we've!been!socialised!and!that's! not!such!a!bad!thing.!We!are!brought!up!to!involve!people,!to!create!consensus,!to!show!compassion,! from!the!playground!up.! “It's!OK!to!retain!some!of!those!traits,!to!listen!and!to!show!doubt,!and!it's!right!and!proper!to!allow! other!people!to!air!their!opinions.!But!it's!also!fine!to!be!decisive!and!take!the!hard!decisions!when! necessary.! "That!doesn’t!always!come!naturally:!I!once!watched!in!horror!as!a!very!senior!woman!went!round! the!table!asking!people!for!their!opinions,!then!quietly!trashed!every!one!of!them!with!a!smile!on!her! face.!It!was!awful.!The!ability!to!listen!was!clearly!not!natural!to!her!LL!really,!she!just!wanted!to!act!in! her!own!way.”! Did!you!have!any!mentors?!! Not! officially,! but! I’ve! learned! from! a! lot! of! people! LL! often! clients.! Never! waste! an! opportunity! to! learn.!I!had!a!coach!for!a!short!period!LL!he!nailed!my!personality!pretty!well.!One!day!he!asked!me!to! say!the!following:!'Thanks!very!much.!That's!good!enough.'!I!could!not!get!the!words!out!of!my!mouth.! "It! was! a! classic! case! of! the! entrepreneurial! leader,! who! takes! a! helicopter! view! but! still! zooms! in! (sometimes!too!much)!on!the!details.!It!was!an!interesting!moment!of!selfLawareness.! “Mentoring!would've!been!valuable!because!sometimes!it!does!get!quite!lonely.!Maybe!the!lack!of!a! mentor!is!the!reason!my!style!is!about!talking!and!listening!LL!I!like!to!hear!other!points!of!view.! Where!do!you!stand!on!the!confidence!question?!! "I'm!not!sure!it's!a!question!of!confidence.!Successful!women!often!have!an!inner!voice!of!doubt.!It! can!be!a!useful!correction.!It!keeps!you!striving!and!it!stops!you!believing!your!own!PR!too!much.!I’ve! seen!men!fail!because!of!hubris,!because!they!start!to!believe!they!are!invincible.! "You!need!to!be!articulate!and!willing!to!be!heard,!but!you!don’t!have!to!be!strident.!As!a!woman,!you! also!have!to!be!good!in!your!field!LL!sadly,!sometimes!better.!You!should!be!willing!to!take,!but!not! grab,!credit!where!it's!due,!and!give!credit!to!others!when!it's!deserved.! “To!a!large!extent,!it's!just!a!question!of!getting!on!with!it.!There!is!a!certain!state!of!mind!that!you! can!adopt,!deciding!not!to!let!setbacks!or!obstacles!block!you.!And!authenticity!is!incredibly! important.”! Are!women!progressing!as!quickly!as!they!should?!! "I!don't!think!we!can!leave!it!to!nudge!forward!at!the!current!rate.!Organisational!cultures!need!to! change,!with!impetus!coming!from!both!senior!and!grassroots!levels.! "Leaders!need!to!see!that!their!desire!to!achieve!diversity!won't!just!happen!LL!policies,!processes!and! incentives!need!to!be!adjusted!and!regularly!assessed.!We!also!need!to!reframe!how!we!define!success! and!how!we!reward!it.! "I’m!quite!optimistic.!There's!a!recognition!of!the!need!for!change.!Often,!leaders!are!shielded!from! the!problems!that!arise!along!the!way.!!So!I'd!target!specific!people!throughout!the!organisation!LL! influencers!LL!to!create!change.”! What!about!balancing!family!and!work?!! "My!mother!once!said!to!me,!'you!can't!have!it!all'!to!which!my!reply!was,!'yes!I!can'.! “I!had!two!kids,!went!to!every!play!and!meeting!and!Saturday!carLboot!fundraiser.!I!was!even!head!of! the!parentLteacher!association.!I!knew!I!wasn't!going!to!be!there!to!pick!them!up!at!the!school!gates,! but!I!was!involved!in!their!lives.!It's!possible!to!have!many!lives!in!one.!That's!me;!I!relax!by!doing! things.!Luckily,!I!don't!need!a!lot!of!sleep.!!
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Women in leadership! !
Lynne Murray Head! of! Finance! for! Sky,! the! satellite! and! communications! business.!!
Oxford!graduate!Lynne!Murray’s!route!to!her! current!role!may!be!“slightly!accidental,!but!there!is! a!plan,”!she!says.!Starting!out!in!Sky’s!graduate! programme,!she!did!a!stint!at!oil!company!BP.!She! then!travelled!for!a!year,!before!returning!to!Sky,!where!she!was!promoted!in! 2013!to!her!current!role.! She!is!now!responsible!for!the!trading!and!performance!in!sales!and!marketing,!and!oversees!a! significant!proportion!of!Sky's!UK!P&L.!When!we!talk,!she’s!also!over!seven!months!pregnant.!“I’m! practising!the!‘lean!in’!approach.!I’m!keen!to!nail!the!role.”!! “I'm!lucky!in!that!I've!worked!around!the!business!LL!Sky!has!a!policy!of!rotating!people,!but!it's!also!a! conscious!choice!on!my!part.!The!broad!career!path!is!probably!why!I've!stayed.!People!progress!fast! here,!so!you!have!to!be!reasonably!active![to!get!ahead].!Promotional!decisions!are!made!collegiately,! so!it's!important!to!find!advocates,”!she!says.!Having!a!female!boss!at!Sky!has!made!a!big!difference.! "She!understands!the!female!psyche.!Not!to!generalise,!but!I!think!women!often!need!recognition,! praise!and!thanks.!I!worry!and!want!things!to!be!perfect,!and!I!find!it!difficult!to!say!no.! “She's!the!first!boss!to!have!helped!me!put!together!a!career!development!plan.!She!values!the!right! behaviour:!I've!learned!that!it!matters!how!you!do!things,!and!to!care!about!the!people!you!work!with.! She!encourages!me!to!put!as!much!effort!into!developing!myself!as!I!do!my!team.”! !“I'm!getting!better!at!it!now,!but!as!a!woman,!you!think!doing!a!good!job!should!be!enough.!You!need! to!show!that!you're!good,!and!in!the!last!two!years,!I've!found!you!have!to!be!quite!pushy.!I've!almost! fought!to!take!more!control!and!get!on!the!front!foot!about!managing!my!career:!going!on!a!valuable! course,! putting! your! hand! up! to! do! things! outside! your! day! job! LL! that's! what! sets! you! apart.! I've! become!involved!in!wider!finance!projects!and!I'm!passionate!about!people!development.”!!
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Women in leadership! ! You!also!have!to!learn!when!to!say!no,!says!Murray.!!"I've!built!up!a!good!network!and!experience,! but!the!downside!is!that!you!can!get!yourself!dragged!into!things.!My!boss!has!experienced!the!same! issues!and!has!helped!me!to!prioritise.!She!was!also!very!supportive!when!I!miscarried!earlier!this!year.!! "I've!never!experienced!sexism,!but!I'm!the!only!female!head!of!finance!to!be!promoted!internally!in! the!last!four!years,!so!something's!happening!there.!We!seem!to!struggle!generally!in!business!to!keep! senior!women.! What's!stopping!progress?!! "We!don't!really!have!a!workingLfromLhome!culture!–!we!have!a!lot!of!faceLtoLface!meetings,!though! my!department!is!actively!trying!to!promote!flexible!working.!And!it's!hard!work.!In!my!experience,! senior!men!don't!often!have!fullLtime!working!wives,!so!they!don't!always!see!the!issue."! The!decade!between!30!and!40!is!seen!as!makeLorLbreak!for!careers!LL!but!those!are!also!the!main! childLbearing!years.!"Even!now,!I'm!thinking:!three!days!a!week!will!not!be!an!option!for!me.!Even!four! days!for!directors!of!finance!is!a!stretch.”! Role! models! help,! she! adds:! Murray! had! a! mentor! who! has! now! moved! to! another! area! of! the! business,!and!mentors!quite!a!few!women!herself.!(Why!only!women?!“Because!only!women!have! asked.”)! "I!feel!strongly!about!bringing!women!up!through!the!business!and!feel!the!need!to!set!an!example! by!coming!back![after!maternity!leave],"!she!says.!! Are!women!less!confident?!! “I!definitely!feel!less!confident!than!some!men!of!the!same!experience!and!ability!would.!I'm!not!sure! where!that!comes!from!LL!my!parents!didn't!treat!me!differently,!it!wasn't!something!in!the!way!I!was! brought!up.!But!I!know!I!need!reassurance.!When!it!comes!to!putting!themselves!forward,!asking!for! pay!rises,!women!seem!less!sure.! "It's!a!challenge!to!get!used!to!not!being!the!best!at!everything.!When!you!get!validation!from!being! top!of!the!class,!then!you're!a!small!fish!in!a!big![corporate]!pond,!you!can!find!it!difficult.!Returning! from!BP!to!Sky,!for!example,!I!found!it!hard!to!see!that!peers!had!overtaken!me.! “Then!there's!that!fear:!'what!if!I!get!found!out,!or!asked!a!question!I!can't!answer'.!One!of!the!areas! I! work! on! when! mentoring! is! presentations,! because! women! often! feel! they! can't! blag! their! way! through.!That's!a!confidence!thing.!We!have!a!tendency!to!focus!on!what!we!didn't!get!right.!I!know! I'm!by!nature!a!peopleLpleaser,!so!I've!had!to!work!hard!to!acknowledge!it's!OK!not!to!be!loved.”! She!also!sees!a!different!dynamic!emerging,!as!more!couples!both!feel!the!need!to!work!full!time.!"I've! put!pressure!on!myself!regarding!my!career!and!postLpregnancy!promotion,!but!there's!a!different! pressure!for!men,!many!of!whom!still!see!it!as!their!role!to!'bring!home!the!bacon'.!They!may!see!it! as,!'I've!got!to!provide!even!more'!once!they!have!a!family.! "Maybe!we're!all!just!getting!too!stretched.!Even!a!50:50!division!of!parenting!doesn't!always!feel!like! 100!per!cent."! ! What!would!you!like!to!change?!! "I'd!try!to!foster!a!less!'last!minute'!culture!and!encourage!greater!flexible!working.!There!needs!to!be! more! of! a! career! path! over! 40.! Longer! working! lives! mean! our! peak! earning! cycle! should! be! commensurate.!It!would!be!powerful!to!see!more!diversity!among!the!people!being!promoted.!Until! policies! manifest! themselves! in! changed! mindsets! and! more! women! get! to! senior! positions,! it's! difficult!for!people!to!buy!into!the!benefits!of!a!more!flexible!culture.! “I'd!encourage!women!to!embrace!the!positives!of!being!different.!But!I!don't!just!want!to!be!defined! by!my!gender.!I'd!like!to!be!seen!as!an!inspirational!leader,!I!want!to!be!a!director,!and!continue!to! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Women in leadership! ! learn!and!develop.!You!have!to!enjoy!your!career!and!keep!your!options!open.!Women!may!just!have! to!be!a!bit!smarter!about!planning.”!
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“I'd&encourage&women&to&embrace&the&positives&of&being&different.&But&I& ! don't&just&want&to&be&defined&by&my&gender”& ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
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Women in leadership! !
All inclusive: how to diversity work Sandra Ondraschek-Norris Director of Catalyst Europe
Too!many!organisations!still!see!diversity!as!a! box! to! tick.! Without! true! commitment! to! inclusive!leadership,!those!organisations!will!struggle.!! “There’s!a!realisation!that!the!command!and!control!model!of! leadership!is!not!going!to!serve!the!next!generation!well.!We! need!something!more!collaborative.”! !
First,!the!bad!news:!the!advancement!of!women!into!leadership!positions!remains!“painfully! slow”!in!many!business!sectors,!says!Sandra!OndraschekLNorris,!Director!of!Catalyst!Europe,!
the!membership!and!lobbying!group.“Diversity!initiatives!have!done!a!lot!with!
numbers,! metrics! and! percentages! about! where! women! are! in! the! business.!All!of!that!is!very!useful,!but!I!think!people!have!realised!is! that!diversity!without!real!inclusion!is!not!enough.!If!people!don’t!feel! included,! diversity! becomes! just! a! numbers! game,! and! you! get! a! certain! sense! of! fatigue! around! it.”! A! broader! focus! on! inclusive! leadership! may! be! what! is! needed! to! give! diversity! some! forward! momentum.! ! ! !
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Women in leadership! ! “I! think! inclusion! goes! deeper.! It! looks! at! culture,! leadership!and!how!people!treat!each!other,”!she!says.! “It’s!about!managing!across!differences.”! The!inclusive!leader!is!someone!who!encourages!critical! thinking! and! takes! responsibility! for! their! own! and! others’!behaviour.!They!enquire!across!differences!and! facilitate! conversations! LL! even! around! difficult! topics,! look!at!other!perspectives!and!genuinely!listen.!
companies!to!think!about!how!they! attract!and!retain! talent.”! Companies! are! open! to! more! scrutiny! as! a! result! of! social!media,!and!have!to!be!more!aware!of!who!they! are!hiring!and!the!environment!they!are!creating.!! “A!focus!on!inclusion!also!moves!the!debate!away!from! confrontational! approaches! focused! only! on! gender! LL! so!we!don’t!get!led!up!the!garden!path!of!‘do!women! lead! better’! or! other! stereotypes,”! she! adds.! Instead,! the!focus!is!on!what!people!do!as!individuals.!!
“Obviously,! you! have! to! step! up! and! speak! up,! but! as! much! as! women! have! to! lean! in,! so! do! organisations.! That! means! challenging! traditional! leadership! values,”! says!OndraschekLNorris.!
Drawing! men! into! the! conversation! remains! essential.! “Whenever!we!talk!to!businesses,!three!things!come!up! again! and! again:! engaging! men,! leadership! development;! and! sponsorship.! All! are! closely! interwoven,!but!they!tie!back!to!culture!and!the!need!to! develop!people!who!are!not!necessarily!all!alike.!Yes,!we! have! a! long! way! to! go,! but! there! is! now! a! growing! awareness!that!we!need!a!different!kind!of!culture!and! mindset!and!leadership!to!manage!this.”!
“But!I!find!the!ideas!around!humility!encouraging.!They! flow!into!the!broader!inclusion!idea!by!suggesting!there! are!different!leadership!types!than!the!tall,!white,!male! CEO!that!we!have!a!bias!for.!I’ve!also!heard!from!men! who! want! to! move! away! from! the! commandLandL control!model,”!she!adds.! “It’s!an!interesting!time:!if!you!look!at!the!bigger!picture! of! what’s! changing! LL! the! soLcalled! megatrends! in! demographics,!technology!and!so!on!LL!they!are!coming! at!a!pace!we!couldn’t!have!predicted.”!
As!for!the!‘businessLcase’,!she!believes!it’s!“a!noLbrainer! that!if!you!want!to!create!sustainable!change,!you!have! to!engage!the!majority!and!encourage!dialogue,!rather! than!blaming!and!shaming.”!!
Millennials,! in! particular,! are! raising! questions! about! traditional!working!practices!that!can!only!be!healthy.! That! has! shifted! the! debate! among! businesses! and! lobbyists!alike,!she!believes.!! “Founders! of! women’s! groups! may! have! quite! a! different!perspective!to!the!younger!generation,!and!it’s! hard! to! judge! whether! the! younger! generation! feels! more!confident!because!they!haven’t!hit!a!glass!ceiling! or!whether!things!really!will!be!different.!But!there’s!no! question!that!their!expectations!of!the!workplace!LL!that! it! be! more! flexible,! less! hierarchical! LL! are! forcing!
There’s!a!lot!of!work!being!done!around!men!advocating! change,!by!Catalyst!through!its!MARC!initiative,!but!also! campaigns!such!as!He!for!She.!“It’s!gaining!momentum! as!people!speak!from!all!corners,!so!diversity!not!seen! just! as! a! women’s! issue.! The! aim! is! to! reach! a! critical! mass!of!leaders,!not!focus!on!a!critical!mass!of!women.”! Changing! a! company’s! culture! is! more! than! a! case! of! passing! a! few! policies,! though.! Some! have! worked! outwards!from!a!bright!spot.!
! Rockwell!Automation!started!with!its!sales!division,!and! worked!from!there!to!create!a!different!kind!of!culture.!
are!they!saying!openly,!‘I’m!going!to!pick!up!my!kids’!or! ‘I’m!off!to!the!gym’?!
For!Tom!Falk,!CEO!of!multinational!Kimberly!Clarke,!it! was!a!question!of!hiring!the!best!people:!you!might!be! missing!half!the!room!when!you're!hiring.!Why!would! you!knowingly!dismiss!half!the!talent!available!to!you?!
“There! is! a! myth! that! if! you! have! a! few! really! good! leaders!and!a!diversity!policy,!you!can!shift!a!company! culture.!But!you!have!to!make!the!change!at!all!levels,! and! that! means! going! beyond! the! business! case! to! telling!personal!stories.!!
Kimberly!Clarke's!consumer!base!is!85!per!cent!female,! so!being!inclusive!makes!sense!as!a!business!strategy!LL! it’s! a! question! of! looking! at! serving! the! market! most! effectively.! There!are!still!some!sticking!points.!“Whatever!the!topic! of! a! meeting,! at! some! point! we’ll! come! to! flexible! working,”! says! OndraschekLNorris.! “Lots! of! companies! have!policies,!but!the!culture!doesn’t!support!them.!Are! those!in!a!position!of!leadership!modelling!flexibility!LL!
“Nobody! changed! their! life! based! on! a! pie! chart.! It's! always! the! personal! stories! that! seem! to! encourage! change,”! she! says,! citing! Stephen! Ingledew,! UK! managing! director! of! customer! and! marketing! at! Standard! Life.! He! champions! flexible! working! because! his!own!mother!worked.!!
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Women in leadership! ! “Human! beings! need! stories! LL! it’s! one! of! our! ways! understanding!the!world.!If!senior!men!are!telling!these! stories!to!other!men,!it’s!quite!powerful.”!
! ! ! ! But! doesn’t! the! menLonly! nature! of! Catalyst’s! MARC! ! programme! contradict! the! ultimate! aim! of! ! inclusiveness?! “It! has! been! questioned! by! men! ! themselves,”! she! admits.! “But! to! expect! men! who’ve! ! not!been!asked!or!been!aware!of!their!views!on!diversity! ! to! suddenly! become! champions! is! quite! a! leap.! They! ! need! a! chance! to! build! some! skills,! so! they! don’t! ! stumble! blindly! into! some! misguided! form! of! ! benevolent!sexism.”! ! Women,! too,! have! to! be! aware! of! when! we! reinforce! ! stereotypes.! We! can! be! just! as! biased.! “If! you! think! ! about! how! you! might! start! a! sentence! about! men! or! ! women,!we!often!imply!‘all!men’!or!‘all!women’!LL!that! ! we’re! a! monolithic! group.! ‘All! women! love! shoe! ! shopping,!all!men!love!football.’!!I’d!like!to!go!on!record! ! as!saying!I!hate!shoe!shopping.! ! “It!boils!down!to!how!we!treat!one!another.!It’s!not!a! ! simple! thing,! it! can! be! messy! and! people! will! have! ! setbacks,! but! I’m! optimistic! that! the! inclusion! debate! ! may!be!the!chance!to!look!at!leadership!from!a!wider! ! perspective.!It!may!be!just!what!we!need!to!move!the! ! needle.! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! “I&think&inclusion&goes&deeper.&It&looks&at&culture,&& ! ! leadership&and&how&people&treat&each&other”& ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
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Women in leadership! ! !
Waging war: the battle to close the gender pay gap Marianna Fotaki, Professor of Business Ethics at Warwick Business School
The! gender! pay! gap! remains! one! of! the! most! stubborn! obstacles!to!workplace!equality.!What!can!we!do!to!tackle!it! once! and! for! all?! We! ask! Warwick! Business! School’s! Professor!Marianna!Fotaki.! ! The!UK!is!regressing!in!its!bid!to!achieve!pay!parity!for!men!and!women,!according!to!the!World! Economic!Forum’s!Global!Gender!Equality!Index!2014,!which!ranks!national!gender!gaps!among! 142!countries.!While!the!Office!for!National!statistics!reported!the!UK’s!gender!pay!gap!at!its! lowest!point!on!record,!at!19.1!per!cent!in!April!2014,!it!remains!higher!than!the!average!among! EU!countries.!It!also!widens!with!age!and!worsens!at!leadership!level.!Experts!at!lobbying!and! membership!group!Catalyst!predict!we!won’t!close!the!gap!till!2025.!! ! Arguments! about! motherhood! and! 'glass! walls'! that! keep! women! in! less! high! paying! jobs! are! growing!tired,!especially!when!the!gap!exists!even!in!careers!where!women!are!in!the!majority,! such!as!nursing.!The!good!news!is!that!lobbyists!for!equal!pay!are!growing!louder,!with!everyone! from!the!Pope!to!former!LibDem!leader!Nick!Clegg!speaking!out!against!inequality.!! ! ! ! ! Clegg! has! suggested! large! companies! be! typically!earn!about!90!percent!of!what!men! forced!to!publish!gender!pay!disparity!or!risk! are! paid! until! they! are! about! 35! years! old.! up! to! £5,000! in! fines.! But! will! the! new! After! that! median! earnings! for! women! are! government!enforce!this?!! normally!75–80!percent!of!men’s!pay.!Female! ! employees! across! Europe! are! paid! less! than! We! keep! coming! back! to! the! pay! question! their!male!counterparts!within!almost!every! because! it! hasn't! been! addressed.! We've! occupation,!even!in!‘feminised’!sectors.!! narrowed! the! gap,! but! it's! far! from! closed.! According!to!new!research,!women!in!the!US! ! !
Women in leadership! ! ! At! the! rate! we're! going,! according! to! one! calculation,! it! could! take! 60! to! 98! years! to! achieve!parity.! What!about!the!Equal!Pay!Act?!! Pay!inequality!may!be!against!the!law,!but!it's! difficult! to! prove.! Other! factors! also! moderate!the!legal!issue.!In!fact,!the!pay!gap! grows!as!women!rise!through!the!ranks.! What! are! some! of! the! myths! surrounding! women!and!pay?! Women! are! seen! as! less! ambitious,! less! assertive,! less! committed,! less! riskLtaking.! These!myths!are!not!borne!out!in!reality,!but! they! are! the! norms! of! historical! bias,! and! those!biases!are!deeply!held.! The!double!bind!still!exists!for!women:!they! are!seen!and!socialised!to!be!less!outspoken.! If! they! display! 'male'! behaviour,! they! are! penalised.! It! is! construed! as! aggressive! in! women.! ! Men! are! often! so! much! better,! in! any!culture,!at!negotiating!LL!even!when!they! are!young.!Women!are!so...!grateful.! How!do!you!address!bias!if!it’s!unconscious?! It!depends!on!how!the!organisational!values! are!framed!LL!how!closely!they!are!related!to! accountability,!for!example.!If!managers!have! to! account! for! their! decisions,! they! may! be! more!mindful!and!less!prone!to!bias.!There’s! something!called!a!meritocratic!paradox!that! can!have!a!surprising!impact!on!gender!bias.!! If! managers! believe! they! are! working! for! a! meritocratic!organisation,!it!makes!them!feel! more!confident!that!they!are!being!objective.! This! gives! them! the! freedom! to! act! on! their! prejudices.! Managers! tend! to! display! bias! because!they!are!not!being!vigilant.!We!don’t! want!to!be!seen!as!acting!on!prejudices,!so!we! tend!to!justify!it!on!other!grounds.! The! language! an! organisation! uses! is! also! crucial:!Microsoft!CEO!Satya!Nadella's!words! were! particularly! damaging! in! context! LL! he! was! talking! to! a! group! of! women.! While! it's! arguable!that!he!might!have!been!displaying! a! complete! lack! of! bias! (or! the! meritocratic! paradox),! I! doubt! he'd! have! given! the! same!
advice! to! men.! I! can't! know! his! motivation,! but!his!comments!in!the!context!LL!'be!a!good! girl! and! you'll! be! rewarded',! not! to! mention! the! whole! idea! of! Karma! LL! were! extremely! problematic.! What!needs!to!change?! We!need!to!start!with!education.!We!need!to! make! the! problem! explicit,! not! victimising! anyone!but!naming!it.!There!is!a!limiting!winL orLlose!mentality!that!tends!to!start!at!school.! It!would!be!great!to!see!women!getting!into! the! practice! of! speaking! their! mind! from! a! young!age,!even!if!they!'fail'!at!it.!They!need!a! safe! environment! where! they! can! find! their! voice! and! act! assertively! when! needed! without!facing!stigma.!! At!organisational!level,!policies!could!be!more! explicit!about!how!salaries!are!calculated.!As! women! rise! through! company! hierarchies,! their!lives!may!become!more!interesting.!But! it's!not!enough!to!be!given!a!title.!It's!only!half! the!victory!if!we're!not!on!equal!pay.!So!the! single! most! tangible! demonstration! of! commitment!to!inclusion!is!equal!pay.!! There's!an!obvious!ethical!argument!in!favour! of! equal! pay,! but! it's! also! about! greater! efficiency:! reward! talent! or! you'll! lose! motivated!people.! Are!women!in!leadership!more!meritocratic?! Women! are! often! seen! as! fairer,! more! consensus! driven! and! teamLcentric.! Many! LL! though! certainly! not! all! LL! try! to! pull! others! along!and!may!display!slightly!different!values! to!their!male!peers.! There's! a! disadvantage! to! this:! the! 'top'! female! figure! then! becomes! iconic,! the! embodiment! of! all! other! women! in! leadership.! So! if! she! has! faults,! they! are! magnified! and! can! come! to! typify! other! women!who!may!be!not!a!bit!like!her.! For!that!reason,!I!think!it's!better!to!look! at! women! managers,! not! the! iconic! leaders! in! business!or!politics.!Otherwise,!it's!not!trickleL down,! but! circular! LL! which! would! only! reinforce! Nadella's! Karma! reference! about! good! people! being! eventually! rewarded.! It!
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Women in leadership! ! ! would!be!setting!working!women!against!an! impossible!ideal.!
seen! as! discriminating! and! this! would! be! a! way!of!demonstrating!otherwise.!!
What! can! women! themselves! do! tackle! inequality?!
What! does! the! pay! debate! say! about! our! leadership!values?!
Women!need!to!be!active!in!asking!for!their! dues,! which! is! why! mentoring! is! such! an! important!thing!for!both!men!and!women.!It's! also!no!bad!thing!if!you!can!emulate!a!more! 'male'! approach! to! pay,! as! long! as! you're! sticking!to!your!own!values.!
When! we! teach! leadership,! the! metaphors! remain!warLlike.!That's!changing,!but!there's! still! a! disparity! between! the! gungLho! language! of! leadership! and! what! is! really! valued!at!company!level!such!as!coLoperation! and!being!valued!as!a!team!member.!
Senior! women! should! be! forthcoming,! and! take!steps!to!teach!other!women!tactics!and! strategies!that!are!most!effective.!Since!bias! is!automatic!and!often!unconscious,!training! managers! to! identify! their! own! bias! tendencies!is!also!valuable.!!
How!do!we!keep!equal!pay!at!the!top!of!the! board!agenda?!
Lobbying! for! more! transparency! about! how! salaries! are! calculated! would! also! help.! Making!pay!scales!explicit!in!your!field!could! have!major!impact.!No!institution!wants!to!be!
Influencers!LL!within!organisations!and!in!the! media!LL!can!keep!the!issue!at!the!forefront!of! people's! minds! and! campaign! for! accountability! to! be! enforced! in! organisations.! But! we! also! need! to! monitor! data! on! women's! progress,! or! we'll! keep! slipping!back.!
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