The Art Of Leadership for Women Calgary 2017: Conference Summary by The Art Of

CONFERENCE SUMMARY Calgary | October 24, 2017

CONTENTS

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

About The Art of Leadership for Women

Dr. Seonaid Charlesworth Organizational Psychology & Decision-Making

Jessica Herrin Success & Happiness

Brigid Schulte Time Management & Effectiveness

Amanda Lang Creativity & Innovation

Valerie Jarrett Leadership

Executive Panel

Bill Williams Closing Remarks

Sponsors & Partners

Why is it important to make room for women in leadership roles in organizations? For a 3rd straight year, a 2017 Macleans survey showed companies saying that gender diversity and leadership are their most important goals. Yet 40% of publicly listed companies in Canada do not have a single woman on their board of directors. The leading indicator of success in an organization are their employee’s abilities to be aware of, control, and express their emotions as they handle interpersonal relationships with empathy – also known as emotional intelligence. Women tend to be stronger in areas of empathy and social responsibility than men. Men on the other hand, are stronger in areas of assertiveness and their ability to respond while putting their emotions aside, rather than react with an emotional response such as anger. To grow and develop when you are in a leadership role, is being vulnerable, being able to embrace feedback, and knowing who you are and how to improve. To successfully blend these attributes into one whole—to treat others the way we wish to be treated ourselves— is the holy grail of leadership. If women can achieve this, they have discovered one of the keys to making sure that in the very near future, more women achieve their rightful place at the boardroom table.

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Dr. Seonaid CHARLESWORTH

Jessica HERRIN

Amanda LANG

Brigid SCHULTE

Valerie JARRETT

Dr. Seonaid

CHARLESWORTH Senior Vice President, Succession and Assessment at Lee Hecht Harrison Knightsbridge

The biggest mistakes are those made too soon or too late.

PSYCHOLOGY AND LEADERSHIP FOR SMARTER DECISIONS ABOUT PEOPLE Bad Leaders Repeat Mistakes Research shows that 80% of employee turnover is due to bad hiring decisions. While it costs about one-third of a managers’ salary to fire and rehire their replacement, that cost snowballs when a bad leader continues to make the same mistake over and over again. But what about the personal cost? When you hire the wrong person, it costs you your time, energy and it can be stressful. Two Systems of Thinking Managers usually employ one of two ways of thinking during the hiring process. System 1 is ‘Intuitive Thinking’— having an immediate, fast, gut reaction to a potential hire. However, Intuitive Thinking can lead to mistakes. System 2 is ‘Analytical Thinking’. Although it’s slow, careful and deliberate, it can extract a physical effort. Emotions, such as reacting to how a person makes us feel about ourselves, can trigger us to activate System 1 thinking over System 2 thinking.

forward within organizations? Because they display charming characteristics of confidence and excitement that make us feel good about ourselves. In the extreme, these are the same characteristics as a psychopath. When hiring, we make up stories in our minds about negative behaviors instead of asking, “What’s the story underlying this person’s narrative?” We tend to make decisions based on our personal beliefs and impressions of people. Ask yourself, is your impression wrong, biased or even correct? To stop the snowball effect, break down big decisions into sub-questions like, “Is this person capable of running this division?” or “Is this person adding the right kind of value?” We need to think factually, rather than using personal experiences.

How to Make Better Decisions To make a decision, use one set of criteria. Choose specific factors to create success in the role. Where can you excel? Where is just competent good enough? Question yourself. What is the story about this person I’m telling myself? Write down pros and cons—what you think about this person. Get input from others. Set a decision deadline. Remember, quick decisions reflect System 1 thinking, leading to mistakes. On the other hand, decisions about underperforming employees or those who have broken your circle of trust can lead to procrastination. The biggest mistakes are those made too soon or too late. When making decisions we need to ensure we are considering all these factors.

Break Down Big Decisions People pleasers. Why do we move them

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Jessica

HERRIN CEO & Founder of Stella & Dot and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author

A SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR IN TUNE WITH THE MODERN DILEMMA FOR WOMEN Finding your entrepreneurial self-confidence Entrepreneurial self-confidence begins with believing that you’re a leader and that the world is awaiting your instruction. Set your intention and action; what it is you want and how you’re going to achieve it. Being the person too scared to even try, may be the only way to actually fail. “To help you decide you’re the boss, you need to believe in yourself beyond reason.” 6 P’s of Entrepreneurial Spirit 1. Passion – If you don’t have enough passion, you will give up. You need to outlast your obstacles to create a lasting value.

To help you decide you’re the boss, you need to believe in yourself beyond reason.

the opportunity and not the obstacles in any situation. Some of the biggest businesses were made during the most difficult financial times. When you look at things with a positive mind and vision, you’ll see and work towards how you want things to be. 4. Positive Mindset – Give your brain a break. Take 3 mini mental vacations, 3 times a day. Use mental reflection points throughout your day to help find the right people who will empower and support you. Surround yourself with your key group. In times of crisis, they’ll make it worthwhile.

5. Perseverance – Recognize it will take many iterations and mistakes... but don’t quit. Failure should change your perspective, but not demotivate you. Be grateful and persevere; think about your ancestors and everything they went through. Don’t think that you’re not qualified to be doing this, think about what you’re learning instead. 6. Productivity – To be productive and stress-free, you have to become a master of your time and manage how to be efficient about how you get it done. We all have the same time. It’s how you use that makes it different.

2. Path – If you believe in a bigger “WHY”, then what you want to create “HAS TO” exist in this world. 3. Positivity – Use a positive mindset to see the opportunities and not just the obstacles. Self-doubt is normal, but working on yourself is one of the most important ways to make sure you see

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Brigid

SCHULTE New York Times Bestselling Author, Award-Winning Journalist and Director of the Better Life Lab at New America

Leisure is like beauty, it is in the eye of the beholder, it’s about how you feel.

MAKING TIME FOR A BETTER LIFE Living in Contaminated Time We live in an era of Time Confetti. This is time spent where everything is happening all the time, all at once and nothing is streamlined. Yet, we are often living on Contaminated Time—time spent when you are everywhere and nowhere because you are thinking about everything constantly, all at once and not living in the moment. Neuroscience studies prove that people think that we shouldn’t have leisure time, that we always need to be busy, yet ideas often come out of those moments of pause time. “Leisure is like beauty, it is in the eye of the beholder, it’s about how you feel.”

Maryland said that women had 30 hours of leisure time. Myth #2 Maternal Instinct Mothers know best? A majority of men and women assume that males = careers and females = family. It’s engraved in us as a subconscious bias even though men are physiologically capable of caregiving duties themselves. The ideal worker, thought to be males, without caregiving duties, doesn’t exist.

Myth #3 No Playtime Leisure and play is a waste of time. JK Rowling was stuck on a train, where she said she looked out the window and spaced out. That is when the entire plot to Harry Potter fell into her brain. Realities of Time It isn’t true that the time we spend doing work is directly correlated to the quality of work. Nor is it true that the ideal worker is one who doesn’t have the task of caregiving.

Myth #1 Hours = Effort The best workers don’t work all the time. Norway is the most productive country per hour, and they have 6 weeks of vacation. Your brain is wired for the best ideas to come in the moments of pause and silence, not when you’re constantly working. A Professor named John Robinson from the University of

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Amanda

Change isn’t a group activity. People can do it at the same time, but they tend to change at their own time and pace.

LANG

Anchor, Bloomberg TV Canada and Bestselling Author

DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION LEADS TO REAL CHANGE Our Collective Toddler Everyone is capable of innovation. Toddlers asked the question, “why?” so much that it became a trait that defines a stage of human development. Style of thinking is the last faction of diversity because thinking is what defines us. People discriminate against others, based on their thinking style. Let’s face it, there are no right questions. Engagement Leads to Innovation To get to a culture of innovation, you have to create an environment that lets you ask the questions Why? and Why not? These two questions bring out the status quo bias in humans. You like what you know so why change or try something different if you’ve done it the same way for so long?

the need to change. Once change takes place, it’s not a static thing, it needs to be constantly enabled. Well-intentioned corporations often have a set of best practices; challenging and questioning them can ruffle feathers. But change doesn’t always have to be bad, it can be good. To bring about change and innovation, pay attention to everything you do personally and professionally, and engage to let your brain formulate the way to change. Leading for Discovery Our linear nature compartmentalizes

information and thoughts, so how do we innovate? Leaders need to be the ones who let people be curious, and let some questions be left unanswered. Corporate systems stop people from being curious, asking questions, and being innovative. Collaborate with people you don’t know, or who don’t necessarily think the same to foster innovation. Identify bottlenecks and find a way to push ideas through. If ideas died there once, they will die there again. Ask questions about processes. Instead of reacting emotionally, ask why? and what could be done differently?

“Change isn’t a group activity. People can do it at the same time, but they tend to change at their own time and pace.” Change Not for Change’s Sake We talk a lot about disruption and

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Valerie

JARRETT Former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama and Chair of the White House Council on Women & Girls

Take a chance, be willing to be curious and take a chance.

LEADERSHIP CAN MEAN ADVOCATING FOR WOMEN Laddering Up Things don’t always go according to the plan that we set out for ourselves. How do you find that next step in your career or the new job that you are passionate about? It’s never too late to find your calling or passion. Everything comes easy if you are willing to work hard, be curious and take a chance.

and to explain how it is in their self- interest. No Woman is an Island Women in leadership roles shouldn’t try to be super-women who master it all and do everything on their own. They need to

be able to recognize when they are having a hard time and to get help when needed. Surrounding yourself with a team that is diverse with different perspectives and life experiences will lead to you making better decisions.

“Take a chance, be willing to be curious and take a chance.” Promote Others As a leader, you aren’t just advocating for yourself. You need to advocate for others as well. To create a culture that recognizes that diversity is a strife, you need to put your reputation on the line and stand by those whom you believe in. Create Culture. See Value Increasingly, women are staying in jobs because of the culture and men have to recognize the value of women and understand what we bring to the table. We can’t expect men to know this. It’s our job as women to help them understand

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

EXECUTIVE PANEL

GIANNA MANES

SARAH MILLER WRIGHT

President & CEO, ENMAX Corporation

SVP Customer Care, Shaw Communications Inc

Engaging in a field of mostly men means being your authentic self and standing your ground; know that you mean business and, as a woman, know the line you should draw for yourself. Be seen as a professional, rather than a woman amongst your male colleagues. Let your work speak volumes about both yourself and your team.

Women tend to think outside in, worrying about what other people will think of them and their decisions instead of thinking inside out. This starts with knowing you are the right person for the job and leading with this decision. The reason you are in this role is because you are the most capable in this role.

MEGHAN MEGER

LISA WASSILL

President Western Canada, National Bank Private Banking 1859

Branch Manager TD Wealth, TD

Be malleable. The industry is always changing, so why shouldn’t we? Every great leader actively seeks out change for themselves and their team. Being in a leadership role is not a sign that you have reached the pinnacle. Be vulnerable. Feedback is not a question of your authority or skill, but a suggestion on how to improve. Embrace it.

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Women in leadership roles struggle to remain their authentic selves in fields that are male-dominated. The leading indicator of success within an organization is by the team’s emotional intelligence. A leader’s true strength is being able to respond to a situation by putting their emotions aside instead of reacting to a situation with emotion.

CLOSING REMARKS The most important decision you make, is your decisions on people. So be thoughtful when it comes to people. Expand your network, establish success other than what you are known for and have a supportive environment. You’re really friggin lucky to be alive right now! The world is awaiting your instruction! Believe in yourself beyond reason.

To know and not to do is really not to know. To learn and not to do something with the learning is really not to have learned. Bill Williams

Passion, positivity and perseverance! If you’re looking for easy, you’ll never find extraordinary. When was the last time you really played? Do you have power over your own time? Time for work, love and play? Neuroscience proves ideas and insights happen when you play. There’s a reason your best ideas happen when you’re in the shower. Uncontaminate your time! Create an environment that will ask “Why?” And “Why not?” It’s not simple. Curiosity is a universal trait. How we think defines us like nothing else. It creates YOU only YOU! Own your choices and their consequences in each chapter of your life. Role models are important. You cannot be what you cannot see. Listen to the quiet voice inside you more than the loud voices around you. Find your true north. #TheArtOf Leadership for Women!

Bill Williams Partner, VP Learning, The Art Of

CONFERENCE SUMMARY