The Art of Leadership for Women Toronto 2017: Conference Summary by The Art Of

Toronto | June 13, 2017

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CONTENTS

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

About The Art of Leadership for Women

Michelle Moore Talent Development & Employee Engagement

Susan David Emotional Agility

Brigid Schulte Time Management & Effectiveness

Executive Panel

Diana Nyad Peak Performance

Valerie Jarrett Leadership

Bill Williams Closing Remarks

Sponsors & Partners

Organizations that employ more women in leadership roles are significantly more successful financially, according to global surveys. It means that organizations looking for a sustainable competitive edge need to encourage, nurture and support women to explore and capitalize on leadership opportunities.

Michelle MOORE

Susan David

Brigid SCHULTE

The Art of Leadership for Women features a unique combination of extraordinary women who have established themselves as dynamic and successful leaders, and attendees who bring diverse perspectives to the table. It is an event about shared vision and connecting with like-minded people who know where you are coming from and where you want to go.

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Diana NYAD

Valerie JARRETT

Michelle

MOORE Vice President & National Practice Lead for Executive Career Solutions Group at LHH Knightsbridge

You need a process and you need to be committed to innovation as an organization.

TALENT DEVELOPMENT & EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Leverage Disruptive Talent Define your high potential talent by the ones who think differently than others in the organization. You want to hire those that disrupt organizations in a positive way because they will bring forward the trends of tomorrow. New talent in an organization needs to be able to grow and implement their ideas, but also work within the constraints of an organization. It is important to recognise disruptors and understand how to engage and involve them in the ideation process.

the workplace. This can be challenging because of the demand it puts on employers for higher forms of technology. Leaders need to be up to date with this technology and how it effects our teams and the barriers that it can eliminate. Have a Process & Strategy for Innovation The innovation process begins with a goal to create an advantage in the marketplace. Committing to new technology demands that we have a process for innovation. 90% of a CEOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s job can be replaced by technology. You may want to consider the following questions; What jobs can we

replace or supplement with technology? How will our customers interact with us? You need a process and you need to be committed to innovation as an organization. Leading a Culture of Innovation Making sure that your team can collaborate efficiently and work together is important. Capturing knowledge, having learning orientations and knowledge management are critical as people come and go from your organization. By teaching people to look at things from other peoples point of view, you can support the disruptors and form new partnerships.

Disruptors generally have more dominant and narcissistic qualities. They also tend to spot ideas and see what is coming next. Consider coaching these individuals on your culture and see how they can grow and add value. Innovation Is No Longer Optional People are the fuel driving innovation and are required for the success of your business. The consumerization of IT starts at home and then comes into

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Susan

DAVID Award-Winning Psychologist on the Faculty of Harvard Medical School and Bestselling Author

Courage is not the absence of fear; courage is fear walking.

EMOTIONAL AGILITY Emotional In-agility Our thoughts, emotions and expectations of what we want from ourselves and others, ends up not being met by the environment we are in, so we conflate our stimulus response by shutting down and being quiet. This is a compilation between our stimulus, our thoughts and our stories that get in the way of who we want to be as leaders and people.

capacityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by expert Thorstein Veblen. Psychologists found that patients with poor physical appearance were given different categories of diagnosis than those dressed well. Our emotions are data driven, so you need to step out and rise above your emotions. Notice them but do not let them rule you.

to you on a plane buys candy, you are 70% more likely to buy candy as well. Example: If one person is stressed, we all get stressed. The negative emotions of your team will get carried over and you will start seeing growth defects over time. The leader has the greatest ability to affect the team.

Social Contagion If you are on a diet and the stranger next

Intention vs. Reality When faced with cognitive overload from change and uncertainty, our automatic human bias is to become competitive instead of being collaborative, and transactional instead of relational. When we are faced with ambiguity, we default to system one thinking. System One Thinking We tend to make snap judgements based on past experiences, ruled by habits or emotions. It is automatic, fast and unconscious which requires little energy or attention. This is prone to biases and systematic thinking. This is also known as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;trained in-

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Brigid

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

You can’t think your way into a new way of acting, but you can act your way into a new way of thinking.

TIME MANAGEMENT & EFFECTIVENESS Time is Power It is time for women to take control of their time and live their richest and fullest lives in work love and play. We tend to only make time for work and use the term ‘too busy’, which is robbing us of our ability to play. Neuroscience has given us permission to relax. Our brains are most active when we allow ourselves to play. When we take this time to ‘space out’ our brains work in a diffused and focused mode.

stress is good for us, but extreme stress is not. The fifth leading cause of death is stress and working long hours. Studies show that stress is shrinking our brains, however adding mindfulness to your routine, such as daily meditation practices expands the brain. Mediation changes the physical structure of the brain and creates more joy within a person. The new ideal worker is someone who has a basis of joy, this occurs when people feel supported and not burned out. You can’t think your way into a new

way of acting, but you can act your way into a new way of thinking. Ideal Mother—The Ideals Are Still There There is an unconscious bias on women who hold the maternal instinct in the family, however men will become the caregivers if they are the ones with the time. If women go back to work, the children will not be hurt. Dividing the work fairly and automating it in the household is where the challenges lie. Women will still spend 3-5 hours per week re-doing the chores that their spouses have done poorly.

Time Confetti We are living in contaminated time. On the outside it looks like leisure time but you are not present. Contaminated time takes you out of the moment where we end up in a tunnel and can only see the next few tasks. This leads to the feeling that you are not doing enough at work, home, etc. and this is how we thought it had to be in order to be a successful working woman. Work, Time and Stress Your job could be killing you. A little

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

EXECUTIVE PANEL

CYNTHIA CASKEY Vice President, TD Wealth Private Wealth Management • Replace work-life balance with work-life integration. • Do not try to do one work task and life task at the same time and juggle it. Concentrate on each task separately to achieve balance. Doing small things like not checking e-mails even if you’re tempted to.

SUZANNE FORAIE Standards Pilot, Crew Management • Strive for what you want and if someone knocks you down, don’t take it to heart, just pick yourself up and carry on. • At the end of the day, I just want to be treated like a pilot, not a girl pilot.

PHILIP GROSCH Partner & National Leader Digital Services • Gender parity is an achievable goal. You must set goals or else you will never get there. • Be your authentic self because all personalities can be great leaders. • Gender equality is not a women’s issue, it’s not a men’s issue. It’s an ‘us’ issue.

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Diana

NYAD

Whatever you do, do it until you can’t do it a fingernail better.

Record-Breaking Endurance Athlete & Bestselling Author

PEAK PERFORMANCE NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE You can do all the computations you want as to why this is impossible and can’t be done but don’t tell me what the parameters of the human spirit are. “The spirit is larger than the body. The body is pathetic compared to what we have inside us.” You must have action behind what you say you will do and feel the unwavering commitment. Most importantly, you’re never too old to chase your dreams.

builds when you say, “I’m not a quitter” no matter how cold, no matter how tough, no matter how much pain. If you just don’t quit you will make it to the other shore. What you want in life won’t always come easy, but if you work hard and don’t give up you will get there. IT TAKES A TEAM This was one of the most solitary

challenges, but one of the most important ways to achieve anything in life is with a team and I could not have done this without my team. Nyad’s mantra was ‘Find a Way’. None of us ever get through life without heartache and turmoil, but if we believe and have faith and perseverance, you will find your way.

NO REGRETS We are all on a one-way street in life and what are we going to do to have no regrets looking back? The destination was sweeter than the journey, but the journey itself was well worth taking. Nyad’s dream was still alive at sixty, having spent thirty years go by watching other people chase their dreams and she still wanted to be the first person to achieve this. JUST DON’T QUIT There is a feeling of character that

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Valerie

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

Surround yourself with good people, and stop taking yourself so seriously.

LEADERSHIP Barriers We have discovered that at a very early age, children enjoyed playing together in a richly diverse group. By getting outside of our comfort zones, we are able to grow. Cultures matter and we need more mentors and advocates to show this. A diverse group of leaders represents a diverse group of people. We have to discover what the barriers have been and work towards a world in which everyone is competing on a level playing field.

not whether can have it all, but to move in the direction of being a whole person. Progress feels slow and our job is to push

it forward. Fight for what you want and be determined. Look at life as a marathon and not a sprint.

Women in Leadership If more women are in leadership positions, the world would be a better place, but for us to do this we have to be flexible and start asking for what we want. Look at what your strength and weaknesses are. Surround yourself with good people, and stop taking yourself so seriously. Develop an agenda of your own and make that agenda your priority. Get Out of Your Own Way Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be your own worst enemy. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

CLOSING REMARKS Innovation is no longer optional. As a leader, do you have the courage to adopt a different mindset? Are you ready to be a disruptor? Because, first to market wins! How we deal with our inner world drives everything we do. THRIVE!! Who is in charge, the thinker or the thought? We have the freedom to choose. Courage is fear walking. 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! There’s no such thing as a five-year plan. Never ever give up on your dream! If you just don’t quit, one day you’ll reach the other shore. Whatever you do, do it until you can’t do it a fingernail better. No regrets! So what is it you’re doing with this one wild and precious life? 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.

Bill Williams Partner, VP Learning, The Art Of

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

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