The Art of Leadership for Women Toronto 2018: Conference Summary by The Art Of

Toronto | April 13, 2018

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

CONTENTS

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

About The Art of Leadership for Women

The Hon. Rona Ambrose How do we help women succeed?

Tammy Heermann Elevating women in leadership

Dr. Annie McKee Why are there far too few good leaders?

Laura Vanderkam Seven beter ways to spend your time

Malala Yousafzai You can move forward by focusing on the positive

Executive Panel

Bill Williams Closing remarks

Sponsors & Partners

At last, women in leadership roles have both hands on the wheel and we are steering our lives, careers and the world for ourselves. But empowerment comes with questions. Is it okay to admit that you don’t know everything? How will I make time work for me? Is an unconscious bias sabotaging my opportunities? As we work our way up the ranks, we’ve come to realize that men still need our help to step it up for equality’s sake. We need to work together to create a better world as we focus on the positive. Little by little, we’re getting out of our leadership comfort zone to really commit to the things that make us happy. People and organizations both benefit from a greater sense of enjoyment, productivity, and purpose and why not? Our feelings and emotions, the empathy that women bring to the boardroom is finally being seen in a positive light, allowing us all to rise up like never before.

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

The Hon. Rona

AMBROSE

Former Leader of Canada’s Official Opposition in the House of Commons and Champion for the Rights of Women and Girls

Women are not looking for special treatment. What we have always wanted was an equal opportunity to succeed.

HOW DO WE HELP WOMEN SUCCEED? Changing the status quo Are women equal in the workplace? Many women are still dealing with professional jealousy, anger, and the questioning of their skills by men in the workplace today; a staggering 1 in 4 women are sexually harassed at work each year. Women are overlooked, dismissed and underestimated by men, even to the point of those men claiming that women are where we are because we are women! Remember this. In politics, you’re considered a nobody until somebody calls for your dismissal, and it has nothing to do with your choice of career. Men have an obligation to create a workplace that is inclusive of women. Not to put us above them, but to foster an environment of equality and fair treatment.

wonder women are often nervous to try new things. However, when you’re scared and nervous about trying something new, that can be a good sign—that nervous feeling is actually telling you to try it. The moment you get that tingling feeling about trying something new, make a commitment to yourself. Commit to taking up more space; to introduce yourself to someone new, and never underestimate how you can inspire others. Equality looks past personal bias People who make judgments about women based on their own personal experience and background listen to their

unconscious bias. For example, society has a hard time seeing women as leaders. The unconscious bias is that women are unable to handle a promotion to a managerial role because of too many “personal commitments”. Until now, women have done all that’s been asked of them. The time has come for men to make the next step, to change their unconscious bias. It’s time for men to ask themselves if they take women seriously in the workforce? Do they make women lead challenging projects and take their contributions seriously? And finally, to ask, can they accept a women’s critique? Only when the answers are yes, will we work side by side with equality.

Get out of your comfort zone Women who put down other women and those who aren’t supportive of other women are called ‘Mean Girls’. Unfortunately, we live in a world where people think you need to tear others down in order to elevate yourself. No

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Tammy

HEERMAN Leadership Transformation Expert and Senior Vice President at Lee Hecht Harrison

There is a path forward!

ELEVATING WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP You are in control Never before have women’s issues been debated, dissected and discussed like they are today. From women in politics to wage disparity to the #MeToo movement, we are more confused than ever about our role in leadership. Rather than give up, there is a way to move forward. We are in control of ourselves, our development and our mindsets. There are three dimensions that need to be in place to bring about change—individual behaviours, culture, and organizational practices. Critical behaviours and beliefs Changes start by having a clear, shared career plan and by being someone who advocates on their own behalf. You influence upwards and delegate work to promote teamwork. You believe there are no barriers to advancement. You’re confident and you take risks to learn new skills. While you cultivate mentors and sponsors, you network with stakeholders who can help your career. You’re a savvy business and financial operator who speaks strategically. You know you don’t

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

have to work harder, you work smarter, but the sacrifices are worth it. Culture: Why not me? You could be the one holding yourself back. Are you your own worst enemy? Do you doubt your own potential while missing the bigger career picture? Do you keep your strengths and successes to yourself? Do you believe that only the experts should speak up? Are you a good corporate soldier, picking up all the grunt work while keeping your head down? Maybe you’re not working at the right level, or you’re someone who refuses to relinquish control, striving at all times to be superwoman.

Organizational Practices Recognize that diversity and inclusion will be only as strong as your leadership culture. Managers who champion female talent do things differently. They create inclusive opportunities to network. They support and showcase women to senior leaders and decision makers. They use coaching and career conversations to challenge negative self-perceptions while providing coaching and feedback that builds business acumen. Finally, they challenge themselves and others to avoid unconscious biases to avoid stereotypical judgments. In short, who you work for matters, big time, to your career.

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Dr. Annie

McKEE

Bestselling Author, Emotional Intelligence Expert and Senior Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania

Using emotional intelligence is common sense, not common practice.

WHY ARE THERE FAR TOO FEW GOOD LEADERS? Love and work go together like... How we reach our goals are through people. Yet, leadership skills are something that few actively develop. Many think that leadership is about being the one with something to say when the two most important things in life are love and work. We discount emotional intelligence and happiness as the means to success. Myth 1 The leader is always the smartest one in the room. Not so. Emotional intelligence is the greatest indicator of a strong leader. Many organizations don’t focus on their people. Instead, they foster an environment where people are more focused on hitting their targets, creating a performance-driven culture instead of an emotionally intelligent one. Women are raised to be empathetic to others, they come by emotional intelligence naturally. Using your emotions to get things done can be powerful.

work environment fosters creativity and increased production because we feel good. A negative one focuses on our fears rather than what we’re supposed to be doing. When you focus on your strengths—figuring out what they are and then leveraging those skills rather than what you’re doing wrong, you’ll be growing both your leadership skills and your emotional intelligence. Myth 3 You have to be a superhero. Burnout is an epidemic. To avoid the superhero trap, take control of both your working and personal lives. The whole work-life balance thing doesn’t exist.

Find a rhythm that works for you. Find a way to make decisions and stick to them. Banish the fear and insecurity, open yourself to a culture that lets you align your values with where you’re going. How to be happy at work Happiness doesn’t come with success. In order to be successful, we need to be happy. Life is too short to be unhappy. The belief that your lives are worthwhile, that you’re contributing something to the world gives us purpose. Embrace organizations that have goals that you care about and gives you happiness at work.

Myth 2 You have to be a superhero. How we feel impacts our work. A positive

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Laura

VANDERKAM Bestselling Author and Time Management Expert

Build the life you want… in the time you have.

SEVEN BETTER WAYS TO SPEND YOUR TIME Mind your hours You’re never too busy to track your time. We all waste time, but let’s be real about it. Try tracking your activities for a week to help you prioritize. Define for yourself what you really want to do with your time vs. what things need to get done and off your plate.

Move time around There are never enough hours in the day, but we have weeks to live in, not just days. You have 168 hours each week to fill. Just because you have a routine, doesn’t mean that things have to happen at the same time each day. There is no perfect time. Find the gaps in your time and fill them with exercise or whatever you desire.

Look forward Looking forward helps you to organize your time with a bigger picture view. Write down and define the 3 things you wish to do with your professional goals and personal goals.

Build in space If you see an opportunity when there’s space in your schedule, grab it. Ask yourself, “would I do this tomorrow?” You can also build in those spaces and use that time to get caught up. Don’t say yes to everything. Triage your calendar. Ignore, minimize,

delegate and lower your standards to free up time. You won’t feel like you’re always behind, rushed or forever late. Get enough sleep Easy to say, hard to do. Make time for yourself. Make time for sleep and exercise. Anything that adds to your energy is time well spent. Do your activities based on your energy and you’ll come out ahead. Spend less time on your phone Collect those little bits of time and use those 5 minutes to read, look around or delete email. Collecting time in minutes can add up over the course of a week, so make each moment count for something.

First things first Is what you’re currently doing a priority? People spend time on things that are urgent but not important. Time is elastic, and what you choose to do with your time is your choice. Make a short priority list (career, personal, relationships) and try planning for the week ahead on Friday afternoons. You’ll hit the ground running Monday morning.

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Malala

YOUSAFZAI Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, International Bestselling Author and Malala Fund Co-founder

Every girl has the right to education.

YOU CAN MOVE FORWARD BY FOCUSING ON THE POSITIVE Where to find your strength You can find unexpected circles of strength with your friends and family, even if you are afraid to revisit the past as I did by returning to my country for the first time in 5 years. You find strength when you focus on the positive; when you don’t think about the worst things that can happen. When you focus on the positive, change can happen for the better! When you believe in yourself, you feel confident. Unfortunately, confidence is a trait that is most associated with men, not women, and we need to change that. We need to speak out against lack of education for women, sexual harassment, and gun violence. These issues affect us all and we need to take a collective action against them.

Fund focuses on the most marginalized regions. For example, education is not a basic right in Pakistan. The Malala Fund supports local activists and invests in education because every girl in each and every country should have the right to a safe and quality education. But the benefits reach beyond knowledge and careers. What’s important is where it’s invested because investing in education ultimately reduces poverty and conflict. Pass the message, not the buck We still see that there is a lack of rep-

resentation amongst the community. People need to come together. Interacting with people is the most crucial way to address the issues you are tackling and by speaking to others and by speaking out, we can pass our message. My parents and my father are an inspiration to me. I listen and learn from my friends. The key is to learn something from everyone you meet. There is always something that you can get from everyone, especially when it comes from someone’s strengths. Invest in people and it will bring you positive energy.

The world is our classroom The future generation is aware of the current issues and they are trying to find ways to tackle them. What gives me hope and allows me to keep going is when I go and visit young girls in different parts of the world. The Malala

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

EXECUTIVE PANEL

BARB MASON

BILL McFARLAND

MELANIE DUNN

CAROLINE RISEBORO

Group Head and Chief Human Resources Officer

CEO and Chief Inclusion Officer

Global President and CEO

President and CEO

When we talk about work-life balance amongst women it creates a stereotype that work-life balance only affects women, but it affects everyone. We embrace diversity including standards for being great leaders for our employees and customers, so there is an inclusive environment for everybody.

Broader inclusiveness tackles all of our unconscious biases, embracing equal opportunity. Recognize the opportunities that men had and try to create those for women. Understand how leaders work. An email I send on the weekend doesn’t require an immediate response until Monday morning.

Stereotyped behaviours challenge us. Men are expected to be assertive and dominant, while women are passive and easy going. Also challenging is a work-life balance. It’s not about having protocols and programs in place, it’s about actually ensuring they’re practiced.

Achieving equality takes work. At our present rate, it will take 100 years to have a 50/50 equality in the workplace. We’re committed to equality and diversity. Equal pay day is a symbolic day dedicated to raising awareness of the gender pay gap.

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

CLOSING REMARKS Empowerment is a big word and it requires courage. It’s ok to be vulnerable and admit that: “I don’t know everything” If you have a voice you HAVE to use it! Don’t give up. There is a way forward. We are in control of two things. Ourselves and who we work for. So aim high! Ask yourself “Why NOT me?” Let’s take control! Everyone has a story, a vivid real life story that comes with us to work everyday. Remember, our brains work better when we feel good! Life is too short to be unhappy at work. Happiness is a HUMAN RIGHT! So don’t ‘should’ on yourself! Happiness at work begins with purpose, hope and then friendship. However busy you are – you can build the life you want with the time you have. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, 365 days in a year. “I don’t have time” really means it is NOT a priority! So remember, men and women need to work together to create a better world. Forgiveness is healing. Hatred and negativity are a waste of time. Believe in yourself, be yourself, and follow your dreams! Forgiveness is healing. Rise UP! #TheArtOf

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