Aug 14, 2012 | Leadership, Women
“Nothing, arguably, is as important in the political economy of development as an adequate recognition of political, economic,and social participation, and leadership of women.”
– Nobel Prize laureate economist Amartya Sen
I just finished reading Why Women Should Rule the World by Dee Dee Myers. Although this New York Times bestseller was published in 2008, it just made it to the top of my reading list. Reflecting on her tenure as White House press secretary and the work and leadership of other professional women, I found it to be a provocative and persuasive read.
While its title could imply otherwise, it’s not a book that declares supremacy of women over men, but rather one that demonstrates the importance of balance and having both gender voices at the table and in key leadership roles – at all levels – and how a more equitably represented leadership field changes everything for men, women, and their families. The issues that need to be addressed are creating American workplace culture that is supportive of the complex dynamics at play among work, family, household responsibilities, childcare, and eldercare.
According to The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything, by Maria Shriver and the Center for American Progress,women are half of all US workers, and mothers are the primary breadwinners or co-breadwinners in nearly two-thirds of American families.
Yet, while women make up over 50% of today’s workforce, they make up only “16 percent of the US Senate, 16 percent of the House, and not quite 24 percent of state legislators,” writes Myers. And “only eight of the nation’s fifty governors are women.”
Ditto business. While women make the vast majority of consumer decisions in this country – more than 80 percent – we still lack enough influence at the top of the corporations that make and sell those goods and services. Myers states that “True, women now fill about half of all managerial positions, but among Fortune 500 companies, women account for only 16 percent of corporate officers, 5 percent of top earners, and an anemic 2 percent of CEOs.”
Myers finds that the pattern is repetitive, with women making up half of law school graduates and roughly a third of all lawyers, but they account for only 15 percent of partners in law firms or federal judges. Women make up nearly half of medical school graduates, but only a quarter of doctors and 10 percent of the deans of medical schools.
Many things drive and contribute to this reality, including biology, ideology, and simply the differences in how women and men approach work and other life responsibilities. Over the next few weeks, I’ll dedicate Raven posts to reflect on these differences as well as Myers’ writing on why women don’t rule the world, why they should rule the world, and lastly, how they can rule the world.
Each of us can make a difference from where we are. It’s up to women to step forward and do it. Here’s why it’s so critical:
• As women, we have unique gifts, talents, and perspectives to offer. Our goal is not to enhance the masculine spirit, but to express the feminine – creating a more just and caring world through the infusion of the feminine element.
• It’s the reality of the world in which we live. Trends show that the percentage makeup of women in the workplace isn’t likely to regress.
• In order to change the culture in the American workplace, women must band together. It simply won’t happen unless top women come together, speak out, and change and enforce new policy.
• A few just aren’t enough. It takes a critical mass to really make change. Myers states, “A recent study of corporate boards found it takes three women to really change the dynamic in a board room. A lone woman is often made to feel she represents the ‘woman’s point of view,’ and can be left out of decision-making discussions and even social gatherings.”
• We owe a great debt to the women who have blazed the trails before us. We all stand on their shoulders – the countless others who stuck their necks out for going where no woman has gone before.
As Anne-Marie Slaughter states in Why Women Still Can’t Have it All: “The best hope for improving the lot of all women is to close the leadership gap, elect a woman president and 50 women US senators, and ensure that women are equally represented in the ranks of corporate executives and judicial leaders. Only when women wield power in sufficient numbers will we create a society that genuinely works for all women. That will be a society that works for everyone.”
Sources:
Myers, Dee Dee. Why Women Should Rule the World. New York: HarperCollins, 2008.
Shriver, M. (2009, October ). The Shriver report: a woman’s nation changes everything. Retrieved from http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/10/pdf/awn/a_womans_nation.pdf
Slaughter, A. (2012, July/August). Why women still can’t have it all. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/why-women-still-can-8217-t-have-it-all/9020/
Aug 1, 2012 | Leadership, Strategy
Some consider visioning to be a fluff exercise rather than an effective personal or business development strategy. After all – in both our personal and business lives – we spend the majority of our time working ‘in it,’ rather than ‘on it.’ However, dedicating time to thinking about the future can be a critical investment that reaps big rewards. How do I know that? I have proven it for myself and for my clients. In fact, I have found that visioning is 100% smart business practice, helping organizations and individuals within them chart the course, set goals, and measure progress – all of which directly impact the bottom line.
Two years ago, I gave myself a gift: a 12-month sabbatical. I had recently left a top leadership post as an arts administrator, knowing that I had completed what I set out to do for the organization. But I didn’t quite know what would come next. I needed a little “white space” between completing a very consuming role and beginning my next venture – a little time off to choose activities that helped me think, discover, and refill my creative well.
One day while reading The Law of Attraction by Esther and Jerry Hicks, I came across a visioning exercise called the “creative workshop.” The concept is to spend about 20 minutes each day giving thought to what you want with great clarity, describing and refining a fulfilling picture of yourself – and the life you want to live. (The idea, of course, is that you attract and create that on which you focus.)
Ultimately, that exercise led me to create a two-year vision of the most full, enriching, and satisfying life I could imagine. I then laid out specific actions I’d take to guide me toward my longer-term vision. After all, what good is a vision without a plan to get there?
What I thought initially was a simple (fluffy) exercise ended up having a profound effect (who knew?). It was as if I had sprinkled fairy dust or Miracle Gro® on my life. Each day, I’d re-read and think about my vision and action plan. The phone started to ring, emails arrived, and certain people would simply appear in my day – everywhere from the gas station to the ball field. As if I were a magnet, resources steadily came to me, each of which had a part to play in helping me fulfill my vision.
That was two years ago. Recently, I decided to repeat this “workshop” again for myself, and I am having a similar experience – only this time, my vision seems to have expanded. And once again, I can sense the amazing personal growth beginning to happen.
“We should change our perspective from ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’ to ‘I’ll see it when I believe it.'”
– Chuck Duncan
As individuals, we give so much thought and energy to our work, our co-workers, and to our family and friends that we often forget to invest in ourselves. I observed a sign on a colleague’s desk recently that read, “Me First.” While at first this might seem amusing or even appear egocentric, all of us have to remember that if we don’t first focus on ourselves, we have less to give others.
The same thing happens with organizations: visioning is often put off or lost altogether, with a team’s time and effort immersed in the day-to-day details and priorities. Yet such future-thinking exercises don’t have to be daunting undertakings; they can be incorporated into regular staff or board meetings or be integrated into a periodic planning process. I’ve used a version of this visioning exercise with clients in strategy development, sustainability planning, leadership transitions, and coaching. What I’ve found is that individuals and businesses who roll up their sleeves and take action to do it get great results and rewards.
Visioning, when accompanied by smart planning and consistent focus, can yield true transformation for you and for the organizations you work to improve. Getting started is easier than you think!
- Set aside some uninterrupted time. I suggest an hour, but a few sessions at 20 minutes each also can be effective.
- Pick a point in the future – it can be weeks, months, or years.
- Imagine a life (or business) that is vibrant and fulfilling beyond your greatest expectations.
- Give yourself permission without boundaries to dream and create.
- Describe what you’re imagining in specific, vivid detail.
It may not come easily at first, but with a little time spent – perhaps over a few days/sessions – clarity and details are likely to take shape.
Once the intention is set, give attention to your new vision and plan – and enjoy what begins to manifest itself.
“You get what you think about, whether you want it or not.”
– Jerry Hicks
photo credit: Ross Manges Photography via photopin cc
Jul 14, 2012 | Leadership, Women
I’m pleased to be co-presenting a workshop with Liz Summers, my good friend, colleague, and President of Advancing Leadership Consulting. She is one of the most wicked smart and talented business women I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with – which makes her a perfect partner to create and deliver Stepping Stones to Discovery, a workshop for professional women designed to help you achieve your mission.
Imagine how much stronger your relationships would be and how much more of a fulfilled life you could live if you really understood more about what made you tick – both when things are going well and when there’s conflict and opposition in your life.
On Thursday, October 25, we’ll gather with 18 professional women for the day at Timberlake Earth Sanctuary. And it will be all about them – their strengths, stories, and action plan they will develop to create the life they’re meant to lead.
We invite you to come and participate in this full day experience. You’ll begin with completing the Strengths Deployment Inventory (SDI) and interpreting the results, followed by a creative visioning exercise, and closing with a personal action plan you’ll design to help you step toward achieving your vision. It will be an insightful, impactful day with lasting results. Join us!
For more information and to register: Stepping Stones
Jan 29, 2012 | Management
When a nonprofit organization experiences a leadership transition, hiring an interim executive director can be the most logical and positive action its board can take.
Leadership change is an increasingly common aspect of nonprofit organizational life. Multiple studies reinforce the impending turnover of top leadership in the nonprofit sector, due in great part to the aging and retiring boomer population. It’s not a matter of if, but when the change is coming. When your organization experiences this transition, research and practice suggests that groups that plan well and use a skilled interim executive director, emerge stronger, more fiscally sound, and with higher levels of optimism about the future impact of their programs and services.
Leadership transition is a period commonly marked with emotion, tension, and stress. Internally, staff and board are in the midst of separating from the previous executive, and the departing director is in an in-between state and can be confused about how much influence he or she wants or should have on the agency’s future. If the director’s departure is forced, emotions may be particularly high.
Externally, some funders, donors, and volunteers will take a “wait and see” approach before becoming involved and investing in the organization. This can create strain between needs and resources, further taxing administrative systems.
A highly skilled interim executive director temporarily takes the helm of an organization, helps the board and staff address important systems and capacity issues, and lays the groundwork for the following leader’s success. This leader:
– Serves as a bridge, giving the board ample time to conduct a thoughtful search process and managing the day-to-day executive responsibilities that include: conducting an objective organizational review, leading anxious staff, reassuring wary funders, and keeping finances and revenue generation on track.
– Tackles unique challenges related to the transition, building on strengths and addressing particular vulnerabilities.
– Helps the board clarify its vision and future leadership needs.
– Models excellence in management and leadership.
– Mentors the new executive director once appointed.
When considering hiring an interim executive director for your organization:
– Begin with the end in mind. Your board should determine what it wants and needs and what is most critical to success over the next few months.
– Identify urgent issues or challenges presently facing your organization.
– Review the current executive director’s job description, determine priorities for the transition period, and draft an Interim job description.
– Seek an interim executive director with solid management experience and a transition skillset. This takes precedence over familiarity with your organization or industry.
– Consider that the assignment is both temporary (four-eight months) and part-time (20 – 25 hours/week) and that the individual should not be a candidate for the full-time position.
– Realize that, due to the unique demands of the role, interim executives are almost always paid higher on an hourly basis than the agency’s permanent executive (although, most interims are part-time and do not receive normal agency benefits).
– Tap local resources for potential candidates, such as area college nonprofit degree programs, consultants serving the nonprofit sector, industry sector affinity groups, and nonprofit consortiums.
There is great power and potential in this “neutral zone” – the space after the former director leaves and the new leader begins. The organization is more open to change than usual and poised to leverage the heightened opportunity. Systems and culture become a bit “unglued” and can be put back together in new and exciting ways that leave the nonprofit stronger and more sustainable.
Jan 25, 2012 | Leadership
In a feature article of The Nonprofit Quarterly – The Inclusive Nonprofit Boardroom: Leveraging the Transformative Potential of Diversity – authors Patricia Bradshaw and Christopher Fredette shared highlights of a study they conducted of Canadian nonprofit organizations examining how they made sense of diversity, and what they saw as best practices for enhancing it. Their findings and reflections reveal the potential in harnessing the power of diversity in organization leadership.
Their focus was on diversity and the dynamics of inclusion, versus assimilation or differentiation, defined as the degree to which members of diverse and traditionally marginalized communities are present on boards and meaningfully engaged in the governance of their organizations.
I believe that a commitment to diversity and inclusiveness among organization leadership is vitally important. And my observation is that this work is challenging, complex, and requires dedication and commitment over the long-term. Many organizations, as they attempt to bring greater diversity to their board and staff, have experienced a decline in organization performance and forward progress. I’ve witnessed the changes creating tension, conflict, and division. I conclude that this is due in great part to two factors: 1) a misunderstanding of what it truly means for an organization to embrace diversity and inclusion, and 2) the lack of sincere, consistent, long-term commitment to and execution of a diversity plan.
From the study, interviewee Kristina Bourne described an environment of inclusion as “a culture in which every individual is valued as a vital component of the organization’s success and competitive advantage.” Bourne describes this concept as an alternative to seeing diversity as an end in itself or something to be managed or tolerated.
Reflecting on their interviews, they found that informants were talking about two different types of inclusion — which Bradshaw and Fredette termed “functional inclusion” and “social inclusion”— and about how the two can work together to create something transformational.
The article describes functional inclusion as characterized by goal-driven and purposeful strategies for the increased inclusion of members of diverse or traditionally marginalized communities. Social inclusion, in contrast, is characterized by the participation of members of diverse groups in the interpersonal and cultural dynamics of the board, based on meaningful relational connections. Unlike the functional notions of inclusion, social inclusion also stresses the value derived from social standing and relational acceptance within the context of the board.
A commitment to and healthy balance of both social and functional inclusion is required for success. Merely recruiting board members from diverse communities and expecting positive outcomes is not enough. As you consider how your nonprofit’s board will evolve to embrace diverse, inclusive leadership, consider the following:
- Your organization’s leadership must be reflective of the diverse communities and constituents you serve. It’s simply sound business practice.
- Be prepared for the complexities and challenges of becoming a more inclusive organization.
- Include your commitment to diversity and inclusiveness as a core part of your organization’s strategic plan. Approach the work with a sincere and genuine commitment to execute this core strategy consistently over the long-term. It must become a part of your organization’s DNA.
- Begin with simple actionable steps, with people you know. Progress slowly and steadily, remembering that relationship building takes time.
- Once on board, support new members through transitional phases of board entry, and authentically engage them in social aspects that build strong relationships and board cohesion, such as mentorship, orientation practices, and other group-building processes like retreats and workshops.
- Ensure that yours is a strong and welcoming organizational culture, helping new members feel comfortable and at ease.
- Hold meetings at times and in locations where everyone could attend (in locations with elevators in order to be accessible to those with physical disabilities, or on days that accommodated religious holidays, for example),
- Exhibit sensitivity regarding the use of humor and choices of subject matter that could marginalize or silence people, or exhibit unconscious privilege.
