women in wireless uk event - accelerating your career progress: developing confidence, impact and...

Accelerating your career progress: develop confidence, impact & influence

Dr Catherine Sandler www.sandlerconsulting.co.uk

Women in Wireless

Wednesday 21st May 2014

Weve

Women in the boardroom

The 2011 Davies Report found that within the FTSE 100:

• 12.5% of Non-Executive Directors are women• 5.5% of Executive Directors are women

The situation in FTSE 250 companies was even worse

By late 2013 these figures had changed as follows:

• 17.3% of Non-Executive Directors• 6.1% of Executive Directors

© 2014 Sandler Consulting Ltd

The case for diverse leadership

• Fairness!

• Wider talent pool – over 50% of graduates are women

• Better financial performance – gender-diverse leadership led to almost double operating profit and 17% higher growth in share-price

• Better decisions – mix of experiences, protection against ‘groupthink’

• Better risk-management – companies with at least one women on board are 20% less likely to go bust, having more women cuts bankruptcy risk further


• The stereotype of the woman conflicts with the stereotype of leader

• Women’s strengths are overlooked or under-valued

• Women in more senior roles are often seen as less likeable

• Women are often assumed to be less ambitious and, if mothers, less committed to their careers

• Both men and women share these perceptions

• The result is ‘subtle and often invisible barriers for women that arise from cultural assumptions and organizational structures, practices and patterns of interaction that inadvertently benefit men…’ (Ibarra, 2013)


Unconscious gender bias

Strengths women bring to work

•Emotional intelligence – self-awareness, empathy, self-management, relationship-building skills

•Collaborative and inclusive approach – team-building, developing others

•Loyalty, commitment and a high level of personal responsibility – women are less likely to leave, often extremely conscientious

•Good citizenship – willingness to contribute to wider organization, less focus on own agenda, less political

•Values-driven – making a difference feels important


How women can hold themselves back

• Discomfort with the idea of power – prefer idea of influence

• Lack of confidence and self-belief – must do everything well, less likely to apply for promotion / pay rise, lack of ‘presence’

• Want to be liked, to maintain harmony – avoid conflict, too accommodating, use apologetic language

• Excessive sense of responsibility – easily feel guilty, over-protective of team

• Too modest – don’t claim enough individual credit for successes

• Uncomfortable in limelight – keep low profile, fail to network upwards

• The Tiara Syndrome – passive approach to career development


Making impact, accelerating your career Build self-confidence and self-belief•Identify your personal / leadership brand – and ensure you live it •Actively network and build relationships across your company•Seek out development opportunities – stretch assignments, training, coaching

Take responsibility for managing your career •Look ahead, identify what leads to promotion in your business•Share your ambitions and aspirations with key stake-holders •Update your CV – keep a file of your successes and skills

Make the right impression•Practice your presentation skills – clear, confident, on time•Dress professionally – as for next level up



Engage senior colleagues• Invest in the relationship with your line-manager – how can you contribute to his/her success?• Attract other sponsors or mentors – put yourself on the radar of senior colleagues, look for how you can help them, find ways of demonstrating the

value you bring your organisation

Make the most of meetings• Choose where you sit – arrive early and take a powerful spot• Speak up – prepare, make yourself contribute, ask questions• Consider your language – don’t apologise or play down your comments

Manage your life goals• Invest in your wellbeing – sleep, nutrition, exercise, relaxation, social life• If having children is part of your life plan, don’t wait too long – career success exists after motherhood!

Women’s Impact Programmes • Deepen your emotional intelligence – understand how you and others

behave under pressure

• Build your leadership brand and learn how to use it

• Deal better with conflict – learn how to stay calm and avoid being passive, aggressive or manipulative, find your assertive voice

• Improve communication skills – breathing, posture, voice,

• Boost confidence, self-belief and presence


Building your personal or leadership brand

• You are CEO and Head of Marketing of Me Inc

• What sets you apart – what do you want to be famous for?

• What value does that bring to your organisation?

• How do you demonstrate this?

• Having clear answers to these questions will help you:

– Increase your visibility – Strengthen your impact – Drive your career


Your personal or leadership brand

• Think of two to three short phrases that encapsulate the essence of your personal brand (aim to embarrass yourself!)

• Do you think this is what other people perceive?

• Can you think of a recent example where your behaviour clearly demonstrated your brand?


Additional slides

See below for four more slides providing additional material


What organisations can do


• Understand that unconscious bias exists in all of us

• Help people become aware of their own biases

• Break connection between bias and action

• Understand the value of female leadership attributes

• Appreciate that women may have different career paths

• Alert people to possible bias before a decision-making process

• Ask ‘How can this person do this job?’ rather than ‘Can this person do this job?’

• Insist on change and reinforce this message

How invisible discrimination works

• Women are more likely to be seen as not ready for promotion than equally or less competent and experienced men

• Women are often perceived as lacking self-confidence and gravitas

• Women are given less in many areas – from pay to office space

• Women are frequently excluded from informal networks that lead to sponsors

• Women are interrupted more often and listened to less in meetings

• Women who do not fit the stereotype are often criticised for behaviour that would be acceptable in men


Differences in male and female leaders

• Men spend more time demonstrating knowledge and expertise, applying commercial acumen, using logical and analytical thinking, expressing unpopular views, individualistic decision-making

• Women spend more time leading in alignment with organisational values, demonstrating a positive attitude and strong work ethic, taking accountability for delivery, participative decision-making and developing people, being an inspirational role-model

• Leadership behaviours: 30% Club study of 9 key leadership behaviours identified 4 as particularly crucial to organisations of the future


The consequences of gender bias

• Men are 4.5 times more likely to reach ExCo than women starting at same time

• Men far more likely to work in the P & L area of the business (51% versus 7%), so have twice the chance of reaching ExCo

• Men are more likely to attract career sponsors

• Men twice as likely to be given more horizontal role moves to broaden their experience and more than twice as likely to gain vertical promotion

• Men are paid more for equal work

• Many organisations have a ‘tipping point’ when large numbers of capable women leave, rather continue their progress up the management ladder


Published in Punch 1988

www.sandlerconsulting.co.uk


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