Passion and Leadership: Looking Ahead to 2012

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iStock_000001586116XSmallBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

This year on The Glass Hammer, a topic we’ve discussed frequently is passion – why uncovering your true passion about your work can help advance your career and can make you happier. The value of passion really comes down to being “authentic” – when you’re doing what you truly love, it shows, and helps influence others to follow you or pull you forward.

In his new book Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level, Joel A. Garfinkle explains why passion is so important for leaders – it’s a lot easier to get other people to follow you when they believe in you, than when they don’t. He writes:

“Be passionate and excited by your objectives, and share this excitement with others. This kind of enthusiasm propels people toward your point of view and prompts them to connect emotionally with your passion.

“Besides passion, you also need to display confidence. Even if others doubt your ideas, they embrace them because they trust your confidence.

Enthusiasm and confidence are two qualities that stem from passion, but there’s a lot more to it than that. According to a recent study, the wrong kind of passion can stand in your way, while the right kind can propel you forward. How can you manage your own passion and use it to gain more ground in 2012?

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Expanding Your Horizons: Seven Tips to Get on an International Board

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Attractive African American business woman with executives in meBy Jenny Chen (Washington, D.C.)

Recent studies on women in the boardroom reveal that women are getting seats at the table at an unfortunately slow rate. In fact, calls for more women on boards have been more vocal in Europe and the UK.

For example, Britain just announced that companies would have to announce to shareholders by September 2012 their own targets for placing women on their boards, and state clearly how they plan to do so. Countries such as France, Spain, and Norway have already introduced compulsory quotas.

Irene Natividad, chair of Corporate Women Directors International, said, “Something is happening, and it’s driven by Europe.”

But supply seems to be unable to keep up with demand. The CWDI reports that US companies hold about 20.8% of board seats. According to the European Professional Women’s Network, 9.7% of the board members at the top 300 companies. And in China and India, women hold only about 5% of board seats.

This opens up an opportunity for women in the United States to join boards abroad, particularly in Europe where many companies are looking to fill their quotas or mandates.

As Candice Morgan, director of advisory services at Catalyst recently told HR Magazine, “We’ve certainly seen, for a while, an interest in women with international formal experience, since the legislation in Norway.”

Serving on a board is a great opportunity to broaden your horizons, said Lauren Leader-Chivee, Senior Vice President at the Center for Work-Life Policy and Partner at Sylvia Ann Hewlett Associates. “If you aspire to top leadership, being on a board…gives you exposure to a diverse set of management. To be fully competent in your own company you need to have a diverse range of experiences,” she said.

Here are seven tips to keep in mind when you are seeking a board seat abroad.

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Voice of Experience: Claire Ross, Head of Customer Service Delivery, Outsourcing, Mercer

ClaireRossBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

One of the turning points in Claire Ross’s career was realizing the benefits in taking big risks and moving out of her comfort zone.

Ross, Head of Customer Service Delivery, Outsourcing at Mercer, explained, “I realized that men go for bigger roles, even if they don’t think they can do half of the job. As a woman I would not have gone done that, our natural tendency is to be 100% sure you can do the whole role.”

She continued, ‘Knowing that, I have pushed myself outside of my comfort zone and it has proved to be much easier than I ever imagined. If I had known earlier, I would have pushed further, sooner.”

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Ask-a-Career-Coach: How to Rock Your Performance Review

AnnDalyHighRes-2Contributed by executive coach Ann Daly PhD

I was worried after my most recent coaching session with “Rina.” We had been prepping for her performance review as a top-level financial advisor, and I didn’t have much time to make a few key points. Rina was talking about her hard work and hurt feelings rather than about her accomplishments and comparative salaries, so in order to shock her into a productive mindset, I chose to use some untempered bluntness. Afterward I wondered, had I been a tad too blunt?

And then I received this update from Rina:

“Hi Ann,

Just a quick note to let you know I had my review. It went very, very well. I am happy. My salary has been increased 11%, which is substantially above the stated 7.5% cap for the firm.

I spent a good amount of time preparing for the conversation, thanks to our talk together. You helped me get clear about what my goal was going into the meeting. I had a little speech written out for myself and rehearsed it well. I was ready with all sorts of numbers and facts on the firm’s growth and how I didn’t get to participate in it last year, although I had strongly contributed to it. I didn’t find real comparative numbers, but I did have relative internal numbers that I could have used, if necessary.

Also, importantly, I managed to have a relaxed and interesting conversation with my CEO. I was worried I was going to let myself babble uncontrollably. Instead, I forced myself to stop at the end of each point.

I came out of the review with much more confidence in my career strategy. We explicitly talked about the fact that I am involved in so many different initiatives and whether this might be perceived as a lack of focus. He reassured me that this “portfolio attitude” was actually the right way to go at this time of high uncertainty and volatility.

Tonight is the office Christmas party, and I am now ready to really celebrate. Thank you again so much!”

The only reason I went for the blunt tool was that I knew Rina to be a really smart cookie and a quick study, to boot. She doesn’t get stuck in ego, and she is serious about her career. Let me break down the tools and techniques she used to get that 11% pay bump, so you can go get your own raise!

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How to Navigate the Niceness Paradox, Part 2

Businesswoman in Gray Dress Isolated on WhiteBy Robin Madell (San Francisco)

“‘Nice’ has never really been the word to describe me in 
the workplace. However, I do think I am an effective leader. I honestly 
don’t know if being ‘nice’ would have gotten me further along more quickly 
or not. Sometimes I think it might have.”

-Nikki Gastineau Johnson, Vice President

As the quote above reflects, women sometimes feel conflicted about being ‘nice’ versus ‘effective’ in the workplace. Studies show that when women adopt more assertive behaviors believed to be essential to successful leadership, they are evaluated more negatively than men. (See “How to Navigate the Niceness Paradox: Part 1.”)

The Glass Hammer continues with Part 2 of a special series on how women can navigate the “niceness paradox.” For this series, we polled a group of 50 workplace thought leaders, as well as women in leadership roles across a variety of industries, for their expertise. The following strategies are a continuation of the group’s top recommendations.

Balance “Relate” and “Require”

A healthy blend of both “relating” and “requiring” skills are necessary for workplace effectiveness, says Leigh Steere, co-founder of Managing People Better. Relating skills include asking, listening, including, coaching, and encouraging, while requiring skills include creating expectations, focusing on goals, setting controls, asserting views, and confronting problems.

Leigh says that both women and men can stumble professionally if they lean on one of these skill sets more than the other. “Women may not be able to avoid the niceness paradox completely, because some find it uncomfortable to see women engaged in requiring skills.” Former CEO at Hewitt Associates Peter Friedes points out that women often believe that they become less nice when they use requiring skills.

Tom Cox, managing consultant of Cox Business Consulting, also emphasizes the relate/require balance. He says that to negate the paradox, you need to push both sides at once. “You want
 enough of a relationship that people care about making you happy, and you want to be requiring 
enough that you push people out of their comfort zones,” Cox says. He also suggests that women stop seeing the dual options as a paradox. “You don’t become more demanding by being less of a relater,” he says. “Hold your ground on relating, or even increase it.”

Suzanne M. Garber, COO of International SOS Assistance, Inc., also feels that it is not an either/or proposition between “nice” and “effective,” maintaining that it is possible for women to be 
both. “I think the more telling question is not ‘Is a woman perceived to be effective in her role if she is also nice’ but ‘Is a woman effective in her role if she is also nice,’” Garber says. “Behavior does matter in the workplace and professional courtesy niceness is, in some cases, just as important as competence. In the end, performance matters and how that is accomplished does count.”

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How to Navigate the Niceness Paradox, Part 1

Confident businesswomanBy Robin Madell (San Francisco)

“People working for me have loved me; peers have resented and hated me. For years, I was the top female executive in my area in a very male-dominated industry, but I’ve grown tired of trying to be someone I am not, just to be perceived on a personal level as favorably as my male counterparts. I’m in the process of leaving a corporate job and starting my 
own law firm due to this very reality.”

The anonymous quote above reveals that when it comes to leadership, women face a cultural conundrum. Studies show that when women adopt certain behaviors believed to be essential to successful leadership, they are evaluated more negatively than men. Women continue to be perceived as less qualified than men in most leadership roles.

For example, Northwestern University recently performed a meta-analysis incorporating studies from three different research paradigms to examine the cultural masculinity of leadership stereotypes. The analysis found that women are sometimes viewed as inappropriate or presumptuous when they engage in certain behaviors required by leadership positions. Previous research found that qualities such as being nice or compassionate are commonly associated with women, while qualities such as being assertive or competitive are associated with men.

Study co-author Alice Eagly comments on the implications of the study on Northwestern’s website: “Cultural stereotypes can make it seem that women do not have what it takes for important leadership roles, thereby adding to the barriers that women encounter in attaining roles that yield substantial power and authority.”

In a lecture to the Silicon Valley Thought Leadership Greenhouse, Deborah Gruenfeld of the Stanford Graduate School of Business noted a recent study in which students were asked to evaluate two identical versions of a case study about a venture capitalist, except one featured a woman and the other a man. As described on Stanford’s website:

“Students found the male and female versions to be equally competent and effective. However, when the students thought the venture capitalist was a woman they found her to be less genuine, humble, and kind and more power-hungry, self-promoting, and disingenuous. And the more assertive a student found the female venture capitalist to be, the more they rejected her.”

The results of studies like these reflect an inherent paradox for women. When women are associated with leadership qualities that are considered more “male” (such as strength, decisiveness, competitiveness, and authoritativeness), they may be judged as “unlikeable.” Yet women who are viewed as more likeable by displaying qualities that are considered more “female” (such as friendliness, warmth, nurturing, and kindness) are sometimes considered less capable and competent leaders.

How can women navigate the “niceness paradox”? For a special two-part series, The Glass Hammer polled a group of 50 workplace thought leaders, as well as women in leadership roles across a variety of industries, for their expertise. The following strategies reflect the group’s top recommendations.

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Voice of Experience: Carolyn B. Lamm, Partner, White & Case

carolynblammBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“There really is no silver bullet to winning and achieving,” began Carolyn B. Lamm, Partner at White & Case.

“It’s absolutely hard work and maximal effort. It takes a long time to figure out that the way to win a case is working very hard to develop the evidence, analyze the legal issues, and, formulate a winning approach—and convey it with excellent written and oral advocacy,” she continued.

Lamm, who specializes in international dispute resolution, is the former President of the American Bar Association. She also served as the organization’s representative to the United Nations. She is passionate about encouraging more women to take on leadership roles in the profession, and encourages senior women to reach out more to junior women.

“Women are very supportive of each other in a very positive way. If you give one a chance, she usually will perform wonderfully for you,” she said.

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How Will You Measure This Year?

Contributed by CEO Coach Henna Inam

It’s the end of the year. You’re scrambling to make the numbers, completing performance reviews for your people, finalizing business reviews so plans for next year can be fine-tuned. Sound familiar? For each of the last 20 years of my corporate career, as each year drew toward a close it was a mad scramble to year end. This year as an entrepreneur, I followed some of the familiar steps.  Then I had a bit of an epiphany. I was leaving out perhaps one of the most important measures of my future success and fulfillment – how did I do as a leader this year?

So this year I am planning to give myself the gift of reflection during the week between the Christmas and New Year. I hope that each of us takes some quiet time, a journal, and the inspiration to do a “Personal Leadership Review”. Most leadership is fairly unconscious, based on habits and behavior patterns we’ve learned over time.  A “Personal Leadership Review” helps us become more conscious of ourselves as leaders and over time we can choose to adopt leadership practices that will help us grow as leaders. According to Emotional Intelligence 2.0, the traits of knowing and managing ourselves and knowing and managing others are highly correlated with our success and fulfillment. On average, those who score higher on Emotional Intelligence earn $34,000 more that those who don’t.

Here are some questions I am planning to ask myself during my “Personal Leadership Review.” What will you ask yourself?

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Movers and Shakers: Anne Izzillo, President, Financial Women’s Association of New York

anneizzilloBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Anne Izzillo, President of the Financial Women’s Association, believes sincerely in the power of networking – in fact, she said, that’s how she got involved in the group in the first place. “I lived and worked in London for 14 and a half years and I came back in 1999, basically without a network.”

“Everybody had gone to the four winds in the almost 15 years I was away,” she explained. “And somebody I know, a friend of a friend actually, suggested, because I was bemoaning the fact that I didn’t have a network anymore… that I join the FWA.”

“You can join and meet some great women and foster some great relationships, or you can actually join a committee and get involved in the organization and that’s what I did from day one.”

On Tuesday, The Financial Women’s Association of New York celebrated its 2011 Holiday Party at the NASDAQ Tower in Times Square with networking and discussion. Hosted by NASDAQ CEO Robert Greifield, the event featured an interview between Greifield and CNBC reporter Scott Wapner.

A new partnership between the FWA and The Daily Beast’s Women in the World project was also announced at the event, whereby the FWA will have a page on the WITW website and partner on events.

Kim Azzarelli, Vice President, New Ventures at Newsweek Daily Beast and President of the Women in the World Foundation, announced the project. Azzarelli, whose background is in corporate law, said the partnership would connect different sectors to benefit women globally. She explained, “If we could connect the dots across all of the sectors, we could really do a lot for women and girls, and connect the dots across the generations as well.”

The partnership is one step in making the FWA a more global organization, which, Izzillo said, is one of her key goals for the next year and beyond. “Eventually, someday I’d love to see the FWA be an international or a global organization,” she said.

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Movers and Shakers: Karen Wimbish, Director of Retail Retirement, Wells Fargo

KarenWimbishBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Karen Wimbish, Director of Retail Retirement at Wells Fargo, refers to herself as a “second half champion.” Having been in the industry for over 35 years, and worked in several functions, she saw her career pick up significantly after her kids were high school age – and she said, women in particular can benefit from a new, more flexible vision of the workplace.

She explained, “The old notion is that you have to sky-rocket up through the ranks. You can actually do it a little later.”

At a time when people are living and working longer, Wimbish said, women shouldn’t feel locked into a particular career path. “I never managed anyone besides my part time assistant until I was over 40. I was always an individual contributor. But now in the second half of my career, I manage hundreds of people. I don’t believe in career paths – I believe in opportunities.”

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