Movers and Shakers: Lisa Davis, Director, Global Product Manager, Global Transaction Services, Citi

LisaDavisBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Networking is critical, according to Lisa Davis, Director and Global Product Manager, Citi Global Transaction Services. She said, “I want to mention the power of networking. You need to develop a network of people who can help you. Be sure that you’re networking on various levels.”

According to Davis, “Networking is a necessary tool that is underutilized. I believe the sooner you realize the power of networking, the greater your chances are of successfully navigating your career. This is especially true for women, minorities, and the LGBT population.”

“Many people are afraid to network,” she continued. “I for one am a typical introvert and I’m not always comfortable taking the initiative to meet people and interact – but when you talk about true networking, that’s what you do! Its not just about meeting people, it’s about developing relationships rather than just collecting business cards.”

She added, “When networking, you should always have your elevator speech ready and you should always make sure you have an intelligent answer and something relevant to add.”

Read more

/by

Being Yourself at Work: Avoiding Stereotypes and Building a Solid Strategic Network

,

Nicki HeadshotBy Nicki Gilmour, CEO and Publisher of The Glass Hammer

Members of The Glass Hammer community will know that we hold extremely targeted and specific networking events with panel discussions (and articles) that tackle the toughest topics around career management for women in financial and professional services. This year will be no different as we thunder into 2012 with eight events lined up. We aim to encourage you to be well-equipped to succeed in the world of work and we hope to inform, inspire, and empower you every step of the journey.

We are hosting our first 2012 event on the 6th of February, which is part of our “Managing Identities at Work” series. This pioneering event addresses what it means to be an LGBT woman at work in the financial markets and professional services, and will be held here in NY in February and then in London in June. We will be also exploring what it means to be a multicultural women in the industry in New York in October. This work is an extension of our efforts over the past five years, including discussions and whitepapers around Women in Technology, Senior Women in Investment Management, and other issues like how women negotiate differently than men.

You might ask what are we talking about when we ask our readers to think about managing their “identity.” Most of us don’t get out of bed in the morning and think about ourselves in that way. Personal or social identity, and how we manage it, is not to be confused with personal branding. We have control over how we market ourselves. Managing our identities is different – but critical for success.

Read more

/by

Women’s Role in Fixing the “Pyramid Problem:” A New Approach

carolineturnerBy Caroline Turner, author of Difference Works: Improving Retention, Productivity and Profitability through Inclusion

This is not news to anyone who frequents this site: women are still not proportionally represented at the upper levels of business. Women represent about half of entry-level employees and lower level management positions. But at each level up the corporate hierarchy, the percentage of women is lower.

According to Catalyst, in 2011 in the Fortune 500 women represented only 14.1% of executive officers, 7.5% of top earners and 3.2% of CEO’s. In law firms in 2010, Catalyst reports, women made up 45% of associates but only 19% of partners. These declining percentages form a pyramid: the “pyramid problem.”

As I climbed the corporate hierarchy to the C-level, I read a stack of books (many very good) designed to help women navigate the “male dominated” business world. From those books I learned, for example, that women don’t (and must in order to succeed) speak up, ask for what they want, toot their own horn, take risks, speak more confidently and take things less personally. In other words, they need to conform to masculine norms. A recent research report by Catalyst, sadly, concludes that, even when women do all these things, they still lag behind men.

I also learned (from those books and my personal experience) that women face the double bind: If women act too feminine, they aren’t seen as leaders; if they act too masculine, they aren’t likeable (and may be called the “B” word). To succeed, women must get it just right.

All this leads one to think of the pyramid problem as a woman’s problem that is theirs to fix.

That hasn’t worked.

This is more than a problem for women. It is a problem for business. The pyramid problem results in substantial, unnecessary costs for business and it prevents business from realizing the documented upsides of gender diversity. It’s time to shift the focus from how women need to change in order to succeed to how corporate culture can change in order to achieve gender diversity in leadership. That takes framing and talking about the issue differently.

Read more

/by

35 Under 35: Marion S. Regnier, Senior Associate, PwC

MarionRegnierBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“One of the things I have learned is that it’s not enough to be good at what you’re doing. You also have to network,” began Marion S. Regnier, Senior Associate in Technology consulting at PwC.

She continued, “They tell you that in school, but it’s not necessarily something I started doing when I started working. But I’ve realized that you can be very dedicated and excellent, but you still have to branch out.”

Read more

/by

Tough Questions: What If You’re a “Token” Woman?

iStock_000015479593XSmallBy Tina Vasquez (Los Angeles)

A company taking a serious interest in appointing more women to its board doesn’t seem as if it could ever be a bad thing, but in corporate America things aren’t always black and white. Women account for half of the U.S. workforce, yet hold only 16 percent of the seats on Fortune 500 boards. So, how is intentionally seeking out women to appoint ever a bad thing? If it leads to tokenism. If a company is only looking to improve its gender diversity appearance, without tapping into the benefits of true diversity, being that sole woman in a sea of men can be lonely and frustrating.

Harriet Green, chief executive of Premier Farnell, recently wrote that corporations need to go beyond tokenism and move towards real acceptance of the value that a diverse mix can bring. “Women don’t want tokenism. We want the opportunity to show what we can do and be measured on our performance,” Green wrote.  Something a CEO told Green also rings true: “One woman on the board is a token, two is a minority; three means you are really getting there.”

The problem is that three women sitting on the board of the same Fortune 500 company is almost unheard of – even in 2012. Some companies really are trying by introducing women and other minorities to the boardroom, and of course, that means starting with one or two diverse individuals. But some boards are just trying to fend off criticism, while hoping to maintain the status quo. What should you do if you realize you were only hired to make a team or board look diverse and your contributions are not being taken seriously?

Read more

/by

Voice of Experience: Nanette Buziak, Senior Vice President, Head of Equity Trading, ING Investment Management

nanettebuziakBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“It feels like we have to work, in some cases, almost twice as hard as men to prove ourselves. And this becomes more of a delicate area as we progress through our careers,” said Nanette Buziak, Senior Vice President and Head of Equity Trading at ING Investment Management.

She continued, “We don’t want to come across as too aggressive, and that can mean walking the right balance of being aggressive and passionate about what you do, so that you are considered for opportunities as they come up.”

Buziak has learned to walk this balance, and she believes that the financial services industry is becoming more accepting of ambitious women. Recently honored with a Trailblazer Award by Traders Magazine, she told a room of 200 during her acceptance speech:

“Too often is the case of a woman who is high-performing and striving to advance in her career who can get defined as being too aggressive and pushy, whereas men who work hard to succeed and who are assertive often get described as being driven. Our industry has made great efforts to remedy that perception and in providing more support to women to help them in this regard. But there is still a lot more work to be done.”

Hopefully, as passionate and high-performing women become more visible in the industry, that balancing-act will become easier.

Read more

/by

A Checklist for 2012: Learning From Mentors

iStock_000011945392XSmallBy Jessica Titlebaum, Co-founder of Women In Listed Derivatives

Whenever I am standing at a crossroads, faced with a challenge or swamped with work, I make checklists. With a new year upon us, I wanted to share a few action items that I have learned from my mentors and a checklist that has helped me achieve my career goals. Whether it’s recognizing impressive characteristics in other people, learning a new language or dressing up, these measures can help you advance in 2012.

  • Identify role models. Everyone stresses the value in finding a mentor, but I think that identifying a role model is equally as important. We all need someone to look up to and someone we can strive to be like. Think about the last person that really impressed you and why you felt that way? What qualities did they have that you admired? Also, look at people that have jobs you would like someday. What are their responsibilities and what skills can you acquire that would be helpful in that position?

    • Read more

/by

Voice of Experience: Lee A. Merkle-Raymond, Strategic Solutions Executive, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

leemerkleraymondBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Lee A. Merkle-Raymond, Strategic Solutions Executive at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, is enthusiastic about the career opportunities within the banking industry. “Banking is core to the local economy, the national economy, the global economy,” she said. “Banking is a great opportunity for career growth – and a firm like Bank of America Merrill Lynch has a wealth of job types and roles. If you have the drive and can deliver results, you can have just about any type of career you’d like in a large global bank.”

She explained that the ability to help her clients achieve their strategic objectives – like raising capital, making acquisitions, or achieving other goals – is a point of pride for her. “Often the solutions that are most complex are the toughest to get through. But the greater the challenge, the greater your feeling of accomplishment.”

Read more

/by

How to Thwart a Midlife Derailment

Cute business woman with colleagues in the backgroundBy Robin Madell (San Francisco)

One of the latest studies to echo the point that women are falling off the management ladder is DDI’s Women Work: The Business Benefits of Closing the Gender Gap, which incorporates responses from 74 countries. The 2011 study found that the number of women in leadership positions declines greatly as you move up the ladder, and that fewer women are reaching even mid-level positions today compared with two years ago. What’s more, a gender gap that starts off relatively nominal (59 percent men versus 41 percent women) increases greatly at mid- and senior-level positions.

Clearly the problem isn’t getting women into a good position for advancement—it’s actually advancing them. While many women start off with a bang in fields like finance and law, by mid-career many veer off the upward trajectory, often by choice. Whether that choice is due to a loss of passion or a shift in priorities, there are steps you can take to stay on track.

Read more

/by

The #1 Factor That Keeps You from Meeting Your Goals

Contributed by CEO Coach Henna Inam

You’ve set your New Year goals. You’re highly motivated to achieve them. And then something happens and you lose steam. Meet the culprit. It’s called resistance. And it lies in each of us. The fact is the #1 factor standing between us and achieving our goals is ourselves. We often search for the culprit outside. It’s the economy. It’s my mom’s chocolate cake. The gym doesn’t have the right equipment. Sound familiar? Here are 5 steps you can take to manage your resistance so there can be greater flow in meeting your goals.

Read more

/by