Intrepid Woman: Rupali Deshmukh on Remaking Veteran Transitions

Accenture Helps Military Vets in CharlotteBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Last week, Accenture launched a new online Military Career Coach tool for veterans transitioning from military roles to the private sector. Rupali Deshmukh, Military Sourcing Lead at Accenture, considers the tool an extension of one-on-one coaching she has been doing for veterans. Now, she says, the online tool will be able to reach many more men and women who are transitioning to work in the private sector.

She knows first-hand the kinds of challenges members of the military face in making that adjustment. Deshmukh, who moved to the United States in 1999, was stirred to action after the September 11th terrorist attacks, and joined the Army as an HR administrator. In 2001, she joined the Army Reserves, and after a tour of service in Kuwait, and two more as a contractor, she came back to the US looking for a civilian job. Eventually, in 2011, she was hired as a military recruitment expert at Accenture.

She said, “In the 8 years of my career with the military, as well as with Accenture and other companies, my proudest achievement is the workshop I created for my candidates. We provide them with a resume and tools to help them get hired with us or someone else. When I get those emails thanking me and saying they’ve been hired – it’s pure joy.”

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More Women in Nonprofit Board Seats Than in Private Sector—But Still Much Room for Growth

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iStock_000002379502XSmallBy Robin Madell (San Francisco)

The Boston Club released a study in May that examines the gender diversity of women directors and chief executives in the Massachusetts nonprofit sector. The 2013 Census of Women Directors and Chief Executives of Massachusetts’ Largest Nonprofit Organizations: A Benchmark Report is the first of its kind to track the number and percentage of women in the boardrooms and in senior leadership positions of the largest nonprofits in the Commonwealth.

Beverly A. Brown, PhD, is director of development at the Center for Global Health and Development at Boston University’s School of Public Health and an author of the report. Brown credits this as the first report to “shine the bright light” on gender diversity in the education and health sectors.

The report found that:

  • 1,090 women serve on the boards of the 142 largest nonprofit organizations in Massachusetts, representing 35% of all board members in those organizations.
  • 20% of the chief executives of these organizations are women.
  • 124 organizations have 3 or more women on their boards.
  • Only 1 organization has no women on either its board or in the chief executive position.

The Boston Club has long conducted research on women’s leadership and the gender diversity of boards and executive suites of Massachusetts’ largest public companies. The report lays the groundwork to monitor the progress of gender diversity in the nonprofit space, one of the state’s largest employment sectors. Research partners for the project were Simmons College and Mercer.

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Voice of Experience: Jody Hrazanek, Head of Portfolio Implementation and Management, ING U.S. Investment Management

JodyHrazanekBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Jody Hrazanek, Head of Portfolio Implementation and Management at ING U.S. Investment Management (ING U.S. IM), has a suggestion for senior women executives: build stronger working relationships with one another. “As women we focus so much on our individual careers that it’s easy to forget about building a support network with other women. If we could find more ways to stay connected, we would all benefit,” she says.

In addition to networking events or participating in online networks like The Glass Hammer, Hrazanek envisions greater success for women who collaborate more in the day-to-day business environment. She commented, “Committing to events after the workday isn’t always easy for women so we need to find effective networking opportunities in our daily interactions too.”

Hrazanek suggests looking for collaborative projects or seeking out the support of female peers when possible. “These things seem to be much more common among men.” She continued, “I think strong networks would develop naturally” as a result of these connections.

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Five Interview Tips for Executive Women

iStock_000006492382XSmallBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Even if you’re a seasoned executive with a great portfolio and a long list of recommendations, job interviews can be daunting. That’s why, according to Paul Freiberger, author of the book When Can You Start? and founder of Shimmering Resumes, it pays to plan and practice.

“My first essential advice is to realize is that the job interview is all about preparation. If you realize that you are off to a great start. Just like musicians and athletes rehearse, you – the job interviewee — need to rehearse, too,” he explained.

It’s also valuable to approach a job interview as you would a sales meeting… only, this time, the product you’re selling is yourself. Freiberger explained, “Equally important is recognizing that the job interview is not about you. It’s about what you can do for the company you want to work for. Keep that in mind in everything you say, and you will be doing yourself a good service.”

Here are a few more pieces of advice on cracking an interview when you’ve reached the executive ranks.

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Three Reasons We Hate Asking for Help – And Why We Need to Get Over Them

Contributed by CEO Coach Henna Inam

“Umm…I have a favor to ask.” Believe it or not, these are some of the hardest words for me. As much as helping others makes me feel good, I have a hard time asking for help. Yet, asking people for favors is a key enabler for us to meet our goals. Here are three mindsets that keep us from asking others to help us and how to overcome them.

Asking for Favors is Tough. I was recently doing a keynote speech on the topic of “Getting Sponsored To the Top.” I shared data about how women have a very different view of work relationships than men that keeps them from getting sponsored. While most men are “strategic” about building work relationships in order to serve their goals, women tend to view relationships as the goal. Significantly more women than men have trouble asking for help in closing business deals or landing a job because we don’t want to undermine the relationship.

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Easing the Pressures on Sandwich Generations – Now and in the Future

Young business woman in a office environment.By Terry Selucky (New York City)

A recent Pew Research study about the “Sandwich Generation” has started a buzz in finance magazines such as Forbes, DailyFinance, and the like. It states that one in seven middle-aged adults (15%) is providing financial support to both an aging parent and a child at the same time. Scraping out of the recession, relied on by two separate but dependent age groups, adults aged 40 to 59 are stressed by the pressures of providing financial and emotional support to both aging parents to old to work, and an expanding group of grown, underemployed children.

Though the increased pressure is coming more from grown children—nearly half (42%) of adults surveyed, aged 40-59, are providing primary support to a grown child, with an additional 32% offering “some” support, whereas only 21% of adults provide for aging parents—the Pew study reveals that significantly more adults under 40 state they are “very likely” to care for an aging family member, when compared to those in middle-age. It’s a logical result of the Baby Boom, which comprised the single largest generation in history before Millennials came along. Boomers are living longer and unfortunately, have overall worse health than previous generations; now is the time to start planning for their old age.

“With increased longevity come the inevitable problems associated with aging, which include the need for more help with daily life in our aging parents,” writes Carolyn Rosenblatt. A registered nurse, attorney, and founder of the website AgingParents.com, she points out that the Family Medical Leave Act allows employees to take unpaid time off to assist with aging parents, but the Sandwich Generation needs a better system so that they can continue to be breadwinners for multigenerational families.

It’s clear—something must shift. Could it be traditional work schedules?

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Intrepid Woman: Silje Vallestad Discusses Her Journey from Idealist to Innovator

siljevallestadBy Michelle Clark (Keene, New Hampshire)

Silje Vallestad did not major in technology, nor did she ever plan to make her mark on the tech industry as Founder and CEO of the mobile app development company, Bipper. Yet here she is, a successful entrepreneur blazing trails in an industry where women are not heavily represented in leadership positions.

So far, Vallestad has developed and launched two mobile safety apps – Mobilekids and bSafe –which have experienced incredible success in the European market. Now, Vallestad is working on establishing Bipper’s headquarters in Silicon Valley while continuing to raise brand awareness for her company in the United States. How is she doing it?

According to Vallestad, the success of her mobile safety products, Mobilekids and bSafe, stems from the fact that she developed them from a different perspective than the typical tech industry innovator. Instead of trying to push the limits of digital technology, Vallestad set out to offer a simple solution to what she considered to be a common problem for parents. That is how to keep young children safe when using mobile devices.

“I was certain there had to be some sort of mobile phone service for kids, but I couldn’t find anything,” said Vallestad. “When this wasn’t available, I decided I had to develop it myself.” So that is exactly what she did. In 2007, while on maternity leave, she decided to pursue her idea of a mobile safety service for children by submitting her proposal to a business plan competition called Venture Cup in Norway. At the time, she had no financial backing and no employees, but she was determined to turn her vision into a reality, which isn’t anything new for Vallestad, who was already starting up volunteer projects and NGOs at the young age of 14. “I knew at an early age that I had the ability to make my vision come true and turn ideas into reality,” she said.

Vallestad explained, “I had the vision, but I had no idea if it was technically possible.” She soon discovered after being chosen as the winner in the business plan competition, that not only was her idea feasible, but the judges of the competition clearly identified a market and a need for Vallestad’s service. Aside from gaining praise and attention for her mobile safety service idea, Vallestad also gained access to start-up capital and business mentors who provided her with the advice and guidance she needed to continue moving forward with her idea.

In fact, if it wasn’t for a mentor who told her that no one would invest in her idea if she ran her fledgling company like a hobby or a side project, Vallestad would have probably been content accepting the comfortable job in the financial industry she was offered around the same time as she began seriously thinking about pursuing her tech venture full time. “It took two years to raise enough cash and hire the first person who knew anything about technology,” Vallestad said. But finally, in the spring of 2008, Vallestad finally received her first seed investment and hired her first employee.

After dodging the devastating blow of the Great Recession that crippled the economy in late 2008, Vallestad launched BipperKids, her first mobile safety service in 2010 with two European operators. One year later, Vallestad introduced bSafe, a mobile safety app for women, to the market, fully realizing her dream of making the world a safer place.

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Voice of Experience: Michelle Y. Lee, Northeast Regional President, Wells Fargo

michelleleeBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“We have an obligation to mentor young people in our industry,” began Michelle Y. Lee, Wells Fargo‘s Northeast Regional President. “Be very deliberate about sharing your knowledge with young people who are making their way and figuring out their career. Your legacy is defined by how many people you’ve prepared to take your place when you’re ready to move on.”

Reflecting on her 29-year career in the industry, Lee says she didn’t always understand the importance of seeking out mentors early on. “I don’t think when I first started out that I knew the value of having a mentor and an advocate. I really admire the young people I see today who seek out mentors deliberately. I didn’t know the importance of building those relationships.”

That’s not to say she didn’t have guidance, though. “Certainly, when I look back I see unofficial mentors and people who took me under their wing.”

She encouraged young women to seek out mentoring relationships early and to be deliberate about it. “It probably would save them some of those embarrassing mistakes we all make along the way – or at least guide them on how to recover when they do make them,” she said with a laugh. “And make sure to look for diversity in your mentors – both men and women can provide different and important viewpoints.”

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Why Do We Need Male Mentors and Sponsors?

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

By now, we know that mentors and sponsors are critical for our career advancement. We need mentors who can be our sounding boards and give us advice, and we also need sponsors who push us toward stretch opportunities and have our backs behind the scenes.

Mentor and sponsor relationships with women may come more naturally than those with men, but there simply aren’t enough senior women to go around. We ask a lot of senior women. It’s time we ask senior men to do more to help level the playing field for women in the pipeline to the top.

Caroline Ghosn, Co-Founder and CEO of the online mentoring platform Levo League, explained, “Given the ratio of women and men in leadership today, having one-to-one mentoring interactions with only senior women won’t work on its own or be available to everyone who needs them; this is a necessary but not sufficient part of the mentorship puzzle. We need to do two things. First, we need to cultivate relationships with male mentors. Second, women can try turning to resources – like Levo – that access the relatively scarce group of female mentors through technology and provide a one-to-many system of mentoring.”

Levo recently invited Warren Buffett to serve as a mentor within its Office Hours mentoring series, and the company plans to open the doors to more male mentors in the future. Ghosn suggested that women can advance more rapidly by keeping an open mind about the gender of their mentor or sponsor, and making an effort to reach out to senior men for advice and advocacy. Here’s how.

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Women Leaders Discuss Investment Management in Uncertain Times

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Group-Of-Women-Meeting-In-Creative-OfficeLast week The Glass Hammer hosted its 6th annual Top Women on the Buy-Side Breakfast. The lively discussion gave way to even livelier networking, as senior women across the investment management industry mulled over the question, “Where do we go from here?”

Our panel included Jane Buchan, PhD, CAIA, Managing Director and CEO, PAAMCO; Michelle Meyer, Senior U.S. Economist, Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Leah Modigliani, Senior Vice President, Investment Strategy and Risk, Neuberger Berman; Ranji Nagaswami, CFA, previously Chief Investment Advisor to Mayor Bloomberg, City of New York; and Anjun Zhou, PhD, Managing Director and Head of Multi-Asset Research, Mellon Capital. Each shared her point of view on where the markets are going and how to deal with inflation and risk moving forward.

Our moderator, Heidi Moore, US Finance and Economics Editor at The Guardian, began, “Previously, we’ve always had a crisis to talk about.” But this time, the biggest factor facing women on the buy-side is uncertainty. “What is important to know about the markets,” she asked, “when so much is unknowable?”

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