June 2017 | Page 2 of 2 | The Glasshammer

Why Do Legal Level Playing Fields Matter For Your Career Progress?

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Pyschologist

“All men are created equal” is written without understanding that at the time it was penned women had no rights and people of color were slaves, so it really did mean men not people. (Disclaimer, I am not an expert so I mention it only to tell you why it matters to you now, at work, in your cube trying to make a living.)

The ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) was never ratified in the USA (there is still time and you can help with that) and the USA is the only country that won’t ratify the CEDAW agreement internationally (joining a couple of small islands only). What does that mean? Watch the great and slightly harrowing documentary Equal Means Equal to see how culturally this forgotten work on this inequality can play out from the wage gap to the mommy track to much more sinister criminal issues. It is 100% legal for companies to pay you less. Loop holes are everywhere it seems. You might be shocked to learn more about this topic that most of us thought was an issue that had been resolved by generations that went before us.

The law is very mixed when it comes to protecting Lesbians and Gays (and Bi and Trans) people at work. The person beside you could be literally fired in 50% of the States due to being suspected as gay (see ENDA). Did you know that?

Psychological safety in a human can be greatly reduced without equal protections and actual consequences can be real for all aspects of an LGBT person’s life, and increasingly so under certain legislation such as the religious liberties act. On paper, it is a good thing for people in America to be able to honor their belief set but in reality it sets up a paradigm of blanket at worst and pick and choose bigotry at best. One fellow was refused burial by an undertaker, the federal law because corporations have the rights of people in America, entire companies could make actual decisions that can refuse to serve people that they perceive as gay from life to death and all the pizzas you might want to eat in the middle. Some states are better than others at providing anti-discrimination protections but overall the picture is dire with only 19 states protecting their LGBT citizens against “corporation as people” potential bigotry. Many people do not realize is still very much in a fragile state.

So, what to do? I certainly cannot tell you who to vote for but I would ask you to understand what you are voting for when you cast your vote at local or presidential level. At work, if you are a woman who wants a level playing field (and some clearly do not consciously or unconsciously) then work for a good company who actively offsets uneven playing fields in a protected state. There are some very progressive companies out there who do their best to level the playing field and arguably with the state of affairs regarding any level playing field federally stalled at best or regressing at worst, great corporations, to their credit, are honoring the progress track.

Pick a winner but check out on issues like pay, promotions and benefits and where senior management show up or do not show up. It is a digital world and due diligence will only take you a moment.

June 13, 2017/by The Glass Hammer

Voice of Experience: Chinwe Esimai, Managing Director, Chief Anti-Bribery & Corruption Officer at Citigroup, Inc.

People, Voices of Experience

By Cathie Ericson

“Don’t be afraid to experiment. Over time your definition of success will grow and change, which can be helpful to consider as you navigate your career,” says Chinwe Esimai.

“No matter where we are in the professional journey, it’s important to commit to ongoing improvement and not get too comfortable – both for ourselves and for women as a whole.”

That philosophy has carried her throughout the various iterations of her career trajectory.

Innovating Throughout Her Career

After earning her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, Esimai began her legal career as a corporate associate at LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, LLP, where she worked on mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions. She moved to the corporate world, doing compliance at MetLife, and worked for Axiom Legal, which provides contract in-house legal services to financial services clients. Her first assignment was at Goldman Sachs, which subsequently hired her in a full-time role covering regulatory audits and inquiries in relation to the firm’s options and derivatives trading businesses.

She then served as assistant professor of law at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis before returning to Goldman in New York in 2011, helping build out its anti-bribery group. In 2012 she joined Citi in a similar role, which she deems a “perfect fit.”

As Chief Anti-Bribery & Corruption Officer at Citi, Esimai oversees Citi’s global anti-bribery program, which develops and maintains a framework for adherence to anti-bribery regulations in over 160 countries around the world where the bank does business. She notes that “beyond adhering to legal and regulatory requirements, it is about doing business ethically, maintaining an ethical culture, embedding that culture in the bank’s processes, and giving employees the tools to mitigate potential bribery risk.” Citi has over 200,000 employees globally.

Esimai is passionate about her work because it has a positive impact on how business is conducted around the world. She also notes that this is a particularly fascinating time to be involved in anti-bribery work at a global bank because of the rapidly changing regulatory environment.

Promoted from Senior Vice President to Director, and subsequently, Managing Director within three short years at Citi, Esimai has overseen global enhancements of the bank’s anti-bribery compliance program from its early beginnings, to now leading a team of professionals managing anti-bribery controls across the enterprise. She also frequently participates as a thought leader in her industry, as well as at global fora, such as the United Nations.

Most recently, she has been involved in an initiative called the “Citi Tech for Integrity Challenge,” a landmark global accelerator program to invite and encourage technology innovators from around the world to submit solutions to help the public sector promote transparency and fight corruption.

A World Economic Forum survey showed that 67 of 144 economies identified corruption as one of their top three challenges. An example of corruption is bribery, which totals an estimated $1 trillion a year.

“I am proud of our work bringing together allies, such as Facebook, Microsoft, IBM, and PwC, and then working with startups to find the best ideas and present them to public and private sector clients to tackle this global issue,” she says, adding that Citi is showing leadership by using innovative technologies to move the anti-bribery and corruption conversation forward.

Supporting Women as a Business Imperative

While there are still very few women at the highest levels, Esimai believes the reasons vary based on the company and the industry. However, one solution remains across the board: Women must get the support they need to ensure they have sufficient development, through both formal and informal support, tailored to their level as they rise in the organization. “Women who have already come so far have to help bring others up,” she notes. She says:

“Since it’s harder to find role models, support helps women stay in their positions, but also underscores the company’s commitment to diversity. As more industries recognize that diversity is a business imperative, support and resources will grow,”

Diversity as a business imperative recognizes that diversity is not just a nice thing to do, but is an invaluable tool in identifying business opportunities and spotting risk.

Citi demonstrates that commitment on an ongoing basis; in particular Esimai cites the Citi Women’s Leadership Development Program, delivered in partnership with the UCLA Anderson School of Management, as the ultimate in training. “I’m grateful Citi has invested in me and offered me these opportunities, but I also have played a role by taking ownership of my career.”

In addition, Esimai participates as a mentor in the thriving Citi Women Emerging Leaders program as a way of giving back and lifting up other women. “I’m a firm believer in employee networks.”

She adds that beyond on-the-job performance, setting aside time for professional development, while largely discretionary, is worth the commitment. In fact, she notes that these opportunities may be more important than the daily work and yield great fruit over the course of one’s career. At their very best, they help provide clarity on key strengths, offer tools to be more effective on the job, and expand one’s professional network and vision of what’s possible.

Inspiring Immigrant Women Leaders in the United States and Abroad

Busy with her husband and three kids, two sons, ages 11 and five, and an eight-year-old daughter, she maintains time to share lessons about what it means to be an immigrant woman and leader. “I came to the United States from Nigeria as a teen and am passionate about helping other immigrant women,” she says proudly. In 2015, Esimai was named the Trailblazer of the Year by the Nigerian Lawyers Association, an award honoring a distinguished attorney whose professional accomplishments and leadership abilities have been recognized in the legal profession (private or public service). She is also an Executive Council member of the Ellevate Network, a global network for professional women, providing opportunities for women to connect, learn, and invest in themselves.

June 12, 2017/by The Glass Hammer

Voice of Experience: Barbra Bukovac, Partner, Vice Chairman, Mid-Central Region, PwC US

People, Voices of Experience

By Cathie Ericson

On most mornings, Barbra Bukovac is up before the sun. Running shoes tied, she’s out the door knocking out a few miles before her day gets started–even when her weather app shows temperatures in the single digits during Chicago’s winter months. “You have to get it in when you can,” Bukovac says with a laugh. For Bukovac, her morning runs are usually an opportunity to think through the day ahead and organize her thoughts, from what she wants to accomplish to where her kids need to be and when. In fact, the new Vice Chairman of PwC’s Mid-Central Region equates running to having a career.

Finding Success in Balance

“When you’re out for a run, sometimes the best thing to do is to slow down for a bit and then speed up when you’re ready,” says Bukovac. “I think the same holds true in our professional lives as well. Sometimes we have to pull back and then accelerate forward when the time is right.”

Bukovac’s career with PwC began over 25 years ago as an auditor in Chicago where she supported PwC’s international tax practice during their busy season, working with both U.S. companies expanding their international footprint and foreign companies doing business in the United States. But once she had her first daughter, she left the firm to work for a client, worried that she wouldn’t be able to balance working at a professional services firm with her family.

“Looking back at that time in my life, I made a really big career decision without stopping to consider what might be possible at PwC. In fact, there were options, but I didn’t ask. I just assumed,” Bukovac said. Three years later, when her husband took a job requiring the family to move to Boston, Bukovac considered a potential return to the professional services industry and to her old firm.

But there were still many assumptions that she needed to overcome – mainly in figuring out how she would be able to balance client commitments while running a household and also having a working spouse. “When I returned to PwC as a senior tax manager, it was critical for me to have direct communication about my schedule with my teams, my clients and the partners for whom I worked,” Bukovac said. What she found was that more people were understanding and supportive of her schedule as they had similar situations and could rely on her to get the work done.

The move would eventually pay off for Bukovac as a couple years later, she was named partner in the international tax group. After working as a PwC partner full-time for several years, she challenged her own assumptions again and asked her leaders for an 80 percent work schedule with Fridays off. “With two young daughters, it was important for me to be involved in their classrooms and connect with the other professional moms who were similarly choosing to take a day at home,” Bukovac said.

Throughout the years, she has continued to appreciate the focus PwC places on flexibility, which she says is the reason she’s been able to advance her career and be successful in her different roles, while still feeling positive about the balance she has achieved with her family.

A Passion for Mentoring Women

As proud as Bukovac was to become partner, she says her greatest professional achievement has been helping to promote other partners. She has sponsored five women on their path to partner, and she describes the feeling as “incomparable” to see their accomplishments and how far they’ve come.

In fact, she says that identifying a role model and mentor was one of the defining moments of her career, knowing she had superiors of whom she could ask questions. While it’s important for both men and women, she says it’s even more critical for women, particularly as they work to achieve balance.

She has a particular interest in tempering the notion that women need to leave challenging positions in order to simultaneously fulfill work and family goals. “You don’t have to opt out of promotions or the next step; women often assume they don’t have the ability to achieve those higher roles, without ever asking,” Bukovac says. She notes that at PwC, all partners and staff are encouraged to communicate both their personal and professional goals with their managers and staff as there are many programs and policies in place to support individuals’ choices both in and out of the office.

“The roads we run all have twists and turns along the way. So do our careers. Sometimes it’s best to slow down, and other times we need to speed up. It’s important to remember that there isn’t one right choice and having the right guidance along the way makes all the difference. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of my mentors,” Bukovac says.

June 8, 2017/by The Glass Hammer

Mentee to Mentor: Enhancing your Career through Diverse Perspectives

Career Advice, Career Tip of the Week!, Mentors and Sponsors

Guest contributed by Financial Women of San Francisco Board Member Shelby Duncan

A few years ago , I discovered the Financial Women of San Francisco (FWSF), a community of women who work in financial services and are dedicated to advancing the careers of women.

After learning about the organization and the importance of their mission, I applied for a scholarship and was fortunate enough to become a recipient. Not only did I receive financial support, but I was given the opportunity to work with a mentor. I had been fortunate enough to have informal mentors throughout my college career, but was extremely fortunate to be given three women from FWSF, all in varying stages in their careers, lives, and outlooks, to support me as formal mentors as I stepped into the corporate world for the first time. The wealth of knowledge and combined experience that they were able to share taught me an insightful and valuable lesson – the greater my mentorship network, the more I could learn and subsequently contribute to my community.

Image via Shutterstock

I applied this knowledge as I began my career – identifying mentors, creating partnerships across my organization, and directly expanding my network by asking for further referrals. I built mentoring relationships with C-Suite men with 30 years of corporate experience, senior women of color seeking to innovate within financial services, and hard-working software developers beginning their careers in the United States having transitioned from careers in India. In building these relationships across a diverse community of people I have been able to see life through many lenses and have benefited from others’ knowledge, intelligence, innovative thinking, and in some cases, their mistakes. The diversity of their perspectives has allowed me the freedom to be more creative and identify solutions to complex problems. The balance in the advice I have received has made me confident that I am being steered in the right direction by the leaders in my life.

For several years now, I have continued to foster my relationships and identify new mentors. As I have progressed in my career, I have had the opportunity to be a mentor myself and have enjoyed helping mentees as they strive to create and meet new career goals.

Here are my steadfast tips and tricks for being a successful mentee:

1. Give back to your mentor – Ask yourself, “What can I do for my mentor?” Mentors set aside time, share contacts and other resources in support of your growth. It’s imperative to identify opportunities to give back and support your mentor. This can come in the form of supporting an organization they are part of, for example volunteering time; supporting them at a speaking engagement by sharing the event with your network and introducing them to people you know; or introducing them to one of your other mentors.

Oftentimes, mentees believe they don’t have much to offer their mentor based on their age or level of experience – but that is not the case! Time, energy, and a fresh perspective are important resources to share with your mentor.

2. Seek diverse mentorships – Leverage your network to identify diverse mentors. Look across industries, levels of experience, age, gender, and ethnicity to cultivate a well-balanced outlook.

3. Maintain the relationship – Building relationships is easy, but maintaining them requires thoughtfulness and time. Be sure to establish a plan with your mentor to determine how often they would like to meet, a location that is convenient for them, and always be willing to treat for coffee or lunch. Ask thoughtful questions about their work, and frame questions that ask for advice. Get to know them, as they are investing their time in getting to know you!

Mentorships are invaluable relationships that are imperative to growing, maintaining and propelling your career. I know that my successes are not solely my own, but a function of the leaders who support me. With that, I encourage you to reflect on the mentors in your life, identify opportunities to gain new mentors, and consider becoming a mentor yourself.

I recently read an amazing book called “We Should All Be Feminists” and here the Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (LINK PLEASE TO BOOK) states,
“Today, we live in a vastly different world. The person more qualified to lead is not the physically stronger person. It is the more intelligent, the more knowledgeable, the more creative, more innovative. And there are no hormones for those attributes.”

We Should All Be Feminists, to me, is one of the most critically important works I have read. Written by an immensely insightful and accomplished author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, deeply inspires me as her work is centered on the empowerment of women and their use of community as a tool to reach their objectives. She acknowledges that the collective is more powerful than the individual and that diversity – in gender, ethnicity, culture, and age – are some of societies’ greatest assets. I couldn’t agree more.

June 7, 2017/by The Glass Hammer

Values – As a Leader Are You Living Them?

Career Advice, Career Tip of the Week!

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Pyschologist

This past year all over the world, the geo-political landscape has been dramatic.

We have watched countries swing wildly, some with populism and conspiracy, creating new scenarios that would have been possibly unimaginable just 12 months ago, while other nations are choosing to elect leaders who refuse to regress on social and environmental issues.

What both of these versions have in common is that they demonstrate values-led leadership as we are seeing many leaders determined to take paths that line up into two narratives- go back to something they think we had before or go forward to what they think will be a new future.

Although I have my opinions and emotions like the next person, I am not expressing them here and not judging here, so, before I get emails telling me not to be political (code for what the Dixie Chicks experienced as ‘Shut up and sing”) I want to explain why we can look at this and understand our career paths and leadership style.

One of the things we look at in coaching is what are your values, how do you live them against your espoused goals in real life? Do your paradigms serve you? Do they truly meet your actual needs of where you want to go?

Can you take other people’s opinions and face a little conflict and work through it to filter what values they are espousing beyond the emotion of difference? And then how that truly sits against your values? Full circle then is, how do your actions sit against your values and are they really your values? Where did they come from? Why do they matter at this moment? What other values mean more to you in reality?

This isn’t just about looking at outdated negative views that a person might hold but also about examining the positive self perceptions that we do not actually live up to. If we say we want to lead, how is our audio matching our visual? If we say we support women, how many do we promote, hire or defer to as an expert?

If we say you are pro-equality then what actions do we take from the voting booth to the banker we use?

Closing the cognitive dissonance gap is not always the aim but understanding and recognizing what it all means to us is pretty key to moving forward in life and work.

June 6, 2017/by Nicki Gilmour

Voice of Experience: Vivian Flynn, Managing Director of Investor Relations, Pomona Capital

People, Voices of Experience

By Cathie Ericson

“You have to keep things in perspective throughout your career,” says Pomona Capital’s Vivian Flynn.

“A career is not a sprint. It’s a marathon, and each stage is about learning, developing and adding to your foundation. You have to expect to make mistakes, but it’s important to learn from them,”

She adds that, “Successful professionals will remember the fundamental importance of staying true and honest to yourself. By recognizing and embracing both your strengths and weaknesses, you define the unique tools you bring to the table. Be confident and know that you belong. Own your accomplishments and celebrate your achievements, and don’t be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone.”

A Front Seat to Industry Evolution

Vivian describes her path as atypical, having attended law school rather than business school like many of her counterparts. The decision paid off. Her legal background provided an incredible foundation to develop skills, such as problem solving and negotiation, she knew she would need regardless of what role she accepted.
Her first job out of law school was in equity operations at Deutsche Bank. She soon parlayed that experience into a role in Goldman Sachs’ Pension Services Group, which was her first introduction to capital raising and investor relations. In this role she developed a niche focusing on real estate private equity and soon moved onto Goldman’s real estate team.

She joined Pomona, which has a strategic partnership with Voya Financial, in 2010, where she became part of an established, yet entrepreneurial, organization. Vivian says that this position offered her “a clean sheet of paper” to help reorganize the business development function. The autonomy and ability to work with a small group of less than 50 people was an excellent opportunity that offered an environment where she could strategically and thoughtfully use her skillset that had been developed throughout her career.

Vivian has now spent 17 years in the alternative space working with both hedge funds and private equity funds, which she calls, “challenging and rewarding — both personally and professionally.” “Building long-term relationships and trust with our investors is what makes my job so fulfilling,” says Vivian.

“Being a part of an environment that changes every day is exciting and forces you to always be on top of your game.”

While some professionals in her field might name their most important accomplishment as their title or how much capital they have raised, Vivian says that she is most proud of how she has controlled various steps throughout her career and navigated through unexpected circumstances while remaining true to herself and never compromising her values.

Vivian appreciates the latitude she’s had with Pomona; while many firms divide investor relations and business development into two groups, she’s always preferred having them together because she believes that the two roles go hand-in-hand. “Relationships with investors don’t end once you get their commitment,” she says. “You have to be able to articulate a product or strategy, but you also need to be able to connect with investors and understand their unique needs to provide solutions.” She finds that the consultative approach she learned at Goldman has helped her along the way.

Over the years, Vivian has witnessed the evolution of investor relations and business development. When she first started, it was not uncommon to raise a multi-billion-dollar fund in a matter of months, but now, it is not uncommon for an investor’s due diligence and decision-making process to take 6 to 12 months, a trend she sees continuing. Additionally, she has seen both the investor relations and businesses development components emerge as important and critical parts to any firm in the industry, a progression that she is excited has occurred.

Addressing Women’s Challenges in the Industry through Support

While fewer women tend to enter and stay in the finance industry, Vivian sees this as an issue that starts at a young age and how different genders are steered in their educational development and rewarded for their behavior.

“We need to encourage young girls to pursue studies in areas where boys tend to be seen more prominently, such as in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It won’t happen overnight, but it can make significant difference down the road,” says Vivian, noting that although the finance industry has made strides, there’s still more to be done.

To that end, Vivian believes that women at senior levels have a fundamental responsibility to act as role models on a daily basis, including displaying confidence and encouraging junior women to seek their place at the table. “We need to inspire young women and provide guidance and opportunities that push them and encourage them to step out of their comfort zone.”

At her firm, she is proud that senior women are represented broadly. Women make up nearly half of the employees, and 1/3 of senior leaders, including two partners.

One of her first career memories was an early mentor who, no matter what, would thank the team and treat everyone equally, and even roll up her own sleeves to achieve success. “This simple approach left a huge and lasting impression on me. I try to practice it every day and set an example for others,” Vivian says.

“It’s important to say thank you and let everyone know how hard the junior staff worked when you accomplish a goal.”

The daughter of Greek immigrants, she appreciates that her parents were ahead of their time in educating her and providing her with the same opportunities as her two brothers.

“Now that I have my own daughter, I hope to show her the endless possibilities I felt, and impress upon her that, with hard work, she can accomplish anything,” says Vivian. “My own success is not just for me; it’s also for my daughter in providing her with an example of going after what you want and achieving your goals.”

June 5, 2017/by The Glass Hammer