Maintaining Credibility: How to Deal with People Who Try to Devalue You

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By Nicki Gilmour Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

What happens when someone tries to discredit your work or disqualify you as a contender for a job?

Not just in politics, but in the workplace too. It is hard to believe that we still have to talk about this matter, but its still lurking. Whether it is overt sexism, a micro-aggression or even worse, the impact on the person on the receiving end is real. In the societal context, women ( and other minorities) are not believed and the benefit of the doubt usually goes to the perpetrator due to their status and biological sex/race/orientation (i.e. legacy dominant position that people do not like to challenge their implicit authority). In a work context, it means less pay, lost promotions and general unnecessary emotional stress. This is the stuff that causes a drag on individual/ team and firm performance and no amount of words about diversity from the CEO or drinks in the women’s network will fix the heart of what diversity work is; power and who gets it to have it , keep it and be believed.

Often people with issues (this is the kindest version I can print) will try to discredit you as a person and they start with your social identity, which means your grouping characteristics such as which gender you are, which ethnicity you are, and which orientation you are. Even if you personally don’t feel massive affiliation to these categories because it can be a shock to people with no intersectionality that you too could be just trying to live your life as a human and do your work without considering yourself (insert what you are here: a woman/black/gay etc).

Remember, it is often about you according to them and their stereotypical notions of who you are and absolutely nothing to do with who you actually are and what you are actually capable of. Equally, the people who i am referring to who feel like they are a threatened species, often benefit from their sex, skin color via positive stereotyping ( someone once said, its not a glass ceiling, but a thick layer of men). It is worth noting that anyone can do it even if they are a woman themselves because internalized misogyny and desire to protect traditional power structures have never been so obvious than this moment in history. But, whatever other people’s paradigms are, remedial attitudes or baggage, it should not have to be at your expense.

Why is this career advice? It is something that you need to be aware of because unfortunately one day you might stumble up against a less than evolved individual who will directly or indirectly try to lessen your credibility or devalue your work based on nothing more than your social identity.

How this plays out is that they take a shot at you based on their perception of their superiority and appropriateness regarding legacy positions for women, people of color and LGBT people. For example, at a recent social gathering, a fellow who had previously said offhand comments about women at work and LGBT people, decided to directly spit out a challenge starting the question with “who?” when the who was very obvious so it was not actually a question, it was a micro-aggression against a gay family structure.

Furthermore, bias is regularly disguised as ‘values’ because if you look at how values are formed, it is easy to see that constructs come from past norms, socio-conditioning and current cultural messaging. What did their granny tell them when they were nine? Chances are, they are operating heavily on familiar programming completely unaware that they have inherited things that they might not even truly believe if examined.

So, what do you do if you find yourself facing a person who is intentionally trying to devalue you.

There are strategies to pursue and which road to take depends on three things:

1. The overall systemic environment.

Where is the whole group at regarding their own ability to honestly digest how individual behaviors impact ongoing norms and actual humans in the group? The denial levels for untoward behavior in the workplace or socially are reducing as we have seen this year with sexual harassment. But, overall the ability to deny wrongdoing on micro-aggressions are still high. Look at how tolerant of bad behavior is the manager of your team? What flies? What are the group norms?

This is workplace culture and crucial to your next move when bringing up what happened. Will you be believed? The worst thing is not being believed or being told your experience couldn’t be true or is somehow invalid. Will you be shushed as excuses from you are wrong /you misunderstood them fly from people who are supposed to listen to such things? (HR , leaders, mentors, friends). Take the temperature as your truth is your truth, but group theory (Bion) suggests the group will protect the legacy structures, unless there are reasons not to.

2. The standing of the individual and their power based on them as an individual but also the power and authority assigned to them due to their social identity which adds benefit of the doubt privilege. Extreme cases are Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby- they thought they were untouchable due to the social currency. But, everyday bias and derogatory stuff is what we are talking about here, so relay the transgression to people who have mental complexity and can hold two conflicting realities in their head at the same time. That is to say, they can experience that this guy is great with them but bad to you as simultaneously true versions of reality and use their one subjective personal data point as an objective truth.

If no mental complexity is there ( as defined by Kegan, the Harvard development psychologist by the way, not just being rude here in saying they are not advanced), you will risk the high denial element again as these folks might have high IQ and make lots of money but are completely remedial on EQ, SQ and connecting the dots and you might as well be arguing with a small child.

This can be a depressing piece of work as there are many people who are capable but just have never had to do any real joining of cognitive, emotional and psychological processes because they can just stay in their ignorance as they have had no direct experience of what it means to be in the non dominant group and intersectionality doesn’t touch them. Also congruence is comfortable for everyone so its not their fault how they got there but it is their responsibility to figure out how to develop knowing that the world is full of many different types of people who historically didn’t have any power – see Kegan and Lahey again on the socialized mind in Immunity to Change. There are still so many men and women who cant help but protect the status quo for so many reasons. If you want to see this in action, participate in a contained social experiment- go to an AK Rice Group Relations conference on Power and Authority!

3. The third factor is your personality? Are you a confronter or a keep the peace person? You need to know your own comfort zones and abilities and what you are going to be able to take emotionally as revealing bad people can take strength, energy and there are stakes at play sometimes ( the bully/bigot knows that the stakes are low or them and high for you).

So, once you know the above, you can work out what the best course of action is. Sometimes it is about doing something and sometimes is it is not.

For extra reading, I recommend Leaders Guide to Leveraging Diversity Capabilities or leave this book on your boss’s desk to prime the pump for people who want to make things better so you build a cultural coalition of people who know how to deal with everyday problem children at work. I quote Maya Angelou in high regard, because “when you know better, you do better.”

If you are dealing with difficult people or a culture that has systemic diversity issues in it, I would be happy to work with you as your executive coach. Contact me on 646 6882318 or nicki@theglasshammer.com for an exploratory chat.

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Voice of Experience: Kristi Tange, Co-Head of Enterprise Operations, London, Goldman Sachs

Kristi Tange’s second day at Goldman Sachs’ New York office happened to coincide with a dinner party to celebrate her father’s birthday.

Initially, she was hesitant to ask to leave the office a little early, and then she realized that there was no harm in making the request.

When her boss said yes, Tange described it as a “profound moment.” Not only did it give her insight into the firm’s positive culture, but it helped her realize that it’s always wise to communicate and ask for what you need. This experience also helped inform her management style: “When someone asks for something, my first answer is always, ‘Of course; let’s see how we can make it work.’”

A Varied Career Across Three Regions

Tange recently celebrated her 21st anniversary at Goldman Sachs after beginning her career as an analyst in Japan, where she had studied to fulfill the foreign language proficiency required as part of her master’s degree program in Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

She then moved with Goldman Sachs to New York, where her husband was attending graduate school. Tange is now based in London and serves as co-head for Enterprise Operations, providing operational support for processes that service the breadth of the firm, including opening accounts for clients, managing collateral, and more.

When she first joined Operations, her division was much smaller, and there was just one managing director, which made her question if ultimately reaching that level was possible. Fast forward two decades, and the division has expanded significantly. She was named a managing director in 2009, which she describes as a “pleasant shock,” noting that when she was an analyst, reaching that level had seemed unattainable. “You learn over the course of your career that you can outperform your own expectations,” Tange says.

One of the most exciting programs she is currently overseeing is uplifting the firm’s onboarding program, known as “Know Your Customer,” in order to comply with new due diligence regulatory processes and enhance the client experience. While fulfilling these requirements has traditionally been challenging for clients, her team realized that revamping this program could be a differentiator for the firm, and began to rethink the architecture and streamline associated processes in order to more effectively introduce clients to Goldman Sachs. “To be in a role where we can deliver an effective solution that sets a positive tone for our client relationships is rewarding,” she says.

Using Your Voice to Earn Your Spot

Over the course of her career, Tange has learned that it’s important to speak out and be bold, to earn a voice and seat at the table — and that you will go farther and faster if you do that early in your career.

“When people join, they think they need to be trained for a long period of time before sharing their views, but bringing a fresh pair of eyes is where your value is — to point out things that others might not notice,” she says, adding that those who are hired by Goldman Sachs tend to already have the necessary education and talent to be contributors from the start. “The earlier you share your perspective, the more you will grow as a leader.”

She encourages women to adopt behaviors that have served male colleagues well, such as feeling empowered to boldly request a one-on-one meeting with a senior leader.

“We read about barriers that women face in their careers, but I’ve felt fortunate at Goldman Sachs because it’s a place focused on skill sets and meritocracy,” Tange notes. She believes it’s important that companies focus on retaining women through policies such as short-term leaves, flexibility and relocation opportunities in order to keep top talent.

Tange also notes that it’s important to have leaders who have been able to achieve a balanced lifestyle, to serve as a model for others. “We need role models who fit a number of profiles, who represent greater diversity, so that junior individuals can see more women at senior levels,” she says.

During her time at Goldman Sachs, Tange has seen the value of sponsorship. In her current role she and fellow women managing directors identify and support up-and-coming women in their division, in an effort to ensure they have effective sponsorship and work on initiatives that help develop and showcase their capabilities ‘to get to the next level.” Tange notes: “We are able to pay it forward as we help move these women up the career ladder.”

Tange actively works to achieve a balance between work, her family and addressing her own needs. After her son was born 10 years ago, she realized that her life had become revolved around work and her family, and she needed to carve out time to focus on her health by joining the gym. Tange notes that her husband was very supportive about her motivation to focus on her health, and she put the structure in place to carefully “protect” her gym nights. “This helps show others that I am balancing my health and personal needs alongside my job, which helps give the right message to my team that we should all do this.”

Since spending the past eight years in the UK, she has become very passionate about travel and has visited many European countries with her family. She also enjoys sightseeing in London, with memberships to horticultural societies and museums.

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Mover & Shaker: Emily Viner, Vice President of Agency Growth & Development, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America®

By Cathie Ericson

A recent study on the gender gap in sales showed that it was a career that wasn’t even on the radar for many women, which Guardian’s Emily Viner finds to be a shame.

“If women can match a passion they personally have to a sales role, their opportunities are limitless,” she says. “Really caring about the product, program or process is where you can get that mojo and when that happens, the sky’s the limit.”

Finding a Calling in Her Work

That passion has inspired Viner’s work and led to her long, successful career with Guardian.

A first-generation college student, Viner graduated with a marketing and economics degree but was drawn to sales. “I soon realized that a commission dollar is a commission dollar not 63 cents on the dollar like my friends were going to earn and knew that would be my future,” she says. She started in a banking-related industry and then moved into financial services, which turned out to be her calling. “I found such a passion of purpose for families, particularly women, to help them plan for their family’s future,” she says. It’s a cause near to her heart, as she realized what this type of planning could have meant for her family, especially her mom who became a widow at 42.

Viner started at another firm as an advisor, but soon transitioned into leadership and helping the firm grow. Her professional standing grew when she wrote an article for the GAMA News Journal and subsequently spoke at GAMA’s industry conference. Based on that attention, she was soon recruited by two different companies for corporate roles, but at the time her kids were little and neither of the firms offered the flexibility she needed.

She accepted a consulting arrangement with one company while Guardian stayed in touch, eventually reaching out to offer her the chance to architect how and when she would work.

That was the start of a 21-year relationship where she has grown both personally and professionally, with her daughters growing up as part of the Guardian family.

Looking back over the course of her career, she believes that opportunity to write an article and speak at the convention truly changed the course of her career, and it came full circle recently when she was honored with the inaugural Visionary of the Industry Award for her work. “It’s humbling but also reminds me there’s still so much work to do,” she says. But while the quest continues, she appreciates that the award offered a moment to pause and reflect on how much progress had been made.

Helping Other Women Achieve Success

Viner is ebulliently optimistic about the opportunities available to the next generation of women and implores others to remember the infamous words of Madeleine Albright: “There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.”

That said, she has also benefitted from the sponsorship and mentorship of many men within the organization, many of whom are now retired, who helped her grow as a professional.
She encourages younger people on her team to find mentors throughout the company who can share wisdom, whether it’s industry-related or focused on professional skills, such as executive presence or making sure your voice is heard in meetings.

Right now she focuses much of her efforts on helping the firm innovate with its workplace culture as a way to retain talent. For example, they have introduced flexible leadership training programs designed to be more accommodating for those interested and uses assessment so that each person gets what they need, when they need it.

And Guardian is expanding their use of apprenticeships to find different pathways and bridges to becoming an advisor so that individuals can find the onramp that works best for them. It’s important, she says, to focus on diversity so our firms reflect the communities we serve.

One of Viner’s most influential learning moments came while she was attending a dinner hosted by Catalyst, a global nonprofit focused on building workplaces that work for women. At the dinner, a key note speaker shared “that men say yes to opportunities, even when they don’t know how to do something. Many women don’t do that and spend more time being ‘competent rather than confident.’ Women need to realize that if they raise their hands, they will figure out how to succeed in the role.”

Viner participates and hosts a number of professional development programs, but one of her favorites is Guardian’s annual Women’s Leadership Summit (WLS). She is not alone: She has heard that many women leaders say that WLS has kept them energized over the years. The network created an important level of support both personally and professionally for women, many of whom might be the only female advisor in an office of 40 men. One regular attendee of WLS who formed a study group from being at WLS recently won a special sales leadership award, and she had this to say about her involvement in the organization: “There’s a study group I have from the WLS that has sustained me, and next year I’ll make sure they’re all up there receiving awards with me,” she says.

Raising Two Strong Daughters

Married for 32 years, Viner has two daughters, one a Veterinarian working at the teaching hospital at University of Wisconsin, and the other working at and starting a Master’s program at Columbia University. Viner and her daughters decided they needed an impromptu getaway before they went their separate ways and recently enjoyed a relaxing and rejuvenating long weekend in Turks and Caicos, where they have all always wanted to go. “When I’m with my girls, everything’s ok,” she says.

And she feels confident that they are on the road to success, as she has passed on the importance of financial planning to them. “They have products in place to protect their income, have their investment accounts, and I can see their confidence with their finances. I love knowing that they know saving is such a foundation. Passing this on to the next generation is so rewarding.”

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Transitioning into Life as a Working New Mother

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Guest contributed by Sydney Miller

Over the past decade, we have seen a significant increase in the number of working mothers.

Mothers are the primary money earners in 40% of households with children under 18 today, compared to 11% in 1960. Choosing to be a full-time working mother isn’t always an easy decision to make, but it’s often a necessary decision. With the cost of living on the rise, it’s important for families to plan for their best financial future. This is especially true for single mothers.

Recently, we’ve seen great strides made towards better maternity and paternity leaves globally. This allows more parents the ability to take the necessary time off postpartum. It’s crucial for new mothers to have time to bond with her newborn and recover. When this leave is over, it’s time for her to return to work. This transition can be very hard. She’ll need time to cope with the emotions of returning and getting her head back into the work mode.

Are you or someone you know a new mother who is planning to return to the office soon? If so, follow our tips for getting back into your comfort zone at work.

Talk to Your HR Department

When you have a confirmed date in mind for returning to work, ask to set up a meeting with your HR department. You’ll want to work out all the details and paperwork with them ahead of time. Ask them all your top of mind questions now so you’re prepared. They’ve most likely been through this before. Ask if your company allows for flexible hours or telecommuting. Also, ask them if they have a private room available to you for breastfeeding needs. They may also have benefits set up for new parents, so be sure to go over all the details with them.

Sit Down With Your Team

During your maternity leave, appoint a contact for yourself in your office. The two of you can remain in communication during your time off. They’ll be able to fill you in on any important news and projects that you’ll want to be aware of. Going back to work prepared shows your commitment to the job and your flexibility.

A week or two before you go back, arrange a meeting with this coworker and/or your supervisor. Grab a cup of coffee out or come into the office. At this meeting, you’ll want to sort out the details of your work when your back and what their expectations are for you. If there are any limitations to your return, make them aware of them at this meeting. For example, if there’s a day of the week you are unable to work or any physical limitations you may have.

Look and Feel Your Best

The best way you’ll be able to acclimate to your new life as a working mother is by being confident in yourself. It’s important for new mothers to take care of themselves. Even the simple idea of having time for a long shower goes out the window when a new baby arrives. Although, you must look and feel your best to be your best. This is true both at home and at work. Show your employer your commitment to your job by being the best version of you.

Do your professional clothes still fit you well? If not, shop for a few pieces that you’ll be able to make many outfits out of instead of spending more than you need to. If you’re breastfeeding, you’ll want to invest in a versatile nursing bra that works with your work outfits. You should feel comfortable in what you wear but also professional. Treat yourself to a new haircut or take a long bath the week before. You deserve to rest before your life becomes hectic again.

Plan and Organize

Organization will be helpful to you during this busy time. At the top of your to-do list, should be arranging for childcare. Pick a center or nanny that you trust. Do a practice run getting into the routine of taking your newborn to where they will cared for. Then head to your office. Time the whole process. This way you’ll know what to expect come the first day. You should also have a backup plan in case. If you’re stuck at work one night or your child is sick, who can pick them up? Find an emergency contact to fulfill this duty and be available if they cannot reach you.

Put everything down on a calendar. Whether it’s pickup schedules, working hours, or important events. You’ll want to be on the same page as your significant other. If you find there is overlap in schedules, this will be a great way to plan this out.

Find Your Support Team

You’re most likely aiming to be supermom, right? You want to spend as much time with baby as possible of course. But you also want to succeed at work all day, be a great friend/wife and then come home to cook and clean everything. However, this isn’t always realistic. There are so many hours in the day and you’re only one person. Take a deep breath. No mom or employee is perfect.

Find a support group that can help you through the difficult times. If there are other moms at your office that have small children, start a support group. They’ll be able to give you advice for acclimating back into work life because they’ve been there. These are the people who understand best what you’re going through. Set up playdates or much need girls nights.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Your family, friends, significant other, and supervisor will all be there for you. If you need a day off, ask for it. If you need a sitter to go to the store by yourself for once, ask for it. Never feel alone in this process, someone will be by your side to help.

Disclaimer: The opinions and views of guest contributors are not necessarily those of theglasshammer.com

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What to Do When the Goal Posts Move at Work

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By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Recently, Fast Company published an article on unclear goals and what to do with the boss’s instructions are lacking or confusing.

As a coach, organizational psychologist, there is a piece of advice I offer everyday to my clients and it is something my own mentor told me many years ago. What is this sage wisdom? Never take a job where your responsibilities and your authority to execute (resources, power, ability) don’t align. Literally, do not accept the role of protecting the free world, if you can have the big red button to press if you need it. This analogy feels much more edgy these days than when I used to say it, which in itself is a reflective moment on whether we need a new analogy. Words matter!

So, say you take a job that you thought you were given the ability to execute on but it turns out that other people hold the resource, or the tools or the actual sign off? What do you do? You are already in the seat and the goal posts feel like they are a moving target!

It is key to explore your options and understand their potential future payoffs and consequences.

This is where good coaches can really help you.

I look forward to hearing from you since matrix organizations, company dysfunction etc means this is often much more common than we would like to believe.

Book an exploratory coaching call with Nicki here: https://calendly.com/nickigilmour/evolved-people-exploratory

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Mover & Shaker: Emilie Poteat; Senior Management Associate at Bridgewater Associates

By Cathie Ericson

As a sociologist by training, Emilie Poteat has learned that it’s simply a fact that things will work out when you stop trying so hard and get out of your own way.

“You have to continue to make pathways to a goal regardless of how many iterations there are and realize that you have to embrace the ability to admit failure, evaluate what could go better and try again,” she says.

An Ongoing Path to Self-Reflection

Poteat started her career in a non-traditional way, earning a PhD with a focus on economic sociology – researching how markets form and how companies function and evolve in markets. While she had initially thought she might pursue a future in academia, her wife suggested she work at one of the companies she was researching instead. She spoke to Goldman and ended up working in their transformation department where they were focusing on organizational design — looking at their operations and determining what could be improved and how they could learn from others in the marketplace.

When she was contacted by a venture capital firm in Philadelphia, she was intrigued at the prospect of occupying the operator seat as she had been looking into small companies that Goldman could invest in and had been seeing interesting businesses bubble up. She took the role, where she led a turnaround on an insurance company, splitting it into two and bringing it to profitability.
While it was challenging given all the dimensions, she found it fascinating and names it as one of the professional achievements she is most proud of. “Bringing that company to profitability was both exhilarating and terrifying,” she says, noting that the culture was poor which led employees to have low expectations. She worked on an all-encompassing change from business processes to product changes and interpersonal relationships, relishing the chance to drop down and look at a problem and then zoom up to the bigger picture.

And therefore she found herself at a crossroads when she finished that engagement, trying to decide if she wanted to continue operating companies, which combined her love for research with her proclivity to flipping companies around, or did she want to take some time to work on herself? Ultimately she decided to come to Bridgewater where she is focused on the systemization of management, while learning more about how she operates as a leader. “I am investing in myself by taking a role with a smaller scope, yet one that I know will help me be more impactful when I eventually step back into the operator position,” she says.
For now she believes that her time at Bridgewater will help show her strengths as well as flaws, as she works with a team who is poised to provide honest feedback.

Building Relationships as a Key to Success

After spending six years getting her PhD and teaching university classes, Poteat expected the corporate world to be cutthroat, but she has found it to be extremely humane. “It has been incredible to meet smart, hard-working, dedicated people who have gone out on a limb for me,” she says. As one example, she cites Johann Shudlick, then the head of the LGBT network at Goldman and now driving diversity at Bridgewater as the one who went to bat for her, finding out her goals and then taking the time to open doors by introducing her around the Street.

While she acknowledges the business world can be competitive, she finds there is still a camaraderie around it. “I’ve been happiest when I’ve helped others around me grow, and I’ve been able to make great friends and form strong relationships over the years,” she says, noting that academia involved more quiet work without that interplay.

As she reflects on those she admires, she says she finds herself noticing those who can objectively view themselves in the moment. “Yes, you have to consider your numbers and impact and how you effect change, but what I admire is people who are able to genuinely lead by understanding how their leadership style impacts the group.”

Always looking for those learning moments, Poteat cites one that has stuck with her. She relays how she had signed off on what ended up being a big bill, before she realized she had gone through the motions and pushed it forward without checking it carefully enough. “It ended up being impactful, and I should have verified that it wasn’t exactly what I thought it was,” she says, saying it helped her self-reflect on how her bent toward action orientation helped propel the blunder forward. “While this focus on action is generally a strength, it can be more of a hindrance when I pair it with bravado,” she says, noting that it’s important to always slow down and take that extra step. “I learned the importance of balancing confidence with humility, which I try to work on every day,” she says.

While Poteat knows that it can be hard for some people, she says that it would be impossible to her to not be out at work. And she’s found it to be a benefit to her career as it opened up relationships in affinity groups, as well as allowing her to help others on the personal front. In fact, in larger organizations she finds that the managers she had were quite proud she was on the team and that her different reality allows her to see the play on the field from a different vantage.

She and her wife share their life with two Golden Retrievers and love to travel. On the philanthropic fronts, they invest in LGBT-founded companies through angel investing with a group called Gaingels. Companies they support must have LGBT representation within the C-suite, and one of Poteat’s favorite parts is getting to meet the founders while providing economic empowerment.

In addition, she and her wife, along with her wife’s family, have established the Global Education Scholarship fund in memory of her wife’s brother who passed away when he was 31 from cancer. It supports students at Elon, particularly those who may have a chronic illness that might diminish their health quality. She says she always wants to emphasize that despite any life challenge, the timeline of your life remains separate from the value you bring to each moment.

“We underscore that it’s not the length of your life timeline, but the volume of the value you fit into your time,” she says, an ethos they themselves live by maximizing the value of every day.

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3 Ways to Boost Your Success in Your Career Using The Lattice, Not The Ladder!

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Image via Shutterstock

By Lisa Iarkowski

Take a moment to picture your career path.

Do you see an arc? A lattice? A rock climbing wall?

No matter how you picture them, today’s career paths look very different from the traditional steps up the ladder. The career lattice has become a prevalent career path model for both individuals and organizations seeking to remain valuable and competitive in the 21st century. While there are clear benefits to the career lattice, navigating a career path on it can sometimes seem anything but clear. But there’s a way through. By developing three career competencies, you can learn to master the lattice and strategically create your own career success with it.

The Lattice: You Are Here

Even though we are living in it day-to-day, the lattice can feel like a city we are visiting for the first time. So, let’s first get our bearings. According to Deloitte’s 2018 Global Human Capital Trends report, 21st century careers on the lattice focus on a series of developmental experiences, each offering a person the opportunity to acquire new skills, perspectives, and judgment. Instead of the traditional “up the ladder” progression of narrowly defined job paths and skills, careers here develop along alternatively vertical, horizontal, and diagonal paths, and are shaped by experiences and learning agility. This is defined in the report as “the ability and willingness to learn from experience, and then apply that learning to perform successfully under new situations.”. The lattice is dynamic and agile. It is adaptive, and “built for flexibility and movement.” To be successful within it, we need to be the same.

The potential benefits are impressive. These include more personalized career paths, ongoing growth and skill development opportunities, increased value and employability in internal and external labor markets, and improved personal career-life fit. The lattice affords the opportunity to create a highly-individualized career path, with the freedom to make professionally and personally meaningful career development choices based on our own unique career goals and personal vision of success.

3 Ways to Master the Lattice

Befriending the lattice and managing our careers in it is essential to our career growth and success. Research on contemporary career paths suggests that to do this effectively, we need to develop strength in three career competencies: Reflective, Communicative, and Behavioral.

Way #1: Your Reflective Competency

Imagine you want to take a trip. To choose a destination, you’d probably spend some time thinking whether you want to relax or have an adventure, and about the activities and sites that might interest you. Similarly, developing your career on the lattice involves reflecting on what you want and what’s important to you.

Give yourself ample time to reflect on your motivations, values, and passions with regard to your career. What does success look like to you? What matters most to you? Because the lattice is built for flexibility, it can support your personal vision of success–now and in the future. Also reflect on and assess your strengths, skills, and potential shortcomings. Doing this will allow you to be more intentional and strategic about moves on the lattice. And it will help you identify the best experiences to learn and develop new skills and perspectives, while also magnifying your current strengths and skills.

As you think about your skills, also think about the skills most needed in your career area now and in the future. According to Deloitte, McKinsey, and others, 21st century skills that are increasingly in demand are those that pair with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation. Most desirable is a blend of cognitive abilities such as creativity, learning, and problem-solving along with social skills such as teamwork, collaboration, and adaptability to change. Seeking out experiences that will help you further develop high-value skills can be an investment in your career growth and longevity.

Plan on doing some healthy reflection on a regular basis to foster continuous growth and to stay aligned with changes in your career area as well as your own career aspirations.

Way #2: Your Communicative Competency

A strong communicative competency allows you to effectively communicate with others to improve your chances of career success. Networking and communicating your value fall under this competency.

Networking in particular can help you identify potential experiences that may not be obvious. Forbes, payscale.com, and others indicate that as much as 80% of job opportunities are not advertised (i.e., the “hidden job market”) and are obtained through some sort of networking activity. If the prospect of networking gives you pause, think of it instead as an opportunity to build mutually beneficial relationships where you both give help and receive it. Networking also gives you an opportunity to learn more about career areas or potential moves that you are considering, both inside and outside your organization.

As you seek out experiences on the lattice, you will need to communicate your value—your personal knowledge, abilities, and skills—to the internal and external labor market. If you’re not sure where to start, take a first step by creating or revising your elevator speech. This is a targeted, succinct, and powerful way to communicate your value and get someone interested in what you can offer, especially in networking situations. Also, think about how can you take greater advantage of LinkedIn to publicly share your value on your profile and by expanding your network with individuals and relevant groups.

There are many ways to network and demonstrate value, so it makes sense to be strategic and intentional with how you do both. Make networking more inside and outside your organization something you do ongoing.

Way #3: Your Behavioral Competency

This competency focuses on your ability to shape your career by proactively taking action. This competency is critical because in the lattice, you are squarely and unequivocally at the helm of managing your career. And many organizations are simply not providing sufficient career management support. In Deloitte’s 2018 report, 72% of organizations report having a nontraditional hierarchy, yet only 18% say they give employees what they need to actively develop themselves and their career paths. Even with help from your employer, it’s increasingly expected that you are responsible for managing your own career.

You can build your behavioral competency by focusing on two areas: work exploration and career control. Work exploration involves actively exploring and searching for those work and career related experiences that will build your skills, abilities, and knowledge—i.e., those that increase your value and align with your career goals. Since the lattice is adaptive and flexible, these experiences can take many forms. They can be new internal or external experiences, lateral or vertical job moves, short term project work in a different team or functional area, a role in a new industry, and even skill building or job crafting in your current role. Exercising career control, you actively influence your learning and work processes by setting goals and planning out how to meet them. Try SMART goal setting to proactively create a plan to achieve your short and longer term goals. And revisit your plan regularly to track your progress and to set new goals as needed.

Mastering anything takes frequent practice and repetition. So, aim to strengthen your career competencies through frequent and regular use. Make them part of your routine, and you will soon master your career on the lattice!

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Think Sustainable and Ethical Returns, Think Female Leaders

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Latina

Guest Contributed by Lawler Kang, CEO, League of Allies

Socially responsible and impact investing models have been around for decades (centuries, in fact).

What has changed is the amount of money that is being managed to these ends. CalPERS and CalSTRS, two pension funds for the State of California employees that manage upwards of $550 billion, are on the forefront of integrating ESG factors into their investments and the NYC and NY State pension funds, worth roughly $350 billion combined, are nipping at their heels. And European pension and sovereign wealth funds, some with a trillion in the bank, are considerably ahead of the United States.

Larry Fink, CEO of Blackrock’s recent clarion call to capitalism that managing “environmental, social, and governance [ESG] matters demonstrates the leadership and good governance that is so essential to sustainable growth” should not fall on CEO deaf ears. The proxy shareholder voting power in those companies in which it actively or passively invests (with $6 trillion under management) means companies who don’t make concerted and palpable efforts to service their communities as well as their stakeholders they could find themselves with a new board, and management team, who will.

What is behind this shift in thinking? Doing the “right thing” aside, immense amounts of research from organizations such as Sustainable Accounting Standards Board (SASB) reveal that proactively coming up with ways to either minimize or mitigate businesses’ impacts related to ESG issues can have material positive effects on financial performance, traced down to the level of income statements, balance sheets, and costs of capital. And while there are a few frameworks companies can use to measure and report, leveraging women and talent appear across the board in the mix of proscriptions companies should use to deliver these performances.

What has this got to do with women at work?

In the returns context, McKinsey estimates a $12 trillion bump in global GDP by 2025 if management gender parity were realized. A Credit Suisse study of 3,000 listed firms reports companies with 50% senior front office management who are female outperformed the growth of the market index from 2008 to 2016 by upwards of 60%. A MSCI review of 1,600+ public firms has correlated companies with three women on their boards in 2011 as outperforming those with none by median gains of 37% EPS and 10% ROE over the last five years. Certain prescient asset managers, such as Boston Common Asset Management, founded by a woman, have been generating market-beating returns for 15 years.

It can be argued that there is no other singular factor can have such a pronounced impact on company performance, again irrespective of industry, as gender parity. And what’s more, women are not only accretive to financial performance, they are at the core of the sustainable and ethical part of the equation.

A study by the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business of 1,500+ traded firms concludes that companies with women on their boards are more likely to address a litany of ESG factors. A research paper coming from The University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management found that women bring six important skills that have been lacking in board composition and that are vital to decision-making: corporate governance, an eye for regulatory/compliance issues, human resources, sustainability, politics/government relations, and risk management. Of note, the last four are presently the least represented of all skills on boards. Another report from MSCI cross-referenced gender board composition with a likelihood of “fewer instances of governance-related controversies such as cases of bribery, corruption, fraud and shareholder battles” and general overall reductions in risk. Dealing with these issues, many of which result in fines, can be distracting and expensive, in both outlays and reputation/brand. Findings published in the Journal of Financial Economics noted that female directors have better attendance, can actually increase men’s attendance, and are more likely to be assigned to committees that monitor performance. The same study found that boards with more gender diversity are more likely to hold CEOs’ feet to the fire for sub-par execution.

Where are the women going to come from?

A recent Lean In/McKinsey report reveals that while 45% of the entry level workforce is female, only 37% are Manager level, 27% are Vice Presidents, 17% occupy C-level positions, and the vast majority of these roles are in Administrative functions: Human Resources, Legal, etc. Women run only 5% of the S&P 500 and represent 22% of those companies’ Board seats. To say that opportunities for advancement aren’t abundant is akin to postulating our climate is not changing. The problem is the pipeline: the entire system, from recruiting to manager training to development and succession planning, is institutionally biased in a variety of unconscious and conscious ways. Expanding and re-weighting our definition of leadership and the skill sets required to succeed, per the afore-mentioned Board study, is a great example of a change that will have profound ripple-down effects on the entire system’s mechanics. And there are many more dials that can be turned, levers pulled, that will increase the flow of diverse talent that increase profit and valuations.

In his February letter Mr. Fink stressed the importance of diverse boards, and in that same month BlackRock requested all companies on the Russell 1000 in which it has positions and that have less than three female board members to share their rationale. State Street, with $2 trillion in assets under management, made similar Board-related waves when it unveiled its Fearless Girl statue last year and a similar call to action. And organizations such as The 30% Coalition and Paradigm 4 Parity are making great strides in signing up backers from both the investment and corporate communities who are taking the pledge to increase female representation in executive and director ranks. The stage is being set.

Mainstream momentum for sustainable and ethical business is growing. PE shops and hedge funds are now donning ESG garments and are flaunting them to both investors and the general public. Mutual funds and ETFs with organic flavors are flooding the market; Barron’s recently had a cover article on the top 200 sustainable funds, though marketing and reality must be further examined.

We must let women lead, because if parity is left untested, we have much to lose financially and otherwise.

Disclaimer: The opinions and views of guest contributors are not necessarily those of theglasshammer.com

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How to Be Productive Without Feeling Stressed

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women stressed

Guest Contributed by Anna Whitehouse

Keen to be more productive?

Constantly trying to squeeze every drop out of the day could leave you feeling incredibly stressed. So what’s the solution? Read on to discover how to achieve more without sacrificing your mental health.

Learn to be present

In 2005 Arianna Huffington founded the Huffington Post. Two years later, she had collapsed due to stress and burnout. It took a breakdown to make this highly successful woman realise that she needed to slow down.

As well as starting to sleep properly, Arianna learned to be fully present in each moment. She began to appreciate the simple pleasures of life and became passionate about the connection between well being and productivity at work.

So if you need time away from the demands of work, the constant chatter of social media and a busy home life, why not find a tranquil spot in a local park or garden and experience the power of being fully present for yourself?

Once you’ve found your spot, start by drawing a deep breath and letting it out through your nose. Next, relax each part of your body and become aware of your surroundings. Feel the sun on your face, listen to the birds singing and simply enjoy being in the moment.

Stop multitasking

In our busy society, the ability to multitask is often admired. However, according to Paul Towers of Task Pigeon, “our brains are designed to focus on one thing at a time. We are not like a computer where we can successfully run multiple applications simultaneously.”

While constantly switching between tasks might seem like a good idea, it actually leads to procrastination and lack of concentration. These can affect our productivity at work and our relationships with those we love.

If you want to become more productive, try tackling one thing at a time, as losing yourself in a particular task leads to creative flow. When you allow this to happen, you’ll actually complete your task more efficiently and to a higher standard.

Say no more often

Is saying yes your default setting? Then you’ll probably end up feeling resentful and stressed because you’ve taken on too many projects. If your goal is to become more productive, learning to say no is crucial, because you’ll then be able to say yes to the things you’re passionate about.

TED speaker Derek Sivers sums this up nicely with this statement: “if you’re not saying “Hell Yeah!” about something, say no.”
Saying no can be tricky to start with, but being able to set boundaries is a sign of maturity. Most people will respect the fact that you know your limits and you can always point them in the direction of someone else who might be able to help.

Write effective lists

To do lists can be very handy when it comes to being productive, but they can also cause a great deal of stress. To avoid this, we recommend prioritising each task on your list. Tasks with an impending deadline should always be placed at the top, as these need to be dealt with urgently. Non urgent but important tasks go next in line, followed by jobs that can be left for a little while.

If your list is becoming ridiculously long, delegate! Focusing on the jobs that you do best means that you’ll be able to give someone else the chance to develop their skills.

Look after yourself

At the headquarters of Arianna Huffington’s company Thrive Global; employees are encouraged to take a nap during the working day. Her mission is to prioritize the well being of her staff and promote the value of sleep:

“Studies have shown that naps boost our immune system, lower our blood pressure, increase our ability to learn, improve our memory and performance of complex tasks.”

Exercise is another excellent tool for boosting productivity and combating stress. This is because it keeps you mentally sharp and increases your energy, while also releasing endorphins.

If you’re suffering from afternoon sugar slumps at work, a diet rich in fruit, leafy green vegetables, oily fish, eggs and wholegrains will also increase your ability to concentrate.

Any change involves commitment, but if you take the time to follow our tips you’ll enjoy better mental and physical health as well as increasing your productivity.

Anna Whitehouse writes for Inspiring Interns, which specializes in finding candidates their perfect internship. To browse our graduate jobs, visit our website.

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Voice of Experience: Melanie Tinto, Chief Human Resources Officer, WEX

By Cathie Ericson

Early in her career, a mentor asked WEX’ Melanie Tinto what she would do differently if she was a vice president, and she named a couple of things on her mind.

It was very eye opening when her mentor responded, “Why not operate like you’re already in the role that you want to be in? Why wait? Let people see you for the value you bring, and they’ll be thinking ‘I thought she already had that larger title.’” That is the type of advice that has helped Tinto rise within numerous companies to her current position today.

Finding Her Calling in HR

Tinto says she never thought of work as “work,” but rather something that brought her fulfilment, thus making her busy career a pleasure.

She had grown up in Maine but when she graduated, the market was not particularly robust, so she moved to Connecticut and worked for a finance company that put her in a leadership development program. She ended up with a rotation in HR and although she had planned to land in underwriting, she realized that HR was the right path for her, particularly in the recruiting and career development areas.

When the company was being acquired, she decided to make a move to Cigna that combined her loves of financing and HR. She was soon promoted to managing half the staff and went through some different departments, including product strategy, when she found herself at the tipping point where it was time to decide if she was going to stay in HR or go back to the business side. She ended up working in HR for a variety of companies of all sizes, mainly moving with bosses she admired. Over the years, she has been proud that she’s been able to play a role in developing talent and watching them blossom, with former team members who are now CHROs.

Tinto is happy now to be back with a smaller company where she appreciates the culture and tighter chemistry. And of course, she is delighted to be back to Maine.

In her new position at WEX, she’ll be focusing her attention on a variety of needs, but one of them is helping to ensure the diversity of staff. In addition she is focused on thinking ahead to how employees will want to work in the future and how the company can help retain them by offering a variety of work paths, such as short- and long-term assignments to keep them interested.

Also, now that she is in a different chapter of her career, she’s looking forward to expanding her work on advisory boards to deepen her roots by becoming more engaged in the community beyond her day-to-day work.

Benefitting from Mentors and Passing It On

Another lesson that stuck with Tinto from a mentor came from the military, “Completed Staff Work.” What that means is never put a problem in the lap of someone else; instead at least offer options and recommendations. “Find that extra step that differentiates you and helps your leader do his or her job better,” she advises. So for example, if you knew your boss was going to forward your email directly to the CEO, would you check it one more time for format or spelling? Then assume that might happen and do it.

She says that she feels so grateful for her career path that she is eager to bring others along. To that end, she says it’s important to remember to give credit to team members, which can help strengthen relationships.

Building those relationships has always been important to her. At a former employer she helped lead the women’s employee resource group and saw how impactful the outlet was as a way to remember not to just put your head down and work.

“Many of the women I met there are still my board of advisors,” she says, adding that she has known many of them since the ‘90s, which offers a vast network she can always ask for help or advice.

“Sometimes you need someone to hold a mirror up to you, and you have to be open to that feedback, which makes you better even when you don’t want it,” she says.

A Full Life With Family

Balance is important to Tinto, and she says she wishes she’d learned earlier in her career to carve out time for herself. “You have to take that hour, or leave work to take a vacation because often taking a break is a better way to be more effective.”

Now she enjoys spending time with her husband of 25 years and 13-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter. “I’m lucky because I’ve always felt very supported in terms of my career – even with all the craziness, we are a team that supports one another.”

Together they love to participate in a wide variety of activities, from camping to concerts to trips. One of their goals is to see every state in the country and they only have eight left. “I wouldn’t trade the memories we’ve made for anything,” she says.

The family is also busy with kids’ sports and traveling teams, particularly horses and lacrosse. And now that she is back in Maine, she is delighted to be able to spend Sunday dinners with the extended family.

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