Readers,

We are holding our 4th Annual Navigating your career event on 26th Feb on the topic of Engaging Men as Champions, Allies and Sponsors as you advance in your career.

Editorially in 2015, we are interested in profiling men who have “walked the talk” and really stepped up to own their influence as a change leader in ways that are tangible to individuals and to the team or firm. We are currently looking for nominations from women to suggest men for us to interview as we really want the real deal and no lip service to the concept.

Do you have a man who you feel is worthy of being profiles under “Men who get it” in the coming weeks and months?

If so, please email jilliane@glasshammer2.wpengine.com with details. Include who and why you have chosen this man. Perhaps he is your sponsor or has started initiatives within your firm. Perhaps, he ensures all voices are heard and works to promote real meritocracy?

We look forward to hearing from you, the glasshammer.com is your career site.

If you would like to be considered for an invitation to this event which in this particular case is designed for VP level women and beyond who are looking to leverage senior people as they themselves become more senior, please register here or contact jilliane@glasshammer2.wpengine.com

By Terry Selucky (Los Angeles)

“If men have taken the C-suite hostage, then Lean In presents with underlying symptoms the Stockholm syndrome,” writes James Allworth, in a recent Harvard Business Review blog post entitled “It’s Not Women Who Should Lean In, It’s Men Who Should Step Back.”

After reading Sheryl Sandberg’s controversial bestseller, Allworth asks that we examine closely the strategies of Lean In. He states that the book’s encouragement to women to be “more like men” is counterproductive in the workplace and in the world at large. He discusses Lean In’s example of a study of students in a surgery rotation which revealed that, when each individual was asked to self-evaluate, female students gave themselves lower scores than their male classmates did, despite faculty evaluations that showed the women outperformed the men.

The bottom line: Women outperformed the men. But Allworth highlights that Sandberg found fault with the women’s lack of confidence, urging them to “fake it until they make it,”

He then asks: “But is this really good advice?”

Allworth suggests that the breakdown in male students’ performance was directly linked to their swagger, that the ones more confident in their ability were less likely to “do the hard yards” in preparation. He asks that, contrary to Sandberg’s advice in Lean In which asks women to adopt habits of men, men explore what they can learn from women.

But will men “leaning back” really lead to equality at the top? What’s the magic formula to positive social change?

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By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“To be honest,” began Barton Hill, Managing Director, Global Head of Marketing, Securities and Fund Services, at Citi, “as a white male, there’s a lot that I didn’t know, that I’ve learned along the way.” When Hill was tapped to Chair the Bank’s North American Diversity Operating Committee, he thought it would be just be a matter of figuring out and implementing the right diversity policy. But, he continued, there was so much more.

“There’s a whole range of concerns that people of different backgrounds possess, and what different challenges lie before them. I simplistically thought we just didn’t have the right programs or we just weren’t working hard enough. But the range, and depth, and root causes – I had no idea what the obstacles were.”

Hill said he was particularly struck by the notion of “feeling safe.” He explained, “The concept of feeling safe – I never would have thought of that. Safe is not a word I would have thought of in a work environment. But it’s real.”

Armed with new knowledge and inspired by his four daughters, Hill is working hard to move the diversity journey forward as Citi transforms its business.

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Contributed by John Keyser, Founder and Principal of Common Sense Leadership

I ask you to read this article thoughtfully. As an executive in business for over forty years, I feel very strongly that now is the critical time for men in leadership positions to recognize that the male dominated company leadership deprives organizational cultures of the strengths women could add to leadership and the positive effects that would have on financial performance and results.

This is not new information. Bypassing women for promotion is a systemic, ongoing practice that is highly unfair and harmful to our all-important organizational cultures. I am hoping to mount a crusade to promote women because it is essential to the growth of our companies – to the benefit of us all!
It is time for men to step up to the plate and mentor, coach and sponsor women in their companies.

Let me start with some facts.

• 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women.
• The 50 highest-paid executives in the U.S. are all men.
• Men are paid approximately 25% more than women for the same work.
• While the number of women in executive positions had risen slightly and steadily since the 60s, in the past decade there has been a downward trend.
• McKinsey & Co.’s recent study reveals that women rate higher than men on most leadership skills.

Ilene Lang, President of Catalyst, a not-for-profit organization founded about 50 years ago to help women and girls gain equality, observes that men are promoted based on their potential, while women have to prove themselves over and over again for that promotion. Everyone I have mentioned this to, both men and women, has said, “So true!”

A study also conducted by Catalyst reveals that companies that have at least three women on their board of directors have 16% higher financial results.

While that is important to know, here’s my reaction. The great driver of financial results is organizational culture. A winning culture means high energy, great teamwork and loyalty. As a practical matter, having three women on a board is likely to have little effect on organizational culture, as there is little, if any, interaction with anyone except the most senior executives. Maybe a few handshakes here and there – and handshakes do not a winning organizational culture make!

Just think how much better the financial results might be if women were not outside directors, but were actually in the C-suites, in senior leadership positions? In my opinion, the results could be a lot higher than 16%. Twice that? More? Why not, if talented women are helping to develop highly motivated, inspired cultures?

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By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“I remember Susan Butler, Accenture’s first female senior executive,” began Jorge Benitez, Managing Director, North America and Chief Executive, United States at Accenture. “To be the first at something – that’s huge.”

In fact, Benitez himself has been an advocate for and a role model of diversity at the company since he joined it thirty years ago. He explained, “There weren’t a lot of people who looked like me when you looked around. We’ve made huge strides since then. And it’s important as we become leaders to pass that onto the next generation.”

“It’s night and day versus 30 years ago – diversity is part of our fabric now. Of course, we can always find room for improvement,” he said.

Read more