By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)
The first time I heard the phrase “critical mass,” it had nothing to do with boardroom gender equality. I was a student at the College of William and Mary, and Critical Mass was an event where cyclists would attempt to clog the streets of my tiny college town to kindly encourage automobile drivers to share the road. While I generally supported my two-wheeled classmates, I wasn’t altogether clear on their event’s apparent link to nuclear physics. I later learned they were inspired by much larger demonstrations in San Francisco, which, in turn, were inspired by a 1992 documentary on bicycle transportation around the world.
In an interview in the film, American bicycle designer George Bliss describes his observations of traffic in China, where cyclists had an unspoken method of crossing busy intersections, which often had no traffic signals. More and more cyclists would collect along one side of the intersection, until their group reached a certain understood size (“critical mass”) when it was safe to cross the road together, as automobile traffic would have to stop and wait for the cyclists to pass.
We can draw inspiration from the critical mass metaphor for gender diversity as well. As the number of women in boardrooms and on executive committees increases, there reaches a point where women feel safe to speak up, get enthusiastic, take risks, and make waves – without being seen as a threat to the status quo, as overemotional, as a risky hire, or as a token place holder. Critical mass is the notion of safety in numbers.
And “safety in numbers” means better business. Recent research by Catalyst suggests that companies with three or more women directors outperform those with all-male boards. “When you reach a certain critical mass, the board starts to behave differently,” said Joe Keefe, President and CEO of PAX World Mutual Funds and a founder of the Thirty Percent Coalition. “Conversations are richer, decisions improve, women bring different perspectives to the table, and performance improves.”
Indeed, a new Credit Suisse study of almost 2,400 companies suggests that boardroom diversity improves corporate performance. In fact, companies with more than one woman on their board performed 26% better over the past 6 years than those with no female directors.
Imagine the impact on gender diversity if the conversation around critical mass were one that appealed to both women and companies? The Thirty Percent Coalition intends to do just that.
Women in the Boardroom: Moving Critical Mass Forward
Featured, Industry Leaders, LeadershipThe first time I heard the phrase “critical mass,” it had nothing to do with boardroom gender equality. I was a student at the College of William and Mary, and Critical Mass was an event where cyclists would attempt to clog the streets of my tiny college town to kindly encourage automobile drivers to share the road. While I generally supported my two-wheeled classmates, I wasn’t altogether clear on their event’s apparent link to nuclear physics. I later learned they were inspired by much larger demonstrations in San Francisco, which, in turn, were inspired by a 1992 documentary on bicycle transportation around the world.
In an interview in the film, American bicycle designer George Bliss describes his observations of traffic in China, where cyclists had an unspoken method of crossing busy intersections, which often had no traffic signals. More and more cyclists would collect along one side of the intersection, until their group reached a certain understood size (“critical mass”) when it was safe to cross the road together, as automobile traffic would have to stop and wait for the cyclists to pass.
We can draw inspiration from the critical mass metaphor for gender diversity as well. As the number of women in boardrooms and on executive committees increases, there reaches a point where women feel safe to speak up, get enthusiastic, take risks, and make waves – without being seen as a threat to the status quo, as overemotional, as a risky hire, or as a token place holder. Critical mass is the notion of safety in numbers.
And “safety in numbers” means better business. Recent research by Catalyst suggests that companies with three or more women directors outperform those with all-male boards. “When you reach a certain critical mass, the board starts to behave differently,” said Joe Keefe, President and CEO of PAX World Mutual Funds and a founder of the Thirty Percent Coalition. “Conversations are richer, decisions improve, women bring different perspectives to the table, and performance improves.”
Indeed, a new Credit Suisse study of almost 2,400 companies suggests that boardroom diversity improves corporate performance. In fact, companies with more than one woman on their board performed 26% better over the past 6 years than those with no female directors.
Imagine the impact on gender diversity if the conversation around critical mass were one that appealed to both women and companies? The Thirty Percent Coalition intends to do just that.
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Executive and Pregnant: Multitasking and Making It Work
Work-LifeWhen it comes to pregnancy and running a company, multitasking may be an understatement. But according to corporate CEO Michelle Patterson, executive director of the California Women’s Conference, women have always had an inherent ability to multitask, in even the most demanding situations.
“Women alike, whether single mothers, entrepreneurs, CEOs, teachers, and/or athletes, are not shocked or taken aback by the fact that an executive is capable of running a corporation while she is expecting,” says Patterson.
That may be because many of them have already done just that. An informal poll by The Glass Hammer found a large number of executives who cited their experience managing pregnancy, maternity leave, and jobs—either with a slight pause or not.
“Whether a woman chooses to work through her maternity leave is a personal choice and shouldn’t set a precedent for other professionals,” adds Debby Carreau, CEO of Inspired HR. “If you choose to return emails in the delivery room that is your prerogative, as is taking time away from work and getting away from it all.”
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Voice of Experience: Jennifer McLaughlin, Senior Executive, CMT Operating Group, North America, Accenture
Voices of ExperienceJennifer McLaughlin has spent a two-decade career at Accenture, all of it working with clients in the communications area. It should be no surprise, then, that one of McLaughlin’s key lessons is the importance of clear communication.
“One of the things I’ve learned in my career is how openly you should communicate. When I was younger, I would second guess and form opinions about how people would receive what I had to say – instead of just openly communicating.”
That went for client work and her own professional needs – like flex work, she explained. “But I’ve learned that when you’re direct, you just get a better result. There’s more transparency about where you stand with others and that’s important.”
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Challenging Family Leave Law
Work-LifeOutside of a daycare in Pittsburgh, PA on a hot summer day, two women pass the time until the kids are released chatting about the news. After discussing Marcellus Shale drilling, one woman says, “Did you hear about that Google lady? She’s now the boss and she’s pregnant.”
“Yes, but” answers her friend, “it’s Yahoo, not Google. And she thinks she’s only going to need a few weeks off.”
“Shame on her,” says the first woman with something like disgust, “she’s the boss. She can take as long as she needs.”
Conversations like this took place all over the country and the internet after Google’s 20th employee and first female engineer, Marissa Mayer, was named the new CEO of the troubled Yahoo! Inc. She also announced that she was pregnant, but assured her stockholders that she would only take three weeks off, planning to work from home during that time.
The news has thrown the subject of family leave back into the spotlight.
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Do Female Executives Help or Hinder Each Other’s Careers?
Office PoliticsThe green-eyed monster is alive and well in corporate boardrooms according to a recent study from Washington University. The study entitled “Female Tokens in High-prestige Work Groups: Catalysts or Inhibitors of Group Diversification?” purports to prove that high-level female executives subvert the success of other females to protect their position as token woman.
This research directly contradicts recent research by Catalyst, and serves to perpetuate negative stereotypes that keep women from advancing.
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How Do You Define Feminism at Work?
Managing ChangeWhen Marissa Mayer, Yahoo’s young, powerhouse new CEO, made comments recently that she did not think of herself as a feminist, the internet lit up with comments, both good and bad, about whether or not she should feel like a feminist icon.
But should people be angry with her? Yes, she did rise to the top of her field. Yes, she has been fortunate enough to make her way into a position where she doesn’t have to choose between family and career – she gets to have both. But does having wild success and a family make her a feminist, or just a woman who knew what she wanted and set out to get it? Is there even a difference?
How do younger woman in the workforce, planning to have success in both career and family, view the debate? Have we become too preoccupied by distinguishing and specifying our peers and successful women as “feminists”? Pragmatically, perhaps we should simply focus on their success, rather than a label.
Struggling to come to terms with the evolving role of women, and specifically feminists, in the workplace, we spoke to Caroline Ghosn, Founder and CEO of The Levo League, about what it means to be a young woman in the workplace today.
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Mentoring Matters: How to Develop Fruitful Professional Relationships
Expert AnswersWhen was the last time you sat down for coffee with someone who really cares about your professional development? When was the last time you treated someone else to lunch for the purpose of encouraging them in their career path? It’s easy to get sidetracked by daily demands, but fostering professional relationships can add tremendous potential to your career growth. Plus, building a strong network in business is crucial for overall well being and career satisfaction as well.
Over the course of my career, I’ve held a variety of roles in finance, business and technology – fields in which women tend to be underrepresented. In these roles, I’ve been able to observe and experience the importance of mentorship. I’ve also recognized the value of seeking strategic counsel, moral support and fresh thinking from my peers and mentors, and offering my own insights to other women seeking the same.
Making professional relationship-building a priority takes time, but it’s worth it. Here are some guidelines I’ve found helpful in creating the most value from professional mentor relationships:
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Five Killer Tips for a Confident Presentation
Next LevelEveryone has sat through at least one horrible presentation. Sometimes it’s bad because the subject matter is irrelevant or poorly researched. Other times, the presenter lacks a successful public-speaking presence. Just like in other aspects of business, your creativity and personality are yours to wield the best way you can. If you feel as if your presentation abilities need improvement, consider the below tips to change the way you approach the task.
1. Give credit to your audience’s knowledge.
Fryear faculty fellow and assistant professor of business administration at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Cait Poyntor Lamberton says that one big pitfall is when “people don’t give their audience credit for knowing something.” She suggests instead that you “prove your depth of knowledge by applying it,” to the specific purpose of the presentation. As a presenter, you may want to show off a little by explaining a concept or providing details that everyone already knows. If you choose to do so, keep it to a minimum.
Often this is used to fill (or kill) time, but no one has ever complained if a presentation ended sooner than expected, especially if it was fast-paced and focused on the new information and important conclusions brought forward by the presenter.
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Launching a New Conversation: Maternity, Motherhood, and Executive Women
Work-LifeThough Yahoo’s new CEO Marissa Mayer didn’t ask to be a role model for pregnant executives, she has nonetheless become one. But beyond Mayer, what is the effect of her choices on executive women across the board and in the boardroom?
After all, says Sasha Galbraith, Marissa Mayer isn’t the only senior executive who has tried to tackle a work-life blend. She recalls attending a lecture by a pregnant CEO in tech some 20 years ago. “Mayer is not the first pregnant CEO in tech,” Galbraith says. “There have been others, but they haven’t been as high-powered.”
Some suggest that other female executives can parlay the momentum of the announcement into a teachable moment—for women, corporations, and society. “Mayer’s situation signals to other women that we need to let go of societal expectations around gender roles and questioning women’s abilities to balance a demanding career and a baby, and accept that it can be done in much the same way men do it,” says Jamie Ladge, assistant professor of management and organizational development at Northeastern University’s College of Business.
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Intrepid Woman: Kimberly Foss, President & Founder, Empyrion Wealth Management
Intrepid Women Series“At 11 years old, I realized I wanted to be in money management,” said Kimberly Foss, Founder and President of Empyrion Wealth Management. “I was the youngest of six kids and all I had were hand-me-downs. I wanted Jordache Jeans so bad,” she recalled with a laugh. “I was hooked on the capitalism thing.”
Foss went on to study business at California State University at Chico and joined Merrill Lynch. After a few years, she says, she was ready to strike out on her own. “I left Merrill at 25 and started my own practice in capital markets with the philosophy to really do right by people. It was either sink or swim.”
“And 25 years later, I still have a business, so I must be doing something right.”
After growing her business and finding success in the financial markets, Foss is committed to helping empower all women to take control of their own money management.
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