By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)
According to Alison Maitland, co-Author of Future Work: How Businesses Can Adapt and Thrive in the New World of Work, it’s time for companies to adapt to employees’ needs – rather than the other way around. By doing so, she believes, companies can unlock untapped potential and productivity – particularly when it comes to women – and that’s good for business.
She explained, “We need corporate cultures to adapt to the two new realities of workforces and careers. First, that women are nearly half the workforce in most advanced economies. And yet many organizations are still built and designed by and for men of another era. That is no longer suitable for today’s workforce. “
“There is a connection between the way work is done and women’s lack of progress to the top.” Location should be removed from the equation when evaluating work, she continued. “Really, it’s results that should count rather than hours spent in the office.”
Future Work was released in the UK in October and in the US on the 8th of November, and discusses the urgency with which corporations need to address a changing workforce as the global marketplace becomes more complex. The book is co-written with Peter Thomson, a former HR director and a long-time expert on new ways of working.
She explained, “We both thought the way we work is crazy, and that there are much better ways to be doing it, and change is on the way.”
Maitland and Thomson interviewed over 60 executives and experts around the world and surveyed managers in their research for the book. “The majority of these managers expect there to be a revolution in working practices in the next decade. The book has a driving vision to explain how work can be done better and how people can be more productive, in a way that is good for people, good for companies, and good for the environment,” she said.
Mentoring and Finding a Mentor – Just Ask
Mentors and SponsorsDon’t be afraid to approach a mentor or someone you want to connect with professionally and just ask, says Pattie Sellers, Editor at Large and Co-chair of the Most Powerful Women Summit, FORTUNE. “Walk up to that person, and introduce yourself. It could change your life and it could change the older person’s life.”
Sellers was moderating an event presented by Step Up Women’s Network and sponsored by Miss Representation and Linkedin. The event, entitled “Professional Development: View from the Top,” provided young professionals with advice from successful senior women on how to advance their own careers and forge their own pathways to success.
Panelists included Ana Duarte McCarthy, Managing Director and Chief Diversity Officer, Citi; Bonnie Kintzer, CEO, Women’s Marketing; Amira Yunis, Executive Vice President and Principal, Newmark Knight Frank National Retail Group; and Carolyn Buck-Luce, Global Pharmaceutical Sector Leader, Ernst & Young LLP. The evening was opened by Linda Descano, President and COO of Citi’s Women & Co.
Seeking a mentor? Duarte McCarthy advised, “Come with candor and be authentic.”
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Movers and Shakers: Alison Maitland on How The Way We Work Will Change
Movers and ShakersAccording to Alison Maitland, co-Author of Future Work: How Businesses Can Adapt and Thrive in the New World of Work, it’s time for companies to adapt to employees’ needs – rather than the other way around. By doing so, she believes, companies can unlock untapped potential and productivity – particularly when it comes to women – and that’s good for business.
She explained, “We need corporate cultures to adapt to the two new realities of workforces and careers. First, that women are nearly half the workforce in most advanced economies. And yet many organizations are still built and designed by and for men of another era. That is no longer suitable for today’s workforce. “
“There is a connection between the way work is done and women’s lack of progress to the top.” Location should be removed from the equation when evaluating work, she continued. “Really, it’s results that should count rather than hours spent in the office.”
Future Work was released in the UK in October and in the US on the 8th of November, and discusses the urgency with which corporations need to address a changing workforce as the global marketplace becomes more complex. The book is co-written with Peter Thomson, a former HR director and a long-time expert on new ways of working.
She explained, “We both thought the way we work is crazy, and that there are much better ways to be doing it, and change is on the way.”
Maitland and Thomson interviewed over 60 executives and experts around the world and surveyed managers in their research for the book. “The majority of these managers expect there to be a revolution in working practices in the next decade. The book has a driving vision to explain how work can be done better and how people can be more productive, in a way that is good for people, good for companies, and good for the environment,” she said.
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35 Under 35: Simone Koo, Vice President, Institutional Equities, Morgan Stanley
35 Under 35When asked about career advice, Simone Koo, Vice President, Institutional Equities at Morgan Stanley responded with a laugh. “I’ve only had about eight years of my career.”
She continued, “I’m probably the youngest in the COO organization – and I take quite a bit of pride in that. And of course, there are people with years of experience ahead of me to learn from and develop my career.”
“But I would point out that business management, and management overall isn’t just something to do if you are older or experienced. You have to start early – and I’ve also been lucky with the bosses I’ve had. They have made so many opportunities available to me.”
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5 Steps to Get Through a Difficult Work Situation
Industry Leaders, LeadershipIn today’s fast-paced workplace and tough economic environment, difficult situations are bound to arise. But whether you’ve been tasked with delivering unpleasant news or downsizing a team, as a leader, how you handle the situation influences its outcome significantly.
“I think the most important thing to remember is that it’s not just about you,” explained Hyune Hand, Executive Vice President and General Manager at Wolters Kluwer (WK) Corporate Legal Services. She continued, “There is a whole team behind you looking at you, relying on you, to make sure you get to the right outcome.”
As a leader, it’s your job to make sure you evaluate every situation thoughtfully for the good of your company. Here are five ways to ensure you handle any tough situation with poise and maintain the respect of your colleagues.
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Negotiation November: Negotiate – For Yourself, Your Family, Your Teammates
Managing ChangeAccording to Matt Wallaert of GetRaised, a site created to help women plan for and request a salary increase, one of the biggest obstacles women encounter when asking for a raise is just that, working up the nerve to actually ask.
“Confidence is a big issue, but it’s not the only one,” Wallaert said.
“We need women to perceive asking for a raise as less threatening. Many women have an easier time doing it when you explain that when they get a raise, it helps others: their kids, their family, and blazing that trail will also be good for other women. We need to remove the inhibiting pressures. When women go into a negotiation with facts and concrete information that will help their employer see their value, it takes away the fear associated with the response.”
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Why Communicating Emotion Can Make You a Better Leader
Industry Leaders, Leadership“I’m an easy crier,” began Cheri Beranek, CEO of Clearfield, a NASDAQ-traded broadband company. “I’ve learned that there can be a right time for crying, but it can’t be about business.”
Beranek recalled recently losing a CFO to a heart attack – and when she informed her staff, she shed some tears. But, she said, she also worked hard to maintain poise. As a leader, she explained, it was her responsibility to respect her team’s emotions as well. “It’s about knowing how to support your staff, while also communicating the fragility of life,” she said. “Regardless of the situation, you always have to have empathy with the environment.”
“Remembering that it’s not just about my emotions, but also someone else’s helps me to be more objective,” she continued. “You have to approach people with dignity and approach people with empathy.”
In her 25 years in the telcom industry, Beranek said, she’s learned a lot about leading with empathy. “Gravitas, dignity, and depth of personality is something you are constantly developing.”
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New York Companies Slowly Putting More Women in Leadership
Industry Leaders, LeadershipThis year, women hold almost sixteen percent of the director seats and executive positions in New York’s 100 largest public companies. Whether that’s good news or bad news depends on whom you ask.
The information comes as part of the Women’s Executive Circle of New York’s latest census of New York’s top companies, produced in conjunction with Columbia Business School. According to the study, the percentage of women in leadership roles at these companies is growing. Wonderful! But… that growth is occurring at what seems like a snail’s pace. How long will it be before a woman nabbing a top seat at a big company isn’t news?
Yesenia Scheker-Izquierdo, Co-President and Co-Founder of WECNY, and a partner with KPMG LLP’s New York Financial Services Practice, said, “We are seeing some progress but the pace is slow. The more information we can provide the more robust the conversation. We are fortunate that the information is well-received and that in general, diversity is a business focus that makes sense for all involved.”
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Intrepid Woman: Laura Yecies, CEO, SugarSync
Intrepid Women Series“This was not a hot topic for me until three years ago,” said Laura Yecies, CEO of SugarSync. “Gender issues were not something I focused on. I had this idea that there were plenty of female CEOs – maybe not 50/50, but that there was a good amount.”
She continued, “Then I became a female CEO.”
Yecies said the turning point was when she attended a conference held by her company’s investors. “There was not one other woman at the meeting. I was blown away.” Not only was Yecies the only woman at the meeting, but she was the investors’ first and only female CEO.
“I realized there was more of a problem. It was really consciousness-raising.”
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L-Women See Competitive Advantage
Networking“We recognize that there are millions of L-women across Europe and globally as well, with many of them active in the labor market. From that perspective we should have a huge influence on the workplace, yet generally we have not been in a position to do that,” began Claudia Woody, Vice President & Managing Director at IBM.
Woody is part of L-Women at Work, a new group to help lesbian, bisexual and transgender women across Europe connect professionally.
The new group’s first event will take place in November, with IBM as its presenting sponsor. Woody explained, “From an IBM standpoint, for years we have been supporting various Lesbian groups in Europe, but we have been looking for a pan-European group, to share best practices, create business networks, and articulate the business proposition around lesbians in business.”
Woody explained that many lesbian professionals see a “double glazed glass ceiling” but, she said, that needn’t be the case. “A lot of us can hide, and do – and a lot of us are reluctant to put our hands up and say ‘discriminate against me again,’” she explained.
“We have to give that power back to Lesbian women. It means having the energy to do your work, to be authentic, and not spend energy on hiding who you are. You can do this. You can succeed. Being Lesbian is not a barrier to success.”
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Is Self Regulation Effective for Achieving Gender Balance?
Featured, Managing ChangePublic interest in the topic of women in leadership has increased significantly in the past year in Europe – thanks, in part, to the UK’s Lord Davies report published in February, as well as EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding’s Women on Boards challenge issued in March.
Reding urged publicly listed companies to make a commitment to increase the representation of women on corporate boards to 30% by 2015 and 40% by 2020. She said, “For the next 12 months, I want to give self-regulation a last chance. I would like companies to be creative so that regulators do not have to become creative.”
The deadline for companies in the EU to set self-regulatory gender initiatives is International Women’s Day next year (March 8, 2012). As the deadline rapidly approaches with few companies making real progress, some countries (such as the UK and Germany) have stepped up their efforts to encourage boardroom gender diversity progress.
Public interest may be driving momentum when it comes to government intervention on the issue of boardroom gender diversity. But without real consequences for a failure to make progress, are these new rules anything more than a masquerade?
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