By Kelly Tanner (New York City)
A recent study published in the British Journal of Social Psychology concluded that female leaders are preferred during a crisis. This study, “The glass cliff: When and why women are selected as leaders in crisis contexts,” notes that when a company is in crisis, the perception of what constitutes an ideal leader shifts to someone with stereotypically non-male characteristics.
According to the study, since the feelings regarding what men bring to the table have shifted, the woman candidate is viewed as more effective, essentially by default, since men are seen as unqualified. On the other hand, the phenomenon is dubbed “the glass cliff,” because the troubles the company may be facing are seen as so insurmountable that the woman who has been selected to lead the company will probably not succeed, and thus, be sacrificed – pushed off the cliff.
What is interesting in this phenomenon is that the perception of female leaders does not change markedly – women are seen as stereotypically nurturing caretaker types in the study using a fictional successful business scenario and also a crisis situation. In essence, female leaders are best perceived to clean up the mess in a bad situation, after other options have been exhausted.
This preference for a female leader increases when the last several leaders have all been male, indicating a desire to break from a pattern. In the BJSP study, researchers Susanne Bruckmüller and Nyla Branscombe explain:
“Our findings indicate that women find themselves in precarious leadership positions not because they are singled out for them, but because men no longer seem to fit… There is, of course, a double irony here. When women get to enjoy the spoils of leadership (a) it is not because they are seen to deserve them, but because men no longer do, and (b) this only occurs when, and because, there are fewer spoils to enjoy.”
Even if the female leader does manage to clean up the mess, the researchers imply, she will not be seen as deserving of accolades as her male counterparts. The woman was a last resort – not the first choice.
Leadership Gender Quotas – The Research Perspective
Managing ChangeHas the time come for bolder policies for diversity at the top of corporations?
That’s what was discussed last Friday at a conference hosted by the Athena Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard College and the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership and Ethics at Columbia Business School.
The first half of the conference focused on academic research on the subject, performed by social scientists and researchers from top business schools. The second half focused on the practitioner perspective (check back next week for another article discussing the practical reality of corporate gender targets).
By and large, the researchers agreed that a more targeted approach to gender balance in corporate leadership would be beneficial. Kathryn Kolbert, Director of the Athena Center for Leadership Studies and Professor of Leadership Studies at Barnard, said, “When you change the people at the table, you change the conversation.”
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Studies Suggest a Different Career Outcome for Women
Office PoliticsBusiness writer Kevin Lewis does a daily round up of academic studies for National Affairs. I’m tempted to start one for studies about women in the workplace. Suddenly, the results are popping up everywhere and it’s clear: for women at work, it ain’t easy.
First, it seems, women are challenged even getting the job. That was the outcome of research conducted by Rice University Professor Michelle Hebl and her colleagues, fellow psychology professor Randi Martin and Juan Madera, an assistant professor at the University of Houston. In their study, “Gender and Letters of Recommendation for Academia: Agentive and Communal Differences,” published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, they analyzed 624 letters of recommendation on behalf of 194 applicants for eight junior faculty positions at a university.
They discovered that letters of recommendation for women were more likely to contain words such as “caring,” “sensitive,” and “compassionate,” but letters of recommendation for men were more likely to contain words like “aggressive,” “confident,” and “independent.”
Further, when the researchers concealed the identity of the recommended individual and controlled for academic criteria, those recommendation letters that contained words with feminine associations, like “nurturing” were ranked lower.
Dr. Hebl notes that, “When you use communal terminology, it is linking people to a feminine type, and they are not seen as credible and they don’t get hired. It’s not just men doing this to women, and it’s not just women being hurt, but it hurts women more.”
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Voice of Experience: Arlene Isaacs-Lowe, Senior Vice President, Commercial Group, Moody’s Investors Service
Voices of Experience“I think it’s really important that women are authentic in their professional lives,” said Arlene Isaacs-Lowe, Senior Vice President at Moody’s, and recently appointed to head business development for Moody’s Commercial Group’s bank loan franchise.
She continued, “There are aspects of you that make you the best you – and if you put up a facade to fit into an organization, eventually that facade will crack. You are better suited to put that energy into contributing to the organizations strategic objectives.”
Isaacs-Lowe’s drive to learn – to excel at multiple disciplines – has often taken her to the next professional opportunity. Moving from accounting to investment, to entrepreneurship, and now to the credit industry, Isaacs-Lowe has diligently followed her authentic interests.
She said, “Rather than worrying about what people think of the real you, be thoughtful about working for a company that can embrace the authentic you.”
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Catalyst Finds Mentoring Isn’t Enough – Here’s What’s Missing
Mentors and Sponsors, News“All mentorship is not equal,” said Debbie Soon, Vice President of Executive Leadership Initiatives at Catalyst. Soon said she was shocked by the huge discrepancies between men and women, which were revealed by a report released today by the organization. According to the report, men benefit significantly more from mentoring than women do.
How much more? $9,260.
Once again: $9,260. That’s how much more men with mentors make in their first post-MBA job than women who also have mentors. Men get a considerably higher promotional increase as well, compared to women.
Why the discrepancy? According to Soon, it comes down to quality. “Women seek mentors, but men seek sponsors,” she said. Men tend to have mentors who are higher ranking, higher paid, and have more influence in the organization – in other words, sponsors, who are willing to spend their own personal political capital to advocate on their behalf.
“Mentorship is not sufficient,” said Soon. “Sponsorship closes the gap.”
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In Case You Missed It: Business News Round-Up
NewsEconomic Backdrop
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5 Holiday Gifts for Your Mentees
Mentors and SponsorsIt’s the holiday season, and while it’s not compulsory, many mentors and managers like to find small gifts for their mentees and team members. The Glass Hammer has gathered the top business books that will grace any Christmas stocking this year. Enjoy!
1. Get-It-Done Guy’s 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More by Stever Robbins
This excellent book by time management expert Stever Robbins covers everything you need to know to be more productive at work. “The best way to work less,” he writes, “is to make sure you only do work that helps you reach your goals.” It’s a witty, entertaining book with advice on managing emails and other technology, handling meetings, structuring your working week and getting things done. “I’ve seen people spend an entire weekend formatting a presentation to get the perfect fonts, with perfect animated sparkles at perfect junctures… ‘It has to be perfect for the board of directors.’ Get real. The board of directors cares about the substance. They know how to add sparkles, they don’t know how the division is doing. Perfectionism is sucking up time.”
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The Glass Cliff – Turning to Women During a Crisis
Breaking the Glass CeilingA recent study published in the British Journal of Social Psychology concluded that female leaders are preferred during a crisis. This study, “The glass cliff: When and why women are selected as leaders in crisis contexts,” notes that when a company is in crisis, the perception of what constitutes an ideal leader shifts to someone with stereotypically non-male characteristics.
According to the study, since the feelings regarding what men bring to the table have shifted, the woman candidate is viewed as more effective, essentially by default, since men are seen as unqualified. On the other hand, the phenomenon is dubbed “the glass cliff,” because the troubles the company may be facing are seen as so insurmountable that the woman who has been selected to lead the company will probably not succeed, and thus, be sacrificed – pushed off the cliff.
What is interesting in this phenomenon is that the perception of female leaders does not change markedly – women are seen as stereotypically nurturing caretaker types in the study using a fictional successful business scenario and also a crisis situation. In essence, female leaders are best perceived to clean up the mess in a bad situation, after other options have been exhausted.
This preference for a female leader increases when the last several leaders have all been male, indicating a desire to break from a pattern. In the BJSP study, researchers Susanne Bruckmüller and Nyla Branscombe explain:
“Our findings indicate that women find themselves in precarious leadership positions not because they are singled out for them, but because men no longer seem to fit… There is, of course, a double irony here. When women get to enjoy the spoils of leadership (a) it is not because they are seen to deserve them, but because men no longer do, and (b) this only occurs when, and because, there are fewer spoils to enjoy.”
Even if the female leader does manage to clean up the mess, the researchers imply, she will not be seen as deserving of accolades as her male counterparts. The woman was a last resort – not the first choice.
Read more
Voice of Experience: Anna Pinedo, Partner, Morrison Foerster
Voices of Experience“If you’re good at what you do, most people will understand different approaches and work styles,” said Anna Pinedo, a Partner in the Capital Markets Group at Morrison Foerster. She advises women entering law “not to assume that there is any one right path.”
“The one rule I’ve leanred is that there aren’t any hard and fast rules to follow,” Pinedo said. She continued, “All along, colleagues, clients, and friends have given me career advice. I listen carefully, but decide things for myself.”
Having been named one of the Best Lawyers in America 2010, as well as featured in Crain’s New York Business “Forty Under 40,” Investment Dealer’s Digest “Forty Under 40,” and Hispanic Business‘s “100 Most Influential Hispanics, Pinedo has build a successful, globally recognized career in capital markets and derivatives law.
Her leadership advice for professional women is: “Spend time being involved in professional organizations, talking to colleagues at other firms, and building close relationships with clients – it’s amazing how helpful other people can be.”
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How Do Team Sports Help Develop Girls into Future Leaders?
Managing ChangeMaking it to the top in sports takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears. Making it to the top in business often takes the same three components. In fact, many of today’s female executives say playing sports taught them about competition and teamwork, which translates to their career. Is this merely an anecdote, or do sports really help make girls into future business leaders? One former executive gives a resounding “Yes!”
“I believe my basketball experience can be directly linked to my business experience and success,” said Mary Claire Bonner, who retired last March from Aetna. Before retiring, the New York resident was Senior Vice President of local and regional business (LRB) for Aetna, working directly for the company’s president and “running a large business that concentrated on small and mid-size employer health benefit needs in more than 30 states.” Reflecting on the position, Bonner discovered that her favorite part about leading others was creating a strong team. The skills to be good at this, Bonner noted, started in fifth grade when she joined the basketball team.
“Playing basketball changed me as a person,” said Bonner, who played from grade school through her junior year at one of Penn State’s Commonwealth campuses. “Because I was a point guard, I had to lead in setting up plays. We learned that it’s hard to lose, but losing makes you work harder. You have to be smarter; have a better strategy.”
Bonner points out that developing a strategy on a sports team is like the business concept of developing a strategy, being smart and working hard to win. Others have recognized the same parallel of sports and high achievers and are finding ways to encourage sports involvement. According to the Hall Of Fame Network magazine, the Women’s Sports Foundation, started by female tennis champion Billie Jean King, became established because, “Sport is where our children learn about teamwork, goal setting and the pursuit of excellence. In an economic environment where the quality of our life is dependent on two-income families, our daughters cannot be less prepared for the highly competitive workplace than our sons.”
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Ask-a-Career-Coach: Stop Waiting for Feedback
Ask A Career CoachDo you know what your boss really thinks of you?
Not really? Well, you’re in good company. It’s an open secret that women don’t get as much performance feedback as their male colleagues. It could be that male managers fear an “emotional response,” or it could be that they fear being perceived as harsh or harassing. Whatever the reason, women are denied a crucial ingredient in professional development and advancement. Because without specific, timely, and ongoing feedback, it’s much harder for you to build your capacities and your career.
So what’s a girl to do?
Stop waiting. If your boss isn’t going to initiate the conversation, then start it yourself! Feedback is one of the many things (like promotions, raises, assignments, mentors, and information) that you may have to ask for.
Here’s how.
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