Contributed by Kendra Reddy, Leadership Coach and Talent Consultant, Blueprint Strategies
Like you, I am thoroughly invested in my career and growth as a leader. To help me along this journey, I rely on the insights, advice, feedback, and guidance of others whom I respect and admire. For a long time, I hadn’t given much thought to categorizing or formalizing the role of each of these amazing individuals – I simply put them all on my list of Go To People – until recently, when a client asked me about the difference between a coach, mentor, and supporter. Here is the information and advice I gave her:
A coach is someone who is skilled at asking powerful questions designed to facilitate your self-discovery and unlock your own insights. They are there to help you find your own answers, and you usually do more talking than they do. A mentor provides more explicit advice (usually based on their own experiences) and is there to answer your questions and offer recommendations. When they speak, you listen. A supporter is someone who believes in your abilities, and actively advocates for you throughout the organization or industry. Often, they speak on your behalf.
Sponsors believe in you, champion your growth and development, help remove roadblocks and provide you with visibility at tables and in circles you may not have direct access to. They look for opportunities to share your achievements with those who, otherwise, may not be aware of the great work you’re doing. In a nutshell, they endorse your brand. With women making up more than 46% of the workforce, and 4 in 10 companies worldwide still having no women in senior positions… a glass ceiling is clearly still in place. Adding a sponsor to your personal Board of Trusted Alliances and Advisors is a smart strategy.
Intrepid Woman: Mwen regrèt ou gen pou doulè.
Intrepid Women Series“Mwen regrèt ou gen pou doulè.” (I am sorry for your pain.)
It was the chant that greeted the redhead American, Ian, who led our team, as we returned patients from surgery to their family and cots. Ian, an American from Colorado, had been volunteering at the hospital in Jimani, a small town on the Haitian/ Dominican Republic border, since the first evacuations from Port-au-Prince. Creole is the national language of Haiti, but rarely taught or studied outside of Haiti. He mastered (and taught us) that simple but heartfelt sentence in their language, and it created an immediate bond between all of us. In that small phrase, we were able to cross cultural boundaries.
I was thousands of miles away from my corporate life. I had just parted company with my former employer, a casualty of the financial crisis. The timing proved perfect to volunteer as a relief worker in the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake.
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Strategies to Shatter the Startling Leadership Disparity
Breaking the Glass CeilingA report recently released by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and the University of Bath School of Management revealed that women are 6 times less likely than men of similar professional experience to be CFOs or CEOs.
Similarly, in the UK women make up 46.6% of the working population – but they only hold 12.2% of board positions in the FTSE100. Sandra Rapacioli, CIMA’s R&D Manager added, “And of our members in the UK, males make 24% more than our female members.”
She continued, “We were surprised there still remains such a big pay and seniority gap in this day and age.” Fortunately, CIMA has produced a report detailing the best practices of women who have managed to break the glass ceiling, with advice for women at all levels of their careers.
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Voice of Experience: Linda Bracken, CEO and Founder of YJT Solutions
Voices of ExperienceLooking out the 38th floor window in a conference room at YJT Solutions, I can see straight ahead of me the Ceres statue that sits on top of the Chicago Board of Trade. Also known as the Roman Goddess of Agriculture or the Eternal Mother, the statue overlooks Chicago’s financial district and LaSalle Street.
The maternal sighting seems significant as I sit down to interview Linda Bracken, CEO and founder of YJT Solutions.
“People say that when you have kids the love is greater than you could ever expect and that is true,” she said. “But the sense of responsibility for my children as well as my employees is greater than I could have ever have imagined as well.”
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5 Ways You Can Be a Better Manager – It’s All About Personality
Managing ChangeRecent studies show that employee engagement is way down, and that many employees are looking for new opportunities – or they intend to, as soon as the economy picks up steam. But don’t worry! A number of studies have also revealed what these employees are looking for, and what can motivate them to stick around – good management. This means a manager with high EQ, who understands personal motivations, and who is looking out for their employees best interests and development.
Working now to improve your relationships with your employees, as well as providing tailored learning and development opportunities for them, can help stem future job losses – as well as build a more productive and motivated team today.
According to Bob Kreisberg, Founder, President, and CEO of OPUS Productivity, the best way to strengthen workplace relationships is to delve into your employees’ personality profile. According to Kreisberg, “If you understand the strengths of that person, you will understand what motivates them.” Here’s how.
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How to Find Your Sponsor
Mentors and SponsorsLike you, I am thoroughly invested in my career and growth as a leader. To help me along this journey, I rely on the insights, advice, feedback, and guidance of others whom I respect and admire. For a long time, I hadn’t given much thought to categorizing or formalizing the role of each of these amazing individuals – I simply put them all on my list of Go To People – until recently, when a client asked me about the difference between a coach, mentor, and supporter. Here is the information and advice I gave her:
A coach is someone who is skilled at asking powerful questions designed to facilitate your self-discovery and unlock your own insights. They are there to help you find your own answers, and you usually do more talking than they do. A mentor provides more explicit advice (usually based on their own experiences) and is there to answer your questions and offer recommendations. When they speak, you listen. A supporter is someone who believes in your abilities, and actively advocates for you throughout the organization or industry. Often, they speak on your behalf.
Sponsors believe in you, champion your growth and development, help remove roadblocks and provide you with visibility at tables and in circles you may not have direct access to. They look for opportunities to share your achievements with those who, otherwise, may not be aware of the great work you’re doing. In a nutshell, they endorse your brand. With women making up more than 46% of the workforce, and 4 in 10 companies worldwide still having no women in senior positions… a glass ceiling is clearly still in place. Adding a sponsor to your personal Board of Trusted Alliances and Advisors is a smart strategy.
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5 Remarkable Traits of Female Firsts
Expert AnswersWhat does it take to be the first woman in your field? Do you have it in you? Are you born with a certain gene that enables you to withstand the pressure of taking risks? Perhaps your outstanding ability to successfully face obstacles began at an early age…at home… with nurturing parents or pushy parents who enabled you to reach a level not ever achieved by another woman. Or maybe the very nature of time allowed you to achieve greatness. After all, many people believe women have arrived, and attribute this notion of time as the sole reason for bringing about change in women’s achievements. We’ve all heard it said, “It’s about time!”
But for many women who set firsts in their fields, what they heard was that the time wasn’t right for a fight or a fuss over what they wanted to do, and they challenged the naysayers to make it the right time and to make it NOW.
Yes, it takes courage, vision and integrity to reach for your dreams, but, as I see it, there are very definable traits that set you apart.
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In Case You Missed It: Business News Round-Up
NewsThe big news this week involved Ireland’s €85bn bailout loan from the EU and IMF, increasing concern over Europe’s spreading sovereign debt crisis, and uncertainty following North and South Korean exchanges of fire over Yeonpyeong Island.
Economic Backdrop
Inflation Outlook: forecasts for inflation, excluding food and energy, were little changed for the next two years;
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Happy Thanksgiving!
Featured, Pipeline, What's OnThe Glass Hammer is taking a few days off to celebrate Thanksgiving here in the US. We’d like to give thanks for all of the incredible women (and men) who are working hard to shatter the glass ceiling.
If you have some time off this week, why not catch up on a few of our recent most popular stories?
Additionally, The Glass Hammer is always looking for ways to showcase the women who inspire and empower us – if you’d like to nominate someone to be profiled on the site as Voice of Experience, Mover and Shaker, or Rising Star, please get in touch with me at melissa@theglasshammer.com. We’re also looking for more Intrepid Women, who are pushing their boundaries personally and professionally, as well as subject matter experts to contribute to our ask-the-expert column.
Finally, this is a busy time of year for just about everyone. In honor of Thanksgiving, consider taking few minutes to thank your mentor for their help and advice. A simple thank-you goes a long way, and will be much appreciated during the holiday rush.
Voice of Experience: Diane Reyes, Managing Director, Global Payments Head, Global Transaction Services, Citi
Voices of ExperienceHaving been named to either US Banker’s 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking or its 25 Women to Watch lists for the last four years, Diane S. Reyes, Global Payments Head for Citi’s Global Transaction Services, is certainly a woman to admire. And she has plenty of good advice for rising female business leaders. For example, Reyes said it’s important to apply for jobs that may be a stretch, “even if you’re not 100% qualified,” she said.
Reyes explained, “Interviewing hones your skills – and you may not get the first job, but maybe the second or third. Every couple of years, try to interview for the next opportunity.”
She said women need to work hard to display their strategic value. “Make sure you’re perceived as strategic, rather than trying to solve everything yourself. There is a difference between delegating and executing. You have to be able to articulate the long-term strategy to your team and delegate the execution to them.”
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Boomerang Pipeline Program Pays for Itself
Managing ChangeJust three hours after opening registration for the 2010 Accounting MOVE Project, which measures and supports the advancement of women at public accounting firms, a firm by the name of Rothstein Kass registered to participate and initially, this is what grabbed Joanne Cleaver’s attention. Cleaver is the president and founder of the research firm Wilson-Taylor Associates, and in partnership with the American Society of Women Accountants (ASWA) and the American Woman’s Society of Certified Public Accountants (AWSCPA), she has put out the yearly Accounting MOVE report. The annual report highlights the best and the brightest in the accounting profession, while also shedding light on the challenges women in the industry face and the challenges firms face when trying to engage, retain, and advance these women.
During the interview process with members of Rothstein Kass, Cleaver quickly realized that the firm had something special. “As we got to know them and understand their culture, we realized that they were very purposeful and strategic in how they chose to advance their programs,” Cleaver said. “Admittedly their programs are still in the process of rippling through to the top levels. Less than 10 percent of principles at the firm are women – that’s below the norm, but their pipeline is filled with more talented, qualified women than other firms and the number of female principles is set to change in the very near future.”
The reason for this is what Cleaver likes to refer to not as the silver bullet, but as the “silver cannonball.” Three of the biggest challenges accounting firms face are increasing revenue, increasing the number of clients, and retaining women in the pipeline. In the accounting industry women are leaving in droves at the cusp of becoming partner and Rothstein Kass’ Rainmakers Roundtable not only addresses all three of these problems, but it’s a women’s pipeline development program that pays for itself.
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