Features
Where Are the Female Executives?
Gerriann Fagan, 07-12-2009
Continued from 1 Article Beginning
“Help people see that it is important and that it affects the bottom line,” said Mitchell. “If you are going to capture the best talent, it has to be diverse. It has to be systematic.”
2. Balance formal and informal programs. Firms can offer leadership forums, training, succession plans that include women and formal mentoring programs. Encouraging women to build their own support systems also is important.
3. Use internal and external resources. Tap into internal talent but also consider the benefit organizational leaders will get from interacting with community leaders. Participation on boards and involvement in community leadership programs gives women a place to grow and share. Consider linking with a university program or building a comprehensive relationship with a human capital firm that can get to know the company, culture and leadership expectations.
4. Think inclusively. The male leadership team can contribute time, mentoring, coaching, advice and resources. Create forums for men to give input, create the program and be involved. Further, programs aimed at work-life balance can be as relevant to men as they are to women.
5. Be visible. Celebrate successes, achieving goals. Create newsletters and press releases to highlight individual and organizational successes. Apply for awards — Best Places to Work, Catalyst Awards and others — that will benefit recruiting efforts and the business.
6. Collaborate. Consider collaborating with like-minded firms, especially if resources are limited. Then share training and development resources, speakers and/or create a program together.
7. Create an individual development plan. Create an environment in which women can succeed, but encourage each woman to drive her own development.
8. Consider individual coaching. Executive coaches can expedite the developmental process. They provide one-on-one support and assessment to augment internal programs, and many executive coaching firms offer executive women forums, as well.
9. Take advantage of industry resources. Professional organizations for women are everywhere. Examples include The National Association of Women in Construction and the American Woman’s Society of Certified Public Accountants. Encourage women early in their careers to build a network in the industry, as well as the community.
10. Incorporate volunteerism. Female executives quoted here are as passionate about their professions as they were about making a difference in the nonprofit world.
11. Remember it is a journey. Inclusion won’t happen overnight. “This type of culture change is long term and will be ever-evolving,” Wilson said. “Relentless commitment to inclusion as part of core management practices is key to a successful and sustainable inclusion and diversity initiative.”
12. Model the behaviors. Take time with young women. “My main advice to any young woman is not to let anyone tell her that she can’t do something,” Santee said. “For younger girls like my 14-year-old daughter, I tell her to focus on her education because she has plenty of time to decide what she wants to be.” «
Gerriann Fagan is president of The Prism Group LLC, a Career Partners International firm. She can be reached at editor@diversity-executive.com.
Women Executives Bring More Than Leadership Diversity
LeasePlan USA, an Atlanta-based vehicle leasing and fleet management company, has been described as a “good old boys” environment, but that dynamic has shifted. The majority of fleet managers today are female because leaders realized to be successful the company could no longer be a male-dominated.
In 2006, 65 percent of LeasePlan’s workforce was female, and as many as 60 percent of its clients’ fleet managers were female. Yet, the majority of mid- to upper-level management positions were filled by men.
To begin shifting to a culture that fully leverages its female talent, the company engaged Pathbuilders to create a customized Women’s Professional Development Series designed for high-performing women at all levels of the organization.
The program is comprised of educational seminars, discussion forums and networking opportunities. Its foundation emphasized two goals:
- The company would move from a culture based largely on tenure and entitlement to one that is clearly performance-driven.
- The program would be viewed as a strategic investment in the future growth and success of the company.
The custom curriculum provides a strengths assessment, seminars on personal branding, internal marketing, job enrichment, organizational culture and career planning. LeasePlan’s own senior management team participated in various panels alongside women executives from outside industries and organizations.
“It was exciting to hear people coming back from the day’s session and making comments about what they had learned and how they will apply that knowledge to further their career development and grow our company,” said Mike Pitcher, CEO of LeasePlan USA.
Since the program began retention rates have increased. The average rate of attrition for the company over three years is 15 percent. During these same three years, turnover among women who have participated in the program is 5 percent to 7 percent.
Further, the number of women in leadership roles has steadily increased. The percentage of female executives at the C level was 17 percent in 2006. It was 38 percent in 2008. And the percentage of female senior-level leaders at the vice president and director level was 29 percent 2006. It was 43 percent in 2008.
There also have been broader, cultural developments in the organization. For example, program graduates have launched a lunch-and-learn series to continue their development year round, and the inaugural 2006 class created a philanthropic initiative that has become LeasePlan Cares, a program that manages all employee service and volunteer hours.
Several clients have inquired about enrolling their fleet managers in the program — the very same female fleet managers who provided the initial impetus for the program’s creation. «
Helene Lollis is president of Pathbuilders. She can be reached at
editor@diversity-executive.com.
Family Stigma May Prevent Latinas From Advancing
Latinas are the most underrepresented gender and ethnic group in the U.S. workforce. Few, however, have asked why this is so. Ramona Armijo, a Latina professional, community college professor and Walden University Ph.D. student, conducted research to answer the question: Where are the Latina professionals?
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the number of Latinas in the workforce was projected to grow 4 percent in the past decade, from 5.7 million in 1998 to 8.5 million in 2008. Yet, they remain the least represented group in the workforce and earn the lowest wages, according to the U.S Department of Labor.
According to Armijo’s research, a national study of Hispanic women professionals, a combination of cultural factors keep them from seeking career success, and social factors influence employers not to hire and promote them.
