Women Executives: Leadership Role Models (Part 2)
Just in case you are wondering if there is still a stigma attached to being a woman and aspiring to executive and management roles, please read the article below.
I would be very interested to hear your thoughts
Maternity leave will kill your career, recruitment companies warn women
By Jane Hansen The Sunday Telegraph, September 19, 2010
Pregnancy
Refusing to promote a woman because she pregnant is illegal but recruitment agents believe those who take maternity leave are less likely to get ahead.
HEAD-hunting companies say women should forgo maternity leave if they want their careers to flourish.
Refusing promotion to an employee because she is pregnant is illegal, but leading head-hunters admit mothers are more likely to be promoted to top-level positions, such as chief executive officer or board director, if they do not take maternity leave.
“You’re only the parent of a one-year-old for a short time and if an employee is worried about childcare arrangements, uncomfortable, or worrying who’s looking after the baby, then I’m not sure you’ll be focused on the job,” recruitment firm Talent 2’s New South Wales (Australia) general manager Nicholas Tuckfield said of women who return from maternity leave too early.
Mr Tuckfield, who head-hunts candidates for jobs with salaries of more than $100,000, said taking 12 months’ maternity leave in an extremely competitive job market would have a negative impact.
He said at senior executive level, where MBAs were mandatory and long hours par for the course, competition was stiff.
Highly competitive
“On a logical level, if you’re out of the workforce for 12 months you don’t advance your managerial skills and, inevitably, everyone else does,” he said.
“You don’t get to the top doing 37 1/2 hours a week.
“It’s highly competitive, and if you’re an aspiring rising star and take a year out, your star won’t keep rising.”
Julia Ross, who was pregnant when she set up her recruitment agency 22 years ago, said although times were changing, at the executive level it was unforgiving.
“If you’re aiming for managing director, stopping and starting your career will make it tougher to place yourself properly,” Ms Ross said.
“You may even pass up promotions but, hey, it didn’t stop (Westpac Chief Executive Officer) Gail Kelly, did it?”
Fair Work Ombudsman chief counsel Leigh Johns said more than 70 pregnancy discrimination complaints had been made to the agency since its inception in July last year.
Complaints
A prosecution has been launched in the case of a 36-year-old mother-of-one who allegedly was told she might not be able to return to her position as clerical worker and that her pregnancy had “caused inconvenience” for a printing company.
Several of the complaints, including those arising from employers declining to keep a job open, demotion of someone on parental leave, and refusing promotion to an employee because she is pregnant, are currently under investigation.
Mr Johns said women needed to be aware of their rights.
“News of impending parenthood should be met with delight, not discrimination,” he said.
Neil Waters from Egon Zehnder, a company which specialises in placing chief executives, said if a woman was genuinely good at her job she would be given the right to juggle work and pregnancy.
“You can’t put a line through someone because they’re going to bear a child … but there are trade-offs and not everyone can make them,” he said.
“The CEO becomes the company. It’s hard work, 18 hours a day, six days a week, and it’s an enormous commitment.”
Slow change
Other top level executive recruitment officers, such as Heidi Mason from Russell Reynolds, said the findings were a reflection of an old, conservative view which was slowly changing.
“I think there’s a perception that there’s an impact, but we’re starting to respect that men and women who balance their lives make better leaders,” Ms Mason said.
But the fact remains that only two per cent of chief executive roles are held by women, and men outnumber women on boards by 10 to one.
The NSW Anti Discrimination Board president Stepan Kerkyasharian said there are unwritten rules at play that explain the deficit of women in the upper echelons of business.
“Some recruitment agencies may be complicit in this, a client says to them ‘no, we don’t want a women who might get pregnant’ wink, wink, nudge nudge,” he said.
Women Executives: Leadership Role Models (Part 1)
If you think 21st century women have it made as top flight executives, Chief Executive Officers and the ultimate holy grail of governance as Chairman of the Board of a multi national corporation, think again.
Male captains of industry have been fortunate to have so many outstanding male examples to model as they ascend the corporate ladder. In fact there is an embarrassment of riches with regards to asking and getting a strong and positive mentor to help them grow and develop into the top job.
The same cannot be said for females. Women executives in leadership positions are few and far in between according to some statistics I uncovered.
A 2008 Australian Census of Women in Leadership published by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency found that the number of women on boards and executive management of Australia’s top 200 ASX (Australian Stock Exchange) companies could be counted on fingers on one hand (with one digit to spare).
The percentage of women as Chairman and CEOs were 4 of 200 (2.0%) in each category; board of directors numbered 125 of 1504 (8.3%).
There was no female on the board of directors in 51 % of these ASX 200 listed companies.
Because we see more women in business suits today (than say in the 1950s) there is an assumption that they must occupy executive management positions. The reality is that there are more women in middle management positions in human resources, finance, medical and health administration, and real estate and property businesses today than any other time.
However, at the pointy end i.e., top management where the real game is played, women are under represented.
In 2010, only 2.8 percent of Fortune 500 chief executives were female.
I believe that sisters need to do it for themselves.
Specifically they need strong, smart and compassionate female role models to help them navigate their way through the management maze.
How will they do this? I will discuss some strategies in my next post.
Yours in health, wealth and happiness
Book Review-7 Strategies for Wealth and Happiness
A timeless classic by Jim Rohn a motivator extraordinaire, that is written in an easy reading style for anyone who has had enough of being average (read beige) and wants a better life.
This includes health, material success and most importantly a deeply satisfying sense of contentment.
Click here to listen Book Review-7 Strategies for Wealth and Happiness
or read on
Jim Rohn’s own journey started when at the age of 25 he met his mentor Earl Schoaff who asked him the uncomfortable question of where his life was headed.
To his credit, Rohn replied with an honest “No where” and that was the start of the years of learning everything he could from his mentor.
He has distilled his years of experience into the seven strategies of goal setting, being a sponge and soaking it up, having the determination to change and forming new habits, staying on top of your spending, making time a priority, seeking out like minded associates and learning the art of living well.
These strategies if faithfully applied are your keys to a magnificent life.
Goodbye Corporate World, Hello My Own Heart Centered Successful Business
Hello all
I had the pleasure of interviewing Blanca Vergara sometime ago. Her story is inspiring, and I hope it will give you that little push to take action and change the course of your life.
Enjoy the read and click on the live link at the end to hear her truth.
Blanca Vergara had it all- the power, prestige, a plum executive management position in one of Europe’s leading companies. But that was not enough and eventually she broke free of the golden handcuffs to start her own executive business performance consultancy.
She listened to her internal wisdom, one that manifested spectacularly as a vivid dream, so startling that in her own words, she ‘jumped out of bed to write this vision down”.
Having found her authentic self Blanca’s business underwent an extraordinary growth, as her perfect clients began beating a path to her door.
Today she coaches people who recognize that they want more in their lives and have up until now been trading their life force for a paycheck.
Her clients are people who want to follow their passion and purpose and make a meaningful contribution to this world.
She guides and leads them in this transition process where their souls are enriched as they do what really moves their heart whilst giving them the practical marketing, positioning and business tools to not only survive but thrive in their chosen business niche.
If you a budding heart centered entrepreneur who is ready for the next step, this is a sign to connect.
Interview with Ms Blanca Vergara (unlinked)
Yours in health, wealth and happiness
Public Speaking: What You Should Know Before You Open Your Mouth: Part 2
In this post, we will consider the final three don’ts of public speaking.
I have also included some tips on “selling the sizzle” of your message.
4. Enunciate
Unless you are at a ventriloquists’ convention, do relax your jaw muscles and move your lips when you are speaking.
When you slur or drop the endings of words, or swallow the first and/or last consonant of a word will leave people guessing what you’ve just said.
For example, saying “wif ‘im” instead of “with him”.
Mispronouncing words will not win your audience over either. Some commonly heard examples are, “noo-ke-lar” instead of “nuclear” or “aakks” instead of “ask”, or “seveneen” for “seventeen”.
5. Verbal Diarrhoea
We all have a tendency to speaking a lot quicker when the adrenalin is pumping and our hearts are racing.
You have probably spent hours writing and carefully crafting your presentation. Don’t waste this opportunity.
Your listeners have to process what you have just said, especially if it is the start of a logical sequence of ideas. Remember, you are taking them on a journey with you.
As difficult as it may seem at that moment, remember to slow down the speed at which you are giving out information.
In order to avoid looking nervous, pause (count 1 and 2) and then proceed with the next point. Do not be uncomfortable with silence as it is okay to have these breaks in your presentation.
6. Wimp out words
Finish your presentation on a high, and leave your audience believing every word you have just uttered.
When a speaker uses insipid terms such as “well, if things go according to plan..” or “we are hopeful that..” or “it is very possible if…” does not fill them with confidence that you can deliver whatever it is you are selling or pitching to them.
On the other hand when you say “I have every confidence that this service or product I am offering will fully meet your company’s needs..”, it doesn’t leave much doubt in their minds as to what you’ve just said.
Is it a matter of appearing confident and believing in what you are selling? Yes, indeed.
Why?
They sense a strong level of conviction from you.
This brings me to the “sizzle selling” aspect.
When you walk past a food stand selling ribs on hot coals, what hits you first? Is it the smell of hickory smoke on the barbeque, or the aroma of the ribs and that sizzling sound of the sweet and sticky marinade dripping on the glowing coals.
I put it to you that it is the whole deal (and by the way, did that description make your mouth water?).
Let’s say that you are selling a service of delivering home cooked meals to busy executive women with families. It would be dead boring if your said precisely that.
When you pitch to these women the valuable time they can share with their husband and kids instead of being stuck in the kitchen after a 10 hour day in their jobs, everything takes on a new perspective.
You follow up by saying that you have planned for them highly nutritious two course meals for each evening of the working week. These meals only require 15 mins in the oven and dinner is ready. Of course desserts are available as an added option.
The guilt factor they may have had about neglecting their family just went out the door.
Is the cost of this service the predominant factor in their minds when they are tossing up whether or not to take you up on your offer?
What do you think?
You have engaged them at an emotional level, and remember that in any competition between the heart and head, the heart always wins.
Yours in health, wealth and happiness
Adapted from Excelle.Monster.com
Public Speaking: What you should know before you open your mouth (Part1)
I am preparing a seminar where I will address an audience of professionals, predominantly male members of the medical fraternity. The room screams dark suits (single breasted), cuff links, polished leather pumps and old school ties.
I check that my Powerpoint slides are in the correct sequence, with text of a size that can be easily read by people seated at the back of the auditorium.
As I go through a mental rehearsal of my presentation, I think of the occasions when I was an audience member and how I formed my impression of the speaker the moment he/she opened their mouth.
The first 10 seconds are crucial-I will either pay attention or mentally switch off based on their opening stanza (don’t you love the opera/theatre analogy).
It is a given that the speaker is dressed appropriately for the occasion. I don’t know about you but I find that women (or men) who wear a lot of jewellery especially metal bracelets that jangle with the slightest movement to be a distraction.
Folks, you want to sell the message here, not have their concentration broken each time you wave your hand.
Similarly with ear rings-leave the big gold hoops to the gypsies at carnivals.
Your speech pattern: Listening to a presentation that is unpracticed and stilted is similar to reading a document that has punctuations at inappropriate points.
It does not make sense and it irritates the person listening to you.
There are 6 fundamental don’ts that will help you present in a professional manner, 3 of which are covered in Part1.
1. Filler words:
Starting a sentence with non-words such as “err,” “um,” “ah,” “you know,” or “like” indicates to the listener that you are nervous and unprepared. It is a pity if you really know your subject matter but come across as lacking in confidence in your material.
To avoid this, pause, breath and smile. Then pick one person in the front row and speak to them as if they were the only person in the room.
When you regain your composure, look around and address another person and so on.
The “pause and breath” method is also a good strategy when you lose your trend of thought.
2. Rising inflection:
A rising inflection at the end of every sentence makes you sound like you are asking a question rather than stating a fact. (When I hear this, I am almost compelled to give you an answer!).
It is important that you come across as the authority on that subject, and not tentative nor timid especially if you are making an important pitch for business.
By bringing your intonation down at the end of a sentence you appear more in control and certainly more convincing.
3. Grammatical errors:
In a casual or social setting, informality may be the norm. However, the usage of incorrect grammar during a presentation will cause the audience to question your educational background.
Using phrases such as “youse” for “you” or “ain’t” for “isn’t” and “he don’t,” for “he doesn’t” are not appropriate.
Do yourself a favour and speak in complete sentences. Even better, make sure that the tenses agree.
Next post I will cover the other 3 don’ts and tips on “selling the sizzle” of your message.
Yours in health, wealth and happiness
(Adapted from Excelle.Monster.Com)