Stop 1: Beginning a New Trip Women Driven to Success

I am writing my next book, carrying forward on my brand of “Driven to Success.” Those of you who have read Driven to Success: A 10-Point Checkup for Achieving High Performance in Business know that it is focused on getting everyone on the same page by creating a culture of belonging, learning and contributing that attracts and retains talent. This next book is for women, Women Driven to Success, who want to learn to integrate their multiple roles and define leadership success for themselves. Yes, women have some different issues than men in the workplace. Yet, there is a danger of generalizing. I’ll take that chance as my research and interviews with successful women support my effort.

Over the coming weeks and months, I’ll be sharing my findings from the interviews, as well as strategies and tools for women and their organizations.

Onto the business case…

In an article in the Harvard Business Review titled “Managing Diversity” by David Thomas and Robin Ely, the authors stated that, until recently, many organizations concerned themselves with diversity because discrimination is morally and legally wrong. With the working population projected in the next few years to be 70% minority and 48% female, these same organizations are beginning to believe that diversity is good for business.

In a January 21, 2011 conversation with Ernst & Young Chairman and CEO, James Turley, MuhtarKentdescribed The Coca-Cola Company’s global leadership strategy and why it pays off so well

James Turley asked: How might a company’s failure to lead inclusively hurt its competitiveness — in the short and long term?

MuhtarKentresponded: If you’re behind in this regard today, you’re already at a disadvantage. Once a culture of exclusion has been established, it can be hard to change, and that’s detrimental to your long-term talent development and competitiveness.

Zeroing-in on the almost half of the workforce becoming female, organizations have a leaky pipeline as described in the 2011 Wall Street Journal Special Report, Unlocking the full potential of women in the U.S. economy. There is still such a disparity in the number of female leaders compared to the number of male leaders.

What are the critical stages for women in their careers?

• Stage 1:   Young women enter workforce with confidence. They are hired because of competence. Like many others, they want a promotion. They are career focused. A major objective is to learn the unwritten rules.
•  Stage 2:   These women have now gotten a promotion and are still career oriented. At this stage, they begin to question their careers and want to find the appropriate identity. They are looking for role models and to figure out how to bring their whole self to work.
• Stage 3:   At this stage, women begin to see life in the context of more than work; it is work in the context of life. They become more task focused so they can focus at home. Many of these women tend to skip career enhancing activities, like after hours networking. In fact, the first 100 days after having a baby have been found to be the most critical in terms of whether women get back into work or leave. This stage is the most critical for women and their organizations.
• Stage 4:   This stage is the senior leader level. Only 10% of original 50% of women that were hired as first-line supervisors are becoming leaders at this level. There are few role models. Women question whether they want to pay the price to have the job. For many women, it is a question of confidence, “Can I do what it takes to be successful in the job?”
• Stage 5: This stage is the Board level. There are plenty of statistics that support the very small number of women at the Board level. Women need to understand the role more clearly, the commitment, and what it takes to successfully deliver results.

(Reference: Coaching Women to Lead, Leimon, Moscovici & Goodier)

Next: How women got here: A brief history

Jane S. Goldner, Ph.D. brings her 30 years of internal and external corporate experience and her degrees in counseling and human resource development to coach and counsel high-potential and women leaders.  A  focus of her practice is to help women integrate their multiple roles and define leadership success for themselves.

Stop 10: What Do Millennials Want?

Fall graduation has happened and more Millennials will attempt to enter the workforce. They are a new breed of workers who have some very different perspectives and different ways of working. I teach an upper level course at a business school. I asked my students to react to an article written about Gen X bosses’ perceptions of Gen Y/Millennials in the workplace. Here are some of their responses:

Gen X bosses view Gen Ys as impatient:

• The threat of terrorism and other uncontrollable events has caused us to live life to the fullest and want it now.
•  I am concerned that paying my dues slowly won’t get me anywhere. I want challenging work now because I need to shine now.
• We have been raised in an age of instant information so it’s only natural that we conduct ourselves with the same expectation.

Gen X bosses view Gen Ys as helpless and hapless (needing trophies, parents writing resumes for their children & moving back in with parents):

• We are simply closer to our parents than other generations. Parents are our mentors. Maybe, some take it to a codependent place.
• I think it is parent and child dependent. I was taught to be an independent person.
• My parents are my heroes. I have little to no problem relying on my parents to help me meet challenges.
• Gen Y is not helpless, however, they are not focused

Gen X bosses view Gen Ys as needy trophy children:

•  Trophies can reinforce productiveness but may be overdone.
• We are competitive because of our parents. We like to bring home recognizable awards that get us the pats on the back.
• Getting trophies and winning have been drilled into our brains.
• The video games we play pit us against each other. We carry that into the workplace and want to win.

Gen X bosses believe that Gen Ys crave constant attention:

• I want coaching and advice. Waiting until my formal review to find out about mistakes makes me mad and limits my success.
• Feedback is a way to “bypass mistakes.”
• I love the idea of receiving feedback from my peers though I am selective about whom I choose to get it from.

Gen X bosses believe that GenYs are disorganized:

• I believe that disorganization can be misinterpreted with the ability to recognize when changes are needed.
• Why should we plan an event when the means of instant communication is readily available?
• Gen Y may be disorganized but the results are there. Shouldn’t the focus be on the results instead of the manner in which the information was retrieved?

Gen X bosses believe that Gen Ys are uncontrollable:

•  I agree because our mindset is not to go through traditional channels to get things done. We are self-empowered.
•  I am not shy by going to the highest authority first with an issue. This approach may be interpreted as brashness.
• Gen Ys think outside the box more, and take more risks. Do you want results or control over employees?

Next: Given these perspectives, what can leaders do to engage Gen Y?

Stop 9B Corporate Social Responsibility: Leaving a Large Tire Track

Last post, we talked about leaving a small tire track on the earth’s resources, focusing on sustainable and restorative actions. It is analogous to driving in the HOV lane with multiple folks in your car instead of going solo.

 The large tire track is the flip side of being a good steward of the earth’s resources (small tire track). This tire track has everything to do with recognizing that your business is part of a community system. You won’t get to the next level of success without becoming part of the community in which you operate. How do you give back? Do you provide time for your employees to perform volunteer work? (By the way, some of the best learning experience for development is accomplished through volunteer assignments and it is free development.) Do you partner with a school for tutoring, mentoring or making presentations for career day? Which community organizations do you financially support? There are endless ways you and your business can give to the community.

Cheryl Kortemeier, Executive Director of the Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta said, “Strategically designed volunteer programs not only help direct human and financial resources toward causes where they are most needed, but also help improve consumer, employee and stakeholder relations. Now more than ever, companies of all sizes are learning that investing in civic engagement is essential for healthy employees and community as well as a healthy bottom line.”

Some notable examples include Alston & Bird law Firm whose employees work with the Georgia Senior Hotline as well as helping to fight hunger at the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Cisco’s “civic councils” made up of employee “champions” manage the volunteer programs, focusing on education, critical human needs, and community leadership. Cox Enterprises won a project award from the Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta for making a park more attractive, safe and sustainable.

Corporate Social Responsibility makes great sense, especially with the coming talent war. Gen Ys are looking for organizations that give back in meaningful ways. Does yours?

Stop 9A Corporate Social Responsibility: Leaving a Small Tire Track

Recently, we lost a giant in the world of Corporate Social Responsibility. Ray Anderson was the founder of Interface Global in Atlanta, Georgia and a pioneer in the worldwide effort of sustainable development. Ray was concerned about what state the earth would be in for his grandchildren—the legacy we will leave—and decided to embark on a journey to sustainability in his company. His mission became that his would be the first business that showed the industrial world, through actions, what all the dimensions of sustainability looked like, including people, processes, products, place and profits. Interface is learning to harness green energy, provide raw materials by harvesting and recycling, and eliminate harmful waste. Their solutions are practical, creative and profitable. Interface’s sustainability mission is “Mission Zero,” — first sustainable, then restorative.  Anderson debunked the myth that financial success and environmental success are mutually exclusive. It’s pretty amazing for a flooring company.

Just like many of us are redefining high performance for our cars as we are continually watching gas prices soar, learning more about the effects of emissions on the earth, becoming more attuned to carpooling and driving in the HOV  lane,  so should we be doing the same for our business. What are we taking from the earth to use in our processes? What and where is the waste when we are done? The fact of the matter is the earth is a closed system, so when we say, “The waste goes somewhere,” that “somewhere” is right here.

Identify one of your key processes used in the production of your products or services. Trace the inputs, the throughputs and outputs. I think you will be surprised at how many resources you are using up and the amount of waste at the back-end of the process. Even if you identify a process that is fairly “clean”, you’ll be surprised at what else is being wasted in your company. One CEO of a company sent around an email stating that the company was no longer buying paper clips. The results were amazing. Instead of throwing the clips away after one use, people in his company used them over and over again. Why not? The results were so good that the next email was about rubber bands and so on through all the reusable office supplies. Not only was it a “small tire track” step to take, it saved the company considerable money in their office supply account.

If you’re saying, “Well, we comply with government regulations,” then what you are really saying is that you are being as bad as the law allows. Think about elevating it to “sustainability,” meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Or better yet, ratchet it up one more level to “restorative,” which means putting back more than you take; doing good as well as doing no harm.

Stop 8B: Fuel — Employees (Part 2)

Attracting and retaining top-notch employees will become more difficult. It’s one of the chief concerns of most leaders. To attract the right employees, the process must start prior to the search. You have to define the skills and abilities the business needs based on the Core.

Stop 8A: Fuel — Employees (Part 1)

“Our employees are our most important resource.” If I had a dollar for every time I heard a key leader say those words and then treat people as expendable cogs in a wheel, I’d be on my way to a comfortable retirement.

Stop 7B: Car Manual — Processes (Part 2)

The process for creating and documenting processes (yes, there’s a process for everything) is not difficult. It works in businesses of all sizes. It takes the right people, the right steps and a time commitment. The time commitment will provide a return on investment many times over. Notice we have used the terms “improvement” as well as “innovation.” You want to avoid the trap of getting better and better at doing the wrong thing. For example, Kodak spent time improving the process of making chemical film when it should have been focusing on digital technology. What are you trying to improve that may be “old school?”