Leadership and Executive Development for women of all races, cultures and backgrounds
Issue link: https://diversitywoman.epubxp.com/i/343997
d i v e r s i t y w o m a n . c o m S u m m e r 2 0 1 4 D I V E R S I T Y W O M A N 33 M E N A S A L L I E S says. "Always be actively seeking a mentor. And make sure that you are willing to challenge and be challenged. Both women and men in a company, no matter where they sit on the org chart, have a responsibility to lead and a responsibility to learn." According to a Catalyst study, as of May 2014, women hold a mere 4.8 percent of Fortune 500 CEO positions and comprise just 5 percent of Fortune 1000 CEOs. No one will dispute that those numbers need to improve (and that this is just one small measure of progress). But the big question, of course, is how do we get there? It begins at the top, says Van Lee. Senior leadership needs to demonstrate both in companywide actions—such as in institut- ing training programs—and in their personal interactions that everyone in the company is responsible for its success and feels that they each have the opportunity to contribute and advance their career within the organization. Oftentimes, it is easier to institute employee research groups and training programs than it is to make personal be- havioral changes. In recent years, the diversity and inclusion feld has been focusing on micro-inequities. Go back to the scenario at the beginning of this story—the man who winds his watch while a female colleague has the foor. Chances are that man has no history of exhibiting overt gender bias in the workplace. Micro-inequities are cumulative, subtle messages that pro- mote a negative bias and demoralize. Tey tend to be directed at members of underrepresented groups in an organization. Examples of micro-inequities include: – checking emails or texting during a face-to-face conversation – consistently mispronouncing a person's name – interrupting a person midsentence – making eye contact only with men while talking to a group containing both men and women – taking more questions from men than women – confusing a person of a certain ethnicity with another per- son of the same ethnicity – rolling the eyes – mentioning the achievements of some people at a meeting but not others whose achievements are equally relevant "We have done micro-inequity training here at Walgreens," says Pemberton. "It's important to know that the culture in which we live brings certain biases, that if you don't have armor on, you may be a known participant, hence promoting micro- inequities. You may not even know that every time a woman talks, you don't give her your full attention. Combating micro- inequities is a matter of awareness and education." One common manifestation of a micro-inequity can be counter- intuitive. Sometimes, men are tentative about giving constructive feedback to their female employees, because they are afraid of being considered heavy-handed or even acting in a gender- biased fashion. But in a healthy organization, constructive feedback, as long as it is fair, should be welcome. "Not giving your female employee constructive feedback be- cause you're afraid of the reaction is robbing her of the opportu- nity to grow and get better," says Pemberton. Quezada says that one of the ways to prevent micro-inequi- ties is to practice "conscious inclusion." "I think it's critical that men really think about the environment they're creating, not only for themselves but for all their employees to thrive," he says. "You need to create an environment where, for example, in a team meeting everyone has a voice and feels like they be- long. Women need to feel like they can contribute—and as males, it is our responsibility to encourage them to participate. If that can happen, then all of a sudden the opportunities, the access, the learning loops that are critical for development will happen." At Walgreens, says Pemberton, the company focuses on tal- ent development and succession planning within the organi- zation and aggressive recruiting. He is particularly proud that Walgreens is focused on creating a sustainable model for diver- sity and inclusion across the entire enterprise and, unlike some other companies, is driven by a desire for real change, not just landing on Top 100 lists of Best Places to Work. "I am less inter- ested in how we compare with other companies. I'm a lot more interested in how we're doing based on what the women in my company say," he says. Booz Allen Hamilton, says Van Lee, has a bottom-up culture, where the staf creates afnity groups and each group defnes its own charter and agenda, elects its own leaders, and then ex- pands up and out frmwide. "Those affinity groups tackle all sorts of workplace issues around equity and fairness and how to succeed in the envi- ronment," he explains. "It's creating an environment that not only tolerates diversity differences but also celebrates those differences and finds ways to translate them into the work we do for our clients, to bring different perspectives to the client's problems, and to find better sustainable solutions for them. So we found ways to make diversity not just a social program but also something that has seeped into our busi- ness structure." At Kraft, says Quezada, one of the many diversity and inclu- sion programs is Efcacy for Women, an interactive workshop that ofers concrete strategies proven to help women develop and promote their upward mobility. One measurable result: More than 48 percent of the Kraft workforce in the United States and Canada are female. "We are proud of those numbers, but more important, I am proud that the company is thinking about how to bring more diversity to its teams. It's no longer considered a bolt-on. It is now embedded into our speaking, our thinking, and the way we lead. And when you do that, special things happen." DW