Diversity Woman Magazine

FALL 2015

Leadership and Executive Development for women of all races, cultures and backgrounds

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24 D I V E R S I T Y W O M A N Fa l l 2 0 1 5 d i v e r s i t y w o m a n . c o m We Mean Business > We Mean Business app would serve as an ever-present guide to help employees understand the law and make ethical decisions. She partnered with the IT group to create wire frames that showed how the screens would look, so decision-makers at Ford could see how it would help employees get answers—quick and easy. Instead of displaying an entire policy, the app would summarize the heart of the policy, along with Q&As.; If the user still had questions, she could hit a button to e-mail her question—and the answer would then be added to the Q&As; for everyone to see. Preparing for your pitch meet- ing is key, but don't be so rigid that you aren't able to go with the fow. "Fifty percent of the time, the CEO might say something like, 'Will you please get to Slide 17?'" Lamson says. "Women will often get rattled, because they did so much preparation." Prepare a two-minute elevator speech covering the most salient points, so you can sum- marize your idea quickly at any time, if need be. Lingo Matters When pitching your idea to male col- leagues, keep in mind that men and women have diferent communication styles. "Women tend to communicate with abundance, because we want to give enough information to provide con- text," Lamson says. "But men like to get to the bottom line, so be concise. Men are thinking, 'What are you telling me? What's important?'" Also, because women are relationship oriented, they often use language that sounds apologetic to men. "Try not to fall back on expressions that might give short shrift to your ideas," Richmond advises. "Own it. You're there because it's a worth- while project. Don't undercut yourself. As another woman in a senior role pointed out to me as I was about to give a presen- tation, 'You're presenting to the board. You're there for a reason.'" Consider your tone as well. Experts like Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, coauthors of Te Confdence Code, advise women to avoid upspeaking, the habit of raising the tone of your voice toward the end of a statement, which can make it sound like a question. "Women upspeak to show that they're collaborative," Lamson says. "But the perception of upspeaking, par- ticularly from men, is that you're not con- fdent about what you're trying to say." As you're making your pitch, don't be afraid to show your excitement. Leaders love to hear data and numbers, but they also want to see that you're passionate about your idea, which shows that you have the emotional energy to bring it to fruition. Fielding Feedback While it's important to focus on your message, it's also important to listen, so encourage feedback and questions. " You will be better able to parry dis- cussions back and forth if you listen to what others have to say and consider their views," says Donne Kam- pel, EdD, a women's leadership expert and associate dean of faculty at Touro College. "This also implies giving credit where it is due. Don't be afraid to say something nice about other col- leagues' accomplishments." If someone in the room in- terrupts and tries to derail the conversation, however, reclaim control. "Sometimes it is merely enthusiasm," Dr. Kampel says. "Allow the interruption if it backs you up. You can use all the sup- port you can get. However, if the conversation is being taken in a diferent direction or the person is on the attack, take your con- versation back. I say, in a quiet voice, 'Please, may I fnish what I was saying.' If necessary, I stand up, take back the 'foor,' and then sit down. It works!" Close Strong At the conclusion of your pitch, be direct in asking for what you want. Lamson suggests asking, "Are we going to sign of on this today?" If the leadership team needs additional data or answers to out- standing questions, provide them and then follow up. Once your idea has been green-lighted, confrm what your role on the project will be and promptly schedule a planning meeting. Richmond's team did a walk-around, making pitches to individual groups who would need to approve the compliance app—from IT to HR—and ultimately got the go-ahead. Te Right Way app was initially pilot tested with 300 employees, including Ford executives, and was a big hit. "We've gotten terrifc feedback," Richmond says. "People will tell me about being on a trip and needing to fnd out about a policy, and being able to fnd it. I've used the app myself, when I've been at a conferences and an aspect of our policy comes up. Our CEO, Mark Fields, has said that our app is an example of thinking outside of the box." DW THINKSTOCKPHOTOS Leaders love to hear data and numbers, but they also want to see that you're passionate about your idea.

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