Women, Grab a Seat on the Board!

I was recently at a professional development day on empowering women and took the opportunity to attend a seminar focussing on non executive board membership.

I’ve written before about the issue of so few women on boards, (see Why are Women Behind? and Why Can’t Women Speak their Minds in the Boardroom?) and if you’re a regular reader you’ll know I am, with reluctance, in favour of quotas. We need a gender balance on Britain’s boards and I don’t see it changing significantly until legalisation is introduced.

Board Seats for Women

The seminar was fascinating; led by the CEO of a recruitment agency for non executive directors we were told that companies are asking for more and more women on their shortlists. It seems this is a good time for a woman to be looking for a seat on the board. The mere threat of legislation has encouraged traditional boards to cast their net a bit wider.

Which is good news if you’re a woman actively looking for a seat. Update your CV and put yourself out there. Sign up with a recruitment agency or two.

Tokenism

My fear, however, is that this flurry of interest will be short lived and once boards have a women in tow they’ll sit back on their laurels and tick the gender diversity box. And women won’t gain, and nothing much will significantly change as one woman does not a summer make! (Or a change in culture or attitudes.)

Opportunity for Women

But in fairness, it is an opportunity. However, a slight caveat is most boards ask for experience and that type of experience can be hard for women to get, although apparently being a school governor is very good training as is being a trustee of a charity. Another route in is to invest some money in an organisation but according to Chris Spencer-Philips, of First Flight (Placements) Ltd common sense is a real prerequisite, and women have plenty of that!

Speak Up! Empowering Course for Professional Women

If you’re interested in advancing your career, whether you’re aiming for a seat on the board, or to make your way upwards in a largely male dominated world, you may well be interested in my brand new course, Speak up!

Speak Up is Women’s Leadership Training with a difference. It doesn’t teach women how to be like men; instead it works directly with women on how to be strong and powerful communicators who get their point across without being dogmatic, aggressive or disparaged. Learn how to make men listen to you, respect your views, and become an influential figure in your organisation. Advance your career! Invest in your personal and professional development.

This women’s course is launching in November 27th and 28th at the five star Royal Crescent Hotel, Bath. Give me a call on 01761 438749 or email me to find out more or reserve a place. Numbers are strictly limited to ensure everyone gets the maximum benefit.

And if you have any thoughts about women on boards, please share them below.

Photo Credit: Michelle Ho

Location Location Location – does it matter?

Yes, it does. I know we can’t always control our environment but if you make yours the best you can, it brings out the best in you!  Numerous studies have shown that by altering our environment (or having it altered for us, like in public spaces) we can change behaviour.

Which is one of the reasons why when I am running my own training courses I am very fussy about venues. When you attend one of my courses I want you to feel special. I want you to be able to relax and to give yourself over entirely to focussing solely on yourself.

Which is why I use the Alveston House Hotel in Bristol for my Renewyou course. It ticks all the boxes and really looks after my participants.

And it’s why today I am visiting one of the most prestigious hotels in the country to discuss launching with them my brand new course for business women.  (The clue is in the picture!)

Empowering  Women – transcend the gender barriers

I am putting together an exciting brand new course for professional, successful women looking at the latest research on gender issues and how to turn that into practical steps individual women can take to overcome the barriers to their advancement. And I want to launch this in my beautiful home city of Bath!

If you’d like to receive advance notice of my new course simply contact me with your details (name, position, email and telephone number) and I’ll make sure you’re on the list!

Meanwhile, back to location – what one thing can you do to improve your environment today? Flowers on your desk maybe, or a gorgeous plant? Brighten up your working space with a picture or two? However small the change try to make where you spend most of your time a place that improves your mood and brings out the best in you!

How to Manage WorkPlace Stress – 3 Tips for Women

It’s Friday and you’ve had a stressful week at work and are longing for the week end. Phew, thank goodness Friday is here and you dash home thankfully and very tired.

But somehow the week end you had planned doesn’t quite cut the mustard. Your longed for rest and relaxation doesn’t materialise and you find yourself tetchy and irritated for much of the time. People around you are getting on your nerves and maybe you find yourself snapping at those close to you – kids, your partner or friends

You’ve taken that workplace stress home with you and it’s infecting other areas of your life.

3 Tips for Managing Work Place Stress for Women

It’s so easy to do. We know the research – even high fliers at work still end up doing more of the household chores than men (if the stats are to be believed). This is frequently an issue for women who are working with me, either one to one or on my women’s courses; it seems getting the work-life balance right is harder sometimes than getting that promotion!

So here are a few of my tips that have worked with other women.

• Finish work properly.
  By which I mean clear your desk, pack away any files and leave everything ready for Monday. Don’t take work home to sit reproachfully in your briefcase unless you are absolutely sure you a) really have to, and b) will be able to do it. Otherwise you literally have your work at home scuppering your chances of proper relaxation. I know at a certain level working at home is inevitable, but see if you can’t schedule this into the week nights and keep your week ends sacrosanct . You will be more productive the rest of the week for having a proper break. And leaving that desk primed for Monday is sending you a subtle but strong psychogical message.
• Share the chores.
  With a little more  probing it often emerges that women do have partners who are happy to share the chores but there is a undertone of  ‘they won’t do it properly so I’ll only have to do it again. It’s quicker to do it myself‘. If this sounds like you try to adopt the ‘good enough’ principle with some household tasks. Good enough means being good enough, not perfect. Don’t add to your stress by placing excessively high demands on yourself and others. Sometimes we can get a bit of victim mentality as we dash around trying to do it all…
• Take a guilt break.
  Being superwoman all week end (as well as all week!) means you’re on a hiding to nothing and probably quite difficult to be around. Make sure you do something over the week end that is just for you, that helps you recharge your battery. It may be tea in bed with the newspapers for half an hour; it may be a long phone conversation with a friend. Often it’s not a big thing but I find even when women do make time for themselves they tend to feel a bit guilty about it. Men do a lot of rushing around at week ends too. The difference I find is that men don’t tend to have the same feelings of guilt if they can’t do it all, or when they have a game of golf, watch the football, go to an exhibition. Whereas we women can get really good at beating ourselves up.
  Work out what it is you need to do to keep yourself on top form and then make time to do it! (If that’s on your too difficult pile take a look at What Stops You being Assertive?)

Life is a balance, sometimes a very delicate balance, of managing our needs and the needs of others. Remember, though, however many responsibilities you have at work and home, everyone needs a break, space to recharge. Make sure you build some time in for that, your essential maintenance down time! Happy Week end!

Photo Credit: Craig Hauger

3 Things Women Must Do to Have Career Success

Confidence is more crucial to women’s career success and ambitions than many people realise. Earlier this year the Institute of Leadership and Management published a report on the career ambitions of women.  It found that women set their ambitions far lower than men’s right from the start of their working life! Career success for women was inextricably bound up with their levels of confidence.

Nearly 3,000 managers were surveyed for the report which revealed that more than a third of women (36%) felt that their gender hindered their career progression. This figure rises to 44% among women over 45.

The report asked respondents about the management role they hoped to have at various stages in their working life: after the first 10 years, 10 years from now, and by the end of their career.

Women’s Career Success

Alarmingly, at every single step the career ambitions of women lagged behind their male counterparts. Significantly, the research revealed that female managers have far lower levels of self-confidence than men, but much higher levels of self-doubt.

In fact, men are more personally confident than women across all age groups. Some 70% of men have high, or fairly high, levels of self-confidence, compared with 50% of women. Half of the women managers admit to feelings of self-doubt, compared with only 31% of men. A strong link between confidence levels and ambition has been identified by the research.

Add to this recent research by the LSE (London School of Economics) suggesting that over 70% of women aged between 16 and 24 have ambitions to set up their own businesses – a trend towards entrepreneurialism also identified by the ILM survey – and a picture emerges of more women seeking to advance their careers on their own terms, rather than on those of patriarchially structured organisations. Women want to make their own rules.

Penny de Valk, the ILM’s chief executive, says the research lifts the lid on some of the more complex dynamics of what is, in many cases, still a male-centric work culture:

“Women feel a greater sense of risk around promotion, which leads to a more cautious approach to career opportunities. And yet we also found that younger women in particular are more likely to aspire to run their own business – they are not adjusting their expectations to the same degree when it comes to the risk of starting their own ventures.“

De Valk says it is crucial that employers who are serious about gender diversity take steps to find ways to nurture women’s ambitions. “This means developing transparent talent management systems and introducing leadership career models and development approaches that flex to meet individuals’ differing needs” .

“Coaching and mentoring, in particular, have an invaluable role to play. We know that gender diversity drives organisations’ financial performance. Business leaders should need no encouragement to ensure their most talented employees move into leadership roles, regardless of their gender.”

What Can Women Do to Have Career Success?

• Find a role model. Preferably one that is able to adopt a more feminine approach with business success and not one who has adopted male ways of behaving.  If you check out this interview with Sam Roddick you’ll see that she has managed to run her business in her own inimitable style -with great success! Your role model need not be someone you know personally but could be someone in the public eye that you can easily find some information on.

• Actively plan your career (and then upscale a level or two!). If you don’t set yourself a target to reach how will you know how you’re doing? You may not know the exact job you want but you know the level and type. Seriously think about it. What position do you want to have at the end of 18 months, three years and in ten years? If you want children you need to plan this in too. Don’t wait until the broodiness kicks in but think about how you’ll manage that part of your life too. Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, CEO of the 20 first consultancy says: pay attention to the pacing of your career. Look particularly at your thirties, preferably before you get there. It’s a challenging time so discuss it and plan for it. Use a coach, listen to older women and learn from them So may women drop out in their thirties which is a huge loss to business. Think about it in advance. And don’t worry about getting older! Getting older is great, possibly the best time of your life as your wisdom and experience grows.
• Learn how to speak male. Note I am not saying behave like a man, but make a point of understanding how men communicate at work. Men and women talk differently. New research is appearing all the time but a common theme is that women are disadvantaged at work by their communication style. If this is a problem get advice, get a coach, go on a course, but make sure you understand the differences and why women can be at a disadvantage. And then once you’re CEO you can change the culture!

Newsflash: I have a brand new programme coming on Career Tips for Successful Women. All details will be in my newsletter so do make sure you’re signed up.

Photo Credit: Coloniara

How to Raise Your Profile in 3 Simple Steps

Did you know it’s been estimated (Harvey Coleman’s research) that being good at your job counts for only 10% when it comes to getting promoted at work? (I bet some of you are nodding away now saying “So that explains how so and so is a manager!”)

A much more significant fact is if people actually know about you. You literally have got to put yourself out there! Raise your profile. Being visible and having people know who you are is worth a staggering 55%! If you want to get ahead get out there – literally!

3 Simple Steps You Can Take to Raise Your Profile

1. Do not remain the office recluse beavering away with your head down, the one who reliably does all the work while others go off promoting themselves. Volunteer to go to meetings and represent your department. Look out for appropriate opportunities to get away from your desk
2. Speak at those meetings. Do your research beforehand so you have something sensible to contribute.  Be solution focussed, not simply airing problems. You want to be noticed for the right reasons. If you’re shy, try to speak up early on. The longer you leave it to open your mouth the bigger hurdle it seems.
3. Join a professional or networking group for your professional area and use it. Either be an active on line contributor (you could start a LinkedIn group if there isn’t already one), or physically go to meetings and talk to people. Take time to invest in it.

That’s just three ideas to raise your profile but once you start to give the idea some thought you’ll come up with many more. Remember, it’s not enough to be good at what you do if no one knows about you. You’ve got to get out there and let them see! Be on the radar next time promotion is on the cards. Go on, let them know how fabulous you are; don’t keep it all to yourself!

Do share any thoughts you have on the subject of success at work. And if you’d like to work directly with me on this or any other topic, click personal development and find out more how our working together could benefit you..

Photo Credit: Gokoroko

Inspirational Woman – Sam Roddick

I am so thrilled to bring you this interview with Sam Roddick. I heard Sam speak a while back and was entranced by her passion and by her feminist take on business. She runs her own business, Coco de Mer in her own inimitable and frank style. She has her late mother’s panache (Anita Roddick) as well as taking advice and inspiration from her father.  As you’ll see as you read the interview. Enjoy!

Sam, thank you so much for taking the time to give an interview. Having heard you speak I am really looking forward to what you have to say!  Most readers will be very familiar with the work of your parents, (Sam’s mother was Anita Roddick, was the founder of The Body Shop) and may not be so familiar with the marvellous career you have carved out for yourself (Coco de Mer). How would you describe what you do now and the philosophy behind Coco?
Sam: The Coco de Mer erotic boutique is the gate way to the realm of sensual and sexual pleasure. Exquisite, witty, warm, welcoming and wet! We embrace every orifice with beautifully ethically considered  products which have been displayed in the best of our museums. We are loving and rude and hold the belief the foundation of sexual freedom is consent. Our bodies are innocent and our mind needs to be coaxed into a safe loving space in order to fully embrace a liberated expression of sexual happiness. We are the treasure trove in a world of orgasms.

What kind of boss are you? What’s your style?
Everything is quite informal at Coco de Mer, however because it is a small business, whoever works here learns a lot. They get a taste of all aspects of the business. It is a fantastic learning curve. Coco de Mer is a very person focused company, people have a real personal ownership working here. There is a lot of opportunity to put as much of yourself into whatever you do.

I am genuinely interested in the people who work for me. I want to give them an opportunity to expand themselves and be seen in what they contribute and create a space where they  express themselves. People who work at Coco de Mer are very passionate about it which is fantastic!!! Somehow, even when they leave they still feel a part of the family.

Sam, you’ve been very open about having dyslexia. How has this impacted on the way you choose to do business? Did it have a huge effect on you when you were at school?
Yes, I believe dyslexia has had a huge effect on my life and the style in which I work. I am logical but not linear. I have had to do everything by creating my own route to my goal. Everything I do is through the back door.

Dyslexia caused a lot of obstacles in my life but it gave me the ability to problem solve and never believe anything is out of my reach. I just have to find an alternative route to it. It is like finding the order through the chaos. Even though I cant really operate in normal ways, more than anything now, I am dependant on having people around me that are very orderly.

School killed my confidence and made me believe I was stupid, this resulted in me becoming quite unmotivated in life. Other than my art teacher and my history teacher I felt like there was no point in trying for an A, I could only ever achieve a C.  They had no patience and basically thought I was lazy.

What were your aspirations when you a schoolgirl? Did you plan to go into business?
I used to say when I was a teenager that I would never ever go into retail and here I am. I am a reluctant businesswomen as it was never an aspiration, however I love it! It has been the toughest learning curve and my greatest university after being a mother.

I must say though I am not comfortable being a boss. I would rather be a friend, so that has been a massive shift for me. It has forced me to grow. Mostly it is learning how to have healthy boundaries and balance. Its about learning the necessary details whilst letting go of control. Its about knowing what you don’t have to do and what is vital. I have made some great friends through my work and worked with some creative geniuses!

If you weren’t in the business you are, what would your dream alternative career be (you can choose anything, however mad) and why?
As a kid I wanted to save the world, be a photographer, become a  writer (which was crazy as I was so dyslexic) or a film director/ documentary maker. Now I’d say full time creative activist and political irritant , alternative midwifery , and an artist of some sort.

What’s been the best piece of advice you have ever received?
My mum said “ to succeed, you have to believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a reality”

Apart from your very inspirational Mum, who else has motivated and inspired you in the past, and who does it for you now?
My dad  is amazing he has been my best teacher – he is a master at business and a humorous philosopher - I believe in him

I have a course for women in which one of the exercises is to ponder how different the world of work could be if it had been designed for women and not by and to suit men. What do you think would be the most significant differences if women, not men had been in charge at the time of industrialisation?
Well, time management, job shares would be more available. I think women work better as a teams not competitively against each other, include a sense of true well being in the work place, sense of dress would change, emotional expression would be included and I truly believe that women want to have their values and ethics included in what they do, to have something to believe in .

How do you encourage and promote diversity in your company? Do you think you operate very differently from your competitors?
Coco de mer is more like a cottage industry than a company. We are all messy around the edges, passionate and emotional, but warm and loving.  Actually, only women and gay men ever apply for the jobs  – saying that we have our first heterosexual male, he is our minority.

There has been some recent research showing women are far less likely to ask for start up capital for business than man are, and when they do ask, they don’t ask for enough. What advice would you give to a woman who was looking to change career, maybe even considering a business venture?
You need in setting up a business is to take the risk and invest your belief into your self - I honestly believe the same skills it takes to run a house and a family to run  a company -

• the only ingredients are the ability to be proactive  and  reactive
• change your course of action if you need to
• fire fight
• admit when you’re wrong
• fight for what you believe is right
• pay your bills and count the cash coming in
• parent staff in the same way you parent your kids, fair just with clear expectations and healthy boundaries and encourage them to grow and take responsibility
• be prepared to fail but work like your gonna succeed and don’t give up
• network like hell
• be sceptical of experts : trust your self
• ask for double, budget for half , forecast for loss

That’s a brilliant list, thank you! Next question, what’s your favourite saying or motto?
Forget all you know to do the impossible.

How do you best relax and unwind?
I’ll masturbate or watch a movie – sometimes both at the same time!

Sam, thank you so much for this. You’ve given us some great food for thought along with some wonderful tips for all aspiring business women. Long may your business thrive and flourish!

To find out more about Sam’s company, Coco de Mer and see the wide range she carries click this link.