Part 1 of a 2 Part Blog

By: Claire Frisella

As a soon-to-be senior at Butler University, I have been thinking hard the past year about where I want to begin my career after graduation. I have heard non-stop from parents, professors, and advisors how tough it is to find a job after graduation. As a result, I feel like everywhere I turn someone is giving me tips on how to prep for the working life. I even took a semester long class on professionalism where the course revolved around different topics to prepare us for life after college. Even with all of this “preparation”, will my generation (Generation Y) really assimilate into the workplace? It seems that we are motivated different ways when it comes to jobs. With so many of us entering into the workforce, it could be that change is on the horizon for organizations.

Organizations & Gen Y

According to an article from the Ivey Business Journal in 2011, the current generation entering into the workplace is the largest since the Baby Boomers entrance. All of this change draws attention to the new-comers in organizations. So what are organizations doing for the young Gen Yers? It is clear that the mindset of the youngest generation in the workplace differs greatly from the previous ones. Leaders need to adapt to this generation that is motivated by team work, flexibility, and feedback. An article in USA Today explains that organizations that are slow to adapt for Generation Y soon find that the newcomers “move out rather than up” in organizations.

Flexibility

Throughout the past three years in college I created my own schedule and delegated my own time in order to balance school, work, and whatever else I had on my plate. Not having that ability makes it difficult to think about diving into a full time nine to five job right after graduation, especially when we have been told that we’re probably going to change jobs at an alarming pace over the course of our lives. Many organizations are catching on to this mentality with future Gen Y employees. To accommodate the demand for flexibility some organizations allow young employees to work from home or to create their own schedules, which appeals to my generation.

Work-Life Balance

A flexible schedule appeals to Generation Y because we want a work-life balance.  For us, work isn’t everything.  Growing up during a time where friends and family have lost jobs, we understand that even without work, life goes on.  We aren’t the generation that is going to take on a job that will compromise our happiness. We are looking for that happy medium between a career and a personal life and if an organization isn’t going to offer that for us, chances are we won’t stick around.

Gen Y Women & Work-Life Balance

As a Gen Y woman, a work-life balance is my goal. Most Generation Y women share this mentality, which sets us apart from the women of past generations. The number of women graduates today outnumbers men graduates, making women a large part of the Gen Y workforce. According to an article from Excelle, 63% of Generation Y women value achieving their personal goals over professional goals. It is simple: if Generation Y women aren’t getting that balance, there isn’t much hope they will stay around unless organizations can offer them stimulating work that allows time for a life outside of the office.

Feedback

“How did she do, class?” This question served as the end-of-class ritual for many communications classes. My professor encouraged students to critique and give feedback after every presentation. Sharing opinions and feedback is something I value and learn from. Generation Y thrives off of encouragement.  In an article from The Ivey Business Journal, Generation Y individuals also respond well to feedback on performance and reinforcement from leaders and are motivated when they receive responses from those above them.  Leaders need to recognize this because we are constantly seeking feedback and criticism on our performance.

Team Work

As a college student, team projects, presentations, and papers are the backbone of many of my classes. Dividing work and using my strengths combined with team members’ strengths has become routine for every team project I have taken on.  Generation Y employees crave a work environment that offers the ability to work in a team, unlike some of the generation that have come before us. A boring work environment is our worst nightmare and teamwork stimulates us to work harder and more efficiently.

What’s Next?

I’m not sure if my preparation over the past three years for the work world will come in handy once I’m there. What I do know is that being a part of Gen Y sets me apart from other generations with whom I’ll be working. It may be that I will have to tweak my Gen Y mentality in order to blend, but hopefully the companies where I find myself can do the same.

The “Great Man” Theory

A leader is born, not made. This is the basis of the “Great Man” leadership theory, one I was introduced to during the first semester I studied leadership at Butler University. The “Great Man” theory holds that a leader emerges because a time period calls for change, thus a leader steps up. It is almost the notion of being in the right place at the right time. In studying this theory in class, we always referred to past men leaders who were born to lead. Interestingly enough, we never applied this theory to current times. That is because, looking back, the stage was always set for great men to lead. What does that say about our leaders now, or 5 years from now? Our current times are calling for not just great men anymore.

The “Great Woman” Theory

Are eyes shifting from “Great Men” to “Great Women” leaders?  The past few years have been filled with economic disparity and downturn. In the midst of all of this, women have proven themselves in handling crises. The McKinsey Global Survey of 2009 asked executives the most important qualities needed to manage their companies during tough economic times. The results showed that presenting an inspiring vision followed by defining expectations and rewarding achievement for employees were most important to executives in keeping their organizations on track.

The study also  showed that women, in fact, were more likely to use these skills–inspiring, defining, and rewarding–than men in organizations. Oddly enough, executives also emphasized the importance of these same qualities for their companies after the hard economic times. Why wouldn’t an organization want a leader who could withstand a crisis to continue to lead once the storm has cleared?

Our own worst enemy?

Even though women have held their own through these tough economic times, obstacles to moving up in organizations still burden women. Are we, as women, our own worst enemies when it comes to making these changes in organizations? The glass ceiling metaphor is nothing new to women, but it could be that they expect to be held down, and therefore never work toward moving up to the next tier of the ladder.  McKinsey & Company found that because of these perceived barriers, women may in fact be aiming lower instead of achieving their full potential.

Who’s next?

As future women leaders, we are in the right place at the right time. Times are calling for women to step up and lead. The key to our success is first developing our own sense of who we are as leaders. Leadership positions for women are up and coming and this next generation to enter into the workplace, my generation, needs to be ready. As women, we will have a big role to play in leading. Eyes are on us to set our own goals and achieve those goals.  The women leaders of today have paved the way for the next generation and as things for companies and organizations begin to look up, eyes will land on women as our next leaders.

Inclusive Teams: Make it Real or Lose Your Authenticity

You can’t change women to fit the culture,

you need to change the culture to include the women!

Forbes published an interesting article entitled: Diversity Management Is the Key to Growth: Make It Authentic. The article made some great points about the power and the  importance of diversity management that ties nicely into this Blog post series on Inclusive Leadership.

Inclusive teams (diversity management)  is the second point to considerwhen reviewing the make up of  inclusive leadership.  Teams that lead collaboratively and include everyone’s diverse points of view are high performance contributors to a company.

You can’t buy diversity! Diverse management must drive innovative perspectives and the messaging behind this strategy clearly needs a refresh.  Most organizations don’t really live it. They need to understand the critical importance of  how they treat their people authentically down to the roots of their business model.

When all the voices are heard and valued within the organization, those companies prove to have better financial performance.  High performing teams are ones that have an inclusive leader.  An effective inclusive leader must:

1)     Develop

2)    Inspire

3)    Enable

Inclusive leaders are less about themselves and more about their teams. They communicate with a synergistic message which effectively guides and leads the team in the right direction. Teams then embrace and value diverse viewpoints, thoughts and ideas which translates to innovation.  Diverse management/teams when led with inclusive behavior are authentic, respected and highly effective.  As the Forbes article describes “Diversity leadership must drive innovative perspectives.”

A truly inclusive team helps everyone be heard.  Teams face  three basic challenges to inclusion during meetings:

1)     First speaker advantage- the first speaker usually sets the tone of the meeting.

2)    The loudest voice- assertive people usually hold the floor and for longer time periods

3)    Bias to groupthink- don’t want to cause conflict, show a single point of view

As a inclusive leader, make sure you have communicated explicit meeting protocol  to eliminate exclusionary behaviors so teams feel comfortable share their views, thoughts and ideas.

Finally,  it critical for organizations to look within the teams to ensure there is enough diversity.

“We need a team that is diverse.  “A team that spans a wide range of ages, nationalities and ethnicities  because we need to tap into their talent and because ideas recognize no boundaries and neither should we.”

-         Indra Nooyi, President & CEO, Pepisco

Where to Start: Let’s Start with YOU!

“Inclusive leadership starts with self-awareness, being introspective, knowing your blind spots and processing the ability to listen and learn.” –Dr. Robini Anand (Sodexo, USA)

I recently spoke with a woman who said that, in the seven years she had worked for her company, she had never been promoted.  I found the conversation interesting and yet concerning about why she was being held back within her organization. She shared the results from her annual review and her 360˚ survey. Everyone who responded to the survey, with the exception of the Sr. Vice President, rated her high. That SVP had never worked with her directly but has a bias toward her style of leadership. Ironically, the Vice President of Global Leadership Development from her company contacted me weeks ago to mentor and coach this “high potential” female leader.

The starting point for any company wishing to incorporate inclusive leadership is to first ask senior leaders to look at themselves. Years of research shows us that our decisions are prone to bias. These bias, both conscious and unconscious, affect our ability to make fair and objective decisions. If we are mindful of how biases can influence perceptions, judgements and leadership behaviors, we have the opportunity to change that pattern.  If our biases are understood and we are open to allowing diverse points of view, individuals and organizations become more inclusive.

The objective is to open our field of vision and be more aware of our own individual biases. We tend to connect and work with those who look and talk like us. Their views are similar or their experiences are familiar to ours. It is important to consider the mental buckets we create to help us categorize information or situations that then become assumptions. Think about the last time you met someone for the first time.  You quickly judged them or put them into one of your mental buckets. Those buckets are filled with stereotypes, perceptions, or images that allow you to make a connection or disconnection.

Participating in succession planning over the years, I often heard men make the assumption that a woman couldn’t possibly handle a promotion because she was ‘a mother with children at home.’  Those of us female leaders in the room had to remind them that we too were mothers with children at home . We had been promoted and were capable as female leaders. It’s an incredibly challenging  and difficult bias for men to overcome. However, they need to remember that biases like  that cannot be allowed.  Men making career decisions for women should never discuss the fact they are mothers. Fair and objective decisions need to be made based on merit, capabilities and competencies.

There are some great tools companies to provide to their leadership teams to increase self-knowledge about biases. The Harvard Implicit Association Test (IAT) is a tool that helps leaders to identify the unconscious learned patterns associated related to: weight, race, age, gender and political beliefs. Leaders may go to great lengths to say they are fair and objective. However, when men are asked about family, they think about women and when asked about their careers, they think of men. Research also shows that when women are asked about power, they think of influence and when men are asked, they think of rank or promotion.

It’s a meaningful challenge for leaders to consider how to change their traditional biases. Our habits and old ways of thinking developed over the years, it’s not something we can change overnight. However, if  we consciously think about making changes, and intentionally put it in to  action daily, we will positively affect the culture and become inclusive leaders. The power of inclusive leadership positively  improves organizational performance.

Catalyst and McKinsey both published numerous research publications showing significant financial reward for companies with inclusive leadership. Deloitte recently published Inclusive leadership:Will a Hug Do? March 2012, which is sited in this blog.

Establishing the Business Case for Inclusive Leadership

Today’s U.S. and Global markets have become increasingly diverse and businesses are adapting to remain competitive, reach new markets and hold on to top talent.

When companies create a culture of inclusion, they should consider the importance of that strategy aligning to the business agenda. Too often, organizations fail in their attempts to implement equal opportunity and promote fairness because those efforts aren’t directly connected to the business or to each person’s job responsibility.

Case studies and research shows five ways a well managed multicultural and diverse workforce contributes to the long-term business success.

1)     Diversity enhances the quality of problem solving and innovation

2)    Workplace diversity enhances productivity

3)    Customers are demanding more diverse workplaces

4)    Workforces are multigenerational

5)    Cultural diversity saves costs

Social biases must be acknowledged and resolved in order to successfully establish and execute a truly inclusive environment.  In order for people to feel included, valued and appreciated, they must first know that their views and thoughts are accepted. When organizations recognize and include diverse views, individuals and teams work together more effectively using their differences as an asset. New interpersonal behaviors and leadership skills will be established and must become part of the norm.

Inclusive leadership is not a moral or social obligation; however, it is a strong business case for enhanced organizational performance.

I found a relevant and interesting article posted on the Harvard Business Review Blog that supports the importance of collaboration.  Is “Command & Collaborate” the New Business Model? by Herminia Ibarra, Professor of Organizational Behavior and the Cora Chaired Professor of Leadership and Learning at Insead.  Ms. Ibarra discusses the pros and cons of adjusting the old “Command and Control” leadership style to one that embraces more collaboration.  Click here to view her post.

I am currently working on a fun project for a client who recently launched a strategic global initiative to become more collaborative. Their three business units work in “silos” and customers were not responding favorable to their old business model.  The client asked me how to train the entire global sales organization to be collaborative. My answer: “It starts at the top!” All internal and external communications must be aligned with your collaborative strategy.

Not only will a collaborative environment enhance team’s leadership style of behavior, but it will also improve organizational performance. More organizations in today’s economic environment are looking for new and innovative ways to grow their companies. Ask yourself, “Is our company’s culture collaborative? “ If not, how can you help to change it?

Organizations, teams, and individuals will grow when any organization successfully incorporates a collaborative environment.

This blog is in honor my late father, James E. Browning. His passion, vision, commitment and dream for Indianapolis were so admirable.

My father was so proud of our city and its possibilities.   He told me often that, “Indianapolis will be the Amateur Sports Capital of the World.”  Well, Dad this weekend, we were the NFL Pro Sports Capital of the World hosting our first ever Super Bowl.  

A few short weeks after my father’s death, Indianapolis was awarded the 2012 bid to host Super Bowl XLVI.   Dad: you are up there working your magic and orchestrated perfect weather to ensure this event was a huge success. If you were here, you would make sure the NFL Super Bowl Committee and the NFL consider our city again in the future.

I came across this quote that relates to the man and leader my father was in this community:

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”

-  Robert Louis Stevenson

Indianapolis yesterday was nothing like it looked between 1975 and 1987. Hosting the Pan-American Games elevated our city but building the Hoosier Dome changed the sports landscape dramatically.  Add to that the Indianapolis Sports Center, the U.S. Gymnastics Center, the NCAA, the World Skating Academy, the Colts move, Lucas Oil Stadium, and other major sports developments.  Reflecting back on my father’s dreams for Indianapolis, I can see that Indianapolis today is a result of the seeds a group of amazing visionaries planted nearly forty years ago.  In addition, yesterday, we hosted our first Super Bowl with record warm weather, thousands of people attending from surrounding states, record attendance and amazing reviews.

For most of my life, I listened to my father’s inspiring words about his dreams for this city, his vision, passion and belief that one day, Indianapolis would be the “Amateur Sports Capital of the World”.  However, I believe the World learned just how special our city is this past week and our commitment to make it the best Super Bowl ever!  It was a proud day for those who worked tirelessly to ensure things would go perfectly.  Congratulations to the Super Bowl Committee, the volunteers, and the people of Indianapolis for a great event!

Would you ever get in your car and start driving without knowing where you are going?  Would you get on a plane without knowing the destination?  It is fun to have spontaneous moments.  We could hop on a random flight to Lincoln, Nebraska like Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel in Yes Man. However ‘seat of the pants’ decisions do not propel us forward in our lives or our careers.  We need a plan and we need to know where we are going.

I just returned from a semester abroad in Spain, four months to travel and explore, and I learned the importance of having a plan.  I missed trains, lost credit cards, slept in airports, and prolonged my return home by 36 hours.  For me, planning when I was abroad meant that I thought through the places I wanted to go, the most important sights to see, when to see them, and where to stop along the way.  It also meant being prepared.  I needed a map, my guidebook, money, and my camera.  The days I planned, I saw more, got more out of my time, and experienced much less stress.  I also had a better idea of what I was seeing and could appreciate things more.   

The hardest part of planning is not knowing where you want to go.  Nevertheless, we have to start somewhere, make decisions, and not let fear keep us from exploring.  I joined a group of girls who went to Geneva, Switzerland because it was a cheap last-minute flight, and it was safe.  We had a nice weekend.  However, my trip to Marrakesh, Morocco beat Geneva by a long shot.  We planned the details, adventured to a waterfall, held a monkey named Cookie, ate couscous, rode a camel, and befriended a businessman named Mohammed.  We had an incredible time and I learned a lot from that trip.  I learned that two girls could travel on their own in Africa without worry, that we could fend for ourselves, and with the right amount of planning, we could accomplish something completely new and exciting.

Personal Action Plan

So how does this apply to our everyday lives?  Whether you are a business owner, accountant, sales representative, governor, teacher, or coach, we all need to plan.  Our first step is to develop our own personal action plan and take time to examine ourselves critically and honestly.  The true value in planning comes from the planning itself, the time we spend reflecting and evaluating ourselves.  What are my personal values?  What are the most important aspects of my life?  What are my priorities?  What unique talents do I possess?  Once you have reflected on these things, determine the demands you have for yourself in five years.  Where do you want to be in ten years?  Through this process, create a “personal quality checklist” of standards for yourself that you can fall back on.  These are our metrics to track our progress periodically along the way.

Professional Action Plan

After you form a personal action plan, you can apply it to your professional career.  Do your personal plans and goals align with your professional goals?  If not, make changes, reevaluate, and make sacrifices.  Then map out how you are going to get to where you want to be and write it down!  Thinking something and having it written down are two very different things.  I can tell myself I am going to run today, but I can easily justify it in my head if I don’t.  “I just got too busy” or “I had to get things done for tomorrow.”  If you write it down, you will be more accountable and more likely to follow through.  Finally, once you have aligned your personal and professional action plans and mapped out where you are going, think of possible challenges you may face.  When dealing with a challenge, we often problem solve by analyzing, thinking creatively, using prior knowledge, or by relying on our feelings.  If you have a plan in place and think through possible challenges and obstacles, you will be ready to make those difficult decisions and more apt to make the right decisions on your own.

The Lessons

It took a few hard lessons learned overseas for me to understand the value in planning.  Now that I am home, I am back in the planning process again.  This time I’m piecing together my professional action plan and mapping out what is left of my college career.  It is a daunting task, but a necessary one.  In addition, I have mentors and professors readily available to help me.  There are lessons I am still learning from my time abroad. My plan may adjust as I uncover more and more of the changes I have seen in my personal growth over the past five months.  So before you enter a new job, sign another contract, or hop on a plane to Lincoln, Nebraska, do not forget to utilize those around you, make changes as you go, and remember that you cannot move forward without a plan!

Click on the title above to send comments or suggestions.

Aristotle said, “We do not know a truth without knowing its cause.” So what is so compelling about strategy? Why does it exist? Why is having a strategy so important?  I was researching and preparing for a client’s Strategic Planning meeting when I realized that many women business owners don’t really understand the power of a Strategic Plan. 

Strategy is necessary in response to two inescapable realities: limited resources and competition. Those two challenges alone force business owners to make choices about where to use their scarce resources to achieve a competitive advantage.

Simply put, strategy is the sum of an organization’s choices about where it will compete, how to create superior value and how it will generate superior results for customers. Through smart choices, a well-executed strategy will win the game.

What Four Key Questions Must A Strategy Answer?

A strategy must define how you will win. Winning in business means winning at value.  It is important to focus your strategic plan on four key areas:

1.       Where will you compete?

• In what market segments?
• Who are your customers?
• What are you offering them?

 2.       What do we want to achieve?

• What is your aim?
•  What is your measure of success?
•  What is your timeline in achieving success?

 3.       How will you win?

• How will you beat the competition for value creation for customers and investors?
• What resources will you need to create value that you don’t have right now?

 4.       What are your key priorities?

• How will you focus your limited resources to achieve success?
• How many priorities do you have?

The answers to these questions will make your strategic plan specific, clear and actionable.

People often struggle to understand the difference between strategy and planning. The fact is there are fundamental differences and it is important to know how they differ. Strategy is about doing the right things – making the best choices for your organization by focusing on the few things that matter most.

Planning is doing things right. It provides a roadmap that includes discipline, logistical rigor and accountability. The purpose of planning is to create predictability and to generate forecasts, blueprints and budgets.

Effective strategic leadership is one of our greatest challenges in today’s competitive environment. Your strategic leadership gives a clear sense of direction that will enable your organization, your people and its stakeholders the ability to prosper.

Women Business Owners:  if you don’t know or aren’t sure how to create your Strategy or build a Strategic Plan, we are here to mentor and coach you through that process.

©2011 IWL, Inc.