As someone who takes goal-setting seriously, I enjoy looking back on the year, assessing progress I’ve made and looking ahead to all that I still want to do. While long lists of New Year’s resolutions often set you up for failure, I prefer to focus on one professional and one personal goal for the next year. I’m sharing mine below, but I’d also love to hear from you. Reading your comments helps me learn what’s important to you, and to get new ideas for topics to cover on this blog.
My 2020 Goals:
Personal: Take a few minutes each day to meditate.
Professional: Double my efforts to make connections with and listen to front-line staff.
My Favorite Posts from 2019:
Knowing Your Bandwidth
I began thinking about this post a few weeks ago, on a typical Sunday evening. My husband Lou and I had been traveling and we’d just returned home. I intended to use the evening to get the kitchen ready for our remodel that was about to begin, pack up everything that needed to be moved, complete the rest of my New Years cards and get ready for the week ahead. As I began this work, he became frustrated; “Madeline, you have an endless supply of bandwidth, and you have to remember that I do not.” READ MORE
2. The Upside of Vulnerability
We live in a culture with an ever-increasing focus on perfection. Whether it’s at home or in the workplace, we put so much pressure on ourselves to do everything, and do it perfectly. At work, the idea of always being over-prepared, with no question you can’t answer and nothing you haven’t thought of is likely appealing. However, this masks one of our most powerful tools as a leader – vulnerability. READ MORE
3. Developing Our Successors, Millennial Women in the Workplace
I am passionate about sharing advice for young women looking to advance their careers, especially for those looking towards the C-Suite. I offer suggestions on everything from taking stretch assignments and negotiating raises, to adjusting bad speech habits and dressing like a leader. However, I sometimes wonder if we’re expecting younger generations to conform to our workplace norms at the expense of truly letting their unique priorities and values shine through? READ MORE
4. Unlearning the Lessons of Charm School
There is nothing more rejuvenating than spending an evening out with close female friends. The camaraderie, support and laughter that accompanies these types of friendships is, in my opinion, an essential part of mental health. I recently had dinner with my two closest friends; women I can share anything and everything with, and with whom I can truly be myself. We talk about our common experience of having our children get married and laugh about how men (and specifically, our husbands!) need to find “man friends” (why do women seem to be so much better at recognizing the essential nature of supportive friendships!?) READ
5. Developing Helping Relationships, Making the Most of Your Networks
With the growth of social media platforms such as LinkedIn and endless other networking groups, we’ve seen a significant increase in our personal and professional networks. Just think about your connections. Now, think about how many of those people you actually know. How many of them could you help you advance your career or make a meaningful business connections? How many of them could you truly ask for a favor or an introduction? Probably not many. I think it’s important to learn how to develop more “surface-level relationships” into more meaningful relationships that can help us meet our personal and professional goals. READ MORE
Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2020 – please leave me a comment below and tell me what you’d like to read on the blog on the next year.
An Interview with Dr. Eve J. Higginbotham on Diversity in Leadership
In the past few years, there has been much public discussion over gender equality. While not nearly enough progress has been made in the fight for equal pay or representation at the highest levels, we have seen some notable advances. For example, a record-breaking number of women CEO’s (33) appeared on the most recent Forbes 500 list. However, when we dig a little deeper we see that despite this progress, there is another story to be told. Only one of the 33 women listed was a woman of color, and she was holding an interim position. If you ask many women in the workplace, the advances we’re celebrating are clearly not benefitting all of us.
I started Heels of Success with the goal of elevating women in the workplace, but it’s important to me that we are elevating ALL women. In my role as CEO of CHOP, increasing representation is a priority for me. I’ve spent considerable time focusing on diversity within our Board of Trustees, and CHOP’s Diversity Council, which I chair, is partnering with teams across the organization to implement our Diversity Strategic Plan. Seeing this Forbes list made me stop and think about how I could address this issue on the blog. I decided to speak with a woman who has made diversity and inclusion a core element of her personal and professional mission, Dr. Eve J. Higginbotham, Vice Dean and Professor of Ophthalmology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. A friend and professional colleague of mine, I’ve always admired Eve, and even more so after this interview.
She’s had an extraordinary career, beginning with her undergraduate and graduate studies at MIT then attending Harvard Medical School. She’s served as the Dean of the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Senior Vice President for Health Sciences at Howard University, and Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, a position she held for 12 years. Her resume reads like a masterclass in leadership – holding top positions of all kinds, often in male-dominated organizations and fields (you can read her full bio here). Her personal story also provides insights into how women of color, or those with mutiple intersects, as she puts it, rise above a lifetime of microaggressions, discrimination and bias, and how white women might become better allies in addressing the lack of racial diversity in leadership.
Dr. Higgenbothom was kind enough to sit down with me recently for an interview. Below is a summary of our conversation.
MB: Tell me about your upbringing. Was it always expected that you’d pursue a career?
EH: My parents were both teachers and always raised me to focus on education and what I wanted to achieve, despite any discrimination I might face. And growing up in New Orleans in the 50’s and 60’s, there was discrimination – every day “microagessions” as we refer to them now. My mother would always say, “just beat ‘em with your brains” and my father was a Tuskegee Airman – both of them provided great examples and formed me in a way that I knew not to let the environment drag me down. But I did grow up being influenced by what was happening around me – and I learned that I only had control over how I reacted to the world around me, and how I let it shape me.
MB: How have you dealt with discrimination in your career?
EH: I remember noticing how the subjectivity in medical school illuminated discrimination in a new way. Growing up, I liked math and science because it was all about merit – there was a wrong or a right answer, so I thought MIT was a good place to start my higher education, and it was. The fact that engineering and science are much more data driven didn’t leave as much room for discrimination – if you got a problem right, you excelled. It wasn’t until medical school that I started to notice things like that fact that not everyone was being asked to give a report. In fact, one of the reasons I went into a surgical specialty is because there was a comfort level there that reminded me of my life at MIT; I was able to publish scientific papers in my speciality, and that really helped me have a rapid rise – allowing me to become a department chair in my early forties.
MB: Why do you think there is still such a lack of representation at the highest levels of corporate leadership? Do you have any perspective on why we are we seeing an increase in white women holding these positions and not women of color?
EH: There are more white women to begin with in the pipeline and more white women who are likely to have sponsors or even family members in positions of power who can serve as sponsors. The bottom line is that we do not have sufficient diversity at the highest levels, which is unfortunate given the power of cognitive diversity. Bringing together different perspectives produces more innovative and profitable organizations. I believe it is a matter of critical numbers of women who can help others succeed and demonstrate to others what is possible.
MB: What are some concrete things leaders should be doing to ensure that the next generation of leaders they’re preparing represent a diverse group of women?
EH: There are four things I would recommend to leaders:
Recognize the barriers that exist within oneself, within the relationships where one spends most of one’s time, the micro and macro environments, and the national political context.
Once one becomes self-aware, develop strategies within each of these domains that you can change and role model for others.
Develop a plan to implement each of these strategies. For example, understand our own biases; expand your relationships within the professional workplace and include new perspectives in your research or work. Develop a plan related to at least one process within your workspace and optimize its objectivity, e.g. evaluation of your direct reports.
Finally, seek out others with a different perspective and have a constructive conversation about differing perspectives. Find common ground and seek to understand the differences. As leaders, we need to be coaches, mentors, and sponsors and seek out new future leaders to nurture and grow. If everyone does these things, they we will have more diverse leadership that is developed and sustained.
MB: Alternatively, what mistakes are that those advocating for gender equity making that have led us to such under-representation for women of color?
EH: In my opinion, many of us tend to gravitate to those who have shared experiences and one must be intentional in going beyond the immediate group of individuals with whom one spends time and mentor. There has been an intentionality to going outside one’s usual group of collaborators.
Thank you to Dr. Higginbotham for taking the time to talk with me, and for so candidly sharing her experiences and perspectives. As leaders, we know the most important way to achieve success in anything we do is to develop thoughtful strategies, set goals, and ensure there is accountability for achieving them. This applies directly to increasing diversity in our leadership teams. If you’re in a leadership position, I encourage you to develop a plan for creating a more diverse, inclusive and equitable environment in your organization through setting specific, measurable goals. At my organization, our diversity goals include improving the environment at CHOP by developing and modeling a culture of inclusion; increasing our focus on recruiting, developing and retaining diverse talent; providing more equitable care; and improving CHOP’s reputation in these important areas. I truly believe that our diversity is our greatest strength, and this work will make us even stronger.
Vul·ner·a·bil·i·ty [noun] The quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.
We live in a culture with an ever-increasing focus on perfection. Whether it’s at home or in the workplace, we put so much pressure on ourselves to do everything, and do it perfectly. At work, the idea of always being over-prepared, with no question you can’t answer and nothing you haven’t thought of is likely appealing. However, this masks one of our most powerful tools as a leader – vulnerability.
The act of admitting you don’t have all the answers comes with risk. Show too much vulnerability and you lose people’s confidence, too little and you appear cold and intimidating. I’m currently mentoring a woman who holds a very high-level position at one of the world’s largest companies, and we’ve been discussing this topic frequently. She, like many women, feels like she can never say, “I don’t know” without appearing unprepared or unqualified. I believe this habit can backfire, and what you’re really showing is that you have no vulnerabilities, which has consequences for both your relationship with your manager, as well as with those you manage. But how do you find that sweet spot between showing vulnerability, and feeling exposed?
Vulnerability and Managing Up
When I first began in the CEO role, I was very concerned with feeling in command of any situation; particularly in meetings with our Board. I wanted to go in having all the answers and be five steps ahead of anything they might want or need. After a few years, I’ve learned to say “I don’t feel comfortable with that subject matter, but I can find an expert to help me get up to speed,” or, “I haven’t worked with my team on this topic yet, but I’ll get back to you.” I realized over time, that they’re okay with those responses. In fact, I believe they trust me more, knowing that I’ll always admit if I don’t know something.
When showing vulnerability however, you must also instill confidence that you are taking action to find the answers you don’t currently have. I was recently in a meeting, and one of my colleagues shared a struggle he was having with turnover on his team. Those in the meeting left feeling worried that there was a crisis looming. The error he made was not closing with something along the lines of, “but I’m confident that we will identify solutions to this problem before our next meeting” or laying out the concrete steps he was taking to fix the problem.
The key here, whether you’re speaking to your Board or your manager, is making sure to always close the loop. Admit what you don’t know, find the answers, and follow up.
Vulnerability and Managing Down
I’ve been working hard lately to show vulnerability when managing down – it’s important to me to show people I’m not perfect. I realized that CHOP has a culture of perfection (due to the nature of our work, it’s a necessity), but I make an effort to talk about mistakes I’ve made and how I’ve learned from them. Every year, I teach a class for the Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders, and I discuss how to be more relatable to those who work for you. The example I give most often is how in the past, I’ve made some big hiring mistakes, then not acted quickly enough to let them move on. When talking about these miscalculations, I focus on the lessons I learned, which I hope gives people permission to take risks and learn from their mistakes, as opposed to being “perfect.” Additionally, I believe that the vulnerability I show in admitting fault makes me more relatable. Leaders should model and emphasize progress over perfection, while encouraging their employees to make sure they know how to navigate the path to get the answers they need when they don’t have them.
Whether you are managing up or managing down, the incredible power of vulnerability is something that can transform a workplace culture, bring people together, and eventually, lead to increased accountability. It’s a topic we need to see leaders become more comfortable discussing and addressing among their teams.
I took a bit of a break due to a trip to the summer Olympics in Rio and a 9-day trip to London. Now that I am back from that travel, I plan to update the blog more regularly!
Over the summer I guided an older gentleman on a tour of CHOP. He had a special historical connection to the Hospital and has been a longtime supporter. I felt grateful for the opportunity to spend time with him since he is the retired CEO of a very successful company. Although he is no longer CEO, he remains on the board. Along the way, he had some good advice for me.
He told me the story behind hiring the CEO who replaced him. He said that he had two candidates, one who had the very best Ivy League School business credentials with an impeccable resume of experience. The second candidate he considered was someone from a less prestigious business school and not as experienced.
His company selected the second candidate for the role. Although he did not have the same pedigree, this former CEO told me that the board hired the second candidate simply because he embodied the company’s values.
His comment made me reflect on the organizational values where I work — Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect and Excellence — and the importance of assessing those values in the people that I hire. Experience can be gained, but embracing and truly living your organizational values is what is most critical to success. When you hire people, reflect on your values and the values of the company where you work. Make certain that you ask questions and reference check to better understand how well your candidate embodies those values. Don’t get distracted from what’s important by placing all your focus on pedigree and experience.
I always tell people that everyone you hire is a reflection on you and an extension of your leadership. Ensuring that you surround yourself with people who espouse your values is an important foundational step toward making sure they represent you as the leader and the place where you work.
Over the past month, I have spoken to three people about their future career options. Each was seeking career advancement and an executive title. In each case, I told them that chasing a title is not actually the best way to advance. Of course, that seems easy for me to say with the title of President and CEO. But hear me out…
When I probed about their interest in title progression, I heard them make comments such as, “I want to have credibility and I want a seat at the table.” I continue to hear this from others that I have mentored over the years. They hold the misconception, as many do, that a title will buy them leadership credibility and followership. But the title is not the ticket to leadership. There are other qualities that shape a leader and that, most importantly, generate followership.
One of those qualities is possessing influencing skills. These are skills which help you understand how influence works in your organization and how you can use that influence to better carry out your leadership goals.
More than a title, aspiring and current leaders need to understand that gaining followership from influencing people is critical to success. So, what does that look like? How does one gain influence? First, one must identify the stakeholders. These are the people that are impacted by a certain decision. Once you’ve identified them, spend time with them. Share your viewpoint on a situation and ask them to identify others that may help you to lead in a certain direction.
An effective leader does not say “Do this!” and expect it to be automatically done. An effective leader creates a map of who needs to be involved, who will be impacted, and who is in a position to help me lead.
Even with the title of President and CEO, I use my influencing skills to lead far more than my title. It is with influencing skills that one actually get things done.
In a recent mentoring session with an emerging leader, we spoke about the challenges of the hiring right people. Beyond that, we talked about how I motivate new team members and make sure that they support my vision as a leader. It’s an important conversation about a topic that can be easy to theorize,, but difficult to put into practice. I told her that the first thing to remember is that as a leader, everyone who works for you is a reflection on you. You’re only as good as the people that surround you. I often let that knowledge motivate me to take a bit of extra time before choosing a new hire.
Since taking over as CEO, I had been looking for a new for a Chief Operating Officer to replace my former role. I recently hired someone and of course I took into consideration their technical skills and experience. Equally, if not more important to me was their potential for the future, their emotional intelligence, and their overall commitment to the mission. If someone can demonstrate to me why they are committed to the mission of CHOP, it goes a very long way in terms of feeling confident about adding them to my team. Looking past someone’s proficiencies means asking ourselves if they are they going to fit into the culture and support you as a leader. But that is easier said than done.
Before hiring someone, try to spend time with them – not just reference checking. Bring them into social situations and see how they react. I recently took a potential candidate and his wife to dinner with my husband and me. I was able to observe his social skills and it made me feel confident in his ability to work collaboratively. However, a note of caution here. We can often be compelled to hire people who we like; who we feel are like us, or who have similar backgrounds. But this can be a trap. Look for people who are different than you and bring different skills to the table. For example, I tend to look for analytical people since I have a tendency to make quick decisions.
When you are interviewing in a formal setting however, there are a few tactics that I find to be helpful. I usually ask people what led them to apply for the role. I tend to get so much good information from that question, and though it sounds obvious, it’s amazing what you can learn from how little or how much info they give, and how thoughtful they are about their answer. When you can steer the conversation past what they have done and towards WHY they want this job and why it fits into their future you will get important insights. I always say the “why” questions are the best ones to ask to get a sense of a person’s self-awareness. Ask them what others would say about them if you asked. Let them talk more than you. Present scenarios to them and see how they’d respond. All of these tactics will lead you to a better understanding of the kind of person they are.
I once heard a great line: you permit what you promote. Not only are people paying attention to who you choose to hire, but also will keep a close eye on who you promote. It truly gives people an understanding of who you are as a leader, and what you find to be the most valuable qualities in the workplace culture you create. If your employees know exactly what you stand for, what you want to accomplish and how you want to accomplish it, they will be better able to support you and know what is expected. In order to motivate people it’s really important to give them a big picture of the goals of the organization and how THEY fit in. If you can’t bring it back to how they fit in and what it means to them, I believe that people can get a little lost. There have been times when I’ve had to explain why we’re moving in an unpopular direction as an organization, and the more I’m able to tell people how they fit in and what I need from them specifically, it helps their motivation levels. As a CEO, I want to be aspirational and visionary but I need to still be able to bring these ideas to the front lines and explain how my employees can help to bring that vision to life.
Lastly, if you do feel like you’ve made a mistake with a new hire and it turns out they’re not the right fit, it’s always best to make the decision early and let them move on. I think a lot of times leaders want to give people excuses before they let someone move on. In the end, it will only hurt them to stay in the wrong position.
