Thanks to the Philadelphia Business Journal for highlighting Philadelphia women in healthcare leadership roles. At 33 percent, it’s better than the industry’s national average of 26 percent.
Pick up a copy at your news stand (or read the article here if you’re a subscriber). It includes profiles of 29 of my remarkable female colleagues leading the region’s hospitals and health systems.
I was recently mentoring a very accomplished woman physician scientist participating in a one-year leadership development program for women. In the course of our discussion, she asked me if I’m ever in situations when I am the only woman in the room. I told her about a meeting when a colleague leaned over and whispered, do you realize that you’re the only woman in the room? I responded – I do now!
The point is, being the outlier in the room was not on my mind until he mentioned it. From that moment on, I was quite conscious of my difference. How does our awareness of being “the only woman” influence how we behave, not to mention lead, within groups?
During the mentoring session, this scientist mentioned to me that she is in a national group of researchers and is, you guessed it, the only woman. I asked her if she is the one taking the minutes of their discussions together, and she replied with an emphatic Yes. She told me it had been mentioned that she does the lion’s share of the work behind the scenes while the men in the group are taking more of the credit and visibility. She asked me how she could have approached this situation differently.
Group projects take a huge amount of ‘little’ tasks like minutes-taking, organizing meetups and following up with action items. I told this woman that, rather than raising her hand to a task (or several tasks), go into the meeting with a sense of leadership over the division of labor. Take action to ensure that note-taking and all the other little tasks are assigned equally among the group’s members. Anticipate what will need to be done and speak first. Remember, there are no ‘default’ note-takers.
Finally, it is good to take credit for your group’s work. Taking credit is how you acknowledge all the experience you’ve gained, both to yourself and to others. As women, we are taught to internalize certain notions of ourselves: good manners, good penmanship, humble with accomplishments, the list goes on. But self-promotion is only ugly when it isn’t earned. If your group has done a good job, then you have done a good job, and you can feel good about promoting yourself for it.
How have you approached being the only woman in the room? What are your methods for self-promotion? I’d love to hear your stories.
[Photo courtesy of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia]
A young female administrator I was mentoring asked me to describe executive presence and how she might practice it for an upcoming presentation. I thought I would share my response here, with the hope that it provides concrete tips for establishing yourself as a confident, effective leader.
What You Wear
Presence is a state of mind communicated through the body. Certainly there is a component of executive presence that relates to what you wear. Do you feel put together? Are you dressed appropriately for the occasion? A good rule of thumb is that it is better to be overdressed than underdressed, and simplicity is better than overstated or ‘loud’ clothes. Like it or not, among executives, first impressions are very important.
How You Feel
Clothing and being outwardly assembled will help with first impressions, but confidence in yourself will take you through the entire encounter, whether it is an important meeting, presentation, or interview. “Owning” who you are and the position you hold is more important than any wardrobe choice. Stand tall. Get the imposter feeling out of your head and take charge of your presence. Prepare well so that you are comfortable with what you are about to do and say.
The Way You Speak
Executive presence is communicated to others through tone of voice and posture. Try to find a balance between professional formality and a degree of relaxed comfort. I know that may sound difficult, but there are some discrete ways of carrying yourself that can help:
Executive presence is about your attitude of confidence, ownership and belonging as well as doing what you need to do to look the part.
Your Elevator Speech
Executive presence is not just a feeling you hold to yourself; it is also about taking certain actions to establish your credibility with others. One way to do this is to create, practice and use an Elevator Speech to introduce yourself effectively. It should be brief but assertive of your accomplishments – no self-deprecation! Include your name, current title, primary responsibility, and something impactful about your work or your organization. My elevator speech goes like this:
I’m Madeline Bell. I’m the CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where I manage a 2.5 billion dollar corporation with over 13,000 employees. We’re a globally recognized healthcare provider and were recently named the #1 children’s hospital in the country.
It might sound like bragging to you, but to make a lasting first impression with a busy executive in just a few seconds, it is absolutely essential to include memorable, impressive details about yourself.
Executive Presence in Action
Presentations
When giving a presentation, pretend that you are telling a story to a good friend outside of work. Keep your arms down by your sides. Find two or three people in different areas of the room (one on the right, one on the left and one in the back, for example) and just make eye contact with them. This is a simple way to appear relaxed and like you are talking to the entire group. Remember to take a deep breath and pause before you start speaking, and watch your speed! Most people tend to talk too fast.
Meetings
The first time I attended the CEO Council for Growth meeting, I went into the room resolved to speak. If I didn’t speak at the first meeting, I knew it would be that much harder for me to assert myself in future meetings. I wanted to set the tone with the rest of my colleagues that, despite being one of very few women in the room, I was comfortable being there and I knew the value of my voice and perspective. I paid close attention to my body language (some of which felt unnatural for me, frankly), and I sat towards the front of the table.
When you join a regular meeting, don’t wait until the sixth gathering to make yourself heard to the group. It is so much more difficult to alter the group’s dynamic to include your voice and presence once it has been established without you. Remember: you belong there.
Here are a couple resources about executive presence which I’ve found helpful and interesting along the way:
From The Business Journals comes this interesting video on using positive self-affirmations to approach challenging situations.
[Photo courtesy of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia]
Every leader, whether they’re leading four people or four thousand, needs a platform — a set of values for which you are (or will become) known. A leadership platform drives the culture of your team or department or organization; it is your internal roadmap that will guide you and for which you will hold yourself accountable going forward.
How do you develop your leadership platform?
One way to begin is to ask yourself:
For people in positions of power, attention is currency. What you are saying with your leadership platform is, I’m going to pay attention to this. This is what is important to me. If you have a boss, you are telling him or her that these are the markers for which you can be held accountable. So it is important to revisit your leadership platform during your tenure in that role. It can serve as your guide and return your attention to what is important if it has strayed.
Here are a few items on my leadership platform as CEO of CHOP. In a nutshell:
Leaders are deliberate in their leadership. They are not only at the head of projects and the day-to-day business, they are creating the culture and making changes where change is needed.
Leaders are also talked about by employees; this is natural and to be expected. In fact, it can be a good thing, if what they’re saying helps further your agenda. For example, let’s say two employees are planning to bring an issue to their boss (that’s you), and one of them says, “Let’s not talk to her until we’ve done all of our homework. She is known for asking the following questions… and I know she will hold us accountable for the answers”. That’s your leadership platform in action!
Not only does this platform help establish your reputation, it enables you to be less wishy-washy as a leader because everyone, including yourself, knows where you stand. As you go forward in your role, your leadership platform becomes an effective guide and measure for your actions and the progress of your team.