During my years at CHOP, I have received wonderful advice from managers and colleagues that has helped me advance my career in ways I never imagined possible when I was starting out as a young nurse. I strongly believe the most important part of my job is to develop future leaders. While many of these posts tackle specific challenges or topics, there are a few key lessons I’ve learned that stand out in my years of experience. Here are my top three pieces of advice no matter where you are in your career.
Don’t take a job for the title. Many people think that a certain title will give them credibility. In fact, your influencing skills – that is, your ability to gain support and “followership” from the people who will be affected by a decision – are far more important than your title. Your influencing skills, not necessarily a title, will help you get things done. Start practicing this no matter what your current title is.
Work for a place that you believe in. To be successful in your career, it’s important to work for a place that reflects your own values. One of CHOP’s biggest strengths is that we have a workforce that is inspired by our mission and values. Having a team made up of employees who share a sense of mission and purpose makes us much more effective as a team. Ask yourself some tough questions, and if you don’t truly believe in the mission, leaders, or goals of your company or organization, start looking for what might be a better fit.
Take on “stretch” assignments. Ask to take on a project you don’t feel entirely prepared for – even if the idea scares you. You will find your biggest opportunities for growth when you step outside your comfort zone. Pay close attention in meetings – is there an issue that keeps coming up that no one seems to be tackling? Suggest to your boss that you work on solving it. Even if you don’t have an idea for a certain project, let your boss know that you’re looking for an extra challenge (just make sure you are doing A+ work in all of your current responsibilities!)
If you’ve received a particularly helpful piece of career advice from a friend, colleague or mentor, I would love to hear it!
In my role, I’m fortunate to meet so many inspiring women. Part of the purpose of this blog is to share those experiences with a larger audience so that you can be a part of the conversations I’m having with other women leaders. One such woman is Lynn Yeakel, the Director of Drexel University College of Medicine’s Institute for Women’s Health and Leadership, and the founder and president of Vision 2020, a national, non-partisan women’s equality initiative with a particular focus on the year 2020, the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote. Lynn has had an incredible career; she was a founder of Women’s Way, the first and largest women’s fundraising coalition in the nation, and served as its CEO from 1980 until 1992, when she ran for the U.S. Senate, drawing national attention, winning the primary and nearly unseating the longtime incumbent, Arlen Specter. In 1994, she was appointed by President Clinton to the position of Mid-Atlantic Regional Director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She’s a published author and has been recognized with numerous honors and awards for leadership and humanitarian contributions.
I recently had the pleasure of listening to Lynn speak at an event for Women’s History Month, and knew I had to hear more from her. She was gracious enough to share her thoughts with me and my daughter-in-law, Kaitlin, on the state of gender equality and women’s leadership.
MB:
Something I heard you say really caught my attention: “We need to think and act like the majority that we are.” Can you expand on that and offer some practical advice for women on how they can go about thinking and acting like the majority?
LY:
You know, I say that all the time, and you’re the only person to ever ask me this. After my loss in the national elections in 1992, I was speaking in Scranton trying to cheer people up, and I said, we really need to think and act like the majority we are – there are MORE of us. I heard from so many women during that race that told me they’d never registered to vote, never bothered to vote because they’d never seen a candidate that represents their point of view. I really learned that if we can stand together as women, we can change things.
In that statement there are two verbs – THINKING and ACTING. Thinking really means claiming our equality and power. I think it’s important that we identify by our gender first, then by race or religion. By aligning together as women, we are so much more powerful. If I had one goal in life, it would be this – helping women unite together around our common values, goals and concerns. This was a huge challenge in the women’s suffrage movement, and still is today.
The acting part refers to helping each other as women. I remember interviewing a woman once who had been out of the workforce for many years, staying home and raising her children. She was talking herself down, saying things like, “well, I’ve just been staying home with my kids, I haven’t had any work experience in a long time.” I immediately recognized the leadership skills it takes to be the CEO of your household, and knew they were transferable to the job. Women in the position to hire other women will see this – I’m not sure if men would. We need to help each other when we’re in the position to do so.
Another key element to acting like the majority we are is being civically engaged. One in three women didn’t vote in the 2016 election. Many aren’t even registered (in fact, that’s one of our biggest goals of the Vision 2020 initiative). It’s so important that women be informed about politics AND that they support women who are running – write checks! So many women struggle with embracing our worth, and women candidates in particular tend to have more trouble asking for money – we need to fund the women we believe in.
MB:
Have you noticed any generational difference when it comes to thinking and acting like the majority? Given that you interact with so many young women at Drexel, what do they say to you when you make that statement?
LY:
When we launched Vision 2020 in 2010, we asked students in Drexel’s College of Media Arts & Design to interview women and men on the streets of Philadelphia and ask if they thought men and women were equal. There was a video clip of one young woman in her late 20’s, who thought for a minute and said, “yes, until they have children.”
My daughter is a lawyer and she decided to work part-time from home after having two, and then three, children. It never really hit her what I was talking about all these years, until she experienced motherhood. I think there are still so many structural challenges women face after they become caregivers that keep discrimination and gender inequality present in our culture. When I was growing up, it never occurred to me that there was gender discrimination, until I started searching for a job. I had been surrounded by strong women and discovering that was one of the most frustrating and humiliating things I’ve ever dealt with. I think in general, times are better for women, but these issues still exist.
MB:
I know you’ve run for elected office in both Senate and Gubernatorial races; what’s your reaction to the change in Congress in the 2018 midterm election? What did running for elected office teach you, if anything, about the way people react to a woman advocating for herself to hold a leadership position?
LY:
I think it’s fantastic that we have so many more women in Congress now. I want to see these women be able to DO things. Changing things takes time, and the guardians of the status quo will always be there – people who have power and don’t want to share it. I’m glad that Nancy Pelosi is showing great leadership to the newer generation.
I have observed that women and men often have different motivations for running for office. Often, men want to be in control and have power. Women for the most part, have a mission, something they want to change or do. In fact, I saw running as a huge personal sacrifice. It was so hard on my family and I was treated totally differently than my male opponent by the media – when they covered me, they described my clothes, jewelry or haircut. Interestingly, I was also often defined by the men in my life. There was something in my father’s voting record that ended up hurting me, my husband’s membership in a golf club that lacked diversity, and a sermon my church pastor gave about his experience in Israel – things that had nothing to do with me or my campaign were used to define me in negative ways. How often do we see male candidates get defined by the actions or activities of their sisters, wives or mothers?
Bill Bradley from New Jersey was in the Senate at the time – he campaigned with me a number of times and talked about the fact that he had been a basketball player before he ran for the Senate and got elected. He didn’t know why he was accepted, while my experience, having run a non-profit organization, somehow wasn’t relevant to hold office. Politics is always nasty, but especially so at that time for women candidates.
MB:
You’ve had an incredibly long and successful track record in advocating on behalf of women and fighting for increasing the number of women in leadership roles across all aspects of American life – where do you think we are still falling short, and how can we continue to address it?
LY:
I actually loved a comment you made when I heard you speak, Madeline, citing the statistic that even though women make up the vast majority of healthcare employees, only 3% of healthcare CEOs are women. I use that in talks all the time now, because I think it illuminates one of our biggest challenges. We need more women in policy making and decision-making roles. I think a great example of what happens when women are in charge is the “Take 2” initiative from Mary Barra, Chairman and CEO of General Motors. It’s a job re-entry program, addressing the issue of “experienced female STEM talent – particularly women – who have taken extended leaves of absence from employment to care for children, aging/disabled parents or other personal needs and are now ready, but uncertain, how to successfully return to the workforce.” That’s why women’s leadership matters and is a great example of a woman in leadership actually doing something to help other women.
MB:
Your first book, A Will and a Way, is described as presenting “insights into the key issues of women’s independence based on your own experience and lessons from history.” What do you see as the biggest challenges to women’s independence today, and in what ways do you think women still give up their independence that are detrimental to their power, happiness and self-advancement?
This is totally still a problem. I mostly see it in terms of economics, and sadly so many women in newer generations have fallen into the trap of so many women of my generation. You have to have your own checking account! I’m so grateful that my parents taught me the importance of having my own economic independence – and to keep it and sustain it. They made me take a typing class when I was young, emphasizing that I needed a skill to be able to get a job. I really give them huge credit – that was so far ahead of their time to teach their daughter that. I firmly believe that a man is not a financial plan – it wasn’t then, and it isn’t now.
MB:
What are you most optimistic about right now? What are you most concerned about?
LY:
I’m really optimistic about all the women stepping forward to lead, both in politics and business, and the efforts I see among women to help each other get on boards and other leadership positions. I also feel that civic engagement is increasing. I want to see these women do concrete things that clearly contribute to women’s opportunities for success.
What worries me most is that when it comes to the matter of gender equality, our history has always been two steps forward, three steps back. There has always been a backlash when women make progress, and I don’t want the newer generation of women to take it for granted that things are going to be fine because more women are getting into leadership roles. We can’t back down or slow down.
MB:
What key pieces of advice could you leave our readers with – women from all walks of life who care about advancing women in the workplace, based on your lifelong experience in leadership positions?
LY:
I love the line in Thelma and Louise – “you get what you settle for.” Don’t settle for less than you deserve. That means whether it’s a job, a relationship, anything that doesn’t satisfy you. You’re entitled to your own life and far too often women settle. Also, let’s pay attention to how we’re raising our future generations of women. Gender pay inequity starts so young – little boys mow the lawn, walk the dogs and other paid work. Girls do laundry, wash the dishes, and other types of unpaid domestic labor. We need to teach girls to value their worth early on.
Finally, and this is really important to me – I care deeply about men being a part of the solution. My father was my role model, I’ve been married many years, and I have a son who I’m very proud of and I have four grandsons. For shared leadership to work, men have to be involved and see it as a benefit. I believe we are women and men by chance, we’re sisters and brothers by choice. Thank you to Lynn for her time. Be sure to check out Vision 2020 for information and ways to get involved in Women 100: A Celebration of American Women, Vision 2020’s year-long commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Recently, philanthropist and businesswoman, Melinda Gates, spoke about the idea of reimagining the modern workplace. In an article published on LinkedIn titled,“We’re Sending our Daughters into a Workplace Designed for our Dads” she advocated,“new technologies, new business models, and new social movements are completely redefining what it means to go to work. So why don’t we take this opportunity—this moment of radical redesign—to advance equality and inclusion, and build the first workplace in history that actually works for everyone?”
She argues however, that the types of features developed (slides between floors, swings, sleeping pods) are created with a largely young, white, male employee in mind. She challenges us to think about what big, bold, disruptive ideas exists for creating a workspace that appeals to women. I was fascinated by the idea that maybe our physical workspaces have hindered the advancement of women’s careers. I decided to talk with CHOP’s Director or Facilities Planning and Design, Natalie Miovski Hagerty, to dig into this idea further.
MB: How, if it all, has gender played a role in the spaces you design?
NMH: As a female working in the male-dominated architecture and construction industry, I’ve always worked hard to bring awareness to the female voice in my building designs. But I feel like this is a new opportunity to think about how we construct workplaces that are more in line with what women want. I think unfortunately, gender has typically played a role in the way the article you mentioned described – usually only in reference to female-focused coworking spaces or female-specific program spaces, like lactation rooms. However, I think one of the things we don’t do enough is empower women to use spaces however they want. For example, it was suggested that we put a computer in the CHOP staff lactation rooms, and my first reaction was, “can’t we let our moms have a few minutes in peace without having to worry about doing work and pumping at the same time?” But when I took a moment to reflect, I realized I was making that decision for them, and that wasn’t appropriate. As designers, we need to create space with flexibility, and we need to be better listeners to what the needs are. Additionally, we need to poke a little at it, the answers don’t just come out, sometimes people aren’t sure what they want or what options exist. It’s like the Henry Ford quote, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” While we need to ask and listen, it’s also up to us – both women and men – to come up with big, bold ideas.
MB: How do you gather information about what employees, particularly women, would like to see? What types of data do you look for when designing a space where people will spend so much of their time?
NMH:We are actually in the process of constructing a new office building right now (as you know!). One of the things we did was to bring in an industry expert who’s at the cutting edge of workspace research. We opened the door to employees by saying, how can we make your life better? Then through brainstorming and shadowing we were able to get lots of feedback. We really just kept pushing people to think about their day and not take any movement or current obstacle for granted. When we wrote the observations down, we had a lot of “A-Ha” moments. We also wanted to focus on creating healthy work spaces. One interesting thing that came out as frustration that tied back to gender differences was in relation to the experience of sitting at your desk. Many women wear heels of varying sizes, but when you’re sitting at the desk, your keyboard tray is in the way and you are not in the right ergonomic position. Often, you end up taking your shoes off – putting you in a bit of a vulnerable position. Men’s shoes are all fairly similar, therefore their body is always in the same position. We were able to find a design solution that would really help with equality – height adjustable desks! This allows everyone the ability to quickly make comfort and ergonomic choices for themselves. Another area where gender differences come into play, is when we talk about fitness in the workplace. Many office buildings are offering fitness centers, but we wanted to think about how these can be optimized for everyone – do people really want to be working out at work, getting sweaty and messy around their colleagues? We heard that women are more sensitive to this than men – so before we offer something like that, we really want to understand what women would want to feel comfortable with an on-site fitness center. It can be a lot more complicated for women – hair, makeup, accessories – it’s not a quick and easy thing to get ready for work after exercising! What women wanted were simple design features like a place to put their brush or make-up that wasn’t wet (because typically the only counter space is next to a sink in an office building fitness center). This design feature benefits everyone – however it’s noteworthy that it only came up when carefully listening to women.
MB: What does human-centered workplace design look like to you?
NMH: I believe that human-centered workplace is about how we feel in the environment. The best analogy I can come up with is at CHOP, we have children that are going through infusion therapy. Imagine a child who is 3 or 4, but their chairs they’re sitting in for this therapy are made for adults. They’re in a space that was designed for them and their wellbeing, but they feel uncomfortable because the specific chair is oversized and overwhelming. This has an effect on them emotionally. It can make them feel small and weak at a time that they need to be at their strongest. As that concept relates to women in the workplace, much of the furniture available was not designed with women’s frames in mind – especially petite women. There are women that are dwarfed by the size of their chairs. Imagine how that makes them feel! I definitely believe there is a psychological impact that details like this have, and I’d like to see the averages that are used in determining furniture design be re-assessed with a more female workforce in mind.
MB: Do you think workplace design can play a role in gender equality?
NMH: If you’re using the words workplace design to mean a more holistic approach or solution through both physical design and amenities, then yes, 100% it can play a role. To be honest though, I haven’t seen the big, bold ideas that would lead to increased gender equity, but I do believe that they could aid in leveling the playing field. There’s a lot of talk about the idea of daycare centers in workplaces, but too often it’s positioned as a women’s issue as opposed to a human issue. Having a daycare in one’s office, while in many ways convenient, automatically makes that parent the default primary parent, which doesn’t contribute to an equitable division of childcare. So when it comes to solutions for making workplaces more family friendly, we have to think carefully about unintended consequences.
MB: Is there anything you think women should be thinking about when it comes to their workspace, that could encourage gaining more equity?
I like an example in the book Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman: What Men Know About Success that Women Need to Learnby Gail Evans. She tells a hypothetical story; if there is a man and a woman who are equal (i.e. same years of experience, same position, same title, same salary, etc.) and there were two offices for them that were the same, other than one having a column in the corner (making it appear smaller), who would take which office? Evans suggests that the women take the smaller office, because they don’t think it matters – the symbolism of the “larger” office isn’t as important to them, and they know it won’t affect how well they will do the job. But when the rest of the office is asked, they perceive the person having the larger office as superior to the one in the smaller office. I actually saw a similar situation play out here at CHOP – a woman was promoted to manager, over the man who was filling in as an interim manager. When it came time for her to move into the larger manager office he was utilizing, she said, “I’m just going to stay in my office, it’s no big deal.” But I encouraged her to sit in the corner office that she deserved and had worked hard for. This particular department saw space as a proxy for prestige and to me, this is an example of how space relates to power and equity. I think it’s something that should be recognized more by women in these types of environments. Personally, I think we need to separate space allocation from prestige and self-worth, but that’s another blog!
Thank you to Natalie for her input, and for all of the work she does to create healthy, comfortable, connected workspaces for us at CHOP. I’d like to hear from all of you – what ideas do you have for making our physical workspaces more equitable and female-friendly?
With having just celebrated another International Women’s Day, I wanted to write about a topic of key importance to elevating women – not just in the workplace, but in society as a whole. There is almost no issue more important to achieving the equality, security and advancement we seek than financial literacy. Eight in 10 women will be independently responsible for their financial well-being at one point in their lives. We are living longer, and half of all marriages are still ending in divorce.
Despite this, 56% of women are leaving investment decisions to their husbands – Millennial women at an even higher rate. What’s more surprising still, even in homes where women are the breadwinner, 43% still leave major financial decisions to their husbands. We are more educated than ever, holding more leadership positions and have access to more information than ever before, so why are we giving up our financial power at alarming rates? I decided to speak with my friend Binney Wietlisbach, President of The Haverford Trust Company, to offer some advice and insight to women who want to take a more active role in their financial security.
MB:
Binney, I know your career is about more to you than just managing wealth – can you talk about the personal experience you’ve had that led you to passionately promote women taking a more active role in their finances?
BW:
I was always a numbers person, and I loved working with people, so the financial industry was a great fit for me. However, I watched my mother end up in a difficult situation because she spent much of her life taking a passive role in her personal finances. She was fortunate enough to be born into a family of privilege and was a very smart woman. In boarding school, she was among the top 1 percent in mathematics before going on to Bryn Mawr College, getting married and starting a family. She eventually became the beneficiary of a family trust. After her second marriage, her then-husband moved us all to a community-property state that entitled him to her assets. The marriage ended in divorce and he abandoned his two small children from a previous marriage and left them in her care. Thanks to the trust, she was able to focus on taking care of us all without having to work, however it shocked me to receive a call from her 15 years later asking for my help. The income from her trust had dropped significantly over a 10-year period, and she was worried she could no longer keep her home, nor continue to put my two brothers through college. I learned that the trust officers had never even spoken to her in 18 years of managing her trust. It really opened my eyes to how easy it is for very intelligent women to end up financially illiterate.
MB:
I recently wrote a blog post about knowing your bandwidth, discussing how you can only be effective with so much on your plate. With many women working outside of the home, yet still handling the majority of household duties as well, it seems as though managing investments and long-term finances is delegated to one partner out of necessity – typically the man. Why do you think that is, and how can women think about this differently so that it doesn’t feel like just one more thing they have to be responsible for?
BW:
Chores, cooking and childcare can be split among two partners. I always tell men and women that managing your finances is not a responsibly you can abdicate. Both partners must be actively involved.
I think the biggest misconception about financial planning and management is that it’s something you have to dedicate time to each week or month. It can be as simple as being present at a meeting with your financial advisor; taking a look at your investments together at the end of each year; knowing how much you have and in what types of accounts. It doesn’t require an incredible amount of specialized knowledge to be involved. If I’m working with a family, I tell them up front that it’s not acceptable to be only meeting with one partner – I insist that both are always a part of the conversation. Any trusted advisor should not allow only one of the partners to be there.
MB:
What are some of the key things women should be doing or thinking about when it comes to their finances?
BW:
If I had to identify one thing that’s most important, I’d say make sure you’re participating in a 401k plan, or other retirement account. Beyond that, make sure you’re aware of how that money is being invested. There are many different options for how to invest; know how much is in stocks, bonds or cash. For example, your 401k may consist of what we call stable value funds – which offer almost no growth. For younger people with plenty of time before retirement, it is very likely that stable value funds won’t provide the level of growth needed to achieve their retirement goals. Although past performance is no guarantee of future results, and while the stock market is going to have the most volatility of any of the major asset classes, it’s historically been the only way you can outperform inflation over time. Knowing how you’re invested as a family is an important part of making educated financial choices.
I also recommend that women make sure they have a trusted team around them. That may be an experienced real estate professional, a financial planner, an accountant, an attorney – experts that you know have your best interest in mind. Sit down with these people, ask them questions, and if you feel unheard or demeaned in any way, they’re not the right fit for you. There are times in your life when you have to really pay special attention to your financial life – getting married, having children, divorce – and that is not when you want to be meeting your trusted advisors for the first time.
MB:
How can women take an active role to increase their financial literacy?
BW:
I go back to the idea of understanding where you’re invested.For example, not many people realize that employers must offer education on the retirement plans they offer, and on how to understand how your funds are invested. Go to your HR department and ask when the next time education will be offered.
Pay attention to what’s happening in the markets. You don’t have to get caught up in all of the hyperbole and hype, but be aware if there’s something going on that may affect you. Find publications that you can read quickly during any downtime – I like DailyWorth.com, an email newsletter subscription designed to help women manage their finances. Seek out events or education seminars when you can. At The Haverford Trust Company, we started a Speaker Series for Women.I felt it was a great way to help educate, empower and inspire the many women I see not taking an active role in the investment process. For the past eight years we’ve held events where women can learn, network and share ideas related to finances, investing and more . What it comes down to is simply taking the time to evaluate your assets and liabilities (like loans, credit card and other debt), and ask your partner to sit down and discuss your finances. That’s a great first step to building your financial literacy!
I hope that this conversation helps you to take an honest look at your own financial literacy, and if you’re not actively involved in your finances or are unaware of how you’re invested, that you’re inspired to act. Thank you to Binney for all of the work she does to help empower women to understand and manage their finances. I would also love to hear from all of you — do you consider yourself financially literate? How do you find the time to take an active role in your finances and investments? What are your biggest questions when it comes making decisions about your financial future?
Mrs. Binney Wietlisbach is the President of The Haverford Trust Company, and has been with the firm since 1992. Binney has worked in the financial services industry since 1985. She is a member of the Executive Committee, a voting member of the Investment Selection Committee, and a member of the Board of Directors of The Haverford Trust Company. She’s been recognized with numerous awards for her leadership and dedication to empowering other women.
Vocal Fry. Up-speak. Nasal. Too loud. Too high-pitched. Too quiet. Shrill.
We talk a lot about women’s voices. I have even written about the ways we can modulate our voices to appear more confident and capable. The truth is, there is scientific research that supports the fact that, “people associate low voices—which is to say the ones generally innate to men—with competence, leadership ability, and intelligence.” I can’t help but wonder, as a mentor, am I playing into a fundamentally sexist perception when I coach women to modulate their voices? Aren’t we actually just telling women to sound more like men?
Of course, Hillary Clinton is a prime example of how women’s voices are the topic of intense conversation. She wrote in her most recent book that for many years she was coached and trained to change the way she spoke so that she would be more “likeable” and would be taken seriously as a Presidential candidate. However, she noted that simultaneously, she was constantly criticized for sounding inauthentic. How could she possibly sound authentic when she’d spent years altering her voice?
I am the first to admit that I’m extremely distracted when I hear a woman using vocal fry, up-speak or using a very high-pitched tone. I do tend to think it makes them appear less serious, and I’m more inclined to listen to a women whose tone is steady and lower-pitched. This is a struggle for me – I know that by encouraging women to modulate their voices, I’m likely participating in gender bias, but am not sure how to change my perception. I would love to hear from you; do you find yourself judging a woman’s competencies based on the tone of her voice? Do you think paying attention to your speaking habits has helped you in your career? How do you feel about the ever-present conversation around women’s voices and our collective perception of traditionally more masculine voices as the ideal? Please share your comments with me – I will address some of them on my Facebook Group.
Having women represented on corporate boards adds incredible value to a company yet it remains a big challenge. According to the Forum of Executive Women’s most recent research, from 2016 to 2017, overall board seats held by women in the Philadelphia region only grew from 16% to 17% and out of the 100 companies surveyed, 18 still did not have any women on their boards. While this issue is getting more attention (California recently passed a controversial law mandating that every publicly traded company based in the state will need at least one woman on the board by the end of 2019) we just aren’t seeing the advances we should be.
From my experience on the board on both corporate and non-profit boards, I’ve learned a great deal about board service, corporate governance, and why it’s so important to have women in the room. Recently, I’ve been asked by many women how they can prepare themselves to serve on a board, so I’m happy to share my advice here. I hope that I can play a small role in encouraging more women to stretch themselves and prepare for this next challenge in their professional lives.
Develop Your Relevant Experience
Currently, 43% of the 100 largest public companies in the region still conduct business with all-male leadership teams and out of 625 total executives, only 15% are women. Being able to operate at the executive level is probably the most important consideration for joining a corporate board, especially a Fortune 500 board. If serving on a board is a goal for you, advancing your career into the C-suite (CEO, CFO, COO) is a great way to prepare.
Focus on enhancing your leadership capabilities and scope of experience. Develop your skill sets to manage people, manage operations, make big decisions and especially have financial acumen, which is critical to understanding the finances of a company.
Understand Board Service
It’s really important to seek out opportunities to understand what board service means so that if you are approached — and oftentimes you’re going to be approached unexpectedly, as I was — you understand what it means to serve on a corporate board and what you would be expected to do. If you do your homework, you can give an answer in that moment versus saying, “let me go back and do some research.” I think the key is that you never really know when a conversation will lead to an opportunity, so be prepared in advance.
There are many resources for continuing education; such as Women Corporate Directors and universities that offer courses and conferences on corporate governance. I participated in a program called Women on Board in Philadelphia before I was approached by Comcast. I also took a three-day course at Stanford University, the Directors’ Consortium, that was incredibly helpful to me.
Position Yourself
It’s important to know what skills are most valued by boards, and then be able to articulate how your experience fills those needs. For me, it was my experience in Operations that attracted Comcast to me. Learn what sorts of challenges corporations are facing and position yourself to help solve them. For example, if you are a CIO, you can fill the gaps in a board’s understanding of the cyber security challenges their company faces. If you have served as a Chief Human Resources Officer, you can provide much needed guidance on succession planning and executive compensation. Be sure to create a Board Bio highlighting your relevant achievements and strategically emphasizing the experience that will be valuable to a board. Additionally, many boards are looking for prospective board members who are diverse. This is a bit of a problem since there is a lack of representation of women and other minorities in C-suite roles, especially CEO’s.
Tap into Your Network – Especially Your Female Network
If you have aspirations of joining a corporate board, tell another woman who is on a board. One thing I have noticed is that once you get on a corporate board, the flood gates open because they know you have experience. When I have to turn down an opportunity, I always recommend someone else – and always a woman who has told me that she’s interested in serving on a board. Make it a priority to network with board members, and put it out there that you’re looking.
How to Find Time
Many women I speak with often worry that board service will add too much to their plate. I have been clear that my day job as President and CEO at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is my absolute priority. I limit my board service to a reasonable number of boards and a reasonable time commitment without a lot of travel. For example, the meetings for the Federal Reserve Board of Philadelphia are within a mile or so of my office, and are limited to a few hours on a particular day. To serve on the Comcast board here in Philadelphia and the Children’s Hospital Association board in Washington, DC, as well as my other nonprofit boards, is similarly convenient. Choose a board that requires only what you can give.
Despite all of the benefits that board service brings for women, in my experience, when you’re the minority in the room you do have to work harder to prepare and be part of the conversation and to feel comfortable jumping in. I probably spend more time that I need to preparing for board meetings and reviewing materials. There have been times when the board has turned to me and asked how something might be viewed as a woman. While it does point out that you’re different than the others in the room and creates the added pressure of having to speak for half of the population, I think it’s great that corporate boards are asking for that advice and seeing the value diversity in the boardroom can bring for shareholders and corporate culture more broadly.
