I spent many a lecture in graduate school waiting for the sages to utter pearls of wisdom. It happened twice, and both times the statements were profoundly simple. Marv Weisbord spoke these words a long time ago and I remember the essence but not the exactness of what he said. I’ve added my own experience to the mix as well. (Hope it’s okay with you Marv.)

The consultant sees and names what’s missing, such that the clients find it for themselves.

The feminine way of perceiving, thinking, making meaning, and being in the world has long been missing from the halls of power. Feminine is relational, nurturing, concerned with building community, empathic, intuitive, and expands to incorporate vs. conquer the other (think pregnancy). Feminine has her shadow and masculine has one of his own. Each helps to keep the shadow of the other in check. We call it balance, the yin and yang,

I advocate passionately, cajole, humor, argue, push, and do whatever is needed to give the feminine perspective a seat, preferably three seats, at tables where important issues are considered and decided. In her book, Women Lead the Way, Linda Tarr-Whelan argues that when the table is comprised of  30% women the conversations change. I have seen this happen. And Jane Perdue, who was part of a fem-trio at the senior leadership table in the cable and communications industry, says three became a powerful game changer.

Why do I advocate for the feminine view – a perspective that is also within and can be presented by men? Because it’s what’s missing, and it’s been missing for several hundred years. If the masculine was missing, I’d advocate for that.

Either one alone is only half of what humanity is and can be. Together we are more than twice as much.

Gratitude to my dear colleague Marion Chapsal for insisting on interviewing me as part of our work on a top secret project. By doing so she inspired this post. She also provided the top image. Merci mon soeur. Co-labor-ate. It’s what we do.

©2010 Germane Insights. All Rights Reserved.

The Glass Ceiling Hasn’t Opened

Despite the number and variety of programs for women at large corporations such as Deloitte and Touche, General Electric, Procter and Gamble, American Express, etc. the number of women in top leadership roles at major U.S. companies remains relatively unchanged in recent years.  For the most part these programs address such things as hiring and developing women and result in more women at lower and mid-level management roles. But glass ceilings stay put for most women who aspire and have the talent to contribute at the company’s highest levels.

Best Practices Won’t Do

Increasing the number of women in key roles at the top of corporations calls for culture change. Research from The Athena Factor: Reversing the Brain Drain in Science Engineering and Technology, and the World Economic Forum Gender Gap Report indicates that women still encounter an “uninviting and hostile macho culture.” The glass ceiling hasn’t opened much for over a decade.  “Best practices” are simply known practices already in use and won’t result in significant improvements beyond where we are today. To crack the ceiling open we need uncommon practices.

But what they are?

Albert Einstein advised that “You cannot solve a problem with the same thinking that created it.” The culture that led to the glass ceiling is unlikely to produce the needed change in thinking. Why? Members of the dominant power group whose beliefs, thoughts and actions determine the culture, often don’t see the thinking that creates it. They are akin to the fish who don’t see the water in which they swim. Members of the non-dominant culture have an outsider’s perspective and a clearer view of the culture and the thinking or hidden assumptions on which it is based. Herein lies the dilemma. The very culture that needs to embrace change presents obstacles to entry for those women who will make it happen.

Uncommon Practices Are Needed

The following uncommon practices are designed to break through this impasse and shift us to a new more effective leadership paradigm.

1. The Rule of 3

• Set a near term goal of three women on each top leadership team where important decisions are made.

Why three? It is extremely difficult and unlikely for the lone woman – or any lone minority – to change the prevailing culture. Almost all lone women share the experience of speaking up during a team discussion and being ignored, overridden, or dismissed. Within minutes a man in the group states the same point. This time the peer group acknowledges the speaker and often supports his idea. The lone woman eventually become less active and less invested as this experience is repeated. Because no one else in the group shares the woman’s experience they do not notice this dynamic and without support she become less vocal. The opportunity for culture change diminishes as does her effectiveness in the group.

2. First Women – Selection, Support, Accountability

• Carefully select, sponsor and mentor first women who join the team before the rule of 3 is achieved.

They must be highly capable of doing the job and being trail blazers. These women are courageous, self-confident and resilient. They read the human landscape and respond with flexibility, keeping the end goal in mind. They need a solid support group inside and outside the company. Spending time with members of this group is part of the job.

• Hold both her sponsor/mentor and the first woman accountable for her success.

It is their success. Their relationship includes mutual learning and requires a high level of trust so that vulnerabilities and difficulties can be openly discussed and addressed. He also ensures that she has access to important networks. The sponsor creates a learning environment such that the first woman and her peers can explore sensitive issues to improve team performance. Advice and counsel from experts in change management, human dynamics, and diversity help ensure the first woman, her sponsor and the team are successful.

• Establish first women and first sponsor groups.

A formal group of all the first women becomes a mechanism for supporting each other and changing the culture. A first sponsor group plays a similar role. These two groups also work together to learn, review progress, identify and remove impediments to culture change and enhance the success of first women.

3. Rapid Readiness of High Potential Women

To keep the pipeline full use very fast track approaches to prepare women for top leadership roles. A recent study by Steve Wolff, DBA*, the Hay Group, found the role of executive assistant, not to be confused with secretary or administrative assistant, to be one such method. High potential women who participate in decision making discussions with senior executives are ready for top leadership positions sooner than when traditional methods of moving up through the ranks are used.

These practices create change at the individual, team and organizational levels simultaneously. The first women, sponsors and peer groups increase their capacity to work across the gender boundary. They remove impediments to culture change and act as role models. The effects cascades through the organization and the critical path to success for second women is faster and smoother. In addition, the first women are ready-made sponsors and mentors for those next in line.

*Steve Wolff, DBA. The Coming Leadership Gap. Presentation to New England Society for Applied Psychology. Waltham, MA. March 7, 2010

For another absurd idea on how to crack the glass ceiling and shift the failing command and control paradigm click here.

These are but a few uncommon practices for cracking the glass ceiling. Please add your ideas, suggestions and comments. Together we can crack the glass ceiling.

©2010 Germane Insights. All Rights Reserved.

Laura J. Daley , a savvy business woman, turned me on to a terrific well-written article about the future of women in large corporations and the future of corporations if they don’t succeed in getting more women to top leadership roles. Andrés Tapia, Hewett’s Chief Diversity Officer and Emerging Workforce Solutions Leader says more women in leadership roles should be “hard-wired” into the overall company strategy. He offers recommendations that reach beyond best practices for achieving this goal.

To read Andrés’ paper, click here.

My comments on his piece appear below.

©2010 Germane Insights. All Rights Reserved.

The Numbers

Meg Whitman is the only woman in Harvard Business Review’s landmark study ranking the 100 best performing CEOs. Of the 2000 companies examined only 29 were headed by women. HBR then posted an article asking “Why so Few?” My reply appeared in the March print edition. The full text of the response appears below.

This Discussion Needs to be Reframed

What criteria determine

• Best performing companies?
• Best performing CEOs?

Do they include

• Social or environmental good vs harm?
• Building strong families and communities?
• Raising moral standards?

Under what cultural rules are they determined?

As long as the frame for determining “the best” is built on assumptions of the predominant culture, those deemed successful will for the most part be members of that predominant group.

Women Are Building a New Frame

Women in business are changing the culture, the rules and the way we measure business and CEO success. Consider Andrea Jung’s mission for AVON – “To improve the lives of women globally.”

It may take a while but we’ll get there. Harvard Business Review may see the light someday but is not currently a leader in transforming how we define successful businesses and the leaders who create them. If they were, we’d have a different list based on different criteria and more women would be included.

Please share your thoughts – agree, disagree, raise a different point.

©2010 Germane Insights. All Rights Reserved.

Watch the world’s business leaders make the case for more women in leadership roles. It will take a few seconds for the debate to begin.

SHARE YOUR VIEWS

Who was most convincing? Why?

How do conversations and decisions change with more women in the room?

©2010 Germane Insights. All Rights Reserved.

Harvard Business Review is catching on. A recent article on the female economy declares that women present a marketing opportunity more than twice the size of China and India combined. Yet most companies fail to see or capture this prize. Those that do are winning even in the down economy. How? They are listening to smart women in their own companies.

At H&M, a Swedish clothing company, the formula for success includes a board and management structure where women are in the majority. This strategy has produced a

• 34% increase in profits during a sluggish economy when retailers around the world reported lackluster results
• Doubling of stock value over four years
• P/E of 21.47, ROI 44.11 and ROE 46.82 compared to respective industry figures of 5.28, 5.07, and 5.

The Rule of 3 – A Strategy for Capturing and Retaining this Market

Employing the advice of women in your own company to capture this market makes sense. Consultants can help in the short term and it may be wise to call one now. But as the saying goes, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

Savvy women in your own company will advise you that women decide to buy based on the relationship as well as the product or service. They will teach you how to use social media to engage women in meaningful conversations that deliver business results. They will make sure you understand that women want to be smart consumers so educating your buyers is important work. They would have told the powers that be at Dell that matching a computer to her outfit is not a priority for women and the reference recalls an outdated stereotype that insults current and potential customers. Dell would have been spared the negative press and other costs of this error.

In order to get and benefit from the advice of women many companies must first change a culture that worked when business was a man’s world.

The Rule of 3 will help you make the culture change and win the market.

What is the Rule of 3 and How Does it Work?

Three members of a minority group, in this case women, are typically required for individual members to speak up, be heard and have influence. The Rule of 3 is based in social science research on the influence of minority groups – defined as those who do not determine the mainstream culture. It has been confirmed by the observations of colleagues who are experts in the field of diversity.

Test the rule. Ask any woman who has worked in or with a company for the past 10 years whether she’s ever had the experience of speaking at a meeting and being ignored, discounted or told why her idea won’t work. Then within minutes a man in the group shares the same idea and suddenly it’s a good one. You will see her nod of recognition before you complete your question. The Rule of 3 changes this dynamic, especially if the women agree to intervene with and for each other. The rule works even better if a member of the mainstream group – such as the leader – intervenes, “Didn’t Margaret just say that same thing a few minutes ago?”

How to Apply the Rule of 3

First, as you charter groups to capture women customers, make sure there are at least 3 women in each of these groups. More is better.

Second, start now to ensure that over time there are at least three women on senior leadership teams that make critical and strategic decisions at your company. Ask and listen to what they say about how the culture needs to change so you can hire, retain, and maximize the contributions of savvy business women to gain even more market share.

Results from the Rule of 3

Read what happened at Deloitte and Best Buy when they employed the rule.

Over 15 years ago Deloitte chartered WIN an initiative led by women. Why? Deloitte recognized the increasing financial wealth of women and the implications for their business. In a recent conversation Barbara Adachi,* WIN’s National Managing Principal, stated when WIN began the company had a “7% gender gap in turnover rates and a small representation of women at the partner, principal and director levels. Today at Deloitte, the gender gap is less than 1% and approximately 22% of the partner, principals and directors (PPDs) are women, in fact, they just reached a notable milestone of surpassing 1,000 women PPDs in the U.S. firm.” (Barbara also manages Deloitte Consulting LLP’s Human Capital Practice, U.S. Western Region.)

At Deloitte, the benefits of WIN have accrued to the entire organization regardless of gender. The recent implementation of Mass Career Customization, initiated by WIN, applies to all professionals at Deloitte. It also resulted in a book published  by Harvard Business School Press. The “Women as Buyers” program is a more recent innovation to help the 91% of Deloitte’s partners and senior managers who are pitching to women clients and need to understand how women think and make decisions about financial matters. One male attendee remarked, “Women as Buyers is a great program. It provides insights into the things you need to know but were afraid to ask.”

At Best Buy regional WOLF packs (Women’s Leadership Forums) develop ideas to attract more women customers. Why? Ninety percent of home electronic purchase decisions are made or influenced by women. The packs have implemented small changes that produce big results, such as carrying designer cases for PDAs and changing signs designating washing machine capacity from cubic feet to number of loads. Like Deloitte, Best Buy measures results – increase in women customers – and by this measure the program is a success. Best Buy has also succeeded in hiring more women sales managers and lowering the turnover rate.

If You Think This Doesn’t Apply to Your Company, You May Want to Think Again

“We are a military supplier, so the growing women’s market doesn’t apply to us.” In 2008, General Ann Dunwood was named the military’s first woman four star general. We are in all branches of the military, and some of us love shopping with other people’s money. (Apologies for the stereotype.)

“We supply technology companies and sell to engineers.” Women currently hold over 40% of lower level management positions in science, engineering and technology companies. These women and those who come after them will be movers and shakers in your customer base before you can implement the Rule of 3.

A company that designs and manufactures surgical instruments failed to make the devices small enough to be held by women who are a growing proportion medical school graduates. Makers of dental equipment are also taking note of the growing number of women enrolled in dental schools.

Summary

The Rule of 3 – start now before it’s too late.

*Barbara Adachi serves on the National Board of the Girl Scouts of America and has been repeatedly named one of the “100 Most Influential Women in Business” by San Francisco Business Times (2003-2009).

©2010 Germane Insights. All Rights Reserved.

Dear Sir and the Occasional Madam CEO:

A year ago the waters of the great economic oceans receded. In fear of what might come next, people have responded in a variety of ways. Some are frozen in place awestruck (perhaps dumbstruck) by this phenomena. Others are waiting things out in the hills. Some are hiding in caves.  But those who will ride the crests of incoming waves when the tides turn are looking to the future. They are scouting for the patterns that are forming now. If you are in this last group, continue reading as this post reveals an emerging wave.

Addressing the interests of women is no longer the politically correct thing to do. It is a clear competitive advantage.  Women consumers represent a market opportunity more than two times the size of China and India combined. Companies should heed the mistake Dell Computers made in attempting to capture this market with stereotypes that insulted current and potential female customers.  A big apology ensued. Women are more complex than Dell assumed. The best way to understand this market now and in the future is to listen to the women in your company. If you don’t have any – get some. If they are currently at lower levels in your company create a speed track to the top. Make sure they are in influential roles where they can direct critical decisions that will bring this market opportunity to your door. Invite women to join your board.

Savvy leaders are also preparing to attract and engage their future workforce. Women are an enormous part of this talent pool. They earn over 50% of undergraduate and graduate degrees.  In science, engineering and technology companies, women account for over 40% of lower and mid-level managers and as a group they outperform their male peers.  Yet they, the future leaders, leave en mass in their mid to late thirties to find greater engagement and satisfaction in other careers and companies. This is a huge problem and companies that will succeed in the future are addressing it now.

What follows is evidence of this sea change from my own view of the ocean.

1. Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Ph.D. from the Center for Work Life Policy got a standing ovation from a professional group of senior leaders in the Boston area. I’ve been attending these meetings for several years and have never seen the group stand to applaud a presenter. Dr. Hewlett spoke about her research and work with top tier companies like G.E., Pfizer, Cisco and Genzyme who are committing substantive resources and promising year over year progress in attracting, advancing and retaining women.  She revealed the factors, above and beyond the usual money and power,  that attract and retain women.

• Flexibility in determining when, where and how work gets done
• Having great colleagues and friends at work
• Doing meaningful work
• Giving back to the community
• Being challenged – to this I would add having the opportunity to contribute to substantive company issues and being valued for doing so.

When companies build work, structures, processes and roles around these needs, both women and men are more engaged. Hewlett also provided examples of what top tier companies are doing to attract, advance retain  -  and I would add maximize the contribution of talented women  as well. Here is one example.

General Electric launched RESTART to lure women technologists and scientists back to work by offering flexible work schedules and other incentives. In Bangalore thousands showed up for this two day program. Thirteen were hired, and in a region where the average turnover rate is 40% annually, 12 out of 13 of these women have remained with the company for over a year.

2. I’ve had more requests in the past month than in the previous year for a white paper entitled “Women Leaders: From Politically Correct to Competitive Advantage” and an increasing number of requests to speak to public and private audiences on this topic.

3. An article entitled “How to Attract and Retain Talented Women” in PINK Magazine’s on line community has been viewed over 500 times in just a few days and is one of the most widely read posts on the site.

What is the call to action?

The end goal is attracting and retaining women customers, employees and leaders. Aim for a benchmark of 3 women on top leadership teams and on the board.  If you are just getting started read HOW TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN TALENTED WOMEN,

AND

• Understand and communicate a clear concise business case for this endeavor.
• Work with the women in your company to assess the current conditions.
  • Ask what helps and what gets in the way of maximizing their contribution and advancing their careers
• Designate a key executive as leader of a task force to recommend changes to address these factors
• Most importantly focus on structural and cultural changes in addition to providing development opportunities for women
• Select your most talented women and put them on a fast track to success by offering them-
  • Sponsors who are held accountable for the success of these women
  • Stretch assignments
  • Opportunities to work with senior executives on key business imperatives
  • Coaching and mentoring to develop their talents

Do you have an ocean view? Please take a moment to comment on the emerging waves that you see.

How is your company preparing for the importance of women customers, leaders and employees?

©2010 Germane Insights. All Rights Reserved.

First – I hope no one takes offense. This post is intended to make us all laugh, because if we all don’t laugh at ourselves who will?

Second – Please feel free to ad rules as you see fit.

Third – I claim no credit for this list.  A friend e-mailed it to me.

Note: The above items are numbered in sequence in contrast to list below. Neither is right. They are just different.

MAN RULES

WE ARE MEN.

THESE ARE OUR RULES!

PLEASE NOTE.. THESE ARE ALL NUMBERED ’1 ‘ ON PURPOSE

1. MEN ARE NOT MIND

READERS.

1. LEARN TO WORK THE TOILET SEAT.

YOU’RE A BIG GIRL.

IF IT’S UP, PUT IT DOWN.

WE NEED IT UP, YOU NEED IT DOWN.

YOU DON’T HEAR

US COMPLAINING ABOUT YOU LEAVING IT DOWN.

1. CRYING IS

BLACKMAIL.

1. ASK FOR WHAT YOU WANT..

LET US BE CLEAR ON THIS

ONE:

SUBTLE HINTS DO NOT WORK!

STRONG HINTS DO NOT WORK!

OBVIOUS

HINTS DO NOT WORK!

JUST SAY IT!

1. YES AND NO ARE PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE

ANSWERS TO ALMOST EVERY QUESTION.

1. COME TO US WITH A

PROBLEM ONLY IF

YOU WANT HELP SOLVING IT. THAT’S WHAT WE DO.

SYMPATHY IS WHAT YOUR

GIRLFRIENDS ARE FOR.

1. ANYTHING WE SAID 6 MONTHS AGO IS INADMISSIBLE

IN AN ARGUMENT.

IN FACT, ALL COMMENTS BECOME NULL AND VOID AFTER 7

DAYS.

1. IF YOU THINK YOU’RE FAT, YOU PROBABLY ARE.

DON’T

ASK US.

1. IF SOMETHING WE SAID CAN BE INTERPRETED TWO WAYS AND ONE OF

THE WAYS MAKES YOU SAD OR ANGRY, WE MEANT THE OTHER

ONE

1. YOU CAN EITHER ASK US TO DO SOMETHING

OR TELL US HOW YOU WANT IT

DONE.

NOT BOTH.

IF YOU ALREADY KNOW BEST HOW TO DO IT, JUST DO IT

YOURSELF.

1. WHENEVER POSSIBLE, PLEASE SAY WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO SAY

DURING COMMERCIALS.

1. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS DID NOT NEED

DIRECTIONS AND NEITHER DO WE.

1. ALL MEN SEE IN ONLY 16 COLORS, LIKE

WINDOWS DEFAULT SETTINGS.

PEACH, FOR EXAMPLE, IS A FRUIT,

NOT A COLOR.

PUMPKIN IS ALSO A FRUIT. WE HAVE NO IDEA

WHAT MAUVE IS.

1. IF WE ASK WHAT IS WRONG AND YOU SAY ‘NOTHING,’ WE WILL

ACT LIKE NOTHING’S WRONG.

WE KNOW YOU ARE LYING, BUT IT IS JUST NOT WORTH THE

HASSLE.

1. IF YOU ASK A QUESTION YOU DON’T WANT AN ANSWER TO, EXPECT AN

ANSWER YOU DON’T WANT TO HEAR.

1. WHEN WE HAVE TO GO SOMEWHERE,

ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING YOU WEAR IS FINE… REALLY.

1. DON’T ASK US WHAT WE’RE THINKING ABOUT UNLESS YOU ARE PREPARED TO DISCUSS SUCH

TOPICS AS BASEBALL OR MOTOR SPORTS.

1. YOU HAVE ENOUGH CLOTHES.

1. YOU HAVE TOO MANY SHOES.

1. I AM IN

SHAPE. ROUND IS

A SHAPE!

1. THANK YOU FOR READING THIS.

YES, I KNOW, I HAVE TO SLEEP

ON THE COUCH TONIGHT.

BUT

DID YOU KNOW MEN REALLY DON’T MIND THAT? IT’S LIKE CAMPING.

FROM ANNE PERSCHEL

THE GARAGE IS A ROOM.

WHEN I CLEAN THE GARAGE I AM CLEANING THE HOUSE.

FROM SUSAN MAZZA

WHEN I SAY “HONEY, YOU NEVER TOLD ME THAT,” IT MEANS

“I WASN’T LISTENING IN THE FIRST PLACE.”

Have a rule? Please send it as a comment to this post.  All appropriate rules will be added.

©2010 Germane Insights. All Rights Reserved.