This month’s column focuses on women and leadership, but the strategies apply to all who want to be successful in their work and the generalization made about the feminine management style do not apply to all or only women.
In my Executive Coaching practice, I am privileged to work with talented, highly competent women and men who, for one reason or another, are finding their careers stalled or at risk. Their goal is to examine current leadership or management practices with a goal of identifying strategic and tactical steps they can take to manage their careers more effectively, leading to opportunities for advancement. Working together, we do the following:
One assumption in this process is that opportunities exist within the organization and that there is no systemic deterrent to the client’s advancement.
The very qualities that make women excellent managers may also keep them at a certain level within the organization. For example, women tend to be very supportive of their direct reports (I know, you have seen exceptions!). Women work in the context of what Carol Gilligan (1) calls a web of inclusion. They share successes and personalize failures. They work rigorously at their responsibilities to make their mark. All of these are admirable managerial traits and they are the gifts brought to the marketplace by women. At the same time, there is the "other side of the gift". By that, I mean that these traits have a potential for diminished return. A lack of awareness of the "other side of the gift" can stall or block career advancement.
The attributes above work very well, unless women overlook the need to market themselves in the organization. Each individual must function as his/her own agent and the collaborative style may not highlight individual contributions.
Take Diane’s situation. (Names and situational demographics have been changed.)
Diane, a VP of accounting, began to notice that she was no longer being included in some of the director level meetings and that she had lost easy access to her mentor, a senior level director whom she (and others) believed she would succeed. In our work together, we identified choices made that, while not bad in and of themselves, were nevertheless not serving her well in terms of being perceived as a leader.
Diane wanted to develop a strategic plan to re-position herself as a perceived leader. Her plan required a new perspective on what was important at work. Her rigorous task orientation, a by-product of women’s perceived need to work harder than men to make their mark, had to be adjusted. She now saw the networking within the organization was a necessary priority for which time had to be made. Diane immediately took steps to get her work noticed by getting on the agenda of the Director meetings where she showcased her accomplishments. Her tendency to understate her accomplishments was replaced with appropriate and well-received ways of demonstrating them. She initiated more meetings with her mentor. She adjusted her communication style when speaking with him and with other senior level managers, shifting from problem-focused to idea sharing. She changed her work priorities. She created a superstar file, a first step toward creating a professional portfolio, and she began to look at what other companies were doing in order to offer fresh perspectives at meetings. Diane is included in all important meetings now. Whether she will take her place at the table remains to be seen, but there is likely to be a seat for her, if she so chooses.
What natural gift do you bring to your work? How do they complement and support your goals? How does the "other side of the gift" impact your career success?
Note: A special thanks to Ann Martin Gallagher, M.S. (retired) who introduced me to the "other side of the gift."
1. Reference: In A Different Voice by Carol Gilligan
Dr. Rita Carey, has assisted dozens of organizations and thousands of individuals through a broad array of transitions - from individual career changes to change management strategies for entire corporations. For biographical information on Dr. Carey, please click here
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