Shirley Clark and Patricia Reed

1

Learn to Lead Changes in Your Workplace to
Advance and Retain Women Leaders

• Shirley Clark and Patricia Reed
• July 20, 2006 1000 am - 1115 am
• 2006 BPW National Conference
• Dallas, Texas
• Embracing New Frontiers Looking at the Future
  Innovative Research, Strategies and Thinking

2
Who is Choose 2 Lead?

• Non-profit that seeks to change 21st century
  lives
• The founding partners, Patricia Reed and Shirley
  Clark, have over 45 combined years of experience
  in business, government, consulting and
  non-profit organizations and have relocated with
  their husbands and children 10 times.
• C2L was founded on a vision that women, armed
  with information, can be strong catalysts for
  personal and professional changes
• Recent research for the U.S. Department of Labor
  has focused on experienced women opting out of
  the workforce and win-win workplace solutions

3
Background

• We believe that the face of the workforce has
  changed and the workplace hasnt kept up
• Workers are more diverse than ever before
• One-size-fits-all jobs and old-school management
  models are inadequate for todays workers
  dual-earner families a prime example
• Technology has provided tools for change, yet is
  underutilized

4
Background

• Women are not reaching their career potential and
  represent an underutilized asset
• Many women leave opportunities and income on the
  table in order to make their dual-earner family
  work
• Some leave altogether, although they have a lot
  to offer
• Once off the track, getting back on presents
  challenges
• Some women leaders feel stymied by the old boys
  network

5
Background

• Need to reframe the issue it is not just a
  womens issue or is it always about flexibility
• Workplace needs to meet the needs of employers as
  well as of diverse employees
• Studies on women and the workplace show progress
  yet generally dont examine the underlying
  fundamental issue of workplace culture
• Win-win workplace practices have been shown to
  lead to increased loyalty, productivity and
  retention

6
Beyond Quarterly Results

• How can leaders be best prepared to deal with
  global competitiveness?
• Focus on human resources
• Retention Gen XY, retirement eligible,
  mid-career women
• Future pipeline of workers
• High cost of benefits, hiring and training
• Leverage technology to bring relief to supply and
  demand issues of human capital
• Lead and embrace change cultural and
  operational

7
Creative Programs and Approaches Exist!

• Innovative win-win programs include
• Targeted recruiting and innovative hiring
  strategies to gain competitive advantage through
  diversity in thought
• Older workers as mentors
• Alumni staff to fill interim resource needs and
  keep employees skills fresh
• Job banks and seminars to match non-traditional
  workers with non-traditional positions
• Local client focus to minimize travel
• Team and product approaches to projects
• Best of lists dont necessarily provide an
  accurate picture of the degree of innovation out
  there.

8
Great Concepts, but what are the Roadblocks?

• Not widely spread within company
• Marginalization by co-workers
• Career stopper
• Attempts to negotiate a personal deal fail dont
  have tools to make the case
• Options dont fit needs
• Marketability  

9
Barriers to Organizational Change

• Lack of compelling business case
• Old-school views on work and workers
• View that employees are commodities and not
  assets
• Misunderstanding of the differences between
  flexible and restructured
• Fear that everyone will want reduced hours or
  that only some can benefit
• No plan or model to implement
• Limited resources to research or plan change
• Lack of management experience in how to manage a
  non-traditional workforce
• HR issues such as health insurance, accounting
  structures

10
Women Leaders can be Catalysts

• Be realistic, bold and positive
• Manage with everyones interests in mind
  shareholders, managers and employees
• Arm employees and executive leadership with
  compelling reasons for change
• Test out innovations rotations, product-driven
  team projects, mentoring, job redefinition,
  womens forums, alumni and on-ramp programs
• Cooperate with other women
• Spread the word at every opportunity
• LEAD by example

11
Questions for Discussion

• Who is being groomed to be the future leaders?
  How can we ensure that womens participation in
  senior roles and boards will increase?
• How can we convince organizations that
  competitiveness starts with diversity of thought
  and leadership style?
• What is the role of technology in organizational
  change and success?

12
Our Challenge to You

• Work with us to change 21st century lives
  www.choose2lead.org