Women Online

A central theme of the Bentley Center for Women and Business’ Inaugural Forum on April 27, 2012 was the inclusion of men in the creation and implementation of solutions that breakdown systemic barriers to women achieving economic, social and political equality.

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Boston.com Global Business Hub 

Bentley University’s Center for Women and Business Inaugural forum took place on April 27, 2012. The Center is working on initiatives relating to advancing women in the workplace and moving from conversation to action. Energetic as always, Bentley University President Gloria Larson kicked off the forum that over 700 people had signed up to attend.

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I’ve attended many leadership talks, but Betsy Myers had an air of honesty and realism that resonated with me and with others in the audience, which consisted of students and professionals from the Boston area. She spoke at length about the changing face of leadership: it’s becoming more about the people in a system, collectively moving the work forward, than it is about a top-down leader.

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MSNBC.com: Daily Rundown with Chuck Todd           

Betsy Myers, Founding Director of the Center for Women and Business at Bentley University, speaks with Chuck Todd about the issue of women’s advancement and flexibility in the workplace. (Video Runs: 6:12)

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Betsy Myers appears on Better TV, a nationally syndicated lifestyle TV show with host Audra Lowe. Betsy gives listeners tips on becoming a leader in all aspects of their lives both in the workplace and at home.

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Today, I also think about the outstanding and empowering women in our lives and those that inspire girls to have big, bold dreams for the future.

One of my favorite memories while working in the Clinton White House was when the President appointed Madeleine Albright as Secretary of State in 1997. She was the first woman to hold that post. He made this decision despite push back from many in the foreign policy community that believed a woman Secretary of State would not be respected in many parts of the world.

I asked the President if he was surprised by the letters, telegrams and calls he had received for making what many felt was a brave appointment. He shared with me that he was indeed surprised but he said, “I chose her not because she was a women but because she is the most qualified for this position.”

What is also significant is that 15 years later, that the post of Secretary of State has been held by two other women, Condoleezza Rice and currently, Hilary Clinton.

There are many examples of firsts that we celebrate today that change our perception of what is possible for women around the world. However, we also stand here today in 2012 with low representation of women in leadership ranks in corporate America, just 14% (Catalyst, 2012) and only 16% of global board seats are held by women (Catalyst, 2012).

The good news is that corporate America is waking up to the economic necessity of harnessing the talents of women. There are many CEOs who are champions in this effort including Jim Turley of Ernst & Young, Bob Moritz of PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Jeff Dailey at Farmers Group, Inc.

Like many others across the globe committed the empowerment and advancement of women and girls, this year is a critical foundation year for the Center for Women and Business at Bentley University where we are working with corporate America to share best practices on how to retain, support and promote women. I encourage you to find out more about what we’re doing and join us at our Inaugural Forum on April 27, 2012

I see true success when we celebrate women’s achievements throughout the year and not just on one day. It’s at this point, when women are more equally represented at the table and participate in the decision-making on critical issues such as health, education and welfare, that women can truly advance.

In her fascinating new book, Take the Lead: Motivate, Inspire, and Bring Out the Best in Yourself and Everyone Around You, Betsy talks about the importance of clarity and shares how a relentless focus on “winning Iowa” by the 2008 Obama for President campaign, for which Betsy served as the Chief Operating Officer, brought clarity to an organization “under siege” and provided a strategic “filter” for deciding what to do as well as what not to do.

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That is a difficult aspect for business leaders and managers who find their workers dealing with basic necessities of life. Those with jobs make on average $4 per day and find that 60% of their salaries go toward transportation. Sean Hsu, the YPO Education Chair and owner of Netcom, described the Nigerian workers as a “me” culture. It’s hard to think of terms of “we” when everyone is dealing with daily survival.

Chaos
A guess one word that would describe my experience of Lagos and Nigeria in general was “chaos.” The government is full of corruption where bribes are commonplace. As a result, the business leaders that I met have learned to deal with this type of culture by developing relationships.  Another example of the chaos was the traffic! It was like nothing I have ever seen before. On the way to the airport, I had a police escort arranged by one of the members of YPO.  I count those 90 minutes among the most amazing times of my life. It reminded me of the bumper car ride at Disneyland — just in real life! Weaving in and out of traffic without lanes or turn signals…it was truly an experience like I’ve never had before.

Why Lagos?
So I kept thinking to myself, “Why Lagos?”  It was intriguing to me that this group of successful and distinguished business leaders chose to build their lives in Lagos. With all difficulties of living there that include not having basic services, dealing with incredible traffic congestion, the challenges of worker productivity and government corruption…Why choose this city? Why this country to grow a business?

The answer was unanimous among this group of leaders. Lagos is an emerging country with tremendous opportunity for business growth. The potential for financial profit had enormous upside and was worth all that went along with life there. What stood out for me was how these leaders acknowledged the chaos but chose instead to concentrate on the opportunity. They saw what most others cannot see. They accepted the difficulties and were willing to tolerate them for the opportunity, upside and potential.  It is a key aspect of their success. There was financial reward and also an opportunity to improve life in this area of Africa by providing jobs.

This experience in Africa has been a reminder of a simple but sometimes elusive skill – it’s what we focus on that matters. Leaders have the ability to not only see the opportunity but then lead themselves and others through the chaos to get there. A wonderful reminder for us all!

DHL team philosophy

I have been in Nigeria for three days as a guest with the Young President’s Organization). As part of my trip, I spent a few hours with the Managing Director of DHL here in Nigeria, Randy Buday. He is responsible for managing the Western countries in Africa. He is an American originally from the Los Angeles area who has lived and worked in Africa for 30 years.

(Pictured Left to right: Isaac Sackey, Area HR & Administration Manager Central West Africa; Randy Buday, Managing Director DHL Nigeria; Betsy Myers)

DHL was recently named one of the best companies to work for in Nigeria. As Randy gave me a tour of their site in Lagos it was an opportunity to learn about the DHL leadership philosophy and how Randy embodies that very philosophy in his personal style.

We spent time talking over lunch with the Central West Africa area Human Resources manager, Isaac Sackey, who resides in Ghana and who also has been with DHL for 20 years. Throughout our conversation, they shared how a key element of their success has been the focus they put on engaging their employees. They have a culture of empowerment – managers trust their team to make decisions, and their managers are held accountable for how they engage their people. To exemplify this idea, they have a banner that hangs in the warehouse, “I own it, I’m on it.”

After speaking with these leaders today, two key employee engagement strategies stand out for me. First, Randy hosts a quarterly town hall session for all the employees. This is where he is able to share strategic information about the company with DHL employees. These sessions are also an opportunity for employees to ask questions and bring up any issues on their minds.

Second, they have a suggestion box that employees use to share ideas, suggestions or frustrations. Randy answers them in the monthly employee newsletters, so employees know they will get an answer. In his experience, he feels that when your employees respect you, they will work hard for you.

His personal philosophy was one of an open door policy. He is talks with his employees, visits the distribution center often and walks the floors taking with his people. He has an open and engaging personality with a passion for the business and the market share that DHL has in Africa. Even though Nigeria is not an easy place to work due to a high level of poverty, caos and corruption. However, Randy sees the opportunity, embraces the challenge by engaging his employees and treating them with respect. Even his driver, Anthony, shared with me that he is at DHL because of Randy!

This week, I was also thrilled to find out that the Washington Post named Take the Lead among the Top Leadership Books of 2011.  I’m in great company with Jim Collins (Great By Choice) and Walter Isaacson (author of the Steve Jobs biography). Check out the list on the Post’s Leadership blog.

This holiday season, I hope that you enjoy the company of your friends and family and reflect on your career and the things that matter most — for 2012, will bring new opportunities to Take the Lead.

Happy Holidays!