Leadership Archives - Page 3 of 3 - The Career Success Doctor

So You Think YOUR Boss Is Unsupportive Of Women Managers?

Like many of us, I’ve had my share of unsupportive bosses, particularly those who are keen to promote a man rather than a woman. I know that in many societies it’s a real struggle to get recognition as a a professional if you happen to be female. And today I discovered just how bad it is for women managers in Japan.

An article in the HBR blog (what a great resource their online version is, by the way) reveals that, along with South Korea, Japan has the lowest rate of women managers in the developed world at around 10%. Note, we’re not talking about Board members here, we’re only looking at managers. By comparison, about 35% of managers in UK are female, which puts us just above the EU average, and fourth behind Latvia, Lithuania and France. Yep, you read that right, France have a higher percentage of female managers than UK.

The other fascinating fact to emerge from this piece is that ‘more women working and more babies’ can help ‘counter an aging workforce and a flaccid economy’. In my opinion that’s a lesson the UK government could take on board, too. For many working women, the poor level of childcare makes it difficult to commit to a career and be a truly effective performer at work. We do it, but it’s despite a limited (and in some areas non-existent) level of childcare.

It’s easy to be complacent that we’re doing so much better than Japan and the majority of EU countries, even the Anglo Saxon ones. Women make up over 50% of the UK population, so why are the numbers so low?

Of course, taking time out to have children accounts for some of the difference, but it certainly doesn’t tell the whole story. In my work I am increasingly meeting intelligent, dynamic women who have left the corporate sector (by which I mean the world of other peoples’ organisations, private, public and not-for-profit sectors, organisations large, medium and small) to set up their own business. Many say they dislike the corporate ethos, that it’s too masculine and doesn’t allow them to express themselves as women. Many are leaving because they are fed up, and feel they can have more work-life balance, time for their kids, do something they love and make a difference by working for themselves.

As a woman running her own business, I applaud this. But how sad that so many of us do it because feel we HAVE to do it, that it’s the only way out, the only way to have a truly fulfilling career and be who we really are, rather than struggling to play the game.

Rant over….here’s the rest of that hbr blog.

Picture By Yu Morita from Tokyo, Japan (20081101-DSC_2264) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Any One For Ice-Cream? Leadership At Udderlicious

Written by The Career Success Doctor

Leadership is a quality that just about any job paying a reasonable salary requires, but employers can be so vague about what it means. Yesterday I was facilitating a networking event for Islington Chamber of Commerce’s Women In Business club. The topic was Personal Leadership.

We took over a family-owned business – an ice-cream parlour (Udderlicious, 187 Upper Street if you go near Islington in London, England), which has only been open for 2 months. As facilitator, I asked the owners to talk about their journey to opening the shop and the challengers they face, to see what lessons could be learned.

There were three particular attitudes and behaviours they talked about which for me epitomise good leadership.

1. Playing to staff’s strengths and encouraging them to develop. One of their staff is a real people person, so they actively encourage him to come out from behind the counter and meet and greet customers, and take their orders. The customers love him, and he loves doing it, so everyone has a great experience.

2. Getting involved when everyone’s back is against the wall. Delegation is an important skill, but there are times when you all have to turn your hand to all manner of unsavoury or menial activities. If the toilets need cleaning, and you’re the one not doing anything, then toilets it is! And it’s important to know when to stop mucking in, and to step back to ensure that the strategic side of things is also being attended to.

3. Passion for the product and what they do. Udderlicious is unique, because they make the ice-cream themselves, on the premises (and it’s delicious). When they talk about what they are doing you can hear the enthusiasm, excitement and belief in what they are doing, which, for a customer is so reassuring. It rubs off. I found myself leaving there as a passionate advocate of what they are doing. You get such a strong sense that this is important to them, and that they want their customers to have a great experience. They also do everything they can to source all their supplies (including the furniture) locally, which is another great selling point.

When you’re an employee, it’s not always easy to have that passion. Nor do you necessarily have the opportunity to bring on other people. However, if you can’t demonstrate passion, a willingness to get involved and a generosity of spirit, you’re likely to get left behind. And if the organisation constrains you so much that the joy has gone out of your working week, then it’s worth considering what price you are paying in emotional terms to stay there.

If You’re Preparing For Interview, Here’s Something You Need To Know

Written by The Career Success Doctor

If you’re preparing for interview, it’s easy to focus on the material – the questions they might ask and the words and phrases you’ll use to answer them. While that’s a valid part of any interview preparation, there are things that you can do that will totally transform how you perform at interview.

But you also have to pay attention to body language, which is what this TED talk by Amy Cuddy is all about. Funnily enough, it follows on nicely from a post I wrote last week on the hidden wisdom of your body. I had no awareness of this video when I wrote it – I heard about it a few hours after I wrote the post – but sychornicity is a wonderful thing.

Cuddy’s message is fake it till you become it. Your body language profoundly influences how others see you and how you see yourself. As long you are preparing for interview, spend 2 minutes a day practising power poses and get the job of your dreams – seems worth it to me.

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