This session examines the obstacles that are still keeping women’s talents from being fully utilized and recognized at work, and offers research-based suggestions for action. By the end of the session, participants will walk away with a concrete game plan to improve opportunities for themselves and others.

After an exercise to surface participants’ strengths and goals, Dr. Connie Gersick presents the lay of the land regarding the progress and challenges faced by women in the work environment. Key points include:

• Across industries, women are not moving into senior executive positions at a rate commensurate with their increased numbers in middle and upper-middle management.
• Male executives tend to think work-life demands are the main issue regarding women’s lack of advancement, whereas women say it is networking and access to senior people.
• Recent research suggests unconscious bias is a key factor, operating in both men and women, and causing them to downgrade women’s performance. For example, the “same” resume gets evaluated much more positively when a male name is put on it (the applicant is deemed more experienced, accomplished, smarter, etc.) than when a woman’s name is on the resume. A practical application of this research occurred in symphony orchestras that began “blind” auditions to counteract the bias. The hiring rate of women increased five-fold.

The Birkman Method Assessment is a leadership and personal development tool that assumes leaders perform better when they are acutely aware of their own behaviors and needs (and those of their teams), and how those behaviors and needs impact others. The reports contain information on usual behaviors, needs and underlying motivation, and usual stress behaviors exhibited when needs aren’t met. The assessment also includes insight into dominant styles of problem solving and other life situations, perceptual filters and styles of communication. Participants will be encouraged to think about their approach within their organization — what difference your style makes, what opportunities it presents and what potential roadblocks.

What are the decision making traps that lead good managers to make bad decisions? What are the considerations needed to evaluate situations and mitigate risk? This session explores the psychology of decision making, both at the individual and the group level. Participants learn how to make more strategic, sound decisions and how to exert influence when others are involved in the decision making process. Participants will explore perceptions and attitudes, improve their ability to influence others involved and make better decisions with confidence.

What does it take to successfully navigate the organization? Do you know what kinds of jobs routinely lead upward in the organization? How do you present yourself to be considered for one of those jobs? In this session, participants will learn how to project executive readiness through knowledge of the content needed and the style that is most effective at communicating presence, ability and confidence. Participants will also decode the relative importance of activities they engage in within a job: how discretion, visibility and relevance of their work affect their credibility and viability for promotion.

Success at the executive and managerial level depends on forming and maintaining both internal and external networks, as well as utilizing productive mentoring relationships. In this session, we:

• Analyze our own networks and network strategies, and find out how to increase influence without compromising our values
• Discuss strategies for developing and maintaining mentoring and sponsorship networks
• Examine different mentor and sponsor relationships and techniques
• Analyze our own mentor relationships while learning how to work with mentors to make the relationships more effective
• Develop our own mentorship capabilities so that we can be better mentors
• Identify ways of working with internal sponsors

Strategic thinking is an essential leadership capability. In this session, we discuss a remarkable case study of outstanding leadership and strategic thinking that exemplifies the most critical issues a leader must address in order to achieve extraordinary outcomes. Through lectures, case study and small group work, participants learn the value and application of the following leadership skills: articulating purpose; using chaos strategically; identifying situations limited by the “Tyranny of OR”; bringing the future to the present to reduce uncertainty; and using creative chaotic conversations to expand possibilities.

Effective leaders need to be able to work with a variety of people through different challenges in dynamic environments. Most leaders over-rely on a specific leadership style or approach, regardless of the situation. To develop one’s leadership capabilities, however, it is critical to broaden one’s leadership style portfolio in order to deliver added value and ensure strategic success in any complex situation. The objective of this session is to help participants develop an understanding of their own strengths as a leader, evaluate how they might successfully use other leadership styles and consider how to use this knowledge to identify specific actions they can take that will enhance the effectiveness of their leadership.

In this sessions participants will examine the types of leadership skills and attributes required of female leaders. They will learn how to effectively manage change through individuals and teams, and understand the associated dynamics of change management through an organization. Participants will also learn to manage the impact of changing business conditions to transform and lead their organizations. In group work and lectures, the participants will discuss proven strategies for injecting positive change into their own organizations and create actionable items to use when they leave the classroom.