Is being a yes girl the right strategy? - by Monalisa Das (Mail India, Feb 2nd edition, Pages 24 & 25))

Meenakshi Nayar had the right mix of talent and dedication to take her places in the advertising world. After graduating from a leading media institute, Meenakshi took on a job with full zeal at an ad agency. She didn't mind the 14-hour days or work-filled weekends. No matter how over-burdened she was, she never refused work. "Saying no to boss was unthinkable," she says.

While her strategy seemed to be a good one initially, over time it backfired. Despite several promotions, Meenakshi feels she is treated like a doormat in office. "My team members and boss just keep dumping work on me but never ask for my opinion. I can't recall the last time I went home for Diwali or took a day off," she declares. "It really hurts that despite my initiative and dedication, I haven't earned respect. Even my juniors have a bigger say in matters than me," she says. Meenakshi admits that being a "yes girl" has been a big mistake.

Speak your mind
Experts say Meenakshi's frustration is shared by most working professionals, especially women, in the Indian corporate world. "Blame it on cultural upbringing or the pluralistic society, women haven't yet learned to speak up. They may be extremely hard working but don't claim credit for their work or negotiate properly. They also find it difficult to say no," says Srimathi Shivashankar, associate vice president, diversity & sustainability, HCL Technologies.

Nirmala Menon, founder and CEO of Interweave Consulting agrees. "Most women have a tendency to please others. Unlike men, they want to be seen as "nice" and are scared of confrontations or upsetting their colleagues with a no. But they need to unlearn this trait once they step into the corporate world, especially if they intend to assume leadership roles."

Menon's 20 years of experience in HR roles in India and the US have taught her that saying yes to every request may not always be right. "If you keep compromising on situations, the time will come when co-workers start treating you like a pushover," she says. Being over-burdened will ultimately affect your performance, which will end up being the company's loss too.

Assertiveness helps
Speaking up when faced with an unfair situation-be it the inequitable distribution of work or uncalled for comment-is crucial. "If you have gained the organisation's confidence and can clearly articulate your rationale, people will be willing to listen," says Mumbai-based Kanika Bhutani, senior manager, FIDS, Ernst & Young. Failure to speak up is often mistaken for a lack of competence or knowledge. "Women must learn to showcase their own competencies, abilities, achievements or simply just speak up more often in meetings," says Archana Bhaskar, global HR lead, OTC, Shell. While most women hesitate to speak up, those who assert themselves may go over the top. Hence, women come across either as yelling and dominating bosses or as submissive employees.

"You need to consciously practice how to express yourself politely but firmly without offending others. Another person's age or position should not bar you from speaking your mind," points out Meena Suri Wilson, senior enterprise associate, Center for Creative Leadership who comes with 15 years of work experience in the US and Asia. And if you have to say no, do it after careful consideration. "Saying no must be based on some facts, evidence or rationality else it will sound arrogant and unconvincing. People respect you when you sound reasonable," says expert on diversity issues, Shivashankar.


Glass ceiling exists
Another concern is the subtle bias that exists against women. "You are made to feel excluded in subtle ways. Organisations start giving you lighter roles after marriage and kids, assuming that you won't be able to deliver," says Menon. "This makes women so insecure that they hesitate to say no even when they need to. They end up committing beyond their capacity. Hence, confusion about where to draw the line prevails," says Priya Chetty-Rajagopal, vice president & partner, Stanton Chase International. It's the confusion that makes them either over commit, under commit or quit.

There is no denying the fact that women are under more pressure than men to strike a work-life balance. As a professional, however, a woman needs to be extremely clear about her priorities and stick with them. "Women must try to shift attention from gender issues to performance and work delivery because ultimately their talent really matters," says Bhaskar.

The best way to say no
Striking a balance between between agreeing to take on tasks and turning them down is very important. Gaining courage to say no to tasks in the workplace doesn't translate into shirking your professional commitments.

Also, if you have just taken on a job and start saying no to assignments right in the beginning, this won't be acceptable. You first need to prove yourself and create a reputation before you start raising objections. "It's about striking a balance between being naïve and saying yes to requests, and being arrogant and say saying no. You should be able to assess the situation and the relevance of your response to your career," suggests Shivashankar. The following tips will help.

Avoid responding immediately to requests to take on a new project, role or opportunity. It's best to sleep over it since a quick response doesn't ensure long-term foresight.

Next step is to create a mind map. "Assess if the new project is going to move you up in the career ladder. It could be in the form of new learning, networking with the senior management, better experience or simply a feel-good factor," says Shivashankar. If you decide to say no, frame it constructively with clarity and vision.

Acknowledge the good work you have done as this helps build your reputation and also makes it easier for your boss to deal with your no. "After every assignment, analyse how it helped you grow as a professional and how it contributed to the company's success," advises Wilson.

Share your learning with your boss- thank him for assigning you the task. "This will create the image of a proactive responsible professional. Saying no to certain things one off will become much easier if you appreciate a lot of other things regularly," she says.


Mail India 2nd Feb edition

Making-up competence?

A recent Harvard study found that women with make-up are perceived as being more confident. As part of the study, respondents were shown pictures of many women – of different ages and racial backgrounds – with different levels of make-up. They rated the women who had worn visible make-up as looking more competent compared to those hadn’t.

So, where does it leave the average woman with a career? Will lipstick and eye-liner help her land plum posts? Feminists have lashed out against the findings.

Often, corporate careers place subtle demands on women to dress and behave in particular ways. However, can a woman not confirm to these expectations and still be successful? Can organisations truly value employees for their loyalty and work; not their skills with the eye-pencil and blush?

Use or abuse of diversity?

Bangalore’s Namma Metro has proudly said that 5 of its 32 operators will be women.

When companies publicize the fact that they hire people of specific diversity groups (women, physically challenged etc), especially in roles typically not held by those groups, does it create a feeling of goodwill among the public, or feel like the company is simply trying to make itself out to be a more sympathetic employer than its competitors?

Does it look like a hero, or an ordinary person posing as one?

What It Takes to Break the 'Glass Ceiling' by Rebecca R. Hastings, SPHR

Here is an article published by SHRM, on Monday, 28 Nov 2011, for which our very own Nimmi Menon provided her valuable input:

Women in senior positions acknowledge that certain obstacles exist for women seeking advancement to top roles, but some observe that it is women themselves, rather than companies or male colleagues, that impede career growth.

The "Executive Women Leadership Research Project," an interview-based study of 108 female executives in U.S. companies, suggests that the "glass ceiling," a concept that refers to an invisible barrier that prevents women from attaining top corporate positions, is not the barrier it was in the 1980s. Two-thirds of the women interviewed by CareerCurve Workforce Solutions, a talent and coaching firm based in Cleveland, held positions at the senior vice president level or above when the research was conducted in mid-2011.

According to the authors of the report released Nov. 7, 2011, "Securing a leadership role in a world-class company is an entirely attainable achievement no longer reserved only for the privileged few."

Yet the female executives interviewed noted that women's managerial aspirations often lag behind men's at key stages of their careers and that women have less clearly-defined career goals. Moreover, respondents suggested that too much focus on the concept of a glass ceiling "can be a self-imposed limiting factor."

Even if the glass ceiling does exist, however, it has moved higher, the report noted, "as women have now attained close to a third of middle management positions in many countries."

There are key actions women must take in order to achieve career success at a level comparable to male peers, CareerCurve respondents said:

  *   Women must be intentional about building and communicating their value. The women executives surveyed were clear about their career ambitions and took steps to communicate their value to their employers. "One of the biggest roadblocks is women's own self-doubt," the report noted, caused, in part, by "the internalization of stereotypes."

  *   Women should identify and enlist sponsors and mentors. As SHRM Online has reported<http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/Diversity/Articles/Pages/BenefitsofSponsorship.aspx>, when such relationships are at their best, they provide positive benefits for women and their sponsors and mentors. But women cannot wait for such relationships to be created for them. "You need to be proactive in developing cross-functional relationships while gaining a solid understanding of the business," Suzanne V. Forsythe, vice president of human resources for STERIS Corp., said, in the report.

  *   Women should seek assignments and promotion to positions with profit-and-loss responsibilities. "Too few women gain the experience of running a business as they progress up the career ladder, and this lack of experience minimizes their chances of landing top executive roles," the report noted.

  *   Women should invest in personal and career growth initiatives. Regardless of their life plans, the women interviewed by CareerCurve remained fully engaged and took advantage of learning opportunities such as courses and certifications. "They kept their minds challenged and their relationships fresh and intentional," according to the report.

"Women who have risen to the highest ranks of their profession view work/life balance as a myth," the report noted. Respondents said they have learned to set priorities, delegate responsibilities and apply team values to managing their personal and family lives. "Planning, excellent multi-tasking skills, a good support system and a sense of humor are essential to managing a challenging career and a healthy family life," said Virginia Albanese, president and CEO of FedEx Custom Critical, in the report.

Obstacles Remain

Sources consulted for this article agreed with many of the findings of CareerCurve's research, particularly those that laid some of the blame on women themselves.

"People assume that if they just do a great job, someone will notice it, and it's not necessarily true," said Susan Meisinger, SPHR, J.D., a member of the Global Advisory Board at Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC). "You have to raise your hand and volunteer to do more and seek out opportunities to demonstrate what you're capable of."

She noted, however, that this is an obstacle faced by men as well as women.

Yet Meisinger, a former president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and a fellow at the National Academy of Human Resources and Human Resource Policy Institute, said she thinks that women sometimes equate being ambitious with being arrogant or believe that one must step on other people to get ahead.

She doesn't see it that way. Meisinger said individuals must simply convey to others that they are confident they can make a greater contribution to the organization.

But a lack of self-confidence is what holds many women back, according to Mary Cheddie, SPHR, senior vice president, human resources for Interval International and a former member of the SHRM Board of Directors. She said women are more likely to doubt themselves and question, often to others, whether they are capable of handling a new project or assignment, while men are more likely to express confidence immediately. Women are not afraid to talk to others about their fears and concerns about a new assignment, she said. "It is almost like we need to hear ourselves talk about it so that we can get our head around it, and then we [can] do it."

This can lead some to question a particular woman's abilities.

That's why Cheddie suggested that women "keep quiet" rather than expressing such doubts out loud and talk through their concerns in private, ideally with a mentor. "We should know that we are not being asked to do something unless we really can do it and, after all, if we don't take on new things, how will we ever grow?" she added.

When women need to verbalize concerns, however, they should seek the counsel of a trusted female peer, when possible.

"Women need to better mentor each other, 'watch out' for each other, and openly (and privately) support each other," said Laura Viehmyer, vice president, human resources at DAI, a development organization, in an e-mail sent while traveling on business in Afghanistan.

Stepping outside of one's comfort zone is crucial, sources said. Women, especially, must be willing "to be aggressive in going after what they want," said China Gorman, CEO of CMG Group, a talent management consultancy in Las Vegas.

But such aggression must be backed up with competence.

Gorman, who has held a series of senior-level positions, including that of COO for SHRM, said it takes equal parts performance, confidence and authenticity for women to achieve their goals. This means they should always exceed goals, be willing to disagree, be approachable and "be your best you, not someone else's version of you as a leader."

What Organizations Can Do

Cheddie said organizations can offer developmental opportunities, mentors and 360-degree feedback to women to help build confidence and ensure that they exude confidence in their dealings with others. "I grew up primarily with men and have been the only female in mostly male-led organizations, so I saw their behaviors modeled day in and day out," she said. "I think this helped me quite a bit."

In addition, organizations should be sure that individual leaders are not imposing limits on female colleagues by their words and actions.

Cheddie, who played basketball most of her life, said her high school coach told her she was "a horrible outside shooter" and that she should shoot only within five feet of the basket. So that's what she did. However, her college coach, who had a different opinion, said she was "a dead-eye" for making longer, three-point shots. "I never even tried [three-pointers] in high school because I was told that I was 'terrible,' " she told SHRM Online. "Yet I was NOT terrible. I not only could do it, I did it VERY well."

Viehmyer recommended talent management efforts such as executive leadership and coaching programs for women, particularly those that balance risk-taking and decisiveness.

Other sources agreed.

"The next generation of leaders-male and female-is inside our organizations right now," Gorman told SHRM Online. Thus, employers should pay "serious attention to succession planning," provide "stretch opportunities for all employees" and encourage and support continued degree education financially, she said.

But an organization's failure to take such actions should not prevent women from trying to reach for the top.

"I got to senior levels by taking assignments no one else wanted and succeeding with them, by being flexible about location ... and by letting the senior executives in my organizations know what I wanted," Gorman said.

"I think the best thing organizations can do to help women attain top positions is to have women in top positions," Meisinger said in an e-mail. "First, it signals to women in the organization that there is a future for them since other women have been able to rise to the top. Second, women who have been successful in rising to the top have an appreciation of the challenges that women face and will be able to mentor those who hope to do the same."

Moreover, women leaders are more likely to encourage flexibility in the workplace, Meisinger added, because they understand the logistics of working and raising a family, the balance of which is more likely to burden women than men, she noted.

That is certainly the case for many women in India, according to Nirmala Menon, founder and CEO of Interweave Consulting Pvt. Ltd. in Bangalore. She said that multiple role expectations placed on women by society and by themselves, combined with long hours at work and "the lack of equal partnership from spouses on home-life management issues," take a toll on women over time.

"Having to constantly struggle in organizational cultures which are generally political power games-for which most women have neither the time nor inclination-and then not being recognized for their efforts tires [women] out," Menon told SHRM Online. "These constant inner struggles then seem too high a price to pay for career advancement."

The result, Menon said, is that many women, in India and elsewhere, "recalibrate their lives" in favor of self-employment, community work or other interests.

That's why Menon asserted that career success for women must come from collaboration between organizations and individuals. She said organizations can encourage women to step out of their comfort zones early in their careers so they build confidence in their abilities. Next, they can prepare women for more challenging roles in line and profit-and-loss functions. "This, combined with a sensitive work environment, supportive family-friendly policies and internal sponsorship, are bound to retain [women] and help [them] succeed," she said.

The URL for this article is: http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/Diversity/Articles/Pages/BreaktheGlassCeiling.aspx

It is available online only for SHRM members

Climbing the Corporate Ladder - Our Experience

Recently, we, at Interweave, met a high-energy and vibrant group of women.

This group of professional women had been nominated by their organsiations for our Open Program, Climbing the Corporate Ladder.

This program, aimed at identifying and addressing the unique challenges that professional women face, saw a powerful interaction not only between us and the women but also among one another. We recognize that each group of professionals brings a set of their own challenges to the workplace.

This program, however, explored the challenges that women deal with. The group explored concepts like assertiveness, learning to say no, dealing with power and conflict among others. We also facilitated the group to identify strategies that will help them effectively deal with such barriers so they can reach their full potential at work. Introspection naturally flowed into the session as more and more participants saw where they were being unfair in their high expectations of themselves, to perform well at both the work and home fronts. Listening to other participants share how they had dealt with the situation in their own way, brought new ideas to the table. The sense of camaraderie was quite high.

The program energized not only the participants but also us at Interweave!

We are looking forward to having such enriching experiences with more groups in the times ahead.

Climbing the Corporate Ladder

Interweave presents "Climbing the Corporate Ladder" - an empowerment program for women employees to transform their limiting beliefs and behaviour patterns to reach their full potential at work.

Only 2 days left to avail of the Early Bird offer! Hurry!

Why Are Indian Women So Stressed Out? Interweave in an 'Knowledge @ Wharton' article

Women in urban India have easy access to domestic help: A full-time maid, cook or driver are not uncommon in their households. Of course, these are luxuries that most working women in the rest of the world can only dream about.

But a recent survey by global research firm Nielsen illuminates another picture. Covering 6,500 women across 21 developed and developing countries, the study’s results show that women in India are the most stressed out. Of the respondents in India, 87% said they felt stressed most of the time. They are followed by women in Mexico (74%), Russia (69%), Spain (66%), France (65%) and Italy (64%). In the U.S., the number is at 53%.

What exactly is weighing on women in one of the fastest growing economies in the world? The Nielsen survey’s respondents point to the requirement of managing multiple roles.

One could well argue that this particular condition exists for women across the globe: Juggling roles at home and work are a given. There is a difference in India, however, says Nirmala Menon, founder and CEO of Interweave Consulting, a Bangalore-based firm that focuses on diversity management and inclusiveness in the workplace. Menon notes that even as career opportunities for women in India are on the upswing, the support structure and social mores have not kept pace. “Nor has the internal psyche of the Indian woman,” adds Menon. “Despite ‘modern’ times, traditional expectations of women are still conveyed in subtle but consistent ways. The Indian woman has far more familial interfaces to manage than her western counterpart.”

According to Hema Ravichandar, human resources advisor and formerly the global head of HR at IT firm Infosys: “Regressive mindsets in society and the workplace; a culture that rewards performance based on effort — with the number of hours spent [working] as proxy indicator — rather than result; rigid work policies which do not factor in the need to spend extra time at home during critical phases like childbirth, adoption, etc., are unique to India.”

There are other reasons, too. Technical infrastructure support and enablers are at a nascent stage in the country as compared to the developed economies. Options like working from home, flex-time, telecommuting and so on have arrived only in the recent past in new industries and are still evolving. “Even in companies which have these facilities, it is not construed as the right thing to do if you are serious about going up the corporate ladder,” says Ravichandar.

A lack of women in executive roles mirrors this. A report by Standard Chartered Bank points out that women constitute only 5.3% of the total number of board members in the top 100 Indian companies by market capitalization on the Bombay Stock Exchange. This is much lower than in other countries, including Australia (8.3%), Hong Kong (8.9%), the U.K. (12.2%), the U.S. (14.5%) and Canada (15.0%). The number of Indian women in middle and senior management roles is not much higher.

Meanwhile, the latest employment data show that worker participation (the ratio of workers to population) fell to 39.2% in 2009-2010 from 42% in 2004-2005. While the decline is marginal for men — from 55.9% to 55% — it is significant in the case of women — from 29.4% to 23.3%. Analysts say that one reason for this is that as men in the family start earning more, women, especially in the lower middle class, opt out of the work force for reasons of social status. In his column in the daily newspaper Times of India, Swaminathan Anklesaria Aiyer noted: “Social mores, especially in the lower middle class, give superior social status to households where women don’t work. When a family with rising income decides to keep females at home, it literally buys social status with the income foregone.”

But the survey’s implications go beyond individuals or families. All of this has wide ramifications for India’s continued economic growth. If the support structure and attitudes towards women, both in the workplace and in society at large, don’t change, women will either simply opt out of the workforce or — faced with endless stress — be far less productive than their true potential. This will result in a sharp blow to the country’s demographic dividend, which though touted as a key factor in India’s growth, is under its own stress. The window for growth is small and, as Ravichandar points out: “Having women as part of your workforce is no longer a nice-to-do but a must-do.”


Source: http://knowledgetoday.wharton.upenn.edu/2011/07/why-are-indian-women-so-stressed-out/