In Canada, though women make up 47% of the Fortune 500 workforce, they comprise only 37% of mid-level managers, 17% of corporate officers and 13% of directors.
These were not surprising statistics for most of the women gathered at the recent Leadership Lessons from Influential Women in Business workshop.
The 20 female mentors who each led a table discussion, as well as the 244 women participants, know only too well how hard it is to bridge the gender gap in business. Which is why the idea for the workshop came about.
General topics included asking for what you want, building alliances, creating and leveraging networks, enhancing your personal brand and identifying the support you need. Around issues that pertained specifically to women, topics included gender bilingualism and women in business.
Each mentor sat with a table of 10 women to discuss challenges they face in male-dominated businesses, growing their own business, communicating with men or moving up the corporate ranks.
Telus vice-president Jill Schnarr discussed strategies for getting ahead, focusing on three main points:
- maintaining a high performance level;
- getting exposure to senior leaders; and
- making your boss (male or female) look good.
It’s important to make yourself heard and give “push-back” as opposed to just agreeing with everything your boss might say, Schnarr pointed out, “but it’s important to know when to stop the push-back and just get the job done.”
On the second point, Schnarr said that building a network outside of your immediate work is key to getting the exposure that might lead to higher positions later on.
After participating in two different table discussions, participants then heard from a panel of leaders that included Jessica MacDonald, executive vice-president, Western and International Development, HB Global Advisors Corp.; Ida Goodreau, corporate director, LifeLabs and Vancouver Coastal Health; Janine North, CEO, Northern Development; and moderator Liz Watson, president, Watson Advisors Inc.
The leadership event was sponsored by Fasken Martineau and Vancity. It was presented by Business in Vancouver, the Professional Women’s Network and Young Women in Business.