Women in Leadership

Dr. Hema A. Krishnan July, 2014

Coimbatore

Portions of this talk were presented at GRGS in July 2011 and Proctor & Gamble, U.S.A in 2014

Gender and Leadership

Agenda

Agenda

1. The famous and not-so-famous women leaders

2. Common traits shared by women leaders

3. Challenges faced by women

4. Leadership lessons

5. Next steps

The famous women leaders

Born and raised in ChennaiMiddle-class familyMBA from IIM-C and MPA from YaleWorked in J&J, BCG, Motorola19 years in a Fortune 100 company; CEOMarried; mother to two daughters

The famous women leaders

Born and raised in RajasthanMiddle-class familyICWAI and MBA from Jamanlal BajajOver 28 years in a leading Indian bankCurrently, CEO and MDMarried; one son and a daughter

The famous women leaders

Born and raised in Illinois Middle-class familyLaw degree from YaleFormer Senator from New York and

Secretary of State of the U.S.A.Married; one daughter

The unsung women leaders

Born and raised in New YorkAfrican AmericanEarly life: of poverty, raised by a single motherMaster’s in Elec Engg from ColumbiaOver 32 years in a tech, Fortune 500 companyCurrently, CEOMarried; two sons

The unsung women leaders

Born and raised in Michigan52 years oldEarly life: father worked in auto industryEducation- UG in elec engr, MBA Started at General Motors at age 18Married; two children

Every woman makes a difference

YOU!!

Common Traits of women leaders

Executive Orientation: Strong family backing,solid education, strong technical skills,self confidence, good social network,high EQ (emotional quotient) and SQ(spiritual quotient), patience (long tenure intheir organizations), empathy, had greatmentors, extraordinary work ethic, integrity,fairness, voracious readers, courage,

openness, humility

Challenges faced by womenA Balancing Act

Work front: Stereotyping, old-boys network, leadership and management style, power plays, compensation, few role models, few mentors, time management

Home front: Challenges of raising a family, cultural and social stereotypes

Personal front: Time management, stress management, the 40s-50s syndrome

The Golden Era for Women

Challenges faced by women

These challenges are channeled into:

Entrepreneurship and InnovationSeizing opportunities with rival firms

Challenges faced by women

U.S. women versus Indian women

Indian women leaders face challenges on multiple fronts:

Social factorsEconomic factorsLegal factors

But, are willing to put up with much nonsense; therein lies their success (unfortunately, at the expense of their health)

Challenges faced by women

An interview with Indra Nooyi

Lessons from women leaders

Communicate & Collaborate: Learn to listen!!Humility: Aspire for level 5 leadershipAttitude: Be positive, encouraging, upbeatRespect: all your constituencies, especially

those in the lower levels of the firmInstincts: Learn to trust themSupport: Your team personally, professionallyMessage: Have a consistent messageAct! To correct injusticeThank yous: say them often, send notesInnovation: Be entrepreneurial, flexibleCompany and constituencies: Do what is right

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LEVEL 5 LEADERS (Jim Collins)

Level 5leaders

Build greatness through combination of will and humility

Level 4 leadersCan lead a group to superior levels of performance

Level 3 leadersOrganize people resources to accomplish predetermined objectives

Level 2 leadersWork effectively with others as a member of a team to achieve group objectives

Level 1 leadersMake individual contributions through talent and work ethic

Capabilities

Recent Lessons I have learned

Watch out for mental/emotional issues in your employees

Be fair and transparent

Be accessible, unpretentious and friendly

Do not take things personally

Read, Read, and Read even more………

Manage your stress: pick up a hobby, set limits

Next Steps for women leaders

1. Entrepreneurial, be open to others’ ideas 2. Be a mentor, continue to be mentored3. Improve your EQ4. Do not be a micro manager; Empower 5. Think long-term6. Action oriented

Women and the bottom-line of organizations:+

One final thought……The Power of Networking

From Zerolimitsnetworking.com