By Ilene H. Lang, Deborah Gillis and Deepali Bagati

Earlier this month, we met with CEOs of Indian companies to discuss the importance of expanding opportunities for women and business in India Inc. Women currently make up 36 percent of the Indian labor force, yet 67 percent of Indian employers are struggling to fill jobs. One solution to this talent crunch: educated and ambitious Indian women.

CEOs across Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore shared with us inspiring, and effective, ways in which they’re shifting their organizations’ cultures to ensure that all talent is valued. One CEO talked about “leading by example.” He has taken action and asked each member of his leadership team to mentor three women, while he personally mentors five!

Another CEO talked about consciously changing the way he viewed women—namely, by thinking of them as natural leaders. Once he started from the assumption that women were born to lead, it helped him to confront and shatter biases and stereotypes about women that he grew up with.

Finally, a CEO talked about changing the default question at his company, so that when women are considering a new role with bigger responsibility, they are not asked, “why would you want to do this job,” but instead, “why wouldn’t you want to do this job?”

Actions like these are clearing a path for the success of talented, and ambitious, Indian women. Gender gaps exist in India, but we’ve discovered on this trip that many companies understand how women can fuel India Inc. And they are acting on it—an inspiring model for senior leaders in India, and around the world.

Catalyst events provide our best opportunity to share our research with Canada’s business community, and for us to learn from their experiences in building diverse and inclusive workplaces. In her first year on the job, Catalyst Canada events manager Jessica Dolmer has brought a fresh eye and a new perspective to our organization and our events. We’ve asked her to share some early impressions and insights with CanCon.

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“A year already?” When the Catalyst team asked me to write a guest Cancon about my first year on the job, I couldn’t believe I had already been working for Catalyst for a year.

Events are a large part of the Catalyst culture, and we take pride in our reputation for excellent speakers and provocative topics. Participants in events like Catalyst Connects or last year’s Engaging Men as Champions have an opportunity to mingle with and listen to some of the most successful men and women business leaders.

Catalyst is more than an organization—the network of members, supporters, and advocates stretches across the country, and includes every sector of the Canadian economy. People attend Catalyst events because they know they’ll leave with something tangible to take back to their companies and their lives. They’ve heard what is actually happening and what others have actually done – the how, the why and the results of business initiatives to advance women.

One of the perks of my job is meeting interesting, successful business leaders. After a full year of working on Catalyst events, I am still amazed and impressed by the calibre of people who are willing to step up and lead discussions. Dynamic, genuine business leaders—people who have made a difference— share their experiences and stimulate discussion and debate. It is a testament to the importance of the Catalyst mission that people are not only happy to be part of our events, but often rearrange their schedules to sit on panels.

The highlight (as well as the biggest challenge) of my first year was probably The Catalyst Canada Honours. My colleagues told me it would be a very special evening, but I wasn’t prepared for the energy and passion of the 600 business leaders who gathered to support the advancement of women.

As I reflect over the past year, I can tell you one of the best things about Catalyst: the great people who provide amazing support and who are extremely skilled at their jobs. The level of trust and honesty at Catalyst give me the confidence to ask the “dumb” question, to speak up with suggestions, and to take risks.

As an employer, Catalyst follows its own advice. As an employee and member of the team, I look forward to the challenges to come.

Congratulations to Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Sodexo, recipients of the 2012 Catalyst Award for their initiatives on diversity and the advancement of women. Although separated by geography and business sector, these two companies share a common philosophy that diverse leadership makes for stronger organizations. With these award-winning initiatives, they’re taking action to prove it.

I hope to see many of our Canadian members at the Catalyst Awards Conference and Dinner in New York this year!

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Congratulations to Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Sodexo—the 2012 Catalyst Award winners! These companies’ Award-winning initiatives share a strategic, laser-sharp business focus and lead with strong results.

This year’s winning initiatives reflect the evolution of advancing women from a “nice-to-do,” to a core business practice. Commonwealth Bank and Sodexo have incorporated a culture that values diversity into their brands, which differentiates their businesses from competitors, increases profitability, and better reflects the customers they serve. Their initiatives focus on transforming leadership, workplaces, and lives.

This year, in recognition of Catalyst’s 50th anniversary, the annual Catalyst Awards Conference will be held over two days at The Waldorf=Astoria in New York City. The first day, March 28, 2012, will highlight Catalyst milestones spanning five decades, and on March 29 we’ll honor the Award-winning initiatives, culminating with the Awards Dinner that night. You can find the program and register today by clicking this link. Hope to see you there!

2011 saw mixed success in the progress of women. The excitement of seeing women as premier in four Canadian jurisdictions was balanced by the fact that the number of women at senior levels in Canadian businesses remains very low. But at least last year left plenty of room for improvement in 2012, so let’s get started!

Women in Charge? There’s Some Progress…

Canada’s political leadership includes more women than ever. Women are now premiers in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut, Alberta, and British Columbia, and the 2011 federal election saw a record number of women elected to Parliament. Internationally, women like International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are examples of women stepping up to the top jobs. But will the progress of women in public life be repeated in the private sector?

READ: “Women in Charge, in Canada and Abroad” by Nicholas Van Praet, Financial Post, December 26, 2011.

…And Some Progress is Still Needed

A study published in early 2012 indicates that only one woman is on the list of the 100 highest paid Canadian CEOs. Maybe we can at least double or triple this number in 2012?

READ: “Only One Woman Among 100 Highest Paid CEOs in Canada” by Dana Flavelle, The Star, January 2, 2012.

Hope Springs Eternal!

Catalyst President and CEO Ilene Lang is one of the people who are hopeful that 2012 will see a growth in the number of women in senior business leadership positions. Will women’s issues emerge in the U.S. election debate?

READ: “High Hopes 2012 Will Be a Good Year for Women” by Luista Lopez Terregrosa, New York Times, January 10, 2012.

Will Networking Help?

Your network of friends and associates can have a powerful impact on your career. I have a job I love because someone saw an opportunity, thought of me, and made the suggestion. Other women have equally positive stories, but do we need to become more strategic in our networking?

READ: “The Serendipitous Side of Networking” by Leah Eichler, The Globe and Mail, January 6, 2012.

Will 2012 be the year that we acknowledge and begin to address the biases that persistently hinder the advancement of women in many workplaces? In this week’s Catalyzing, Ilene Lang points out that the myth that women are less ambitious than men excludes many talented women from consideration for senior positions. And that is costing women, the businesses that employ them, and the economy.

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Do women lack ambition? Not on your life.

Women want to succeed, yet even when they do “all the right things” Catalyst has found that they earn less and progress more slowly than men. The fact that some women adjust their career advancement strategies after crashing into institutional barriers is a rational response to inhospitable workplaces. It is not an example of a lack of ambition.

Catalyst has been studying women’s ambition for nearly a decade. Our 2004 report, Women and Men in U.S. Corporate Leadership, surveyed nearly 1000 senior-level employees who shared similar backgrounds and characteristics. We found that women aspired to be CEO in equal proportions as men. But the women—to a much greater extent than men—ran up against barriers, namely exclusion from informal networks, stereotyping, and a lack of role models. Likewise, our report, Leaders in a Global Economy, found that women and men have similar work values. The problem is this: men find workplaces more aligned with their values, women don’t.

What’s changed since 2004? Not much—women remain ambitious, but barriers still block their paths. And with few exceptions, women’s leadership is stalled in corporate America.

The Myth of the Ideal Worker, the latest report in our series on high potential employees, examined the career advancement strategies of thousands of MBA graduates from top schools around the world and the impact of these strategies on their careers. Women and men were equally represented in the two most proactive groups, indicating that ambition ran high among both genders. But being proactive paid off more in promotions and pay for the men.

In Pipeline’s Broken Promise, we found that among MBA grads who aspired to be CEO or senior executives, women progressed more slowly than men. And parenthood, industry, and previous experience didn’t explain the gender gap. The leadership and pay gaps balloon over time, suggesting that the problem lies with the system, not the women.

So what is the problem? Cascading Gender Biases, Compounding Effects revealed how gender biases are unintentionally embedded in talent management systems—biases that exclude those who don’t fit the male leadership model. Addressing these biases and rooting them out at the source are better ways to tackle inequality than blaming the women. Smart organizations are proactively addressing the barriers women face and are reaping the rewards.

Our research has pointed to one more powerful solution: sponsorship. Sponsors advocate for you from behind closed doors and ensure you’re visible when opportunities arise. The problem is that many women are over-mentored and under-sponsored. Some companies are recognizing this and are instituting formal sponsorship programs for women. At the same time, individuals are taking the lead on this front without waiting for a formal program to kick in by actively seeking sponsorship and being a sponsor to others, especially talented women who deserve it. This is one proven way to help narrow gender gaps.

The misguided assumption that women are less ambitious than men puts companies at risk of inadvertently underutilizing talented women and overlooking, or outright dismissing them, for key roles. This is a real loss for companies. Organizations need to step up and clear a path for women’s success.

Women are ambitious. But systemic barriers in the workplace mean that ambition, even when coupled with talent, isn’t always enough.

We at Catalyst Canada are excited about the events and activities on our 2012 schedule. Once again, we’ll be offering women and men opportunities to exchange practical ideas on how to advance women in business and learn more about the benefits of inclusive workplaces.

We believe businesses that value a healthy work-life balance benefit by achieving greater loyalty, lower employee turnover, and more cohesive teams. And we believe in practicing what we preach.

To allow our employees to enjoy family and friends over the holidays, Catalyst Canada’s office will close at 1 p.m. on Friday, December 23, and reopen on Tuesday, January 3.

I wish all our Catalyst Canada members and friends a happy holiday season, and look forward to seeing you in the new year.

As another year winds down, I’m still finding inspiration and encouragement in the words of The Catalyst Canada Honours champions who have filled this space over the past three weeks.

And then I get a cold splash of reality with the release last week of the Catalyst Census of Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. In brief, there has been no progress in the representation of women at senior executive and board positions in the past six years. The Census indicates that:

• Women held 16.1% of board seats in 2011, compared to 15.7% in 2010.

• About one in ten companies had no women serving on their boards.

• Women of colour still held only 3% of corporate board seats.

• Women held 14.1% of Executive Officer positions in 2011, compared to 14.4% in 2010.

• Women held only 7.5% of Executive Officer top-earner positions in 2011, while men accounted for 92.5% of top earners.

• Less than one in five companies had 25% or more women Executive Officers and more than one-quarter had zero.

In February, we’ll learn how Canada’s FP500 companies are performing in the representation of women on their boards, but we have no reason to anticipate that corporate Canada is more dynamically diverse than their counterparts south of the border.

We know that the presence of women in the boardroom has a positive effect on the bottom line. We know that diverse boards are more agile in dealing with a rapidly changing business environment. We know that women will be an important part of the response to an aging population and a shrinking workforce—and we know that other nations are taking steps to promote women and achieve the diversity that will give a competitive edge in the coming years and decades.

Taking my cue from Catalyst Canada Human Resources/Diversity Leader Michael Bach, I’m asking myself how I’m going to move out of my comfort zone to promote the advancement of women in business in 2012. Maybe it will be speaking up at social gatherings, or taking the time to encourage a young woman to expect more from herself and her career. Maybe it will be challenging an individual friend or colleague to change his or her views on diversity, or to act on these principles to sponsor a talented woman.

Change won’t happen until we step out and speak up for diversity and inclusion. Let’s make 2012 the year we change corporate culture, and make our businesses as diverse as our country.

Among the highlights of The Catalyst Canada Honours are the remarks by the champions themselves. And, in the ensuing days and weeks, these words of inspiration, and the glimpses they provide of personal struggle and achievement, are what I remember and ponder.

The Human Resources/Diversity Leader Champion, Michael Bach, shared his personal passion and belief that privilege brings the responsibility to make a difference. His challenge to the audience was to take bold, possibly unpopular actions and positions to impact the status quo. Michael asked us to consider why change is taking so long, and then left each of us with a personal challenge.

Watch Michael Bach at The Catalyst Canada Honours:

Among the highlights of The Catalyst Canada Honours are the remarks by the champions themselves. And, in the ensuing days and weeks, these words of inspiration, and the glimpses they provide of personal struggle and achievement, are what I remember and ponder.

The 2011 Business Leader Champion, Jennifer Tory, has devoted much of her career to developing people, both directly and through her advocacy for sponsorship and the advancement of women. She has brought the same commitment to acting as a catalyst for change and diversity to her work with community organizations. Her remarks challenged the audience to find talent in their organizations by looking broadly, deeply, and often.

Watch Jennifer Tory at The Catalyst Canada Honours dinner:

One of the highlights of The Catalyst Canada Honours is the remarks by the champions themselves. And, in the ensuing days and weeks, it is the words of inspiration, and the glimpses of personal struggle and achievement, that I remember and ponder.

The 2011 Company/Firm Leader Champion, Monique F. Leroux, has experienced plenty of challenges and successes in her career. She has made a difference in the careers of individual women, and influenced the creation of opportunities for many women. She has “sent the elevator back down” for others as she has advanced in her own career. Monique shared with us some of the ways her parents encouraged her success and helped establish her commitment to action…. and then she issued a challenge.

Watch Monique at The Catalyst Canada Honours dinner: